Comcast Apologizes For Customer’s Bad Service But Not For Role In Getting Him Fired

Knight725

The story continues for Conal the Comcast customer who lost his job after the cable company called his employer (which happens to make a lot of money off consulting for Comcast) and provided details about his customer service complaints. Comcast’s new Mr. Fix-It has issued an apology for the year-plus of horrendous service and over-billing that Conal experienced, but still maintains that it didn’t mean to get him fired.

The blog post from TV-star handsome Comcast exec Charlie Herrin reads:

What happened with Mr. O’Rourke’s service is completely unacceptable. Despite our attempts to address Mr. O’Rourke’s issues, we simply dropped the ball and did not make things right. Mr. O’Rourke deserves another apology from us and we’re making this one publicly. We also want to clarify that nobody at Comcast asked for him to be fired.

We’re also determined to get to the bottom of exactly what happened with his service, figure out what went wrong at every point along the way, and fix any underlying issues. I’m a few weeks into a new role at Comcast which is entirely focused on what we can do to make the customer experience better. We need to make sure that every interaction is excellent … from the moment a customer orders a new service, to the installation, to the way we communicate with them, to how we respond to any issues.

We’re holding ourselves accountable and we are working hard to make real improvements across the board. While it will take us some time, we can and will do better than this.

It’s all well and good for Comcast to apologize publicly now that it’s been humiliated in the media (again), but what does Herrin really mean when he writes “nobody at Comcast asked for him to be fired”?

What else could Comcast — which has admitted contacting Conal’s employer, accounting giant PriceWaterhouseCoopers, following his complaint to the office of the Comcast Controller — expect would happen when it contacts an executive at a company that relies on Comcast for a nice chunk of its revenue and says “Hey PwC, one of your guys was really rude to our staffers”?

Did Comcast think that PwC would listen to the word of a single employee over the word of the nation’s largest cable provider, who again is a client of PwC’s?

[NOTE: It is generally our policy to not provide the last names of readers who submit stories to Consumerist, which is why Conal's last name was not included in the initial story. However, since he has subsequently spoken to other media outlets giving his full name and the name of his former employer -- and since Comcast refers to him only by his last name in its statement, we are using his last name in this post.]

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

JCPenney Will Make You The Most Fashionable Family In 1986

The winter holidays are coming up, with family gatherings and parties that you don’t want to attend, but have to look nice for anyway. That means it’s time to go shopping for red sport coats and bow-bedecked blouses, to keep your family looking sharp! Because it’s always 1986 in my imagination, let’s go to…JCPenney.

Or maybe let’s not.

There’s not much to make fun of there…what about a toy commercial from 1978?

Ah, that’s more like it. (horrifying toy ad via CNN)

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Bought A Red Bull In The Last 12 Years? Here’s How To Claim Your Piece Of The $13M Settlement

(camknows)

At the news earlier this week that Red Bull had agreed to pay consumers $13 million to settle claims of false advertising, anyone who bought one of its drinks between Jan. 1, 2002 and Oct. 3, 2014 might’ve been wondering how to get their piece of that pie — either $10 cash or $15 in Red Bull products. All you have to do is register online by March 2, 2015, no proof of purchase required (apparently not everyone saves their Red Bull receipts). [EnergyDrinkSettlement.com]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Report: Billing Errors, Varying Procedure Costs Create Environment For Excessive Medical Debt

(Stephen Dickter)

Making a trip to the doctor undoubtedly leaves many consumers’ wallets a little (or a lot) lighter. While some people going in for planned medical procedures might seek out doctors covered under their insurance to help alleviate out-of-pocket costs, a new report found that even with advances in medical policy consumers are feeling the burden of medical debt.

A new report from financial-advice company NerdWallet found that about 63% of Americans have received a medical bill that was more than they expected, The Atlantic reports.

While for the most part the increased costs were a result of billing errors, other issues such as inconsistent costs for procedures and surprise add-ons wreak havoc on consumer’s financials.

Peter told the Atlantic that he was prepared for a majority of the costs associated with a procedure to fix a herniated disk. However, when the final bill came, he was shocked to find an additional charge of $117,000 for an “assistant surgeon,” an out-of-network doctor added at the last-minute.

As for varying procedures, they tend to cost a pretty penny. NerdWallet found that some procedures vary by as much as 54 times the lowest cost in other places in the U.S., which reflects a lack of standards to protect patients.

Costs for medical procedures vary greatly from state to state.

For example, Californians pay nearly $300,000 for an inpatient stay for severe intestinal bleeding, while the same stay would cost a patient in Arkansas just $5,400.

Billing errors, unexpected additions and varying procedure costs are just a few reasons why 1-in-5 – or about 51 million – consumers find themselves being contacted by a debt collection agency about medical debt, NerdWallet reports.

While it can be tough to plan ahead for accidents, NerdWallet advises consumers to educate themselves on their health insurance coverage and to audit their own bills to avoid falling into medical debt purgatory.

“The system that Americans trust for their medical care is not very trustworthy when it comes to their finances,” says Christina LaMontagne, general manager of health for NerdWallet and author of the recent study. “Many Americans think they are getting the greatest care in the world, and yet the American household is more indebted to the medical system than ever before.”

Why Americans Are Drowning in Medical Debt [The Atlantic]

NerdWallet Health Study: Medical Debt Crisis Worsening Despite Policy Advances [NerdWallet]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

Facebook Reportedly Planning An App Where Nobody Knows Your Name

(SCHMEGGA)

At the moment where you might be suffering from Facebook fatigue — knowing that that girl from your biology class in high school has a craving for froyo gets exhausting — the social media company is reportedly planning a mobile app that’d be separate from Facebook, and would allow users to interact under pseudonyms. That way you’ll know when a stranger has a craving for froyo instead. Much more interesting.

According to the New York Times’ Bits Blog, which cites two insiders on the project, the new app is expected to be released soon.

It’s a step in the opposite direction for Facebook’s usual mission to get everyone to basically live their lives on the site with as many identifying characteristics as possible. Anyone else get sick of Facebook begging to know my favorite sports teams? Enough already.

“It’s part of what made Facebook special in the first place,” Chris Cox, Facebook’s chief product officer, said in a recent post. “By differentiating the service from the rest of the internet where pseudonymity, anonymity, or often random names were the social norm.”

That was in response to issues of identity raised by transgendered people who campaigned against Facebook’s need for people to use their “real names,” a policy Facebook subsequently apologized for.

It seems that instead of continuing to insist on that “real” online identity, Facebook is willing to dip its toes in anonymous waters if that’s what people want.

So how would it work? Facebook users would be able to have multiple screennames to talk about a variety of topics, things they might not want to talk about using their own names. It sounds sort of like one big comment board, actually, or um, Reddit.

It’s unclear if there will be photos, status updates or other things traditional Facebook has, or how people will find/make friends. Although who’s going to post a photo of their baby so anonymous people can comment on his first experience with chocolate pudding/the petting zoo/a cardboard box? It’s a risky proposition, and there aren’t details so far on how Facebook would protect users from the inevitable trolls that come with anonymity.

Facebook Developing App That Allows Anonymity [Bits Blog]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Should Uber Be Responsible If A Driver Attacks A Passenger?

(Tiffa Day)

When you think about things that could go wrong while paying an amateur cabdriver to drive you around, there aren’t a lot of possibilities. Maybe there could be a car crash, you could be bitten by a spider in the car, or the driver might grope you. One problem you may not have anticipated: the driver hitting you with a hammer.

One San Francisco man claims that it happened to him a few weeks ago. When he questioned the driver’s route, taking the freeway instead of driving through the city. That’s irritating, but not a reason to turn to violence…and why was there a hammer stashed in the car to begin with?

An attorney representing the passenger who was attacked described the driver as “agitated,” saying things like “I’m tired of people who don’t know where they’re going. Maybe you guys should just get out,” and attempting to boot the passenger and his companions from the car along the freeway, far from their destination. The group claims that he stopped the car a second time, and when the third passenger didn’t get out of the vehicle quickly enough, struck the victim with the claw end of his hammer.

The driver and alleged hammerer has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and battery with serious bodily injury, and he was freed on bail. The victim may or may not lose the use of his left eye. And Uber fans and consumer advocates are left asking: exactly what rights are we signing over when we sign up for a ridesharing app?

This is all a pretty new business, after all. CNET points out that while Uber assures riders that the service is safe and that drivers have been through background checks, the company’s terms and conditions that nobody reads when signing up for the app state that customers are ultimately climbing in cars with strangers at our own risk.

You understand, therefore, that by using the application and the service, you may be exposed to transportation that is potentially dangerous, offensive, harmful to minors, unsafe or otherwise objectionable, and that you use the application and the service at your own risk.

While ride-sharing drivers are independent contractors, are the services they work for obligated to give them any training or fixed rules on non-violent ways to deal with conflicts with passengers when they arise? It will be interesting to see whether Uber is found to have any legal responsibility in this case with the hammer.

How risky is your Uber ride? Maybe more than you think [CNET]

Victim of alleged Uber hammer attack may lose eye [San Francisco Chronicle]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Report: Chain Restaurants Have Cut An Average Of 60 Calories From New Menu Items

(Ed Yourdon)

While a calorie count isn’t the full story of a dish’s healthiness, menus around America have nonetheless been trimming calories from their items, according to a new study that looked at restaurant chains in 2012 compared to 2013. On average, new menu items lost 60 calories from one year to the next.

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health tell NPR’s The Salt blog that the slimdown is about a 12% decline.

“It was not a surprise,” says the leader of the study tells NPR, partly because rules in some cities that require restaurants to post calorie counts has helped make people aware of what exactly they’re eating.

And when a federal rule goes into effect that will expand that calorie-posting effort nationwide as part of the Affordable Care Act (it’s expected to be finalized this year), even more restaurants will likely feel the urge to slim down as well.

Researchers looked at more than 19,000 menu items from 66 of the nation’s largest chains, including McDonald’s, Arby’s, Panera, Chipotle and full-service options like IHOP and Outback Steakhouse. But instead of creating leaner burgers or cutting down on the cheese in your grilled cheese, researchers point out, most of the cuts are coming from new things on the menu like salads and drinks

What difference does 60 fewer calories a day make? The lead researchers points out that it’s an excess of fewer than 200 calories a day that contributes to obesity. And if you’re eating out multiple times a week, any little cut could count.

Restaurants Shave Calories Off New Menu Items [The Salt]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

More Than 60,000 Pounds Of Breakfast Meals Shipped To Retailers And Airlines Recalled For Listeria Contamination

Five Buddy’s Kitchen produced breakfast meals, such as the one shown above, have been recalled for possible listeria contamination.

Waking up in the morning to a helping of Swiss cheese and mushroom omelet with seasoned tid-bit potatoes and turkey buffet sausage links might sound pretty appetizing. But you want to know what doesn’t sound inviting? Finding out that said breakfast might contain listeria.

According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service recall notice, Minnesota-based food supplier Buddy’s Kitchen announced the recall of 62,488 pounds of meat and poultry breakfast products after the detection of listeria contamination.

Buddy’s Kitchen initiated the recall for products made between July 16 and September 25 after potatoes used in the meals tested positive for listeria monocytogene contamination.

The roasted red skin potatoes were proved by an independent Idaho-based supplier not named in the recall notice. All of the products being recalled use the potatoes.

Buddy’s Kitchen shipped the meals to retail outlets such as convenience stores, restaurants and vending machines, as well as airlines. The recall notice did not specify which clients received or may have served the affected products.

The company is concerned that the product may be frozen and in consumers’ freezers.

The following Buddy’s Kitchen products are included in the recall:

• Swiss Cheese and Mushroom Omelet with Seasonal Tid-Bit Potatoes & Turkey Buffet Sausage Link trays with the production codes 07/16/14 9, 08/08/14 9 and 08/27/14 9.

• Savory Scrambled Eggs with Seasoned Red Skin Potatoes and Turkey Buffet Links with the production codes 09/19/14 9 and 09/22/14 9.

• Garden Omelet with Parslied Potatoes & Chicken Sausage Links with the production codes 07/16/14 9, 07/17/14 9, 07/18/14 9, 07/22/14 9, 07/25/14 9, 08/22/14 9, 08/25/14 9, 09/02/14 9, 09/09/14 9 and 09/16/14 9.

• Fiesta Scramble Bowl with Sausage Links with the production code 10I14 9.

• Breakfast Skillet Burrito with eggs, sausage and cheese with the production codes 18G14 2, 06I14 4, 16G14 4, 17G14 2, 07H14 4, 20H14 2, 21H14 4, 22H14 4 and 25H14 4.

Case labels or packaging may include the establishment number “EST. 4226: or “P-4226″ inside the USDA mark of inspection.

So far, Buddy’s Kitchen and the USDA have not received any reports of illness associated with the products.

Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. Pregnant women, older adults, and those with weaker immune systems can face serious and sometimes fatal infection from Listeriosis.

Minnesota Firm Recalls Meat and Poultry Products for Possible Listeria Contamination [USDA]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

Google Street View Straps A Camera To A Camel’s Back To Capture Arabian Desert

(Google)

The closest most of us will get to riding through an Arabian desert on a camel are those rides kids can take for free on a humped friend at the zoo (or if you’re like me, that time I fell asleep in the middle of reading Arabian Nights as a kid and swore I woke up with a sunburn).But at least now we can get a better idea of the experience with Google Street View’s new camel view of the Liwa Desert.

The Google Maps team announced the virtual trip, which allows users to see the soaring dunes of Liwa, “home to early settlers back in the Late Stone Age, making Liwa one of the oldest sites in the United Arab Emirates.”

And like any good ending to the scene where you’re crawling through the sand, dragging your body across millions of bits of scorching hot miniscule rocks, the camel’s trip includes a visit to the Liwa Oasis, the largest in the Arabian peninsula.

More about our trusty steed: He’s a 10-year-old dromedary (one hump) named Raffia, and he carried Google’s Trekker camera while being led by a handler, reports The Verge. I would like to be his friend, reports me.

There’s also a guy far off in the distance in some shots, who may or may not be Obi-Wan Kenobi. I can’t tell, I’m hallucinating with thirst and it’s so hot — oh hang on. I’m on my couch with a club soda. Everything’s fine.

Google put its Street View camera on a camel’s back to tour the Arabian desert [The Verge]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

UPS Launching Service Where You Can Pickup Packages At The Dry Cleaners

(So Cal Metro)

One day in the not-so-distant future, you may come home expecting a package on the doorstep only to find that you have to make a special trip to the dry cleaners to actually retrieve your goods. That’s the idea behind the United Postal Service’s latest attempt to cut down on delivery stops and apparently protect your packages from those with sticky fingers.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Access Point, as the new service is called, would allow consumers to skip waiting at home to sign for a package and instead pick them up at the pharmacy, convenience store, dry cleaners and other local businesses.

Officials with UPS say the program is designed for people who work or live in big cities, where packages left on the doorstep could be stolen.

UPS reports that a survey of shoppers found about a third of consumer living in an urban area said it would be convenient to have items shipped to a local retailer when they aren’t home to receive it themselves.

These types of pick up locations aren’t a new venture for UPS. The company currently has more than 12,000 locations in Europe and hopes to expand to 20,000 worldwide by 2015.

The WSJ reports that future Access Point locations, which will include current UPS store fronts, will be designed to coordinate with the company’s My Choice app. The app allows users to instruct drivers to leave packages in certain places or sign for them ahead of delivery.

Earlier this summer, UPS began testing Access Point at 300 locations in Chicago and New York.

While Access Point might sound convenient for consumers, it could also prove beneficial for local business owners and the UPS itself.

One of the U.S. test locations is Danny’s Pharmacy, where customers can pick up their packages stowed behind the counter after showing an ID.

The owner of the pharmacy reports he makes $0.50 per package delivered to the store, but the real benefit is attracting new customers.

On the other hand UPS, which is trying to find ways to cut the cost of delivering e-commerce, could save significantly on labor and fuel costs with Access Point.

While the company declined to specify just how much it would save, the WSJ reports that saving one minute per driver, per day could save the company about $14.5 million a year.

Back in 2012, Amazon began implemented the use of delivery lockers at convenience stores and retailers such as Staples and Radio Shack in big cities.

While you can still pick up your packages at such kiosks in certain areas, Staples and Radio Shack backed out of the locker location roster after just a year.

UPS Launching Service To Cut Down on Delivery Stops [The Wall Street Journal]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist