Comcast Causes Mental Health Issues

Okay, so maybe it was my fault that I decided to use the Comcast online help instead of calling. But I figured, how hard will be it be to get my Comcast uername so I can log into my freaking account to see if there is any freaking way to update my new cable modem MAC address online through, oh shock me silly, their customer account interface? I swear, I really should have kept the transcript of the discussion with the person who was helping me. First, they need to lose some of those lame auto answers. Ugh. Add to my angst that none of my recent phone numbers seem to be on Comcast's record of me. Finally, after much back and forth and delays and my revealing my under-things -- ok, I really just mean my cable modem's MAC address -- she finally reset my password and revealed my top secret username. Great. So then I think, well, I've got the person right here, let me ask her how I can register my new modem's MAC. She tells me -- which I confirm a second time, as I find it hard to believe -- that I have to go down to the Comcast office in person. I also need to return my existing modem (which I own) so I don't continue to be charged for using their modem (which I am not charged for). I said thank you and disconnected.

I then did what I should have done in the first place. I called them, navigated through the annoying phone tree to tech support, and got a VERY NICE GUY on the other end who hooked me up in just a few short minutes. Yes, lesson has been learned.

Now the only outstanding issue is whether this new cable modem -- a Linksys CM100 -- will provide me with a more stable and reliable connection then my old modem (a surfsomething motorola, which has been loyal until the past x-months or so). I would like to point out that as I was doing my taxes via TurboTax (yes, I waited until the last minute, shut-up) my connection dropped 3 -- count it, 1-2-3 freaking times! Ya'll know how cranky I can get. Well, imagine me cranky and then magnify that by a factor of 20 and you might have a sense of how irritating my night has been. I take full responsibility for my crankiness.

But the VERY NICE GUY who hooked me up made it all better. In fact, I will go to bed imagining him whispering sweet techno-nothings in my ear. I anticipate sweet dreams tonight.

UPDATE: Thursday a.m. - woke up to, surprise, a dropped connection. Had to do the usual unplug, wait 60-seconds, replug. Maybe I should start considering moving to DSL.

UPDATE: Thursday p.m. - as you'll note from the comments below, Comcast has discovered my humble little blog. I guess my blog title gave them some pause for concern. They are being very helpful so far and have scheduled a tech visit to see if they can get to the root of my intermittent dropped connections. I will, of course, update Bellhops with the breaking story of their efforts. And for those of you who may be thinking my blog title overly dramatic, it wasn't when I wrote it! As if filing your taxes at the last minute isn't stressful enough.

And a shout out to E for hitting the 6-month mark - if you don't know what I mean I won't be telling ya so don't ask. Here he is back in the day (2006).