Thursday, September 24, 2009

Rocking out with Pepsi

Being the hottest free agent signing in blogging history and the only contributor that won't end up the the last name of Czyzewicz, I figured it was time to post. I haven't picked a fight with a company in awhile but I would like to commend a promotion.

This is sort of like Cartmanland in that it's the greatest promotion you can't participate in. It ended two weeks ago. But I still feel it deserves some recognition. Hopefully there are Pepsi, MTV, Yahoo, or Harmonix employees scouring this site like Comcast does.

Basically Pepsi just finished a promotion with Rock Band that involved entering in codes from bottles for points that you could use for chances at various prizes. They included weekly raffles for entire systems, Rock Band store gift certificates, and game bundles. But the real value was the chance to instantly win a song token. This allowed you to download a song from a preset list.

Here are all the good things they did:
1. They teamed with Yahoo so I could just reuse an existing account.

B. The song tokens won. A lot. I think I ended up with 80/100 winning. That's insane. It also kept me buying more and valuing the caps as it was a high winning percentage. Most giveaways I end up doing for a week and then just call it off since I feel it's not worth the effort.

III. While the song catalog didn't include every song, the list was pretty extensive. AND, they didn't just make one list and stop. They made 2-3 big updates over the course of the promotion which added new songs that had been released since the last list came out. I was quite impressed and surprised to find this out. Props to them.

Four. If you chose the Wii as your system, they just gave you a code for $2 worth of Nintendo store credit. This was probably only due to the fact that Nintendo's online codes can only be redeemed for points and not specific items, but they still allowed this even after this "hack" was discovered. More props.

So good work all around, guys.

On the other hand, when I preordered Guitar Hero: Metallica, Activision gave me a free drum pedal (for the new double bass feature) which they made incompatible with the Rock Band drums. Sooo, thanks for that.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

No Word From Comcast, Two New Battles Rage

So, Comcast did not reply to my first letter, and I am not expecting much from my second letter. It just seems like the bottom line is that Comcast does not care, and they are just cool with that. I am going to continue being a pain, but when their online people who comb the internet looking for people saying bad things about them stops here, please take note that you did not fix my problem, and I am still highly dissatisfied.

In other news, there are two battles that I am watching as a third person. One involves my mom, who is a seasoned veteran of the arguing arena, and trained so many more in the ways of showing dissatisfaction. In the other event is my brother, trained by the former, and possibly writing to the blog on the status.

My parents received a bill a week or so ago from Verizon for over $500, which was double the normal bill. It was determined that a phone my sister mailed back to them, in exchange for her third version of the same phone, was not received. As such, Verizon billed the account $250 for the phone. Now, I can see a few things wrong with this, not the least of which is the fact that they value this phone at $250, and my sister has gone through 2 of them in less than a year due to poor design (buttons stop working due to texting, but it is a phone for texting!!!) My mom has decided she would call them to discuss this issue, mostly on the basis that she has been a verizon wireless customer for more than 12 years. That is right, not just a customer of Verizon, but of Verizon Wireless for more than 12 years. There were cell phones that long ago, and my mom had one. Also, they pay $200+ a month for the various plans they have with VW, and that is OK. So they spend roughly $3,000 a year on cell phone plans without complaining. Will Verizon be willing to throw that away just to collect $250? Well, my mom is going to challenge them on this point. If they refuse to credit the phone back, my mom said she would pay for it, and ask to cancel. Pretty hard to argue that, when the cancellation is usually around $175, which is less than one months bill anywho.

My brother's issue is very different. As an early birthday gift, I bought him a subscription to the NFL Game Pass online while he is in Germany. It was a 30 day subscription that he started on opening sunday (who really cared about the Steelers-Titans game on Thursday night??) The first weekend they were seemingly having bandwidth problems, and many accounts were phasing in and out on service. It seemed like they would allow some people in at one time, then boot them all off and allow others back on. However, you paid for the whole week. As an apology, the NFL offered one week of free service added on. This was a decent gesture, but it really did not help my bro out too much since he will be home when that free week kicks in. But they offered something.

Now it is week #2, and this time, service was just down entirely. You could not log in. This time, they offered refunds for this week. So in two weeks, the NFL is 0-2 for having their premium online package working. That begs the question on whether the NFL will have a better record than the Lions this season. Right now, it is a dead heat, although the Lions have scored far more points.

For my brother, it almost seems like time to ask for all the $$ back. Why would he think that he could even count on the program working to host a party for his German friends to watch and find out about the great sport of American Football. He also brought up the point that in the 5 months he has been in Germany now, the MLB package has worked nearly 100% of the time.

NFL, two things. One, call the MLB and find out how to run an online service. Two, expect a letter...

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

New Bill

September 15, 2009

Comcast

21 East Basin Rd, Suite 20

New Castle, DE 19720

Dear Comcast,

On August 28th, 2009 I notified you of a payment that was due to me from Comcast in the amount of $75.67 on account number 09509 134859-13. As per the normal policy of Comcast, I mailed the bill to you, for the amount due, and allowed 15 days for payment. As of September 14th, 2009, this payment is now late. At this time, as is customary for Comcast to do to its customers, I will be applying a late payment fee onto this account of 5%. For this case, this amounts to $3.79, bringing the new total bill to $79.46.

This payment is now due 15 days from today’s date, being September 30th. If at that time, I have not received a check for the amount due, of $79.46, made payable to the account holder, Robin Czyzewicz, I will be forced to apply an additional 10% late fee and send the account to a collections agency for processing. If you are having difficulty making this payment, please contact a customer service representative at the number listed below, and they will be happy to assist you in finding a method to reach an accord with both parties.

Amount due: $79.46

Due Date: 09/30/2009

Make Payable to: Robin Czyzewicz

Robin Czyzewicz

Sending a new bill

So, my refund from Comcast is officially late. Today, I had the following contact with Comcast:

user Robin_ has entered room


Robin(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:03:12 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

I sent in a bill for the money that is owed to me on my account, with a due date that has passed. Where can I send the late fee notice?


analyst Diana.22774 has entered room


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:12:15 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Hello Robin_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Diana.22774. Please give me one moment to review your information.


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:12:17 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

I will be happy to assist you with your questions.


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:12:22 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

hello


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:12:23 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

How are you doing today, Robin?


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:12:51 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

i am doing well


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:12:52 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

how are you


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:13:04 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

I am glad to know that!


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:13:06 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

I am doing great, thank you for asking!


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:13:27 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

I understand that you want to know where you can send your payment for you past due bill.


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:13:27 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Is this correct?


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:13:36 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

i am having a bit of a problem receiving a refund on my payment


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:13:44 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

the problem is actually the reverse of what you just said


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:13:49 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Comcast currently owes me money


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:14:09 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

I sent a bill to my local comcast office for the money that is owed


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:15:02 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

To clarify, you want to have the payment refunded to you.


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:15:03 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Is this correct?


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:15:19 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

yes


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:16:02 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Thank you for the clarification.


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:16:03 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

I will be delighted to check on this for you!


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:16:31 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

May I have your complete service address, please?


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:17:03 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

2700 Jacqueline Dr APT H12


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:17:16 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Wilmington De 19810


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:18:30 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

The account was closed out in August


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:18:35 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Thank you.


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:18:39 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Okay.


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:18:48 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

the account number was 09509 134859-13


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:19:12 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Protecting your account security is important to Comcast. Before I make any changes to your account, or provide you with private and secure information, I will need you to provide me with the last four digits of the Social Security Number listed on your account.


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:19:26 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

XXXX


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:20:00 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Thank you for the information.


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:20:26 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

sure thing


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:20:48 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Robin, upon checking you have a credit balance of $75.67. This refund will be sent to you via US postal mail in a form of check approximately 45 days after the pole disconnection of your account.


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:21:01 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Your account was disconnected from the pole on August 24, 2009.


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:21:12 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

so I had this discussion the last time I spoke to someone as well


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:21:24 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

This will be sent at 3207 Ruby Dr, Wilmington, DE 19810.


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:21:25 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

and I asked what would have happened if I pay a bill 45 days after I receive it


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:22:06 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

if I received a bill on the 24th of August, and mailed in payment on the 8th of October, what would happen?


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:22:44 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

The credit will still be reflected on your account and the refund will be sent to you.


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:23:00 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

that does not answer the question I asked


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:23:05 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

if I were a new customer


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:23:09 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

and I got a bill on August 24th


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:23:20 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

and I sent in the payment on October 4th


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:23:24 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

what would happen


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:23:34 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

I understand.


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:23:41 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Thank for the clarification.


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:23:44 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

I would have to pay a late fee, is that right?


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:24:39 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

If you have a new account and you were not able to pay the bill on time, applicable late fee charges will be applied on your account. Also there is a possibility that you services will be interrupted due to the past due balance. This can lead to the complete disconnection of your account.


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:24:50 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

ok


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:24:51 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

good


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:24:56 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

so, now lets reverse that


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:25:01 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

my account closed


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:25:05 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Comcast owes me $75


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:25:11 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

and they intend to send a check to me


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:25:18 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

45 days after the "bill" is sent


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:25:28 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

so, I would like to send a late fee to Comcast


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:25:35 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

because at this point, the bill is more than 2 weeks late


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:25:41 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

hence, it is past due


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:25:52 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

what does comcast charge for late fees?


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:27:49 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Robin, basically, the refund is sent within the next 45 days after the pole disconnection of the account. This is the standard processing time that we allot.


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:27:57 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

ok


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:28:03 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

but I have my own standard operations


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:28:11 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

and I request that the money be received by me


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:28:13 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

within 2 weeks


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:28:18 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

just like comcast expects that from me


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:28:22 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

The late fee charge ranges from $5 to $10.


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:28:25 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

ok good


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:28:29 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

so, I would like to know, from you


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:28:37 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

where can I send my late fee charge?


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:28:41 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

I would like to mail this charge


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:28:44 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

and an explanation


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:28:47 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

certified mail


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:28:48 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

to someone


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:28:53 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

where can I send this?


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:30:08 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

You can send this to our local office in your area.


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:30:12 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Let me get the address for you.


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:31:03 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

ok, i sent my first bill to them as well


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:31:07 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

i will continue to follow up with them


Robin_(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:32:03 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

thank you for your assistance


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:32:11 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

You are welcome.


Diana.22774(Tue Sep 15 2009 13:32:17 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Robin, you can send it to our Penn Mart Shopping Center Office located at:
21 East Basin Rd, Suite 20
New Castle , DE 19720
Phone: 302-656-3370
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30am-7pm, Sat 10am-5pm