kelyjames's comments

kelyjames | 9 years ago | on: Schneiderman: Spectrum-Time Warner defrauded customers on internet service

I previously worked at an outsourced call center that handled internet support for Cox Communications. I worked there for three years in both tier 1 and tier 2 support positions. Just because you are transferred to someone that answers the phone saying they are a supervisor doesn't mean they are or that they have any more authority than the previous person. I don't know about other call centers but at this one escalating a call to a supervisor only amounted to transferring the call to one of my coworkers on the floor. Sometimes the cubicle right next to me. I took 100s of these highly escalated calls myself during my time there. I wasn't the supervisor of anything. After you've worked there long enough (about six months) to prove you can handle a call you are magically qualified to answer escalated calls saying you are a "floor supervisor."

Threatening to call or write some gov't body doesn't mean anything at this level. The support reps are not there to fix your problems or improve your services. They exist to satisfy your outrage and or upsell you. As long as your anger is satisfied, you will probably keep paying your bill. If your outrage can not be satisfied with the tools that reps have access to such as a form of credit, a new modem, or a service call you are wasting your breath. From what I could tell higher corporate people at cable/telcos are highly insulated to consumer feedback. The only thing that they understand is service cancellations by the 100,000s maybe millions. Massive numbers of customers jumping ship would get there attention. How long have people been cutting the cord in favor of Netflix etc and cable companies are just now beginning to come up with competing offers?

kelyjames | 13 years ago | on: A Review of the TV Show Start-Ups: Silicon Valley

I think what it comes down to is that the show was crafted for Bravo's target audience which is not anyone that reads Hacker News. The general silliness of it is a by product of inputting the start-up Silicon Valley theme into there show generator it outputs a flaky drama. The flaky drama core of the show is what makes it a Bravo show. All there other shows have that same core. I changed the channel after 5 minutes.

What would a better start-up show look like?

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