Why Mediacom Vexes Me…

   Yesterday, out of the blue…a Mediacom Truck Pulls up.    No big deal,   we are paid up for next month….so there is no reason to go outside and bother the Tech…

Remembering what happened before,  they simply shut off our service without asking us or warning.   It took seven long days to repair the damage to both our business and our Psyche.  With this in mind, I had been going outside to harass the tech and make sure he did not shut our cable off.   Except yesterday….

Cheryl even was thinking it…even though I thought she disapproved of me engaging the Mediacom person….She actually thought that I should go outside and talk to him….I checked the Internet to see that it was still on…it was…and then…

As he pulled away,  Cheryl asked if the internet was still lit….One look and BOOM!   NO!   I was in shock!   How can this happen yet again?

Had we been faster, I would have run down the driveway after him…But instead I immediately called customer service.  They informed me that no one was scheduled to be in the area at all that day.   So who was this?   Who has keys to our box and tools to the cables to just randomly shut things off ( OH!  AND DRIVES A MEDIACOM VAN?????)  Without a positive ID on the guy,  or a license plate number,  I was of little help.   The Customer service Rep told me that it would take until Tuesday to turn the internet back on.  Tuesday!   That is 6 days!   They were JUST HERE!  

So…I have a theory.    Mediacom says that there are no “jobs” in the area for the local techs…so the Local Techs are “creating” their own jobs….by shutting off random cable subscribers.   They get a call a few days later  ( After the customer has settled down AND forgets their faces of the perpetrators…) to take a look at the box for some customer out in the boonies of Wellman. And BOOM!   Instant payday! 

Next Theory is that Mediacom knows that there are people out in the boonies that refuse to upgrade their service to the “PREMO-EXPENSIVE-ALL-YOU-CAN- EAT-BUFFET CABLE SERVICE” and thus they shut off the power  ( or “allow” the techs to pull these shenanigans..) forcing the customer to call up and then they can deliver a sales pitch. 

Either way,  I DO NOT believe Mediacom has made a “simple mistake” and “accidentally” cut off power to the wrong customer.  I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt before, but not this time.  And I think that this may become a persistent problem in the future.  It is never convenient to have your internet cut off…..especially when you PAY FOR IT!  Perhaps we need to pursue other options…like a new service provider.   We have seriously been looking up how well the local telephone company works out.  It may be about the same price now that Mediacom increased their rates.  Cheryl wants two months FREE!  I would be happy with 6 days of service REFUNDED!   And possibly have a tech fired…. We shall see. 

In the mean time, Looks like the Library or Panera or the Book Store will have to be the place we hang out.   The Free stuff is not as good as the stuff we buy at home ( When it WORKS!)  but it is a temporary lifeline as stocking sales begin to increase.   ( We sold 6 today, and finished off the Gallery’s order!)  Monopolies are a pain to work with…I now understand why Teddy Roosevelt was so militant towards “Trusts.”  Teddy is one of the few presidents I admire.   And now I have a better understanding why Monopolies without competition are bad for the consumer.