Comcast Loyal Sucker

Ahh, Comcast – volumes have been written about this well-managed organization and its customer service.  I do have to give them credit for developing a monopoly in my local area where they are the only, though crappy, high-speed internet provider available in my neighborhood.  But I digress.

Apparently, I am a very loyal customer.  Because I am, they sent me a nice little mailer telling me that since I am a “very loyal customer,” I am worth up to $5.99 to them. However, to get that $5.99, I have to work hard.

I could simply say thank you, watch my movie, and be happy.  But no, I would not have an opportunity to rant.  The first problem I see is that I have autopay. This means I am one of the loyal customers who ensure Comcast receives their payment on time, and they don’t even need to send me a bill.  Bang, they have payment the day it’s due.

This offer requires me to cut out the original coupon and then enter the details of the movie purchase. What’s interesting is that they already have my address and name, so they know I am a Comcast subscriber.  Why can’t they simply match the database – if I make an on-demand movie purchase and am a loyal customer, credit is added to my account?  My guess if the loyalty was reciprocal they would do it this way.

Now, this whole situation could have been prevented had the direct marketing folks had the foresight to bang the loyal customer offer list against the autopay list and not send me the mailer, oh yeah, right, different departments.  I always forget about silos.

Now, why can’t they be more like other merchants or like Japan and use a barcode on these rebate forms so they can simply scan it and sync it to my account?

Why? Because they want me to watch an on-demand movie and not get a rebate.  Twenty-five thousand subscribers take the bait and do it and forget to put the coupon on their mail-in bill, put the wrong movie or illegible account number, or make a mistake on the day all human error opportunities to deny the rebate “cha-ching “ instant MBA case study on revenue generation by screwing over gullible consumers.

Worst yet, the September bill won’t arrive until early October, and I am sure that the offer will expire at the end of the month, making it ineligible for credit against the October bill.

I guess with all the unemployed and people cutting back, the greedy bastards need more revenue than they make off leasing remotes for 25 cents a month.

[Mini-Rant]

Now, in today’s current digital and advanced systems environment, when I see a rebate, refund, or some other cashback incentive where I have to fill out paperwork, solve a Rubik’s cube (a little-known fact I did it in high school in 17 seconds) or some other feat of intelligence I know that the company is running a modern bait and switch scam.  Mail-in rebates are rife with fraud. There are many instances where finance models are run to show that 80+ percent will not submit it, will make a disqualifying error, and/or companies managing it are incentivized to ensure this does not happen.  I have fought too many of these battles to have any faith in rebate programs other than those that give me a direct result.

Legit companies are doing what Staples and Apple do they process it off the receipt or right in the store.  For example, at Apple, when you buy a Macbook they often give you a $100 rebate when you buy a printer.  You can get a low-end printer for free or purchase a better printer for the price of the low-end. The cool thing is that you have to do little to get it. Go to apple.com/rebate and enter your receipt number.  They know a few things, such as what you bought by SKU and serial number, so they can immediately match it to see if you meet the qualifications. That is data management. Since you enter your email, they send you a note a few days later, telling you the check is on its way. About 10 days later, the check arrives. No hassle, and you get your $100, not an extra $ 100 for the retailer or merchant whose product had the rebate.

At Staples, if you buy a rebate product, you can either receive the rebate on your receipt when checking out or, alternatively, visit the rebate page and enter the receipt. You will then receive the rebate approximately 4 weeks later.

Why can’t others do this? Show me the love Comcast.

End Rant