I talk in my speeches about the fact that the only sustainable competitive advantage is outstanding customer service (or as I call it Crazy Customer Service). This past week, I had one of the worst customer service experiences ever at the hands of the cable monopoly that brands itself Comcast.

At a second home we just purchased, I drove 2 hours to meet the Comcast cable person. Unlike real businesses, these utilities give you a three hour window in which they will show up. (in this case 1-4 pm). I hate waiting for anyone, but I understand you have to make sacrifices if you want to get the services (internet, cable and phone) of a monopolistic giant like Comcast. I dutifully waited my 3 hours after driving 2 hours (total elapsed time for Comcast so far 5 hours). At 4:00 PM, I called and they said they would be 15 more minutes, but not to worry, they had an ontime guarantee (they would credit my account with $20). After not showing up over the next 2 hours, I called again at 4:30, 4:45, 5:00, 5:30. At 5:30, they said they would be there every time in 15 minutes. Finally they set the time at 6:30. I left at 6:00 PM to walk down the street to make another phone call, since there is no cell service at my house. At 6:07 I get a call saying the cable guy was there and left (since I was not home) and did I want to RESCHEDULE! I had waited 5 hours plus a 4 hour drive (round trip) and now I would get no cable today. Somehow, the cable person sneaked on my property and left within a few minutes. Needless to say I was furious.I had waited 5 hours for them and he couldn’t wait out of respect 5 minutes? This certainly is customer cruelty.

When I called to complain, they offered a free installation ($59) for my 9 hour wait the next time I wanted them out there. Ridiculous. In fact, the supervisor took no responsibility for this and said "that’s just the way it is". If one of my bills was late, do think I could say that’s the way it is?

Imagine if I said to one of my clients that I was to give a speech to at 9:00 AM that I would show up to speak between 8 AM and 11 AM and that the audience should just wait? Imagine if you did that to one of your clients? I understand that Comcast does these 3 hour slots so they can better utilize their service people in the field since they do not know how long it will take to do a call. But better utilization should never be at the expense of the customer. They may have utilized the service person well that day but they burn through 9 hours of my time. Where is the respect for the customer?

Over the long run, I hope to believe that this hurts Comcast’s business when more customers like me get tired of waiting and waiting and waiting. Although, the market does not strictly determine these things since in this part of the country, there are no other choices for the bundle of services Comcast provides.