Knology update

I hope this is the last time in a 30-day period I have to call them out but... Last night we were having "issues" with connecting. So I call support. That was about as bad as it got. First, some background.

Knology used to have a great support system. All the billing, tech, etc. would show up when you called in and verified some info. The operators would speak to you like a human, and while that consistency might be off (sometimes I got a very friendly guy, sometimes I got a sorta rushed person), it was a pleasant experience overall. Which is a plus, because you're usually pretty frustrated when you call tech support. For me and my wife, who earn money by being online, you're VERY frustrated!

Well Knology must have switched to a different system, changed how they do things, or even outsourced to some low bidder because calling help now is a totally different experience.

Now it takes almost 50% more keystrokes to just GET to tech support. And you don't get tech support right away. First you get a sort of middleman, who checks to make sure if you NEED tech support. When you speak to this person, it is like speaking to a robot. They read from a script, they treat you like a bone-stupid moron who couldn't turn on a light switch with a manual and a coach next to you... Also, you have to verify pretty much everything on your account. Once this person has made you jump through all these hoops, and painfully and slowly read all of their script, they decide to pass you on to another person in tech support. After a brief wait, the tech support person answers, and you DO THE SAME THING ALL OVER AGAIN. Seriously, I gave out all the info again, plus the issue, plus the case number. This person read a script, although the man I spoke with sounded like he was drunk or at least heavily sedated. He mumbled through his script (who wouldn't?), and I could barely understand him. He treated me like an idiot... Same as before.

My father informs me that this is a new thing that all call centers are doing. Although Apple's tech support doesn't do this.

Here's what could have happened:
1. I call the help line
2. I type in my phone number (which should be linked to my account, right?)
3. Using a simple menu selection, I explain my issue: "I cannot connect to the internet" See, that was easy right? Hey Knology, most of your tech questions will be service outage reports. So, logic would dictate that you'd provide a menu option (I think you used to).
4. At this point the middleman could come on, or if I had a case number for a previous report, I could type that in (which could shunt me to a real techie, skipping the middleman)
5. The middleman could verify info, give a case number if needed, and pass on to tech
6. The techie should be able to speak conversationally, and not necessarily from a script. That only makes people madder. Seriously.

Knology, wake up. You cannot merely commoditize your product and assume people will buy cheap forever. Ultimately there is something to be said for the experience. My experience last night was that "well we don't see anything wrong right now" so you treated me like an idiot, like all this was my fault. It's easy to say I've got a virus or spyware... Except I use a friggin' Mac on a secured network with a firewall and various levels of protection. I am not an idiot. And I don't do business with people who treat me as such. Don't cut corners on your customers' experience! Let's all hope this is the last time I'll need to complain about Knology, because I greatly prefer them to Comcast (on purely philosophical grounds). But a little more shabby treatment like this and I may have to reconsider...