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Buff · 09-09-2011, 09:06 AM

I haven't had a problem with Shaw for nearly 12 years now. Until recently.

I have the digital box and channels wouldn't show up and they'd give me the message that it is unavailble or something like that. I'd power cycle the cable box and things would work fine. Unfortunately this would happen every two or three days. Then eventually it was permanent. I had three channels that just wouldn't show up at all, and sometimes a few dozen channels would kick out.

So, I called Shaw. Did you know that when you call Shaw and chose the option for TV support, you get sales? Well, I waited on hold for a couple of minutes when the choice to have them call me back reared its ugly head. I decided that since the wait time was an hour and a half that I'll wait for them to call me back. They did, an hour and a half later, except it was the sales guy, who immediately said "Oh, I'm sales, you need technical support, I'm transferring you now". I didn't even get a word in. This time the call back was 2 hours long. Fortunately I was at home working on stuff and was able to take the call. When I got the call back from tech support I was on the phone with him for barely a couple of minutes and he arranged for a service call.

Thankfully it was only a couple of days away. The guy came in the later half of the 2 hour window they said he'd be there by. Checked the cables, and told me that a street crew would have to come out and adjust the signals and that they usually take about 2 or 3 days to arrive. During this time I had plugged the cable directly into my TV so I could at least get basic cable service. I checked 3 days later and my digital cable was working again... until the next day. I called and it was a 3 hour wait, and there was no option for call back so I hung up because I didn't have time that day anyway. I looked around online, tried the on-line chat, which didn't work and I found a feedback form. So I filled out the form, complaining about not being able to get through to a rep in a timely fashion, and that they come and fix things, but don't actually fix things. I gave the service as a whole a pretty poor rating.

Three days later somebody called regarding my feedback. They told me that the tech who came to my house forgot to submit a service call for the signal crew to adjust the signals. They have now done so and that it would be done by the following Tuesday (this was Friday). So the next Wednesday morning, I switch back from plugging the cable directly into my TV to back into the digital cable box. It works! They did say that they were going to call me when they fixed it but never did. How typical, I figured.

Yesterday morning (just over a week after they fixed the problem) my wife noticed that the three channels that we were initially having problems with were getting jittery and she feared that the problem was going to return. A couple of hours later Shaw called telling me that they just finished adjusting the signals and they want me to see if the channels are working again... What? They've been working for more than a week, I thought they fixed them 8-9 days ago!

Shaw used to have awesome customer service. I don't know how they thought that their current model is any better than what they used to do, but it isn't. Clearly they are understaffed and don't have a system that helps their current staff offer good service levels. They need to rehire all those people they let go, and also hire somebody who excels in customer service to revamp their current procedures.

09-09-2011, 09:06 AM	#6
Buff Franchise Player Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: I don't belong here Exp:	I haven't had a problem with Shaw for nearly 12 years now. Until recently. I have the digital box and channels wouldn't show up and they'd give me the message that it is unavailble or something like that. I'd power cycle the cable box and things would work fine. Unfortunately this would happen every two or three days. Then eventually it was permanent. I had three channels that just wouldn't show up at all, and sometimes a few dozen channels would kick out. So, I called Shaw. Did you know that when you call Shaw and chose the option for TV support, you get sales? Well, I waited on hold for a couple of minutes when the choice to have them call me back reared its ugly head. I decided that since the wait time was an hour and a half that I'll wait for them to call me back. They did, an hour and a half later, except it was the sales guy, who immediately said "Oh, I'm sales, you need technical support, I'm transferring you now". I didn't even get a word in. This time the call back was 2 hours long. Fortunately I was at home working on stuff and was able to take the call. When I got the call back from tech support I was on the phone with him for barely a couple of minutes and he arranged for a service call. Thankfully it was only a couple of days away. The guy came in the later half of the 2 hour window they said he'd be there by. Checked the cables, and told me that a street crew would have to come out and adjust the signals and that they usually take about 2 or 3 days to arrive. During this time I had plugged the cable directly into my TV so I could at least get basic cable service. I checked 3 days later and my digital cable was working again... until the next day. I called and it was a 3 hour wait, and there was no option for call back so I hung up because I didn't have time that day anyway. I looked around online, tried the on-line chat, which didn't work and I found a feedback form. So I filled out the form, complaining about not being able to get through to a rep in a timely fashion, and that they come and fix things, but don't actually fix things. I gave the service as a whole a pretty poor rating. Three days later somebody called regarding my feedback. They told me that the tech who came to my house forgot to submit a service call for the signal crew to adjust the signals. They have now done so and that it would be done by the following Tuesday (this was Friday). So the next Wednesday morning, I switch back from plugging the cable directly into my TV to back into the digital cable box. It works! They did say that they were going to call me when they fixed it but never did. How typical, I figured. Yesterday morning (just over a week after they fixed the problem) my wife noticed that the three channels that we were initially having problems with were getting jittery and she feared that the problem was going to return. A couple of hours later Shaw called telling me that they just finished adjusting the signals and they want me to see if the channels are working again... What? They've been working for more than a week, I thought they fixed them 8-9 days ago! Shaw used to have awesome customer service. I don't know how they thought that their current model is any better than what they used to do, but it isn't. Clearly they are understaffed and don't have a system that helps their current staff offer good service levels. They need to rehire all those people they let go, and also hire somebody who excels in customer service to revamp their current procedures.