How Comcast Lost One to DIRECTV

My brother-in-law and his family, who live in Belvidere, Ill., this week dropped their TV service with Comcast and signed up with DIRECTV. This is a story of a man and a company not only trying to settle their differences, but to make their bond stronger. But, in the end, it’s a tale of loss.

The trouble began when Kevin and Carol decided they wanted to upgrade their TV service with Comcast. Kevin got on the horn and requested that Comcast upgrade his service -- basic cable with two movie packages and a resulting $10 monthly discount on his broadband service – to an HD premium package with multiple movie stations.

But Comcast refused to give him the $10 monthly discount as part of this new package. Kevin told his new cable TV provider (originally Insight before the Comcast acquisition) this made him unhappy and instead opted for a lower-level HD package to keep the $10 discount. The former Insight folks agreed that it all made no sense, but told him there was nothing they could do; it was Comcast policy. So Kevin and Carol, being the strong people they are, soldiered on with their less-than-optimal service package.

Because Kevin and Carol are glass-have-full sorts, they later excitedly attempted to tune in to their new high-definition channels to try to enjoy an enhanced viewing experience. But, again, their efforts were thwarted. Alas, the HD channels didn’t work.

Having recently run into a roadblock with Comcast, Kevin this time decided to avoid trying to find a solution at this company and instead joined up with DIRECTV. He and his lovely family are now enjoying the premium package with DIRECTV. They still use Comcast’s cable modem service, but intend to explore other options for broadband after their charming houseguests return to Arizona.

Dear reader, I tell you this tell because we all hear a lot about studies and data on larger trends related to sales and customer retention at the telcos and cablecos, and I know that for those companies it’s really those numbers that count. But sometimes it can be instructional to look at these things at the micro level.

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