“May I help you?” – Customer service stalking

First time I’ve ever seen something like this take place, but I’m pretty sure it’s a growing trend. To be more specific, I stumbled upon a typical angry customer video displaying a malfunctioning product of a specific company to the public. The company in question here is Comcast. The one and only comment below is a YouTube user named “ComcastCares1”, a Comcast tech support representative in charge of scouting for YouTube videos that portray Comcast in a negative light. (the number “1” in his username probably implies there are more of them, but they don’t exist, yet) He politely leaves his name and e-mail, and suggests that the video uploader contacts him for further assistance. Polite? Or a tad creepy? While I understand Comcast’s position and their willingness to help in a more personal way, the very thought of a gang of tech support guys scanning the internet for videos like these may come off as stalking. After doing a bit of stalking of my own, it appears that ComcastCares1 has commented on more videos than just this one. If by any chance customers get to resolve matters like these via e-mail that quickly, it’s still not okay since that kind of behavior sends out a very clear message – “We’ll keep you on hold and we won’t help you over the phone unless you post an incriminating video about us online.”

Add comment September 15th, 2011