 |
A project to make businesses more aware of their customer experience, and how to fix it. By Mark Hurst. |
| About Mark Hurst | Mark's Gel Conference | New York Times Story on This Is Broken | Newsletter: Subscribe | RSS Feed |
Search this site:
Categories:
- Advertising
- Current Affairs
- Customer Service
- Fixed
- Food and Drink
- Just for Fun
- Misc
- Not broken
- Place
- Product Design
- Signs
- Travel
- Web/Tech
Previous: Customer service horror stories | Main | Next: Hotel exit sign
August 20, 2005 12:25 AM
Broken: Modem return instructions
Michael Heinrichs points out that Rogers' instructions are out of order on this page. (Step 2 has to come before Step 1!)
I don't like to be one of the dudes yelling not broken, but perhaps we are all missing something? Is there some reason one would have to disconnect one's old cable modem before one would order a new one?
In my world, anything that is confusing is broken.
Of course, this makes most of the world broken. For me, at any rate.
Well, shouldn't you get the replacement before you junk the old one?
Why yes, the paperwork for my new car shouldn't be done for three weeks, but in the meantime, let's get rid of the one i have.
As gmangw said, it could be that you need to send in the modem to get the upgrade. *shrugs* It's possible.
Sorry, not broken when seen in context.
This is the instruction page for how to upgrade your cable modem by physically taking your old cable modem to a Rogers Video store.
You have to take your old modem in, with the letter you got, to get your new modem.
CLick on the link on the page with the upgrade instructions and you will see that you have to bring in your old modem to get the upgrade...
http://www.rogershelp.com/modemupgrade/videostores.shtml
Here is the link to the page saying you have to bring in your old modem
I don't see anything confusing or broken with this. Many manufacturer's return merchandise authorization programs work the same way. I got a replacement satellite receiver through an 'advanced exchange' program like this. Instead of being without TV for two weeks waiting for the replacement, I could still use (to a limited extent) the old broken one until the replacement got here. Better than nothing. Then you simply pop the old receiver in the same box the new one came in, slap the prepaid shipping label on it and send it off.
This works the same way: Use your old modem until you get the new advanced upgraded one and then swap them out. What's confusing about that?
Note step 3. It says: "Note: You do not need to use the USB cable or CD-ROM provided with your cable modem."
Then why does it even have a USB plug? Broken.(Please exuse my un-technical vocab. XD)
Hoki, did u even go to the link only_infinity posted? you have to take your old modem to the store (and to do so disconnect it, step 2), to "Get your advanced cable modem at no additional charge" (step 1). Harmlessly broken, but broken nevertheless.
>gmangw:
>Hoki, did u even go to the link only_infinity posted?
Uh, yeah. Did you?
Nowhere in the instructions either on that page or on the 'how to obtain your upgrade' does it say you have to take your old modem to the store to get your upgrade. In fact, the instructions don't say anything about returning the old modem AT ALL. This is exactly like the upgrade I got from my DSL provider--except the just up and sent me the new modem without my having to do anything--and they didn't want the old one back, either. To them it was just another brick.
It's perfectly clear: You go get the new modem FIRST. At that point they may give you further instructions on turning in the old one, but most likely you can trash it or use it for a doorstop if you want.
>I'm so over this:
>Then why does it even have a USB plug? Broken.
No, it's not: THESE ARE THE ETHERNET INSTRUCTIONS. The very first words are "Before you continue, how are you connected." If Ethernet, follow the instructions below, if USB then clicky for the USB instructions.
If you're using ETHERNET you DON'T CONNECT the USB. You only need one of the two to connect, not both.
On the USB instructions it is equally clear, and here you DO need the CD-ROM for the USB drivers.
I just don't see how they could make this any simpler. To upgrade, get your new modem. Disconnect your old modem. If you have Ethernet, connect it by Ethernet and you don't need the CD or USB cable. If you use USB then connect it by USB and load the drivers from the CD. You even get pretty pictures to show you what to do if you don't have the first clue what a "USB" cable looks like.
What is so frickin' difficult about that?
Not everyone is computer savvy. Just ask the people that work in Tech Support how many morons have computers. They get calls asking how to turn on their computers, complaining that their 'cup holder' broke, asking if they can put their keyboard in the dishwasher to clean it, etc. And you need to cater to their needs, because they make you most of your money.
Hoki, scroll down to where it says "What to bring to Rogers Video". Then notice where it says "Your old cable modem and cable modem power supply". Then read where u wrote "Nowhere in the instructions either on that page or on the 'how to obtain your upgrade' does it say you have to take your old modem to the store to get your upgrade". Then write 'BROKEN' on your forehead.
"What to bring to Rogers Video:
* Your old cable modem and cable modem power supply.
* This letter
* Photo Identification which includes the address where your Internet service is installed
# Rogers Video will provide you with a new cable modem, ready to connect when you get home "
UMM that's right on the page i linked to.. how do you return the modem when you havent disconnected it?
Maybe Hoki's English Comphrehension skills are broken...
Uh... it says
"You can obtain an advanced cable modem by taking your LETTER to your closest participating Rogers Video location. Our representatives will ensure that your modem is eligible to take part in the modem upgrade program and will provide you with your new cable modem. Click here for a list of participating Rogers Video locations. "
It does NOT say bring your modem. And yes, all they need is the letter that will tell them that you need a new one. It would obviously only be sent to those on file with the older modems. IF you didn't get a letter, you don't need a new one.
I don't understand what you don't understand.
FWIW, Rogers has pretty much the whole show in Canada. (I've tried a half dozen including satellite which is a real joke) Pretty much the most bang for your buck, but I have to say... it's incredibly primitive compared to the states. (The net and TV) But, that's another story.
I think what is tripping folks up (and is indeed broken) is an artifact of two different and competing ideas within the company. It's pretty clear that whoever created the instructions did not intend the old modem to be taken in to the store. Only the letter is needed to obtain the new modem. The instructions are actually very clear and well written, and only broken because they are contradicted elsewhere.
Whoever created the website listing of stores, however, either had a different understanding of the program or different instructions on what the program required, and so gave conflicting directions.
This happens frequently in large organizations, where the left hand quite often has no idea what the right hand is doing.
Case in point: I worked for a large corporation in tech support. My agents were expected to troubleshoot products, and if necessary issue a return authorization. The return authorization agents were expected to read a whole litany of scripted procedures and disclosures to the customer, which included the expectation that defective products would be returned in exchange for the replacement units--and the customer would be charged as a sale if the broken unit was not sent back.
Somewhere along the line, a bean counter in the executive offices realized that the company was spending more on tech support calls to troubleshoot certain low cost devices, and that shipping a broken unit back in these cases was more expensive than just letting the customer trash it. To save money, tech support was directed to simply RA a unit instead of attempting to fix it, and the hardware folks actually performing the exchange were directed not to include the return shipping materials.
Aside from the fact that 99% of the problems were user error or dead batteries that were easily fixed--meaning that most of the units being trashed were perfectly functional--the returns agents were never told to vary their script.
Thus, customers were being told that they had to return a unit the company didn't want back. They were being told they would be charged when they wouldn't. They were calling back multiple times (burning up whatever cost savings was being realized by cutting the troubleshooting time) to ensure that they jumped through all the hoops they were expected to so they didn't get charged. When reassured that they wouldn't, they often didn't believe it and at the very least got a bad impression of the company, that nobody knew what the heck was going on.
I ended up leaving that company when my job went from genuinely helping customers with broken products to doing nothing but trying to deal with broken procedures and processes within the company. Finally the frustrations that arose from the futility of trying to fix these problems just got to be too much and I moved on. Rogers strikes me in this instance as being exactly the same sort of company...which doesn't bode well for the experience of its customers.
Not broken. You order the new one, then disconnect your old one. You can use the old one while waiting for the new one to arrive.
except that u dont order a new one, u take your old one to the store to get the new one. listen to erich. hey g man, try reading the rest of the page.
Definitely NOT broken, the steps make sense. It shouldn't even be approved for being posted on the site. The instructions are clear and simply not broken. I have an old Rogers cable modem which I didn't replace yet and I understood the instructions.
Think before submitting.
gnutux
Ok, so I'm an idiot.
But I'm in good company! There seem to be a bunch of us who saw nothing wrong with the directions...but I got mixed up with "only infinity's" link and the one that started this whole thing, and didn't realize it until Erich pointed it out (and everyone else came down on me like a ton of bricks!).
Adam and gnutux...join me over here in the 'missed one little detail' corner, and note that there is a conflicting set of instructions elsewhere on the site (which only infinity posted a link to).
Actually, I'm gonna protest that it ain't our fault: This post should have had two links to the two different sets of instructions to compare and contrast. As it is, it is the originial post that is BROKEN!
Although you have to return the old modem to get a new one, this is not broken for two reasons:
1. The steps are in order, because those who only have internet access through the modem that they are disconnecting need to read the online instructions FIRST.
2. Because you personally have to return the modem to the store in exchange for a new one, I assume you would immediately recieve a replacement modem, in which case there is no interruption in service. (Just hook it up as soon as you get home)
Comments on this entry are closed
Previous: Customer service horror stories | Main | Next: Hotel exit sign
im not positive how this is broken, but i think its because u have to send them the old one to recieve the new one...? which would make the steps out of order.
All your modem are belong to us.
Posted by: gmangw at August 20, 2005 12:45 AM