Sadly, there are way too many examples of poor customer service to choose from. But I'll share the funniest: A few years ago I noticed the cable company added an HD Technology fee to my bill. I called in asking why I was paying $9/month when I got nothing out of their HD technology fee. The first person admitted they couldn't help me, and transferred me to a supposed supervisor. Naturally, I noted the date, time and their names.

The second guy was an idiot. He told me I had an HD DVR, and for it to work I needed to pay the HD tech fee. I told him when I upgraded to the DVR I made it clear to the company that I had a 20-year old, 19" CRT TV that was as far from HD as a TV can get, so why would they install an HD DVR? He said they no longer offered standard def DVRs. No one told me that, so I again asked for the HD tech fee to be waived, telling him that as a paid SUBSCRIBER I was worth well more to them than the check I sent each month; the more subscribers they have, the more negotiating power they have to strike advantageous carriage deals and demand higher ad rates. Apparently he had no clue about the difference between mere customers and subscribers, so he got super defensive and even more irritating and argumentative — in a very snooty tone he said "The vast majority of our customers have HDTVs, so we no longer offer standard def DVRs." He used that lie on the wrong person. I'd just read in a cable trade publication that at that time only something like 20-30% of homes even had HDTVs at that time! Then he started telling me that cable was a LUXURY their "customers" were happy to pay more for, and I could always cancel. He was making that sound like a better idea with every word.

Once I realized I wouldn't get anywhere with this bozo I decided to have a little fun. I quoted from that article and told him someone working in the cable industry should be a bit more knowledgeable about it. I told him that in many parts of the country, cable is the only way some homes can even get halfway decent TV reception. I think I even started correcting him every time he said "customer." When he realized he was over-matched he said, "I guess the only solution is to transfer you to someone who can cancel your account." The kicker? He couldn't even manage to transfer the darn call!

I'm still a subscriber, but after my letter to the VP of Customer Relations (CC-ed to the CEO), I doubt that guy's still an employee. A few days after I mailed it I had an apologetic call from the executive offices during which they said they would issue a $10/month credit on my bill and "deal with" that employee.