I can’t say I know anyone who says they love their cable company, but over the last month, Comcast went out of their way to treat a loyal customer with disdain and made it very clear they didn’t want my business. When I took to twitter to try and resolve a problem with Comcast, RCN’s customer service team jumped in and made it crystal clear that they wanted me and took easy, but meaningful steps to win my business.

On December 31, I got my monthly email letting me know my billing statement was now available. Like anyone who has New Year’s Eve off of work, I decided to call the cable company to see if I could get a better deal on my Internet package. But I didn’t go in empty handed. I checked Comcast’s website to see what they were charging new customers for the package I had.

As a point of comparison, I also checked prices at RCN, another cable and Internet provider available in Chicago. RCN was offering new customers 110 Mbps Internet for $49.99 per month for the first 12 months. More than double the speed of my Comcast package for about half the cost.

Still, I wasn’t really considering leaving Comcast, I just wanted a better deal. So I called Comcast and reached Kaile in “Customer Solutions,” who assured me I had reached the right person because she “was a consumer, too.” I explained my issue to Kaile and she said that I was already getting a great deal, but that she could offer me the same package that I was getting for a bit less per month.

I thought perhaps someone on the twitter customer service team could offer a better deal. I tweeted:

And now @comcastcares is trying to tell me that charging me 2x the $ for 1/2 the speed of RCN is the “best they can do.”

— Ian Petchenik (@petchmo) December 31, 2014

At the end of the call, Kaile informs me that I am going to be assessed a $2.99 change of service fee. But, wait a minute. I didn’t change my service. I tried to change it, but she hadn’t actually changed any of the services Comcast was providing. I once again requested to speak to a supervisor but was told they were all busy and that a supervisor would call me back within 24-48 hours.

RCN Joins the Party

Six minutes after my initial tweet, RCN responded. Six minutes.

@petchmo Doesn’t sound like their handle matches their service, Ian. Let us know if you would like to switch to RCN! -Max

— RCN (@RCNconnects) December 31, 2014

Max at RCN clearly saw an opportunity to get a new customer. My call to Comcast began well enough, but by the end, because of the rep’s attitude—she sounded annoyed that I was annoyed—I was ready to leave. RCN made that very easy by quickly answer my questions about being able to use my own equipment and when I messaged them, they even offered to heavily discount the installation fee. I headed over to their website and signed up for service and scheduled an installation appointment for 3 days later.

@petchmo Absolutely, that modem should work with our service. If you have questions on packages/pricing, shoot me a DM! -Max — RCN (@RCNconnects) December 31, 2014

Eight days later, Comcast finally responded.

@petchmo Sorry we caused you to leave. If there is anything we can do for you please let us know.

— Sean R (@ComcastSean) January 7, 2015

If anyone from Comcast had bothered to respond in a timely manner there probably was something they could have done and I certainly would have let them know. Eight days to respond to a customer service issue on twitter is ridiculous. If it’s going to take over a week to respond, it had better be a more substantive response than “let us know if we can do anything.”

RCN got a new customer because they actively listened on twitter and were quick to answer my questions. They were polite, helpful, and most importantly, they offer faster service at a lower price.

By the way, I’m still waiting for that call from the supervisor.