I Hate My Cable Company

Okay...so I don't really hate the "will remain nameless" cable company which provides me television and high speed internet...but I do have to award them the "Worse Customer Service Than a Bank" award for 2004. Let's start with what industry a cable tv company is in: service provider. A "Service Provider" is in the business of being available to their customers to whom they provide goods or services, usually when the customer isn't at work. So, therein lies my reasoning for this award. Last Friday (Dec. 24th), a day in which I, the customer, didn't have to work decided to return my digital cable box, since the only thing I used it for was the menu grid, and I stopped using it for that once I got my ReplayTV. Well, that and I liked the idea of saving $25 a month on my bill...but I digress. So, I figured that the cable company's local office would be open at least until noon on the 24th. I figured wrong on that one. Not only were they closed on the 24th, but they are also going to be closed on the 31st (the other day that I have off), and their office hours are from 8 to 5, changing to 9 to 5 as of January 3...not very convenient to serving (or, as George Carlin might say, "servicing") the customer.

So, leaving rather irritated by this, I decided to head to my bank...the place that should be closed all day on the 24th. They, on the other hand, were open until noon.
Final Score:
Bank: 1
Cable Co.: 0