Exec escalation: Xfinity-initiated equipment replacement that converted working Internet service into an outage and has not been resolved

@XfinityChristy​ thank you. 

I am requesting immediate assistance from Executive Customer Relations after an Xfinity-initiated equipment upgrade turned a functioning Internet service into an outage and ordinary customer support was unable to restore it.

My Internet service was working properly with an Xfinity XB7-T gateway, including reliable Wi-Fi coverage throughout my approximately home. Xfinity notified me that I was eligible for a gateway upgrade and sent me an XB10. I accepted the upgrade because I reasonably expected Xfinity’s newer equipment to provide service at least as reliable as the equipment it replaced.

It did not.

Immediately after installing the XB10, multiple devices began losing Wi-Fi in areas of the house where the XB7-T had provided reliable service. I spent considerable time diagnosing the problem myself before contacting Xfinity. Among other things, I used the gateway’s own administration interface and observed my iPhone remaining connected to the XB10’s 6 GHz radio at approximately -85 dBm. I disabled 6 GHz as a diagnostic test, but the problem persisted; I subsequently measured approximately -77 dBm on 5 GHz while only one floor above the gateway. Multiple devices have been affected.

I then attempted to resolve what should have been a straightforward equipment exchange through Xfinity support.

The automated support system repeatedly directed me toward purchasing additional Wi-Fi equipment rather than providing a means to replace the newly supplied gateway. I eventually reached telephone support and spent approximately an hour repeating troubleshooting I had already performed. During that call, the failure occurred again and the representative confirmed that I was experiencing the same problem.

I repeatedly asked Xfinity simply to ship a replacement gateway. Instead, I was told I would have to travel to an Xfinity store to exchange equipment that Xfinity had proactively sent me.

I then attempted the obvious fallback: reconnect the XB7-T that had been working properly before this upgrade. The XB7-T’s local network and administration interface are functioning, but it no longer has Internet service, apparently because it was deprovisioned when the XB10 was activated.

As a result, I went from having working Internet service to having no reliable Internet service solely because I accepted an equipment upgrade initiated by Xfinity.

The telephone representative offered a $10 account credit (which actually processed as $6.45) and initially advised that the earliest technician appointment was October 11. I rely on this Internet connection to work from home. A six-day delay is not a reasonable resolution to a service failure caused by an Xfinity-initiated equipment replacement.

I am asking Executive Customer Relations to take ownership of this situation now and provide the following resolution:

1. Restore reliable Internet service immediately, either by remotely reprovisioning my previously working XB7-T, promptly delivering working replacement equipment, or arranging an expedited technician visit.
2. Confirm that I will incur no equipment, service-call, technician, or other charges associated with correcting this Xfinity-created problem.
3. Provide an appropriate service/account credit reflecting both the interruption of service and the substantial amount of my time required to resolve a problem created by Xfinity’s equipment change. A $10 credit is not commensurate with what has occurred.
4. Review why Xfinity support could neither reverse an unsuccessful Xfinity-initiated equipment upgrade nor simply ship a replacement gateway, instead requiring extensive repeat troubleshooting and directing a customer with previously functioning service to travel to a retail store.

I am not asking Xfinity to troubleshoot the design of my home network or sell me additional Wi-Fi equipment. The relevant comparison is straightforward: the Xfinity XB7-T provided reliable service from the same location in the same house with the same devices; the Xfinity-supplied XB10 did not.

I would appreciate contact from someone with the authority to own this issue through resolution rather than returning me to the same automated and first-level support process that has already failed.

It’s now been over 90 minutes and I remain on hold for a supervisor. I have lost half a day of work, colleagues are upset that I’m missing meetings.

But at least I have my $6.45.