Comcast is the worst

[red-beard]

To make a long story short, we hate Comcast. The end.

But seriously,

I dropped my COmcast TV service 3 months ago because they sent 4 technicians out to fix our reception, they all measured the signal outside the house and found it too low. Each time I called back in and reported the problem. They sent out technician who were unable to fix the issue. No point paying for bad service and we switched to Dish.

OK, we still have highspeed internet with them. They raised my rate from $42/mth to $62/mth, and we still have having some problems. So, I'm going to drop the service.

But I can't. I have a Comcast e-mail address I have used on my resume. The new version has a new e-mail address, but I sent out a lot with the Comcast address.

Idea! My father has Comcast. I'll remove the e-mail sub-account from under mine, and re-create it under his! Slick, clever, etc. Well I tried it with the wife's address first, just in case.

Delete, no problem. Create - Sorry, that address is in use. Pick a new name. Arrrrggggghhhh! OK, so I call Comcast, get a terrible run around. Someone puts me on hold, someone else picks up. AND each time this happends, the phone signal level looses about 3 dB.

FInally, someone says I need an appointment with a technician by phone (seemed weird) to fix the problem. Appoint for Monday between 11AM-2PM.

Today, a technician shows up at the house!!! WTF? We talk, and sure enough, he can't help.

Now the funny part, and the reason for the post. I get a phone call just now, a survey to ask how the appointment went.

Did the tech arrive on time? Yep - 5 outta 5
Did the Tech act Professionally? Yep - 5 outta 5
Did the tech understand the problem? Nope - 1 outta 5
Did the tech take care of the problem to your satisfaction? Nope 1 outta 5

The survey message then says

"I'm sorry, it appears you were unsatisfied with the service, please hold for a represenative"

Cool I think.

"We're sorry, the wait time is too long, please leave a message with your phone number, and we will call you back"

click

"We're sorry, but you are unable to leave a message, the mailbox is full."

click

I guess they have a lot of unsatisfied customers!!!

[jcunning]

:lol:

Sorry for laughing at your expense... That is classic.
About the only other thing I might have expected was a phone conversation with some Indian people.

[Superman]

How can this be? Markets are competitive. This ensures consumer satisfaction.

[onewhippedpuppy]

You should check into AT&T U-verse. In Wichita you can get digital cable including HD, home phone, and high speed internet for $90/month. It's fiber optic based and requires new cables, so as soon as it's available in my area I'm all over it. We're always the last to get stuff, so it's probably available in H-town.

Our version of the evil cable company is Cox. Despite their commercials touting themselves as my "friend", they're stupid indifferent bastards. They market HD programming as free. After buying an HDTV, I call about said free channels. Sorry sir, you have to rent a tuner box for $10/month. No I say, my new TV has a built in HD tuner. Sorry sir, it won't work with HD. But I can watch over the air HD channels IN HD for free right now. Long pause........ They finally admitted that they encrypt their HD channels, then charge you $10/month for a decoder box. I asked the rep if he considers $10/month to be free, but never did get an answer. $10/month isn't much money, but I refuse to pay it based solely on principle. Bastards.....

[Jim Richards]

I hate Comcast, too.

[red-beard]

Well guys, as soon as the message came up that the mailbox was full, I had to laugh myself, then post this.

No u-verse on my street. One street over, yes. Here, no fiber.

Supe: The market worked. I dropped Comcast. And I need to drop them all the way, as soon as I can get this e-mail address thing worked out.

Dealing with those bastages inspired me to wite a poem in 2005:

Originally Posted by Mark Wilson

I call you up, you make me wait,

Die Comcast, Die,

I say you suck, you say you're great,

Die Comcast, Die,

Broadband is out, you don't know why,

Die Comcast, Die,

Unplug the modem, give it a try!

Die Comcast, Die,

It doesn't work, great big sigh,

Die Comcast, Die,

We'll send a tech, he'll have a smile,

Die Comcast, Die,

In several days, or after while,

Die Comcast, Die,

He doesn't show, Oh what a surprise,

Die Comcast, Die,

The anger's showing in my eyes,

Die Comcast, Die,

I call em back, temper ablazin,

Die Comcast, Die,

Simmer down, says the agent,

Die Comcast, Die,

We'll send him back, in two days,

Die Comcast, Die,

Fuch you too, is all I say,

Die Comcast, Die.


Mark

[widebody911]

I have a Comcast e-mail address I have used on my resume.

Gmail, FTW!

[masraum]

Mark, that's fantastic.

I haven't had a problem with Comcast, but they do suck. Time Warner was much better.

Yes, Comcast advertises free HD, but you have to pay for stuff monthly, so I'm not sure how they get by offering the free stuff.

I had signed up for ATT U-Verse. They had called me several times, and I'd done a little research, so one night this young guy comes buy selling U-verse subscriptions. I sign up with him, the process took easy 2 hours out on my front porch and over his cell phone.

When I got DSL installed (a long time ago), the guy said that I was really close to the local office. When the U-Verse install guy showed up, he couldn't get it to work. So he called the guy with the special tool that he didn't have. That guy showed up and said that I was 500 or a 1000 (I can't remember) feet too far away for U-Verse to work. My wife keeps asking me about moving over to U-Verse, but there's no way in hell that I'm going to go through the 2 hour sign up process until they send the guy out with the tool and check my house. Maybe this time I should make the wife go through the sign up process and wait around for them.

My DSL is rock solid and is probably 10-11 years old running on the original modem. I'd rather not change a thing.

[KaptKaos]

Originally Posted by Superman

How can this be? Markets are competitive. This ensures consumer satisfaction.

I was about to post a ragging missive about cable companies and their lack of consumer competition, when I noticed you posted the second sentence in green. The font looks black and the only way I knew was the reply post listed it as "dark green". May I suggest Lime Green for your sarcasm in the future.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by KaptKaos

I was about to post a ragging missive about cable companies and their lack of consumer competition, when I noticed you posted the second sentence in green. The font looks black and the only way I knew was the reply post listed it as "dark green". May I suggest Lime Green for your sarcasm in the future.

Looks green to me. Readable too. The "lime green" is so bright that it's difficult to read. Maybe turn your brightness up?

[legion]

Supe doesn't understand the difference between a monopoly and competition. Give him a break.

We had Insight around here, which was hands down the best cable company I have ever dealt with. Six months ago, they got bought out by Comcast.

For the past two weeks, channel 22, which normally has the temperature and local advertistments, has instead displayed a message about how the server that runs the channel is dangerously low on virtual memory. They also fired all of our local customer service/repair people (who had all worked for TCI, then AT&T, then Insight) and could fix problems quickly.

[Superman]

Originally Posted by legion

Supe doesn't understand the difference between a monopoly and competition. Give him a break.

I do understand aspects of markets and competition and monopolies and oligolopies. I understand that markets tend toward less and less competition. Your observation is an example of this. Comcast bought out the company you liked. When the Comcasts of the world quit buying out their competition, when the Chryslers and GM's quit doing that, when the Wells Fargo's quit doing that, when the Standard Oil's of the world quit doing that.......it's because the gubmit has told them "enough!" Free markets work nicely, but have their limits. Commerce loves a situation of declining competition. In the cable business, there is already too little competition and if this situation is allowed to continue, there will be none. When the power companies get into "bundling" your communication services with your power bill, you will have two viable options. Buy power and cable and internet and phone from your local power company (probably a private utility, sadly).......or don't buy it at all.

[KaptKaos]

Local governments generally grant monopolies to the cable companies only allowing access to the cable network for one carrier. So really, there is no competition. It has nothing to do with the lack of providers, it has to do with the lack of access to the consumers, which is granted via a local government contract.

There is no reason for this other than the lobbying efforts of Comcast, Time Warner, et. al.

[RANDY P]

Ever deal with Qwest?

I upset the rep on the phone when I asked her why "takes on the average, 6 calls to get them to change features and to get anything done? Are they THAT messed up internally"?

They kept adding additional features to my landline which is strictly fax, without my permission. It took 3 MONTHS and 6 CALLS to get them to quit billing me for it.

they got sued by the AG of WA awhile back for deceptive billing practices, and still continue to this day. They'll offer a new "package plan" and say you are getting a discount because of a "bundled" price then you accept over the phone.

Of course, they don't mention at time you verbally accept it the pricing is contingent on a 2 year agreement to keep all three services - it's on the contract they mail you after you have agreed to it (along with the option to cancel if you don't agree)

I gave them the finger on their $200 cancellation fee. Let 'em send me to collections.

rjp

[Superman]

City of Tacoma got tired of Comcast's bullying BS during the infrastructure buildup that was going to result in a virtual monopoly for them. Tacoma gave Comcast the ol' Heave-Ho, and finished building the infrastructure on their dime. I believe that today, Tacoma subscribers get some of the best services, at lower costs, than almost any cable customers in America. Which makes sense, since the stories I am reading in this thread are worse than the worst "gubmit" horror stories you guys love to spew.

[slakjaw]

i dropped comcast for qwest and ended up going back to comcast.

[slakjaw]

Originally Posted by Superman

City of Tacoma got tired of Comcast's bullying BS during the infrastructure buildup that was going to result in a virtual monopoly for them. Tacoma gave Comcast the ol' Heave-Ho, and finished building the infrastructure on their dime. I believe that today, Tacoma subscribers get some of the best services, at lower costs, than almost any cable customers in America. Which makes sense, since the stories I am reading in this thread are worse than the worst "gubmit" horror stories you guys love to spew.

riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight......

[Granite]

Sort of related... I just got Comcast here at the house . I used to have The Dish Network. I live in the foothills of Colorado and the dish just sucked because of the snow and the wind. So when we put solar panels on the roof last November. ( Solar panels are less effected by the snow and wind so far. We do get 300 days of sunshine here). Anyways the Dishes had to go. I called the Dish Network and asked if they wanted them back and they said no. I called a couple recycling folks and they said no. I called Dish back and asked them if they would take them back if I dropped them off at their office. Again they said no dice. I was thinking what a waste and was reminded of when we moved from our previous house in Denver and had to leave the Dish Networks Dishes there. Long story short I was now committed not to throw them away but get Dish to take them back and reuse them. I drove to their head quaters and they would not let me in and I thought I was doing them a favor.
Well my next step was to find out the CEO's name. Charlie Ergen. Turns out he lives in Colorado so I shipped them to his house with a note telling to recycle. I hope they are sitting in his garage right now.

Steve

[red-beard]

You must have more time on your hand than I do.