Customer Service

[90GTVert]

I went online to speak with a Comcast representative this morning to see if I could get some sort of billing discount. I see TV + internet for $70/mo and TV + internet + phone for $100. We've got TV and internet and pay $150 somehow. Seems like the bill just steadily increases and you never figure out how.

So, I was going on to chat and see if they'd give me even the promo for the 3 services for a bit, but just with the 2 I have. I did this a couple of years ago and the bill was cut in half for 6 months. If you haven't tried it, you should.

I get chatting about it and then the rep tells me that in order to make the changes they need the last digits of the account holders SSN and his/her name. I told them I could do anything but the SSN, because I'm speaking to them for the account holder and they aren't here ATM. They then tell me that this is a new policy that they must have the SSN info and it's in order to better serve the customer. They need to verify the account holder's info so no changes they don't approve of are made. Now if I were adding on HBO or something I would understand. No one wants a big bill. Who in the hell would complain if they got their bill and it was a special lower rate though? "Dammit, I'm gettin' fed up with these low rates!" :rant: lol

I understand the policy, but it just annoys me that he tries to tell me this is for the account holder's benefit. No, pretty sure he wouldn't mind even if he hadn't asked me to do this for him.

On top of that, I'm glad to get a discount (hopefully) but it does annoy me a bit that the prices are so much different. Then I see these Comcast Cares commercials about how much they care about customers and how great their techs are. Last time I had an issue with the service they sent 3 people on 3 occasions over a few months before they finally got it straight. They say they wear plastic boot covers to respect your home. Never seen that once, but I've cleaned my share of mud off of the floors. They also say they're always on time. I'd hope so, they give you a 4-8hr time span any time I've dealt with them. lol It's not like they say 10:30AM, they say between 8-12.

It's a pointless rant, sorry, just kinda get aggravated at how big business can get away with being hard to deal with and a small business would go out if they treated people the same way. They're the only show in town out here though, and I doubt any place is different.

[jmkjr72]

well cable and phone know they have you by the balls
as normaly they have a monoply in that area

and then if you live out in the sticks the sat comp know they have you by the balls too

when dish network moved the locals to part of the package i was told i needed a new dish to get them

i own all my dish equipment unlike the newer customers who lease it
i got tired of the poor over the air signal and was trying to figure out what new dish i needed
an ebay seller said i shouldnt need a new one
then after hours of dealing with dish
i got the oh sorrry some one forgot to turn them on for you

so basicly for 6 or 7 years i was paying for stuff i wasnt getting because they screwed up
and all i got was a sorry not a rebate of any of the money i paid or even a free ppv movie coupon

i asked about a deal on some new boxes from them and they will only give me a deal if i go autopay and sign a new contract

for crying out loud i have been a loyal customer for 15 years and i can get better deals buying a new box from an installer online then from them and no contract or auto pay

[90GTVert]

That got me absolutely nowhere. A vouple of years ago they dropped my bill from $100ish to $66 for 6 months. It's obvious they've changed their policies now to better screw, I mean serve , their customers. In reality, I have no other good options. Mainly because of internet. Nothing else out here that's good enough for what I do.


"Angelica: I understand you want to lower your bill. Am I correct, Robert?

Robert: Correct.

Angelica: I will personally take care of this for you.

Robert: I'd like to keep what I have, but I was hoping perhaps there was some sort of promo rate you could offer for a time or soemthing like that

Robert: I see these ads for $69.99 for cable tv and internet and $99.99 for internet, tv, and phone. I get digital basic tv and performance internet, no phone, and pay roughly $150. That's a huge difference in the promo rates and my bill just gets bigger and bigger without me adding anything it seems.

Angelica: To lower down your bill Robert, we really need to downgrade your service.

Robert: I think I'd rather go with another provider if that's the case. Just seems like if you can offer it for half price to new customers, you could give good customers a break from time to time.

Angelica: We do not have any promotions available for existing customers unfortunately.

Angelica: I hope you understand.

Robert: Not really.

Robert: I was told in the past that you were able to do this from time to time.

Angelica: Robert, promotions are intended as an incentive to allow new customers to experience the Comcast service for the first time and not intended as life long service reductions. It is our deepest hope that once the value of the Comcast service is experienced, the services that other companies offer will be less desirable. We feel the value of the Comcast service at the normal price out paces other companies by far and thank you for using the Comcast service.

Robert: I think it's been 2+ years since I asked.

Robert: I understand, so if I'm ready to quit there's no incentive to stay?

Angelica: I really care about your concern on checking for better rates. I am also very particular with my monthly charges. However, this is everything I can do in my end. At this point, to process your request, please call our Hotline 1-800-COMCAST or 1-800-XFINITY. This should completely resolve your issue and there should be no more additional steps needed.

Robert: Thanks.

Angelica: You are most welcome.

Angelica: By the way, Our goal is to provide you with a consistently superior customer experience – that’s our guarantee. Learn more about the Comcast Customer Guarantee at www.comcast.com/corporate/Customers/CustomerGuarantee.html?fss=customer guarantee

Angelica: (Smiles)

Robert: lol"

[thunderkat59]

Im old enough to remember when At&T/Bell Tel and other communications companies were regularly slapped with anti-trust violations by the FCC. Cable companies, cell phone etc, etc are now given the green lite to do whatever they want. And, to think it's COMMERCIAL TV, makes it even worse !! This is the age were companies can buy whatever legislation they want, and in the end, we pay, literally and figuratively. I wont pay for TV or internet out of principal. Rabbit ears work OK for me, and we just adjust our internet time t when we go to a hot spot or the Gov building next to us is lit up. I dont want to get mod-slapped for being too political, but anyone who asks what the OCCUPY WS people are complaining about---Here ya go !

[90GTVert]

I have no free internet option that would work. No wifi for 10 miles. I used to get free dial up access through a local library at less than 28k. Try uploading a 1gig video to YouTube on that or posting thousands of pics. lol Besides, my mother can connect to her work PC and needs a good connection for it.

The TV, I watch mostly online reruns of the shows I like. Works out well that way because I watch 'em whenever I please. Some even have less commercials. Granny watches TV all day and my father watches the western channel or wrestling all night.

I agree, it feels like everything in the world is out to help those the rich and big business. It'll never change as long as politicians are the rich and are heavily involved in or receiving large contributions from big business in all forms.

[thunderkat59]

Ask your Dad if he thinks Gunsmoke is better than Bonanza or if Brutus Beefcake or Superfly Snooka could put the hammer to the new era of wrestlers :thumb:
:lol: :lol2:

I love that stuff !!!

70's Kung fu/Bruce Lee movies are cool too . .

[90GTVert]

lol Bonanza is the best. I even watch that at times with him. I don't really watch wrestling these days, but I watched when I was younger in the days of Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and "Superfly" Jimmy Snooka and The Ultimate Warrior and when Randy Savage was "The Macho Man" and not "The Madness" and "The Iron Sheik" and.... Old wrestlers to him are people I've barely heard of other than from him mostly.

I used to watch old horror movies and kung-fu movies every Saturday when I was a kid. Some local station played them at 2PM IIRC and back then there was nothing else on really. lol My fav Bruce Lee movie is actually one he's not in. "The Dragon", the movie about him. I liked his martial arts better than his acting. Rather watch the 1 inch punch or something like that.

[vvtr]

i have a good deal with my provider & tbh the bill hasnt really changed in 10 years...
i started off with them on 760k, then went to 1meg, then 2, then 10, then 20 lol, then as i live so close to the exchange i was offered a trial of the new 50meg broadband at no extra cost.

that was like 2 years ago lol and its still on.
awesome up/down speeds, good ping etc...
the only thing is, they insist on me paying the bill the day before i get paid. which isnt always possible lol.
so every month without fail at the end of the month, they cut off my fone & bb!!

ive asked them a thousand times to move the payment date but they wont.
they said why dont you pay a month in advance... to which i replied why the fk would i want to pay for something i havent had!
the battle continues! :/

stupid thing is, it actually costs more to not have the land line, though i dont think ive ever used it for more than 5 mins sorting insurance & stuff.
and the tv... ive got like 450 channels all showing the same repeats!
drives me mad flicking through channels and there is absolutely nothing worth watching!

[Goosey]

Comcast huh? I have Charter cable. Right now I pay $43 dollars for 1-13 and the slow high speed internet. More than enough. The youngest gets good connections on WOW, the oldest watches her shows on line. I got this price by only getting the lowest basic TV, and internet, without a package. I don't rent there digital box, and since getting my own modem no longer pay that rental fee. The only fee that ever went up was that modem...$3, then $5, then when it went to $7 a month I had enough and bought my own. The replacement charge was $30 for the thing, 5 years ago. Figure I had bought the stupid thing a few times and they wanted $7 a month for it?
I used to do the offers as soon as my contracts were up, the first deal when I hooked up was a 2 year contract, as long as the contract expired they had no problem giving me the current deals. The next one was for 6 months, and I did what Brent tried at the end of that deal. Never had a problem. I don't understand at all why they won't work with you on that to keep you if they don't have a contract holding you to them.

[90GTVert]

Comcast just called me to get me to sign up for some exciting packages for existing customers. Now they think I should sign up for their phone service too and my bill will stay similar, just about $15 a month more. I said, "for how long?" and got back... "uhhh, wellllll.... it's a 12 month promotion." "Oh, so then it's $300 a month or something crazy probably." "Well, sir..." I said, "I just spoke with some Comcast reps about attempting to lower my bill and no one will work with me." He says' "Ah, but sir I'm offering you these discounts on your service and you'll have every channel we offer and..." I said, "As long as they tell me that paying every bill on time and being a customer for many years entitles me to no incentives that don't involve signing up for more expense down the road, I'll be looking for other providers instead of worrying about what Comcast would like me to try." That went on for a bit with him explaining how HE wants to work with me and offer me deals. "What deal are you offering that lowers my bill?", I asked. "Well, if you consider your current rates and that you'd get more channels, it's a lower cost than you'd normally pay." That's the best he could come up with. I wished him a good day and got off of the phone. Just annoys me that they can waste all this time trying to talk me into crap I don't want, but they won't spend a minute trying to help me anymore.

[Deleted]

I have an old laptop with a wireless keyboard and mouse hooked up to my 1080 32" tv via hdmi and i watch more tv online like that than on the dish. I watch the local news, CBS national and world news, 60 minutes...on CBSNEWS.com and i have $7 a month HULU plus sub....and tons of free stuff online that i like..documentaries and such. im tempted to cancel the DirecTV altogether now i hardly ever turn it on.

[Deleted]

i bet if you call them and say 'lower my rate or turn it off"...you just might get a positive result.

[Fox]

We have the phone internet and cable all in one package. When we first signed up for the bundle package I was told I had to "lock in" for 2 years and my rate would stay the same.We agreed and signed up. So 2 years later we get a bill that is more than usual and I call them up and tell them that we're going to cancel everything if they can't give us another 2 years at the same price and that I want Showtime at no additional cost because my girl has been a Charter customer for over 25 years so they should throw in something for free and the guy did it for me. The sales people are under pressure to keep customers, not lose them and it really doesn't cost them any more money to turn on additional channels.

[Goosey]

Exactly Fox. As soon as the 2 year contract ended you were able to get the next deal, and wow, make your own deal! Why Comcast is not willing to work with Brent is beyond me.

[90GTVert]

I dunno. It's ironic that since they've started heavily promoting the "Comcast Cares" stuff, they won't work with me. I do understand that they're offering a service and it's a luxury, not a necessity, but I don't think it would hurt them to drop the bill below $150 for a little while. No other service I use has increased prices at they rate they have since I've been a customer.

A friend of mine is thinking about upping from Verizon DSL to Comcast Cable because he lags playing online games with DSL. I told him if he does it he better try to get a 2yr deal somehow. Right now it's 6 months or 1 year offers, but maybe as a new sale he'll have more leverage than a long-term customer.