Review by Daemon 
UPDATED: 30 days ago
member for 6.3 years, 3087 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 San Francisco,San Francisco,CA
 $65 per month
 about 1 days
 "Fast, reasonably priced."
 "Software is garbage, customer support is sometimes useless."
 "Set it up and then pray you never need to call support."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Update 10/9/09: In recent months, comcast support has been much more helpful. They seem to have seen the light and are finally allowing total self-installs, so I no longer need a truck roll to install HSI in a new apartment. Instead, I can now go down to the local store and get a modem and kit and do it all myself, including provisioning without installing the crappy software (hint: press the 'i am a comcast tech' button in the walled garden provisioning page)
I have been disappointed with the lack of information regarding DOCSIS 3.0 availability, and, related, the cable analog to digital transition. Apparently they are going neighborhood by neighborhood here to avoid overwhelming support, but for tech heads like me it would be nice if we had the date of the changeover.
That said, comcast has been steadily upgrading speeds without changing the overall cost. I remember the boost from 1.5mbps to 3mpbs, and now we are on 12mpbs with boosts to much higher, with only small increases in price over the last 6 years. Cable is still way over priced, but internet is very reasonable.
All in all I have changed my tech support rating from 1 to 3 for them allowing me to at least do what I know how to do on my own, without requiring the hassle of a truck roll. The bills and total costs have been getting more transparent recently too, so pre sales information also gets updated to a 3.
Update 4/7/09: It has been brought to my attention that most of the basic level support people are obligated to follow the script in front of them and risk getting fired if they stray. (This call may be recorded...) So, while some of them may be able to help you, they won't because of the script comcast has designed.
So, when I call to let them know one of their border routers at the SJ NOC is dropping packets and has high latency, would they like to know the IP address, they are obligated to tell me to restart my modem and computer. (arghhhh) It also means that when I have diagnosed a connection problem to a faulty modem and I call, I have to spend 45 minutes trying all sorts of things in order to convince the person on the phone that the modem is the problem (restart the computer, remove the router, try the usb port, remove the splitter, move the computer and modem near a different cable outlet, try a different RG6 cable), even though I have already definitively proved the modem is broken.
I did move connection reliability back to 5. We've been on Comcast for nearly a year now with only one 2 hour outage, which is 99.97% uptime.
The ad hominem reply, below, from the guy in SJ is amusing. I have to wonder if he works for comcast.
Update 12/23/08: Back out of uni housing, back into Comcast. Nothing really changes with them, although our connection is incrementally faster. Also, when you provision the modem now, you have the option of pretending you are a comcast tech, which means you type in a few numbers and you're done (none of which are, say comcast badge number or anything-- just a few numbers off the modem.) OTOH, if you say you are a normal person, you have to install a bunch of POS software items you really don't want. At least I didn't need to go find an old copy of IE for Mac this time!
Old review from 2006:
Okay, so I'm back to Comcast after a two year hiatus. It's already starting to feel like a mistake.
First, I don't want the damn software on my computer. I don't need to know whether I'm configured for DHCP, because I can do it myself. I don't want IE configured by comcast. In fact, I don't even have IE installed! (I'm on a Mac).
First thing I tried to do was call them and tell them I'm running linux, so they'll register my account for me. The tech has the audacity to tell me the service is incompatible with Linux. No, it's perfectly compatible, because it uses a standard ethernet connection!
Then I relented and installed the software. Too bad it's not compatible with OS X 10.4 and corrupted my computer enough that I now need to reinstall it from scratch. On top of that, the software is extremely buggy and attempts to do things that my user account does not have permission to do.
Then I called back and explained the new problem. Luckily, I was connected to someone who went off script and registered my modem in about 2 seconds on her end. WTF didn't the first guy do that? Right, because the service is incompatible with linux...
Comcast is designed as a service for technology dummies who don't know much about networking, the internet, etc. This means that if you are technically inclined, talking to them is going to be frustrating because they both treat you like you are stupid and don't answer your questions.
(On the plus side, I am connected at 6000/768 without any problems)
Followup comments:  astempak
join:2007-12-03
Bremerton, WA | comcast It's not right when someone calls them comcrap though, Not all of the cs people are pro's | |
| 
SanJoseDude
@comcast.net
| WOW... you are the epitome of the SF liberal A-Hole. Nothing is good enough for you. Save us the trouble and go back to your DSL Extreme since it was so much better. Lets see, you like the service but hated CS because they didn't know Linux. Genius, you're smart enough to run Linux on a Mac, but not smart enough to have a computer that has the same OS the 98% of the planet is using. Oh wait, does Comcast cater to the masses or to the few whining crybabies like yourself. No wonder SF has a falling population, people like you. Who would want to live or visit SF. what a punk!! grow up, the world is bigger than YOU!!! | |
|  |
HCrumb
@earthlink.net | Re: WOW... Check your sources dummy! OS is irrelevant anyways. Anything with a working NIC can connect to any network. You don't have to be running on Windows. Get your head out of your ass. You sound like Comcast Tech Support. | |
| Lynn2011
join:2009-10-10
Evanston, IL
| Service I am not technically inclined and Evan and Connie with customer service treated me great. They answered my questions thoroughly and saved me 17 bucks a month, and it took a second. I'm happy so far with the economy internet package, I'd definitely recommend trying it. | |
| | | |
| Forums » comments on review of Comcast |
|
Comcast
(334)