Review by TheGhost 
UPDATED: 223 days ago
member for 6.8 years, 3012 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Lake Forest,Lake,IL
 $145 per month
 about 15 days
 "Quick install, fast download"
 "Slow upload, bad customer support, increasingly high prices"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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We moved and I went with Comcast due to the fact that they could install the service the day after we moved in (though I scheduled 2 weeks in advance) and that they had a great package deal with TV service - $50/month for 1st six months for HSI and digital cable including HBO. Price goes up $20 or so for next three to four months and then again for another two before year is up. After that it is full price - basically 53/month for HSI. I tried to get SBC for DSL but was told that I would have to wait for the phone to be installed before I could order DSL and that it would take an additional 2 weeks.
I initially signed up for the 4MBps service and it has since been upgraded to 6MBps - uploads are around 360KBps.
To date service has been speedy, though I don't know if I could tell the difference between this and the 3MBps DSL, and I have not had any noticable outages.
I only have a few complaints to date:
1) The original modem did not work and the installer left before it could be verified, saying that work still needed to be done in the office and to try again in an hour - no luck. Had service call 2 days later to address the issue - good thing as the digital cable box also stopped working on day 2 - the technician fixed both when he was here.
2) They decided to do the disconnect from the prior owner after I had almost one week of service. It was also done on a Saturday morning and no one would come out to address the issue until sometime Monday afternoon. I was lucky in that my wife stays home with the children and was available. CSR also had an attitude - I called in informing that I thought I had been disconnected - I saw a tag on the side of the house that was not there on install and both TV and HSI were out. The CSR told me not to jump to conclusions, that they don't do things like that, and that I "needed" a technician to figure out the problem. Also, they don't work on the weekends, so I would have to wait for a weekday, and what time could I be there to make sure the technician had access.
3) I had to later "argue" with CSR on why I should be credited for 4 days lack of service - pretty good for first week . I had to explain that it was not my fault that they would not come out on a weekend and that they messed up.
All in all, I may switch to Satellite and DSL when they go to raise rates, but this will last me through the winter.
(Update 4/11/2009) Well, I ended up sticking with them for over 3 1/2 years as nothing better was available for HSI. The best DSL I could get was 3MB with a poor upload - work required better. Uverse became available in our area and I switched within two weeks. I could not afford the ever-increasing Comcast rates. They did a new one that irked me this January where they added an 'additional outlet fee' in addition to the $9 HD receiver fee. My wife and I added a new HDTV and were thinking of adding a 3rd - I could not afford the extra $15/month per TV - it is $8/month for UVerse and includes the whole home DVR. I understand that they can only currently support 2 HDTV streams at one time, that is fine for us now.
Comcast also billed us for a PPV (new Bewitched) when NO ONE WAS HOME. I called to explain this to customer service who insisted that our kids must have ordered it (somehow from school I guess, and getting around locks). Well, they don't need us I guess and we are happy so far with Uverse.
Followup comments:  
cable guy
@comcast.net | ppv It is imposible to get a ppv event without ordering plus you have to watch for at least fifteen minutes before they will actually charge you so just pay it | |
|  | TheGhost
Premium
join:2003-01-03
Lake Forest, IL
clubs:
 ·AT&T U-Verse
 ·Comcast
| Re: ppv said by cable guy :
It is imposible to get a ppv event without ordering plus you have to watch for at least fifteen minutes before they will actually charge you so just pay it
That was my thought exactly, which is why I questioned an 11am charge when everyone was out of the house (for the New Bewitched movie even). Note that all my kids were in K-4 when it happened, my wife dropped them off at school, and she was out shopping at the time.
I guess Comcast believed someone broke into our home, watched the movie, AND cleaned up after themselves so that we never noticed. 
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| | | TheGhost
Premium
join:2003-01-03
Lake Forest, IL
clubs:
·AT&T U-Verse
·Comcast
1 edit | Re: ppv As a follow up, I have been with U-verse for a couple of months now, and have not experienced the billing screw-ups I had with Comcast as of yet.
Representatives were also helpful when I called with questions, unlike the Comcast folks who had the same attitude as cable guy above. | |
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