Comcast XFINITY TV → When can Comcast offer me a "promo"?

I am looking at a 100% Comcast price increase as I approach the end of a 1-year promo. I thought I would give them a chance to keep my business, even if it meant a 'downgrade." Their response was surprising:

1) "We can't tell you what we can offer until 25 days before the end of your current promo."
2) "You can downgrade to another package (Digital Basic) but the channel lineup isn't available online."

Has anyone received a new "promo" after 1 year? And is it just me, or do others have trouble actually viewing alternative plans and lineups online?

The only way you are going to get price reduction is to call retention a threaten to cancel your service. They most likely will drop the price. It may not be as low as you have now but it will be lower.

To answer part of your question, for channel lineups, here is the link that works for my current address with service and it also works for an address in another state that no longer even exists -

»www.comcast.com/Localiza ··· area%3d0

Also looked up a gas station in Aurora and inputed their street address and zip and got channel listings for package. Package type window is blank click on down arrow.

Thanks for your response! It's good to know there might be a promo available, but I'm shopping now. It sounds silly but I want to install the OTA antenna before the snow flies, if necessary.

Hortnut, I know what you're looking at, but when I access the dropdown list, 2 plans listed do not exist here and 2 plans that ARE offered here do not show! CS says, "sorry".

Glad to help. That is one of the problems with Comcast. Recently moved and offers/promotions shown online did not match with what Comcast CSR saw. After some wrangling we got things to work.

At my last place, I kept track of what I was "really" watching on cable for a month and whether all was available online. I ended going with OTA and what they called "limited basic" for my area and HSI. Cost about a $1.00 more than just HSI alone. Just put in an A-B switch for the Cable and Antenna.

HSI with no TV package was $15.00 or so more. TV was $14 and change plus taxes for my side of town.

Good luck.

Hey if i want to buy a car next month do you think they would lock a price in now. Somehow i doubt it. I get a price that i can purchase it for now. You are under contract until next month. Call when your contract is over and problem solved. Its not comcasts problem that you want to install a antenna in the warm weather.

Hortnut,
Nice to see someone thinking along the same lines as I am. I also have "Limited Basic" and "Economy Cable" available to me, which are not the same as the "Basic Service" and "Economy Video" shown above. Odd.

Rody,
I do not have a contract, just a promotional price that expires at the end of the year. So, I must assume that cable next year will be at full price. If they offer me something else next month, it will be too late.

Q: When can Comcast offer me a "promo"?

A: When you threaten to cancel your service if they don't.

Unless you're an awesome sub that has triple play and all the addons imaginable and have been with comcast for 10 years, they generally don't like putting you back on promo right away. 6 months to a year at full price is the norm to cycle people in and out of promo. Which makes the actual profit point of the service at about 75% of full price.

But as others suggest, once you are off promo, call in and tell them you're going to direct TV or Fios, or whatever other threat you want to make, and see what happens.

I've been told 6 months off promo to get another one here in the ATL.

When I called Comcast wanting to cancel my premium channels I was offered a $30 a month retention discount. It even says retention discount on my bill. The Comcast agent was even kind enough to tell me it would only last 1 year and to mark my calendar to call them again for another discount.

It depends on the market. If there is FIOS in your area, you will probably be offered a discount when you call to schedule a termination of service.

Thats a popular misconception. It doesnt matter if fios is available or not. It always helps to mention a competition but comcast doesnt even know if it is or is not available in your area. It really comes down to they look at your account history and base it on how valuable of a customer you are. late on your bill alot you aint getting shit. pay on time most months and they will give you the world. When i worked for them i couldnt speak on forums how it really is. Since i now work for another cable company and can say how it is. Bottom line Triple play customers that always pay on time can pretty well get anything they want within reason. From there its a judgement call on whos working when.

Makes sense, since they are the most profitable customers.

Rody,

Thanks for that info. I have always used the 'FIOS threat" when my promos are ending, and they always pretty much extend it with the same deal or similar. Guess it's because I pay on time... And now I have triple play.

They even have a spot on your account where they can see exactly how many times you were late for the whole time you were a customer

Having worked in Retention for Comcast it really comes down to the rep. Really doesn't have a ton to do with paying your bill on time, services customer has does effect the save offer though. There not going to give the house away for a internet only customer if you get my drift.

Mainly it comes down to the reps numbers for the month. They have several category they are graded on that effect a monthly bonus. The main two are A. Save rate B. Retained Revenue (which is the amount you discounted from what they were paying pre-call).

If you catch a rep at a time who's save rate is high, but retain revenue % is low believe me they will be more than willing to let you cancel rather than offer a huge discount. On the flip side you catch a rep who has a low save percentage come near end of month they are really going to offer a whole lot to keep your business.

The other main thing is how the customer talks over the phone. A retention rep is highely trained in determining customers who are serious about canceling or fishing for promo's. Example I once had a customer who threatened to cancel and switch to ATT for internet. I offered a plan that was cheaper, but had lower speed. Customer got all mad and said no I'm not lowering my speed, I play games online. Knew instantly he wasn't serious about canceling because I said well sir I don't understand, you won't lower your speed with Comcast for a lower rate, but you will switch to DSL which is a lower rate because it has slower speeds. I offered 5 bucks off and he said no, I'm gonna call ATT and order, then I'll cancel. Check his account 4 hours later and he had called Comcast 5 times trying to get different reps to give him a better promo.

Last tip, I wouldn't be rude or demand anything. I've had customers tell me "Your gonna give me a better rate or I"m canceling" those customers I'd hop right into "what day did you want to cancel". Remember the rep doesn't lose his job if you cancel, he doesn't get yelled at, doesn't get his pay docked, and while he wants to save a customer he doesn't lose any sleep if you cancel. So being demanding, rude, etc.. Never a good strategy. The reps are usually required to at least attempt a save offer, rude or demanding usually gets you the "best I can do is 5 dollars off for 3 months"

Last tech that came out to our house said this. He said that if the person who you happen to been connected to has been there a while they can help you out, but if they have just started they cant do anything. He said some times is takes a few trys.

Not true as Ive seen the war room and also the database that is used in retention which does show what zipcodes/streets are covered by the competition. I do however agree with your other comment that a triple play customer in good standing (aka no late payments) will have better luck then those that are not.

The data base is incorrect. I use to get a kick out of all the fios win back promotions given to people that didnt even have it available to them. You see it as a tech all the time. My main point was having fios available doesnt determine whether you do or dont get a promo. The main factor has always and always will be based mainly on the numbers game. Around here you can string promotions end on end. Our CSRs are based in montgomery county. Where Fios is hardly farspread. Its not even available in pottstown which is a nice sized city. Yet pottstown gets the same treatment as like norristown or us in bucks. I think yopu would be hard pressed to find any CSR that really bases the decision on what competition thats available to who.

I've been stringing together promotions for years now. I think I have another phone call coming up soon.

Same here------I've been stringing them together since 2005. I always call the retention line a week or so before the promo expiration. I have the TV/Internet double play with AnyRoom DVR and a couple of other boxes. Sometimes, I upgrade my TV channels slightly, and sometimes downgrade, but I always save substantially over "list" prices. Right now, I'm on a Digital Preferred with Performance Internet promo for $79.99 per month.

Yeah I never recommend using the webside as a tool to see what is available. I've already had it list channels that don't actually exist.

I have been too busy to consider a new supplier, so here I am just a few days away from being able to consider a new "promo." I will indeed give them a chance, especially since I may spend a little extra to not deal with these wimpy DTA's. Give me a little break and I will spend a little more. However, something tells me any break won't be "little".

As is true for any of my Ham antennas, nothing works better than an outdoor antenna installed in a snowstorm/gale/lightning storm, so I'll wait to order that new OTA antenna for an after-Christmas install, if necessary. This would be an easier decision if the NBA stayed on strike.