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SpottedCat
join:2004-06-27
Miami, FL

SpottedCat to point125

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to point125

Re: [Connectivity] "not servicable" despite trunk line

I'm curious.. when you pay $10K or whatever obscene amount to have cable brought out to your home, do you still have to pay the same amount for the service once they install it?

Or does part of that huge payment become a service credit? I know Comcast doesn't want to take a risk by spending thousands to run cable out to a home, only for the customer to cut service two months in... but if I paid such an outlandish cost for installation I'd expect some sort of a break on the service!
ExoticFish
join:2008-08-31
Zebulon, NC

ExoticFish

Member

said by SpottedCat:

I'm curious.. when you pay $10K or whatever obscene amount to have cable brought out to your home, do you still have to pay the same amount for the service once they install it?

Absolutely !
rendrenner
join:2005-09-03
Grandville, MI

rendrenner to SpottedCat

Member

to SpottedCat
There is no discount on service for paying to have the cable installed. You may be put into a promo package like any onther new customer. That would defeat the whole purpose of ROI.

tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA

tshirt

Premium Member

If you are willing to pay $10k for the install, they don't need to offer a promo to get and keep your business.

SpottedCat
join:2004-06-27
Miami, FL

SpottedCat to rendrenner

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to rendrenner
said by rendrenner:

That would defeat the whole purpose of ROI.

But that's just, you PAID to have the cable installed. I can think of it as paying their "ROI" ahead of time, rather than them waiting for years to break even.

After all, they paid to run cable to many neighborhoods and homes in the past, without subscribers having to pay thousands. If a subscriber pays a large amount of money to help them expand their plant, they should be willing to give that subscriber a break in exchange for that.

I figured they'd be greedy about it though.

gar187er
I DID this for a living
join:2006-06-24
Seattle, WA

gar187er

Member

neighborhoods = dozens and dozens of people...not just 1.....the OP needs 1000' plant extension....this equates to say 7 pole spans....7 x 4 (ports a tap) = 28 possible hooks in a fairly populated area....
point125
join:2012-08-06

point125

Member

said by DocDrew See Profile
Stop calling and go into the local office. Contact the LOCAL construction manager.

I did go to the local office, which was quite far out of the way. They were very nice and seemed to do everything they could with a smile, but they could not give me the number of anyone, only submit a form that seems like the same thing the CSR from 1800 were doing. I got the same line about plant extensions and figuring out if it was economically feasible. Explaining that I wanted to just pay for the extension got the same response that oh no they don't do that.

She did say that she would try to get someone to call me directly, but I have heard that already before, so I do not have high hopes.


tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA

tshirt

Premium Member

It may take some time before you hear back.
You may or may not ever see anyone. The first part is they research what they presently have in place, IF that is expandable, THEN someone comes out to measure/asess. Then they crunch the number and offer(by mail usually) an estmate and contract. Don't get too anxious even if it's a go, it could take months to get it completed.
They aren't being rude or mean, you are just one of many requests that they fit in between normal construction activity.
netuser2010
join:2010-07-06

netuser2010 to point125

Member

to point125
We live in a rural area right outside of Richmond, VA. We paid Comcast approximately $3 per foot to extend their service to our home in 2010. The extension was approximately 1 mile. At first, we called our local office, but no one took us seriously. We had to write a letter to the local construction supervisor before we received a response. The construction supervisor then came out and did a site survey, then sent us a letter indicating the amount of money that they wanted to extend their service. After we signed the contract/letter that they sent us and paid for the extension, they then put us on the construction schedule. It took about 6 months from contacting the construction supervisor before they began construction. They buried the extension and put in several amplifiers along the way. It took about one week to complete. Let me know if you have any questions.
rendrenner
join:2005-09-03
Grandville, MI

1 recommendation

rendrenner to SpottedCat

Member

to SpottedCat
Typically when you are expanding the plant to your house, you are only extending the plant to your house which means there is only once source of income.

If it cost Comcast $10,000 dollars to extend the cable to the house and Comcast did it free of charge, it would take years to recoup that cost. Even a customer who goes Triple Play with DVR and such is only going to have a bill around maybe $200 a month/ $2400 a year. Only a small percentage of that is actual profit. It would take years for Comcast to make a profit on that, assuming the customer kept the same level of service for the entire time.

Yes Comcast could make an exception for the OP and just do it, but these come up all the time. Comcast has been a 'for profit' company for years and I imagine shareholders would be upset if money was just given away.

I've never heard of AT&T just throwing in new VRads for one customer who is just out of reach of the closest one. Never heard of Dish mowing down a forest at their cost so a customer could have a clear view to the south.

I spent almost two years handling escalations in the West Michigan area. I had dozens of these type of calls where I had to speak to the customer when they received the estimate of what it would cost to extend them cable.

Some customers understood. Some customers stated that it wasnt their fault Comcast put the cable so close to the road and so far from their house. Some were mad that the builder never told them that it may be an issue when the house site was selected. One that sticks out is when a customer had a house fire cause a complete loss. They had a large existing lot. They pushed the house back from 100 ft off the road to 1000 during the rebuild. They actually planned the cost into the build price of the new home.

This topic has come up dozens of times before. It costs what it costs. What causes the most misunderstanding is what is acutally involved in getting a usable signal down a 1000 feet of cable. Depending on the area, the first 250-350ft will be covered by the company. If you chose to put your house far off the road or chose to be the first home in a new development, the peace and quiet can be expensive.
point125
join:2012-08-06

point125

Member

said by rendrenner:

Typically when you are expanding the plant to your house, you are only extending the plant to your house which means there is only once source of income.

If it cost Comcast $10,000 dollars to extend the cable to the house and Comcast did it free of charge, it would take years to recoup that cost. Even a customer who goes Triple Play with DVR and such is only going to have a bill around maybe $200 a month/ $2400 a year. Only a small percentage of that is actual profit. It would take years for Comcast to make a profit on that, assuming the customer kept the same level of service for the entire time.

Yes Comcast could make an exception for the OP and just do it, but these come up all the time. Comcast has been a 'for profit' company for years and I imagine shareholders would be upset if money was just given away.

I've never heard of AT&T just throwing in new VRads for one customer who is just out of reach of the closest one. Never heard of Dish mowing down a forest at their cost so a customer could have a clear view to the south.

I spent almost two years handling escalations in the West Michigan area. I had dozens of these type of calls where I had to speak to the customer when they received the estimate of what it would cost to extend them cable.

Some customers understood. Some customers stated that it wasnt their fault Comcast put the cable so close to the road and so far from their house. Some were mad that the builder never told them that it may be an issue when the house site was selected. One that sticks out is when a customer had a house fire cause a complete loss. They had a large existing lot. They pushed the house back from 100 ft off the road to 1000 during the rebuild. They actually planned the cost into the build price of the new home.

This topic has come up dozens of times before. It costs what it costs. What causes the most misunderstanding is what is acutally involved in getting a usable signal down a 1000 feet of cable. Depending on the area, the first 250-350ft will be covered by the company. If you chose to put your house far off the road or chose to be the first home in a new development, the peace and quiet can be expensive.

So.... Not to be ungrateful for your input, but try to at least read the post before replying. I stated several times I understand I will need to pay for it.

goofy01
join:2004-02-05
Hammond, IN

goofy01

Member

Point, he was replying to SpottedCat, not you.
point125
join:2012-08-06

point125

Member

said by goofy01:

Point, he was replying to SpottedCat, not you.

Oh I see, this forums a little different then most.
rendrenner
join:2005-09-03
Grandville, MI

rendrenner

Member

said by point125:

said by goofy01:

Point, he was replying to SpottedCat, not you.

Oh I see, this forums a little different then most.

Yep the reply was actually was to Cat, but in my defense i was typing in a non fast manner so your reply most likely slipped in before mine actually showed up.

Once you get someone to come out to do a site survey, you'll get a letter that will typically just be a form letter stating it will cost XXX amount of money to extend the plant to your location and that if you are willing to proceed, please call this contact number.
It wont be itemized, but there is a more detailed estimate on file. You should be able to request that to see if you can save some money somewhere, perhaps by digging your own trench or such. It's unlikely however that they'll let you supply any of the cable or such from another source..

NetFixer
From My Cold Dead Hands
Premium Member
join:2004-06-24
The Boro
Netgear CM500
Pace 5268AC
TRENDnet TEW-829DRU

1 edit

NetFixer to point125

Premium Member

to point125
said by point125:

said by goofy01:

Point, he was replying to SpottedCat, not you.

Oh I see, this forums a little different then most.

Yes, the default view is a "flat" view that displays posts in a time sequential fashion instead of the nested view that is common with some other forums.

However, you can change your own personal default view of this site in the Members/Prefs../Forum tab "Topics view" setting (the "nest" setting is probably what you are used to seeing on some other sites):


bpratt
join:2006-10-24
Redwood City, CA

1 edit

bpratt to point125

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FYI, I just had this sort of thing done this spring. Specifically, I had a private line extension run ~800 feet from the closest Comcast wiring to the side of my house, then the actual "normal" comcast install went from 5 feet outside my house into my actual cable modem. The line extension cable is quite impressive, approx 1/2-3/4 of an inch thick and probably 3mm thick copper connector in the center. Serious cable. Search for my other posts and you can see how long this was underway.

My costs broke down like this: ~$14,000 to get 2" schedule 40 PVC conduit installed from the closest telephone pole with cable to my house, all done with trench less directional drilling including going under the road (of course the pole was on the far side of the street) and getting all necessary permits. I had that done privately. Then $3,000 or so to Comcast's construction arm, which around here outsourced to CableComm LLC to get the line extension installed once my conduit was in place. And then finally normal Comcast installation and buying a cable modem. The $72 a month for Blast internet is not a big deal at this point.

It did take a long time (years of trying off and on) to find the construction department contact, then another 4-6 months once I finally got the right contact there and put the process in motion. So don't give up. It was totally worth it, since otherwise our property was unserviceable for high speed Internet, and in the heart of Silicon Valley the impact of that on property value is MUCH more than I spent.

If you happen to be in Northern California message me and I can pass on the contacts I found, but otherwise you'll have to keep banging against Comcast until you get to the construction department.

It can definitely be done, and if you have utility poles in place and can avoid the cost of underground conduit you can do it for a lot less than I had to spend.

Good luck,
Bob

gar187er
I DID this for a living
join:2006-06-24
Seattle, WA

gar187er to netuser2010

Member

to netuser2010
15k for a plant extension? you must have really wanted cable...
netuser2010
join:2010-07-06

netuser2010

Member

Price we were willing to pay to live in the country and work from home.
point125
join:2012-08-06

point125 to bpratt

Member

to bpratt
Yea I shouldn't need the underground drilling across the street, the utilities already cross above. I wonder how much of that was the drilling. I've seen people saying they paid anywhere from 2-10$ a foot. (with the 2$ people still complaining haha)

I did finally get a call back I think thanks to a comcast person who messaged me here. This person seemed to at least understand that it was possible for me to pay to have the house connected rather then the "we do it free or it's not possible" response. So I'm waiting for a callback again, supposedly within 10 days I believe they said.