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Morac
Cat god
join:2001-08-30
Riverside, NJ

Morac

Member

[Bill] $1.99 change of service fee for returning equipment

I returned a cable box and DTA that I wasn't using and Comcast tacked on a $1.99 change of service fee on my bill. Why exactly did they do this since I didn't change any service?
neufuse
join:2006-12-06
James Creek, PA

neufuse

Member

but you did change your service, you removed two devices which they could of billed you for previously

beachintech
There's sand in my tool bag
Premium Member
join:2008-01-06

beachintech to Morac

Premium Member

to Morac
Removed two outlets.

Morac
Cat god
join:2001-08-30
Riverside, NJ

Morac to neufuse

Member

to neufuse
Even though it's only $2, that seems like a cash grab to me since it took the guy at the office less than a minute to enter the info into the computer.

Comcast seems to heading to a new low with money grabbing what with them removing user equipment credits and now charging "service" fees for returning equipment.

All of that while pulling in record revenues. The only reason their profits are down recently is that made some bad acquisitions. That's not my fault and they are still pulling in more money than they ever have.

egeek84
Premium Member
join:2011-07-28
Livermore, CA

egeek84 to Morac

Premium Member

to Morac
I agree with the OP, all these sly charges are ridiculous. "Change of service" fee? really? That's called normal customer account changes, there shouldn't be a fee for it if it simply involves changing a package on an account in a matter of seconds. If it involves someone coming out, I can understand that but come on. Oh and the beauty is when you upgrade your services and there is NO CHARGE at all but when you downgrade, you get 'penalized' with this charge, how rich.

Morac
Cat god
join:2001-08-30
Riverside, NJ

Morac

Member

said by egeek84:

I agree with the OP, all these sly charges are ridiculous. "Change of service" fee? really? That's called normal customer account changes, there shouldn't be a fee for it if it simply involves changing a package on an account in a matter of seconds. If it involves someone coming out, I can understand that but come on. Oh and the beauty is when you upgrade your services and there is NO CHARGE at all but when you downgrade, you get 'penalized' with this charge, how rich.

The thing is, I didn't even change my service. I'm still on the same package I was. All I did was return a box I wasn't using. I wasn't being charged for it, but I wasn't using it. Would Comcast rather me put the box in my closet or something? It seems like they would since they charged me for returning it.

telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

telcodad

MVM

Yeah, you were just returning unused equipment without disconnecting any "outlets."

On the last full Price Schedule I have, under the section titled "Installation Charges," it has:
Change of Service:
:
Add or Delete Service (subsequent to initial install and (a) customer picks up or drops off converter, or (b) addressable addition or deletion).................$ 1.99
Did you notice if any of your "Additional Outlet" charges were removed with this?
Zoder
join:2002-04-16
Miami, FL

Zoder to Morac

Member

to Morac
Although if the OP returned the equipment within 30 days of receiving notice of a price increase they are supposed to let you make changes without paying a change of service fee. At least that's how Comcast used to do things.

Morac
Cat god
join:2001-08-30
Riverside, NJ

Morac to telcodad

Member

to telcodad
said by telcodad:

Did you notice if any of your "Additional Outlet" charges were removed with this?

I don't have an "Additional Outlet" fees to begin with which is why I was kind of hanging on to the boxes for awhile. I do have 3 (one unspecified and two "TiVo CableCard") additional outlets listed on my bill for $0.

The main reason I returned them is because Comcast will start charging for DTA's this month and I was hoping returning the HD box would remove the HD Technology fee (no such luck).

Comcast did give me a partial credit of $1.22, but I have no idea what that is for. Maybe it's for the HD box, which they weren't charging me for?

I've given up lately trying to make sense of my bill.

Comcast hasn't sent me a full price schedule for awhile now. The last thing I got was a price change listing and that didn't have anything listed for changing service, only for self installation kits (which are now $15).

beachintech
There's sand in my tool bag
Premium Member
join:2008-01-06

beachintech to Morac

Premium Member

to Morac
You can find them online, and they are on your bill..

The fee is there to discourage people that add and remove boxes frequently for PPV events, sports events, etc. Been that way for a long time.

halfband
Premium Member
join:2002-06-01
Huntsville, AL

halfband

Premium Member

It makes sense that they would want to discourage frequent service changes, but charging long time customers who after no recent changes drop an outlet comes across as petty. Waving the charge if the account has been static for 6 months or a year would seem far more reasonable. Charging to drop services after announcing price increases would antagonize customers further, it just seems like a bad idea. Charging for every service downgrade is not a policy that would work well outside of the oligopoly environment.

yupyup
@comcast.net

yupyup to beachintech

Anon

to beachintech
said by beachintech:

The fee is there to discourage people that add and remove boxes frequently for PPV events, sports events, etc. Been that way for a long time.

Correct. Prior to 2013, it was SUPPOSED to be manually input by the agent however a lot of agents weren't doing it. Now the biller auto populates it on changes of service. You can't even complete the job unless it's there.