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Geno71
join:2012-12-12
Antioch, IL

4 edits

Geno71

Member

[Rant] Comcast Treats Long-Time Customers Like Garbage

[EDITED FOR CLARIFICATION]

This will be my last thread here. I wanted some time to pass before I came in here and posted my "final review". I want people to know what kind of ethics they're dealing with once Comcast has them on the hook for a few years / gets them past their discount.

Basics: Internet-Only (I am at the Performance 20-25 Mbps tier AFAICT -- no part of this involves a service level change), been a customer for a little more than 11 years now I think. Paying $72/month now with the awesome new rate hikes.

The Game: After the initial year or two of reasonable fees, your monthly amount due gets a hefty boost. OK. Everyone does that. I can live with it... until they add another $3 to the rate every single year. Either by boosting the modem rental rate (absurd - the modem costs them peanuts) or the regular rate or both, and at the same time they stop giving you more bandwidth / benefit for your $3.

I've had three straight years of rate increases now amounting to $9 extra per month, and my bandwidth is essentially identical to what it was 3 years ago. The year before that I got about 4 Mbps boost with my $3.... So 4 years, $12 more/month and 4 Mbps is what I have to show for it. That is crap! I understand we're not going to get a boost every year but every other year I should get a few extra Mbps at the very LEAST (and so should all of you), assuming the endless rate increases.

It is customary (or used to be when businesses had ethics), that when you charge more, the customer is going to get a little bit more for their money. More perks, better bandwidth, whatever it is. Comcast does not do this. They simply throttle your bandwidth at a given rate after a few years, and then continuously jack up your rate with no equivalent improvement in service. Indefinitely until you complain and by that time they have their huge mark up on your service and don't care what you do. Another sucker is waiting to sign up since they are a cable monopoly in every single market they serve.

My Attempt at Resolution: I came in here at the suggestion of another Comcast customer who claimed to be getting much higher bandwidth for the same monthly rate. It doesn't matter really because no one should have to beg to get fair treatment as a long-time customer, should they? It's common sense. You treat the people who are loyal to your company with loyalty back. What Comcast does is the opposite: they treat you very well the first year or two, then continuously treat you worse every year thereafter.

We once had Comcast cable TV at another residence and had to cancel because they CONTINUALLY put stuff on our bill we didn't order. It got so bad we were arguing over what "last months error credit" was for, and finally we had a enough and went DirecTV. So did about 20 million other users in the years that followed, by the looks of it. Know how many billing disputes I've had with DirecTV the last 7 or 8 years, despite actually using PPV and other pay services (something we never did with Comcast)? 0.0 They get the bill right every time, and when we call DirecTV and ask for help with a DVR issue or whatever (rare but it happens), they help. Immediately. No hassle no questioning or double-talk... they just help and move things forward.

Once here I was in contact with Direct Support and Comcast Steve (a helpful guy AFAICT - he handed me off to another Comcast person pretty quick and things got out of control from there, but it wasn't his fault). So I was told (in short) "sorry can't help you with the bandwidth or reduced rate, we're going to continue gouging you, but we'll give you a 1 time credit". OK fine. I'm not going to lose more hair over this if they're willing to meet me half way. I'm not an unreasonable person.

"The Solution":They gave me a one-time credit around $50. So my bill shows up with the big credit (it's a small bill for that month then I'll go back to paying the regular amount the following month - OK fine). I pay the reduced amount several days before due. The very next month I get a bill saying I'm overdue, get charged a late fee AND a $50 CHARGE BACK!!! This really P&^%D me off that they'd try and pull one over on me like that thinking I wouldn't check the line items. They did a BAIT AND SWITCH on my freaking thank-you-for-being-a-good-customer Credit!! WTF?!

So I "call" into chat and explain things very clearly, noting each item on the bill. And literally for 30 minutes a guy (probably from India because he seemed to have a very limited understanding of the English language) tries to convince me there's nothing wrong with the $50 charge-back (actually he refused to acknowledge it was there, talking only about the other items). I'm not kidding. I'm sitting there doing A + B + C simple math for him, numbers right off the bill, and he's not acknowledging. UNREAL! "Yes sir I understand, A + B is 5 but I want you to pay 10 and I really can't give you a logical reason why at this time, I'm sorry." *facepalm*

[When I said "OK let me go back and double-check my bills to verify the numbers I've paid the last few months, please don't go anywhere", he pretended I wasn't there and left the chat after less than 5 minutes -- despite the fact we'd be on chat for over 30! He left, so he wouldn't have to do the work of fixing things. Lazy &^%!!]

---------------------------------
Comcast's Strategy: when someone demands to be treated fairly after having getting their bill jacked up year after year with no added benefit, and they don't want to deal with the hassle of correcting you bill and the rest, they say "pay it" and put you on hold until you give up.

My Strategy: I am going to leave Comcast the second the upcoming wireless broadband provider finishes their installation in my area, I'm going to get about 50% of the speed for a little more than 1/4 the cost (non-promotional). And I'm going to send a few choice tweets out to the 2000 or so followers of my small business, reminding them of @Comcast's customer service philosophy when dealing with long-time customers. Probably they don't care but I'll do it anyway.

Way to go, Mr. Snider! You run your company like a real champ (not surprising the Philadelphia Flyers are run with about the same amount of class).
weescotsman
join:2011-10-02
Miami, FL

weescotsman

Member

$72 per month for 3-4 Mbps , Did you make any service calls as to why your speed is slow ?

What are you signal levels

Have you thought about buying your own modem to save the $7 per month
Geno71
join:2012-12-12
Antioch, IL

Geno71

Member

Hi. You misunderstood... Over those for years, my bill went up $12/month and the bandwidth only increase 4 Mbps during that same time period. Yes I could buy a modem for $100 or whatever it is, but that is beside the point. The point is

1) they should NEVER increase modem rental fees unless you actually switch out to a more powerful / expensive modem at the time. There's no justification for boosting a modem rental fee. These modems cost Comcast peanuts. They're paid for after the first year of service, easily.

2) Increased fees should mean increased service levels over time. That's not happening and no amount of "cancel and sign up again" tricks makes it OK. Comcast treats their long-time customers who get tired of the increases, like crap.

I have (what I believe to be) the Preferred level of service that in recent times was $69.95 until they jacked up the rate again this month. Apparently I have hope of getting a 2x bandwidth increase one day, but only when FiOS reaches my area and I Comcast perceives a threat.

»[Speed] Report recent Extreme, Blast or Performance upgrades her

No FiOS as yet, but you can bet if it gets here first I won't be waiting around to ask Comcast for a "free upgrade" that I should've gotten over the last 4 years as part of my fee increases.

They have huge capacity to increase everyone's bandwidth but won't do it until they face the prospect of a mass exodus in a particular market due to superior product like FiOS or Google Fiber.

Johkal
Cool Cat
MVM
join:2002-11-13
Pennsyltucky

1 edit

Johkal

MVM

I'm not understanding what tier you had & what you have now.

If you have Preferred 12/2, then your previous tier would have been 6/1. So, they doubled your speeds. If you have Preferred 20/4, then your speed would have been 12/2.

Note: OP updated post declaring tier speed.
Geno71
join:2012-12-12
Antioch, IL

Geno71

Member

You guys are not reading the post (sorry that it's long), you need to read it. The service level "label" is irrelevant.

Think of it this way:

4 years ago I had Bandwidth X and it was OK for the amount I was paying (roughly $60 total). Since that time my bandwith has increased to X + 4 Mbps and my bill is now $72/month. Not acceptable. The crux is more and more billing for exactly the same speeds. That is crap and they do it because people just sit down and take it / they get tired of dealing with Comcast's run-around and give up.

I am at about 25 Mbps total today. As noted in my second post people in FiOS markets and elsewhere in the country are now at 50Mbps for this same $72, but that doesn't help the rest of us, does it? If I had 50 Mbps for $72 I wouldn't even be here except to say "thanks for the fair pricing Comcast".
Geno71

Geno71

Member

Put another way: I never changed my service level, nor was I unhappy with my service level say 4 or 5 years ago. I am now because I'm paying a badly inflated price for basically the same speed, and Comcast will continue doing this. Next JAnuary I'll be paying $75 for it. 2015 I'll be paying $78.

When is enough, enough?

goofy01
join:2004-02-05
Hammond, IN

goofy01

Member

You may have not changed your service level, but Comcast has upped the speeds more than just once in those years. It is close to 4x what you originally signed up for I believe. Modem rental fees went higher once Comcast started changing to the more costly D3 modems, which you would have most likely been upgraded to shortly. You would also be hard pressed to find anything that still cost what it did 9 years ago. FYI, I hope you don't do any high speed uploading or gaming when you switch to the WISP.

Johkal
Cool Cat
MVM
join:2002-11-13
Pennsyltucky

Johkal to Geno71

MVM

to Geno71
Your post is not clear. +4Mbps doesn't add up to any increase. Sorry!
As for your market not being upgraded to 50/10; it's a market to market progression. The business model addresses the markets that provide the highest profit. Business is business. Comcast didn't invent it. Every corporation is the same.
rody_44
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA

1 edit

rody_44 to Geno71

Premium Member

to Geno71
Dont know where you got your fios prices but they are wrong. Here is the prices for fios. As with comcast dont mix up bundled prices because you are not bundling. This is stand alone fios prices and speeds.
3/1 $65
10/2 $75
20/5 $85
30/5 $95
weescotsman
join:2011-10-02
Miami, FL

weescotsman to Geno71

Member

to Geno71
Comcast is doubling the speed for free, has happened in a few areas so soon enough you will have double the speed.

Also do you have a docsis 3 modem or a docsis 2 at the moment.

K3
join:2008-05-06
Kankakee, IL

K3 to Geno71

Member

to Geno71
It all depends on the market area you live in. I am a longtime comcast customer, I had blast 25/5,was paying roughly $60/month plus $3 modem rental then out of the blue they call me and say, "Since you are a loyal customer and always pay your bill ahead of time we called to offer you the extreme 50 tier, which in my area is 50/15, for $79.99/month plus $3 modem rental". I was like....for sure, lets do this. I don't know why your having trouble in your area but in my area they are solid as a rock, with performance, price and great customer service.
jeb9876
join:2010-03-28
Morrisville, PA

jeb9876 to rody_44

Member

to rody_44
Those are odd FIOS internet speeds.

I'm also in Bucks County and here are the FIOS internet no

contract rates in my area:

15/5 $75
50/25 $85
75/35 $95

All plus the usual taxes and fees.

For me, $75 for the lowest internet tier is outrageously

expensive. Just like Comcast, Verizon jacks up the rates

every year. What is that 15/5 tier going to cost 5, 10, 15

years down the road?

I keep looking for a reasonable priced internet service to

come along and stomp on the local Comcast/Verizon

overpriced duopoly. No real competition with only 2

players.

BronsCon
join:2003-10-24
Fairfield, CA

BronsCon to Geno71

Member

to Geno71
Don't feel special, they treat *all* their customers like garbage.
rody_44
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA

rody_44 to jeb9876

Premium Member

to jeb9876
this is the promotion i get when i enter my bucks county address and its promo pricing

xxx Reservoir Rd, Quakertown PA 18951
Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I switch from dial-up?
What is fiber Internet?
What is satellite Internet?
What is DSL Internet?


Remove

Remove
Verizon
Verizon
View More Information
Best Price Guaranteed Verizon
Verizon
View More Information
Best Price Guaranteed
Packages FiOS
3Mbps/1Mbps FiOS
15Mbps/5Mbps
Service Charge $54.99/month $64.99/month
Initial Charge $69.99 $69.99
Specials

Included Features Modem
• Wireless Router
Home Networking
• Computer Installation
Modem
• Wireless Router
Home Networking
• Computer Installation
Modem
Wireless Router Included

Wireless Router Included
Home Networking
Computer Installation Included

Computer Installation Included
Service Charge $54.99/month $64.99/month
Initial Charge $69.99 $69.99


FAQ Best Price Guarantee Credit Card Guarantee Privacy/Security Terms Of Use Feedback
Verisign WhiteFence's Best Price Guarantee Powered by WhiteFence

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ to Geno71

Premium Member

to Geno71
Good luck with your new broadband company. I truly hope you find one that meets your needs.

My comcast experience on business class has been far better than that, but then

* there is no promo discount period and
* I understand that prices rise over time

Last I checked, the gas they sell me at the "pump and go" isn't 3 times better at $3.50 a gallon than it was when they charged me $1.17 for it not that long ago.
medbuyer
join:2003-11-20
Memphis, TN

medbuyer to Geno71

Member

to Geno71
I've had a speed bump in a year within my Biz starter contract for the same price I signed up for...

PeteC2
Got Mouse?
MVM
join:2002-01-20
Bristol, CT

PeteC2 to Geno71

MVM

to Geno71
Well, I do understand. Nobody likes paying an increase for anything...however, what commodities/services never go up in cost?

Yes, my internet service has risen in recent years...not as much by percentage as the cost of gas, postage stamps, most fresh produce, coffee, electricity to my house...I could go on and on, but you get the idea, right?

I think that it is anyone's right to decide that a price increase is beyond what they are willing to pay - no argument there, but it does not in any way constitute being treated badly as a customer - Long-Time or not.

I do not blindly ascribe to Comcast as some sort of benevolent super customer friendly entity, but I have sure seen worse!
Geno71
join:2012-12-12
Antioch, IL

Geno71

Member

You know it's a bit of an OT comment in my own thread but I have noticed everyone from customer service people to regular customers in places like this, routinely skip over the majority of details in every post then offer an opinion.

I have two people here accusing me of incorrectly naming FiOS prices and I never named any! lol I have no idea what FiOS prices are and I don't care. I brought FiOS up because it is in cities with FiOS service (apparently never coming to Chicago because Verizon was paid off to sell off their IL service / license to some no-name company, which is now conveniently going out of business).

So unfortunately I think the fellow who said "I'll be getting double speed soon" is incorrect. Nobody in Illinois is getting FiOS, therefore they are not going to get Comcast's 2x boost for existing tiers. Another unfair practice: charging $72 for 25mbps in one market and $72 for 50Mbps in other markets.

The bottom line is, Comcast has a regional monopoly in every big city it operates in, and that is how they get away with annual price increases, with no annual improvement in service quality. I am willing to bet most of you saying "no big deal" are too young to remember when increased costs = increased benefits.

No it's not illegal what Comcast is doing but is is unethical the degree to which they do it. I ask again, how many times adding $3 to the bill for the same 25Mbps, before it becomes "sketchy" as they say? $75 is going to be OK for you guys. What about $78 or $81? Too much? Should I expect more at $84?

You guys are overlooking the fact that it does not cost Comcast one penny extra vs. last year or the year before to deliver my service. In fact because of capital costs being paid off in my area over time it probably costs them LESS than it used to maintain and deliver the facilities that make this service possible.

People need to expect more for their money over time and not stay silent. Simple as that. Otherwise you're going to be a generation of people who get screwed by everyone from insurance to internet.

Nothing I'm suggesting here is unreasonable.
rody_44
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA

rody_44

Premium Member

You do know you pay the same as us. We have fios available yet your comcast costs the SAME as us. Fios came about because you stated fios changes the rules. Im pointing out it doesnt but this is why dios pricing was brought into it. as you can see fios is more expensive and doesnt change comcasts prices unlike what many like to think.

I have (what I believe to be) the Preferred level of service that in recent times was $69.95 until they jacked up the rate again this month. Apparently I have hope of getting a 2x bandwidth increase one day, but only when FiOS reaches my area and I Comcast perceives a threat.

»Post here: Blast 50/10 or 50/15 or Extreme 105/20 upgrades

No FiOS as yet, but you can bet if it gets here first I won't be waiting around to ask Comcast for a "free upgrade" that I should've gotten over the last 4 years as part of my fee increases.

They have huge capacity to increase everyone's bandwidth but won't do it until they face the prospect of a mass exodus in a particular market due to superior product like FiOS or Google Fiber.

Johkal
Cool Cat
MVM
join:2002-11-13
Pennsyltucky

Johkal to Geno71

MVM

to Geno71
I'm not picking on you, but you assume we don't read your entire topic because portions of your topic isn't clear; hence why you edited your topic 4 times.

Racom
@comcast.net

Racom to PeteC2

Anon

to PeteC2
said by PeteC2:

Well, I do understand. Nobody likes paying an increase for anything...however, what commodities/services never go up in cost?....

Bandwidth and anything related to moving bits. People costs, like wages and benefits, went up an average of 3 percent in 2012 for US workers. I imagine Comcast employee increases by and large fell along that line, although Brian Roberts and the executive team were probably due for a bounce in 2012 total compensation after taking pay cuts the year prior.
weescotsman
join:2011-10-02
Miami, FL

weescotsman to Geno71

Member

to Geno71
"So unfortunately I think the fellow who said "I'll be getting double speed soon" is incorrect"

you could have googled it to check

»www.pcmag.com/article2/0 ··· 5,00.asp

The company said the new Internet options will be available "across many major markets," including Boston, Hartford, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Wilmington, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Richmond, and New Jersey.

No sure if anyone else can pitch in to confirm but i believe there was a post about it to confirm,
Geno71
join:2012-12-12
Antioch, IL

2 edits

Geno71

Member

Johkal: a couple of those edits were just for typos, and the big one was to clarify earlier in the post (because many people simply will stop reading after one or two paragraphs in our "MMS culture") what I was receiving as a service level. People seemed to think I was getting FiOS or a total of 4Mbps, so I clarified to avoid further problems.

BACK TO BASICS:

This is about:

1) Perpetually increasing prices without even periodic increases in service quality. Only 1 minor speed bump in the last 4 years and one other bump a few years prior to that -- but my rates were much lower then. I think around $49 if I remember right, so I didn't have a problem with it back then.

Today, stuck at the same bandwidth and paying $70+ (climbing yearly), I have a problem with it -- it's unethical.

2) Dishonest billing practices where they claim to "meet you half way" by giving you a one-time credit (which I was willing to live with), and then the very next month pull the underhanded CHARGE BACK for that same credited amount! And on top of that charging me a "late fee" because I paid the "credit adjusted monthly fee" instead of my regular "full" fee.

3) Customer Service agents who routinely dodged my questions about the simple math of how my bill got so screwed up, and ultimately "leaving me on 'chat hold'" instead of doing the right thing and helping me resolve what should've been a simple situation to address, since no service level changes were involved or anything like that.

Sorry guys but there is no rationalizing or excuse-making for any of this stuff with respect to someone who has been a loyal customer for over 10 years. It's a generational thing. Younger people find it acceptable when companies use shady billing practices because it's all they've ever known. Phone companies do it, insurance companies do it, internet companies do it and they all give you the run-around until you get tired of asking for help.

To some of you it's just "normal business". To those of us who remember not so long ago when customers were not treated with bait-and-switch-like tactics, double-speak from reps, and even reps who can't properly speak or understand English... it's not normal or acceptable.

All they have to do, is keep the increases down to a minimum, OR provide addition (incremental) service boosts every couple years, to keep someone like me happy. But they don't do that. They try to have their cake and eat it too.

FiOS: the deal IS... in markets where FiOS is starting up and competing with Comcast service levels, Comcast is taking the 25 Mbps customers (who pay around $72 like I do now), and giving them 50 Mbps upgrades at no extra cost (over time -- it may take a year or two for it to all shake out).

Of course, once they get that 50 Mbps I'm sure they'll start up with the $3-5 annual increases just like always and claim "it's necessary to pay for all these facility upgrades", but of course those upgrades happened a long time ago. Those customers getting a boost to 50 Mbps... it has nothing to do with a structural upgrade of Comcast's systems. They're simply "turning up the water pressure" and allowing customers to enjoy more bandwidth, that has been available in their area for many years (just not "turned on").
Geno71

Geno71

Member

Also Re: FiOS - I will not get that 50 Mbps (Comcast) service boost we've mentioned, because I live near Chicago, where Verizon sold their license to some podunk internet company, who never implemented FiOS and is now apparently going out of business.

Very convenient for Comcast, and pretty strange (don't you think) that Verizon would just walk away from such a hugely lucrative market? Hell, even if they price fixed the way they do with AT&T and Sprint for mobile data plans, they'd still stand to make a mint.

pflog
Bueller? Bueller?
MVM
join:2001-09-01
El Dorado Hills, CA

1 recommendation

pflog

MVM

It sucks, but this Economics 101: Supply and Demand.

If there is no competition in the area, they're under no obligation to incur the cost of upgrading the equipment to provide faster speeds. Comcast is a publicly traded company, and as such their allegiance lies with their shareholders, not with the average consumer. Again, it sucks, but that's just the nature of big business, sadly.

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ to Geno71

Premium Member

to Geno71
said by Geno71:

You guys are overlooking the fact that it does not cost Comcast one penny extra vs. last year or the year before to deliver my service.

This assumption ignores reality.

hortnut
Huh?
join:2005-09-25
PDX Metro

hortnut to Geno71

Member

to Geno71
I have come to the conclusion that different portions of Comcast's Territory yield different results as to Tech Support and/or problems with Infrastructure.

In my area - the Pacific NW, I have had relatively little problem with speeds and dealing with Tech Support. For that I am thankful. Most phone techs are local.

History- First in my area to get Cable Broadband with @Home, later taken over by ATTBI and then Comcast. First had it in 1999 or so. And been with Comcast in some shape or form since. First speed was 1.5. Not sure of the cost.

Chat Support - used once, and will never use it again. It is a waste of time and for the lazy in my opinion. Voice to voice is faster and one can "read" the other party on the line, much better.

Price - It does irritate me, that Comcast offers a special low initial price and then when promo is over, it price seems to jump fairly high. But depending upon what level of service one has, it just takes a call to get a lower price. It is a hassle, but part of the game.

Price Increases - Everyone increases the price without the benefit of any other additional services or speeds. A box of Kroger brand corn flakes is almost 50 cents more today than it was in July without better taste, more volume or anything else added. I do not like it, but have little other alternatives other than DSL, which in my area has its pluses and minuses. Take a gander at the article on the front page of this site today: »Time Warner Jacks Rates Up to 17.6% in Los Angeles [21] comments "Time Warner Cable has informed Los Angeles area residents that they'll be seeing price hikes as high as 17.6% on broadband and television services."

Your Speeds and other performance complaints
- As to your complaint that you are paying for 20 or 25 and not getting it, what have you done to determine what you are actually getting the Speed you are paying for? Posted Signal Levels, Posted Speed Tests, Do you have the latest Modem to take advantage as to latest technology. Have you run the steps outlined in this FAQ and posted required information? -

»Comcast High Speed Internet FAQ »How To Get Help! You may wish to start a new topic, referencing this thread. There are a lot of knowledgeable folks here that are willing to help. They, like me, are just simple users and not associated with Comcast, other than customers.

If I may suggest, based on you first post and subsequent posts, that you go back and address your Speed Complaints.

hth
medbuyer
join:2003-11-20
Memphis, TN

medbuyer to JohnInSJ

Member

to JohnInSJ
said by JohnInSJ:

said by Geno71:

You guys are overlooking the fact that it does not cost Comcast one penny extra vs. last year or the year before to deliver my service.

This assumption ignores reality.

I wonder where he got that assumption...

cost of everything goes up, not down and is true for everything. simple economics

to the OP:

can you tell us what speed did you have back then 11 years when you started with Comcast?

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

NetFixer to Geno71

Premium Member

to Geno71
What's the problem here? Why are so many posters offering advice to the OP? The thread title clearly says [Rant]. Let the OP enjoy the opportunity to rant.

Personally I am looking forward to reading the upcoming [Rant] about the new WISP service.

Johkal
Cool Cat
MVM
join:2002-11-13
Pennsyltucky

1 recommendation

Johkal

MVM

I have personally & seen other members steer people from "Rants" to solutions.