 dnoyeBFerrous Phallus
join:2000-10-09
Southfield, MI
 ·Comcast
| reply to Geno71
Re: [Rant] Comcast Treats Long-Time Customers Like Garbage They have a management problem. They are of an old philosophy that suggest to do special treatment to get new business. They don't have much of a retention plan.
Plus, they give lost of power to phone reps. So if you happen to have a good rep in your area, then you will get better deals and tend to stay a customer. If you don't get good reps you will get the corporate line and standard bad treatment then you will not be a customer. That right there is a management problem.
Plus, if there is local competition you will get lower rates. Comcast lives in the past and still acts like we can't see the cheap prices they offer next door. They are somewhat like Apple. When the critical mass of competition arrives, it will be too late for them to be saved.
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dnoyeB
"Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard. " Ecclesiastes 9:16
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 pflogBueller? Bueller?Premium,MVM
join:2001-09-01
El Dorado Hills, CA
kudos:3 | said by dnoyeB:Comcast lives in the past and still acts like we can't see the cheap prices they offer next door. They are somewhat like Apple. When the critical mass of competition arrives, it will be too late for them to be saved.
They know you can see the different prices, but the average Comcast subscriber may not know. And even still, Comcast doesn't care, because there is 0 incentive for them to provide a level playing field of service when some areas' competition has their top speeds at your entry level speeds.
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"I drank what?" -Socrates |
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Geno71
join:2012-12-12
Antioch, IL Reviews:
·Comcast
1 edit | reply to Geno71
I half wonder if some of you are Comcast employees trolling me, asking me over and over things I've already answered, to try and rile me up / draw away sympathy. Wouldn't put it past them. lol
Read and comprehend. I've answered all relevant questions multiple times, but not ONE person has answered my question. When stuck at a given Mbps, for how many years should the billing increase (and by how much) with no equivalent improvement in service?
What do you guys think? Is $80 too much? Tell me where it's reasonable for me to start complaining, in the sense that you think it would be too much money for 20+Mbps and no increase in speed over 4 + X years.
Any takers? lol
What about the bait-and-switch billing? Anyone got a clever answer for that? All my fault they suggested a solution of a one-time credit, then I agree, then I pay the adjusted amount, then they charge the credit back the next month plus a late fee (as if i never paid the prior bill)? Common, what's the rationalization there?
Drew: I was not trying to be antagonistic but I never even brought the modem up until you did. Now you're changing the question.
You asked what my modem was, I said it was DocSis 3 type (still curious why you asked), but that the advertised speed was not the issue (and that I had already mentioned speed was not the issue). That the issue is, at some point, after a number of yearly increases, it's not unreasonable to expect small boosts in speed so that you "get what you pay for" over time. Would +2Mbps/year be unreasonable to expect. What about +2Mbps every other year? Just way too big a burden on Comcast?
Asjamias: you're wrong and that's all I'll say about it. Read and comprehend. I've paid close attention to my speeds (And fees) the whole time... and began to notice an unsettling trend. That's the WHOLE POINT.  |
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Geno71
join:2012-12-12
Antioch, IL Reviews:
·Comcast
| reply to dnoyeB
dnoyeB and pflog: I think you're both basically correct. Their management and customer retention philosophy is a joke. It amounts to: sucker them in with great sign-up rates, then increase the annual billing over a period of years with only modest increases in speed every few years apart... and when they get fed up, let them leave because you have a cable monopoly in every market you serve.
Proof of this is the multitudes of people (many who post here), who simply get fed up, cancel service, wait a while, and sign up again to get the lower rate and start at "ground zero" for the "fee escalation game". Maybe I'll do that and let you all know how it goes. Might as well try to game them back.
(That part is the government's fault, just like it's their fault for allowing price fixing schemes among cellular data plans... oh I must be crazy for complaining about that too. I'm just the paying customer is all. lol)
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| reply to Geno71
said by Geno71:Asjamias: you're wrong and that's all I'll say about it. Read and comprehend. I've paid close attention to my speeds (And fees) the whole time... and began to notice an unsettling trend. That's the WHOLE POINT.
you know what, whatever explanation we give you either right or wrong in what we think or what you think, you may never be satisfied or get the right answer.
you're mind got too polluted with how much you hate Comcast for what you're paying for the service they provide.
I do hope you really move on to another service provider and get the satisfaction you're looking for price wise and speed wise. |
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 DrunkPremium
join:2010-11-16
Elizabethtown, PA | reply to Geno71
said by Geno71:Proof of this is the multitudes of people (many who post here), who simply get fed up, cancel service, wait a while, and sign up again to get the lower rate and start at "ground zero" for the "fee escalation game".
How long do you have to wait to get the "new customer" deals? |
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 JohnInSJPremium
join:2003-09-22
San Jose, CA
 ·PHONE POWER
·Comcast
| reply to Geno71
said by Geno71:John in SJ / asjamias: no, my comment that it does not cost Comcast (in this specific location) $3 extra every year to deliver the same level of service, is fundamentally correct. The infrastructure upgrades in this area were done long ago and haven't been upgraded again since. At that time the bill went up maybe $4 or $5 a month I think, and I understood the reasoning for that and did not complain about it.
Inflation alone, let alone increases in energy costs, increases in human expenses, and maintenance of existing infrastructure will drive the cost to comcast up to deliver the exact same service to you year over year.
Fundamentally, your assertion is wrong.
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My place : »www.schettino.us |
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Reviews:
·Comcast
| reply to Geno71
said by Geno71: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.
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.
In my area they have completed the DOCSIS 3.0 upgrades and now I am getting 4 channels down and 2 up on a new Modem they provided on HSI. I am also getting more TV Channels today than I got in 1999 when I first had Comcast.
I do know the above costs money as well as wage increases and other cost of doing business items. Plus there are the increased carriage fees.
I was one of the first in my neighborhood to get the only Broadband available in 1999 from @Home, next taken over by ATTBI and then a bit later Comcast. I was thrilled to get 1.5M vs Dialup at 26.4k!
And I really do not see where you have offered any worthwhile suggestions or a plan to lower costs to subscribers.
And I have been around long enough to recall when I could get gas for $.249 per gallon [or put another way, a Quarter per gallon]. $4.00 to fill up my car at the time. I get the same, if not better Customer Service today than I got 30 years ago. I know how to get it. I have lots more experience and do not need to be whiny with the CSR's on the phone.
Have not run into any bait and switch. Just a couple of months ago added to my service and it was painless. Got what I wanted and more.
I could go with DSL, and others, but do not consider CenturyLink to be viable for me at this time. And since I need Broadband, I have made a choice.
Good luck with your next provider. |
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Reviews:
·Comcast
1 edit | reply to Geno71
said by Geno71:Hortnut: You may well be right about people in different regions getting different quality service. That seems to be the case (that the west coast customers claim a better experience), and it makes sense given there is more access to broadband providers out there / more choice. Comcast has to play ball and bill people ethically, not bait and switch on credits, etc. (Another thing no one has addressed because there is no excusing it...)
As for Google people, not sure what you mean. Either someone comes in here and reads the OP and tries to comprehend or they don't, instead skimming around and trying to offer solutions based on partial information about the problem.
I think I am seeing where the problem begins - many assumptions on your part.
There are not a lot of choices where I am. Lines down my street: there is Comcast and DSL through CenturyLink for me and most folks here. On the DSL, there may be other ISP's, but they run over CL's lines. I understand that is true in many areas throughout the country. [at turn of century did tech support for uswest for a couple of years, started when only 'live' city was Phoenix].
Do not understand the repetitive comments on bait and switch. Has never happened to me, nor have I read any comments from anyone else over the years complain about it here.
Sometimes the first bill is confusing with all the credits and billing into the next billing cycle. Or the same happens when service levels are changed with adds/deletions. Especially in the middle of a billing cycle. I just added services and the last bill, took a bit of studying to determine if all was correct. A little work on my part and my responsibility.
As to your OP, I have read it several times and just do not get it.
BTW - I do not work for Comcast, never have.
I have my own Business that has suffered through this recession. I produce a product that requires raw materials, and increases in oil prices has wreaked havoc, while there exists pressure to keep the sale price of my product at a certain level. So I do understand market processes and the ying and yang of things. |
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 PeteC2Got Mouse?Premium,MVM
join:2002-01-20
Bristol, CT
kudos:6
·Comcast
 ·AT&T Yahoo
| reply to Racom
said by Racom :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. ...and there you go! So bandwidth and related service did go up in cost, if the associated employees had any rise in wages/benefits (Particularly if their health-care costs increased like mine did last year...that would account for well over that 3% figure).
Tomato's pretty much grow the same year after year, however the costs incurred for planting, maintaining, harvesting, and then transporting most certainly do not remain static...and historically, they go up.
The real issue would be is the price increasing beyond normal market forces or not...I don't even begin to pretend that I have the answer to that, but I suspect that based on usage and actual number of customers, broadband access prices are not that onerous.
Actually, I do not have a single friend, associate, or family member that does not have some kind of broadband access. That would lead me to think that either (a. One can not live without broadband access - which clearly is not true, or (b. Broadband access prices are at least within reason for most folks, as I associate with a fairly wide range of people with a fair spread of income levels.
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Deeds, not words |
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 DrDrewSo that others may surf.
join:2009-01-28
SoCal
kudos:8 | reply to Geno71
said by Geno71:Tell me where it's reasonable for me to start complaining, in the sense that you think it would be too much money for 20+Mbps and no increase in speed over 4 + X years.
...
Drew:...That the issue is, at some point, after a number of yearly increases, it's not unreasonable to expect small boosts in speed so that you "get what you pay for" over time. Would +2Mbps/year be unreasonable to expect. What about +2Mbps every other year? Just way too big a burden on Comcast?
You've gotten the speed increases. 4+ years ago (2008/2009) you didn't have 20/4 on Performance tier, it was more like 15/2.
Every 2 years or so Comcast does increase the speeds of the tiers. It's been increased at least 16 mpbs in 7 years for the Performance tier, so it's the +2Mbps/year you would seem to think is reasonable.
You've gotten the speed increases you've wanted, you just haven't noticed. If you want the cost to drop, I'd suggest looking at a lower tiers of service. All the providers follow this pricing scheme: Slight bumps in service= slight bumps in cost. They add up over years and to drop price you have to drop some of the services that have been added in. Lower tiers today are usually better than the lower tiers of years ago.
I don't work for Comcast. I don't even have Comcast service. I pay attention to Comcast and the Comcast forum because they lead the pack in service upgrades for cable companies. They tend to do it first and everybody else follows.
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Two is one, one is none. If it's important, back it up... Somethimes 99.999% availability isn't even good enough. |
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rody_44Premium
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA Reviews:
·Comcast
| reply to Geno71
I also dont work for comcast. You dont like the way the new customers get promo prices we get that. But thats the way it is. Its the same here and i have plenty of options. Guess what every one of them do the same thing. We are just pointing out that its that way if you do or dont have other options. You are the one saying its because your options are limited. Shit goes up and thats just life. If it goes to a level you dont like leave it. Its the american dream but its also the american way of life. There is no one holding a gun to your head and saying buy it. |
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| reply to Geno71
Geno71 if you don't like it switch it It is simple.
I know it is not the way it supposed to be but there is nothing you can do to change it. |
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 RoboticsSee You On The Dark SidePremium
join:2003-10-23
Louisa, VA
 ·Verizon Wireless..
·Comcast
| reply to Geno71
I have a recent thread in the rant section. (dead thread) Our rates went up Jan. 1st. of this year.
And a week or so ago we got a notice in the mail stating starting March 1st. to look for another rate increase.
Ive been a customer for 12 years
»[Rant] WTF Comcast?...2 Price Hikes in 60 Day Time Frame
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Long you live and high you fly, and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry,
and all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be. |
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| reply to Geno71
Ten years ago, Comcast HSI was $42/mo for 3Mb service which worked out to $14/Mb.
Today, I get 36Mb service for $63/mo which works out to $1.75/Mb.
Basically, the cost per Mb is 1/8 of what it was 10 years ago. Seems like a bargain to me. |
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pflogBueller? Bueller?Premium,MVM
join:2001-09-01
El Dorado Hills, CA
kudos:3 | said by FWIW :Ten years ago, Comcast HSI was $42/mo for 3Mb service which worked out to $14/Mb.
Today, I get 36Mb service for $63/mo which works out to $1.75/Mb.
Basically, the cost per Mb is 1/8 of what it was 10 years ago. Seems like a bargain to me.
Well put Mr. Anonymous 
Would be interesting to see the OP's cost per Mb over time.
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"I drank what?" -Socrates |
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JohnInSJPremium
join:2003-09-22
San Jose, CA Reviews:
·PHONE POWER
·Comcast
| reply to FWIW
said by FWIW :Ten years ago, Comcast HSI was $42/mo for 3Mb service which worked out to $14/Mb.
Today, I get 36Mb service for $63/mo which works out to $1.75/Mb.
Basically, the cost per Mb is 1/8 of what it was 10 years ago. Seems like a bargain to me.
Don't forget to account for inflation. That's $1.38/Mb in 10 year old money Or put another way, your $63/mo today is the same as $49.63 ten years ago. So setting aside inflation, you are paying $7.63 more (1.18x the cost) than you were 10 years ago, and you're now getting 10x the speed.
Inflation. It sucks.
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My place : »www.schettino.us |
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 NetFixerFrom my cold dead handsPremium
join:2004-06-24
The Boro
·Comcast Business..
·Vonage
·Cingular Wireless
·Comcast
| reply to pflog
said by pflog:Well put Mr. Anonymous
Would be interesting to see the OP's cost per Mb over time.
I think it is pretty obvious that any such reply from the OP would simply be that it hadn't gone down enough. Seriously, this thread was clearly labeled as a [Rant].
said by American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language :rant
rant (rànt) verb
ranted, ranting, rants verb, intransitive
To speak or declaim in a violent, loud, or vehement manner; rave.
verb, transitive
To utter with violence or extravagance: a dictator who ranted his vitriol onto a captive audience.
noun
1.Violent, loud, or extravagant speech. See synonyms at bombast.
2.Chiefly British. Wild or uproarious merriment.
[Probably from obsolete Dutch ranten.]
- rant´er noun
There is nothing in the definition of "rant" that implies listening or any other kind of interaction; this thread should have consisted of only the OP's original [Rant], and have been left at that. OTOH, the OP is probably enjoying a bit of "Wild or uproarious merriment" from the number of posts that have been made in response to the [Rant].
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A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
When governments fear people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. |
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djcrazy
join:2009-08-05
Minneapolis, MN Reviews:
·T-Mobile US
·Comcast
| reply to BronsCon
said by BronsCon:Don't feel special, they treat *all* their customers like garbage.
Sir, you took the words right out of my mouth. LOL! Spot on statement! |
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| said by djcrazy: said by BronsCon:Don't feel special, they treat *all* their customers like garbage.
Sir, you took the words right out of my mouth. LOL! Spot on statement! Absolute rubbish. Neither of you can possibly speak for more than 0.0001% of Comcast's customers.
The service here is excellent, response to physical problems is almost immediate and I'm quite grateful that they are here with their solid offerings.
Of course it would be nice if it cost less. But wouldn't it be nice if a loaf of bread cost a dime like it did 50 years ago? |
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