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raythompsontn
join:2001-01-11
Oliver Springs, TN

1 edit

raythompsontn

Member

[Rant] Comcast Billing is Screwed UP

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New Comcast Bill
I turned in my high speed internet modem based on the advice of Comcast. I had called and asked if I were to turn in my internet modem if my bill would drop by $7.00. I was told it would. I explained that I had two modems, one for phone and one for internet. The Comcast rep said that my bill would drop as I would no longer be billed a monthly modem charge. So I purchased a modem and turned in my old modem.

Much to my surprise I get an email with my new bill. I am now getting charged for two modems and my bill has gone up by $8.00. So basically returning equipment I now get charged for the returned equipment for which I was not getting charged in the past.

Unfortunately I have no viable alternative to Comcast otherwise I would switch in a heartbeat. Yeh, that may be just swapping one set of problems for another set of problems but at least I can vote with my dollars.
ExoticFish
join:2008-08-31
Zebulon, NC

ExoticFish

Member

Um, did call and speak to customer service ? Explain once again that you turned in your rented modem (hope you got a return receipt) and activated a modem you purchased. Ask for a service credit for that 1 rented modem price and make sure it gets corrected for the next month. We cannot fix the issue for you and it's unfortunately not uncommon to see this happen.
rendrenner
join:2005-09-03
Grandville, MI

rendrenner to raythompsontn

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to raythompsontn
What happened when you called in and asked Comcast about the bill. If you turned in the modem you should have a receipt. They may have forgotten to remove the modem for internet rental charge. Call in and make sure they have it as a customer owned modem. This could prevent some issues in the future if you cancel the service.

There is also the possibility that this bill could be from a different billing cycle. We cant see dates on it but perhaps the bill was sent before the modem was changed?

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

tshirt to raythompsontn

Premium Member

to raythompsontn
When did you turn in the modem?
bills are often printed in advance and thus might reflect your phone call (where you told them you had a second modem) but not the turning of the internet modem.
sadly they will actually continue to charge for the voice modem even after you get the turned one off the account.
Did you get a receipt? if so this should be a easy fix, if not a polite phone call should get them tracking down/removing from your account.
raythompsontn
join:2001-01-11
Oliver Springs, TN

3 edits

raythompsontn to ExoticFish

Member

to ExoticFish
said by ExoticFish:

We cannot fix the issue for you and it's unfortunately not uncommon to see this happen.

Seriously? Not that uncommon? I got this email after I turned in the modem and activating the new modem, a modem that I owned. That was the only change I made on my account, turning in the old modem. Apparently that change triggered the dual charges. Why my turning in a modem would trigger a charge for another modem is a mystery, insane and completely wrong.
ExoticFish
join:2008-08-31
Zebulon, NC

ExoticFish

Member

Seriously. You didn't get a receipt when you handed in the modem ? No bueno.
raythompsontn
join:2001-01-11
Oliver Springs, TN

raythompsontn to rendrenner

Member

to rendrenner
said by rendrenner:

What happened when you called in and asked Comcast about the bill.

The first person told me that because I had two modems I was getting billed for two modems. I explained I had only one modem that was being leased and that was for voice. The data modem had been turned in. He could not explain why the charge for the modem that was turned in existed. He made no offer to change the account, only continuing to explain how I had two modems and therefore would have two charges. That conversation was terminated as he was clueless or his command of English was lacking.
raythompsontn

raythompsontn to ExoticFish

Member

to ExoticFish
said by ExoticFish:

Seriously. You didn't get a receipt when you handed in the modem ?

The answer to your question is NO because it is a negative question. No, I didn't is a dual negative which is a positive. Of course I got a receipt.

But that does little good when on the phone. The reps have no way to know if I have a receipt nor can I show them the receipt. There is no transaction sequence number on the receipt so that it can be looked up on Comcast's system.
ExoticFish
join:2008-08-31
Zebulon, NC

ExoticFish

Member

Lmao :-D

And with that you're on your own.

Darknessfall
Premium Member
join:2012-08-17
Motorola MG8725
Asus RT-N66

Darknessfall to raythompsontn

Premium Member

to raythompsontn
said by ExoticFish:

Lmao :-D

And with that you're on your own.



On a side note, I always have problems with Comcast's billing.
posimosh
join:2011-02-04
Roseville, CA

posimosh to raythompsontn

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to raythompsontn
Yup, they overcharge on purpose. Sux u just now noticed

plencnerb
Premium Member
join:2000-09-25
53403-1242

plencnerb to raythompsontn

Premium Member

to raythompsontn
What are the dates on the bill? As tshirt See Profile mentioned, bills are printed in advance. If for example your billing date was May 1st, and you called customer service on May 2nd to remove the internet modem, and then on May 3rd you returned it to your local office, the bill you received would still reflect the fact that you had 2 modems on your account, as it was generated before you called and returned the internet modem.

What I would do is take your bill that you just got, any paperwork (box, store receipt, etc) of your purchased modem, and the return receipt of the modem you gave back to Comcast, and go down to your local office and talk to them about it. With all of that in hand, it should be very easy for them to modify your account, so that it is correct on the next billing cycle. I would do that as soon as you can, so that you get it done before your next bill is generated.

I know local offices are different, but in my case, I have had very good service at mine. The people are friendly, helpful, and know what they are doing.

--Brian
raythompsontn
join:2001-01-11
Oliver Springs, TN

raythompsontn

Member

said by plencnerb:

What are the dates on the bill?

The bill was paid on Friday electronically. A new bill is not generated until July 25. I also received this notice via email which has never happened before. The bill also indicates that it was generated because of changes on my account. I received the email about 30 minutes after I turned in my data modem. Coincidence? Nope.

Comcast has seriously screwed up something. Seems to be fairly common as the competence of Comcast billing comes into question.

Yes, the local office folks are friendly, try their best, but are ham strung by a billing IT system that apparently fails to work properly with the failures always in Comcast's favor.

I have the documentation but it should not be incumbent on me to go to this effort for Comcast's mistake. The way it is now Comcast could put any item on your bill then tell you to prove you do not have the item. Imagine the profits from that tactic. It is difficult to prove you don't have something and Comcast knows this.

plencnerb
Premium Member
join:2000-09-25
53403-1242

plencnerb

Premium Member

said by raythompsontn:

I have the documentation but it should not be incumbent on me to go to this effort for Comcast's mistake. The way it is now Comcast could put any item on your bill then tell you to prove you do not have the item. Imagine the profits from that tactic. It is difficult to prove you don't have something and Comcast knows this.

While I do agree with you, the sad truth is that is not the case. I've read many threads in this forum over the years where Comcast will bill customers for modems that clearly do not belong to Comcast. Solutions range from both extremes: making a simple phone call all the way to getting the local cable franchise authority involved, and everything in between. The problem (outside of Comcast's mistake) is there is no good solution to tell you how to fix it, as that is something that is different in every market that Comcast is in.

The suggestion I made is probably going to result in the less stress for you to resolve the problem.

Again, I agree it should not be as big of a problem, but sadly, it is.

--Brian

gary0922
join:2000-05-30
Wheaton, IL

gary0922 to raythompsontn

Member

to raythompsontn
You should check your Comcast account online to see what equipment you currently have. The online account is up to date but there is usually a delay of one billing cycle for credits. I turned in 2 devices in April but the credit did not show until June.

Also, in a leap of faith, I exchanged my old modem for a new modem via UPS. I returned the modem by UPS on Thursday, Comcast received it on Friday and my account showed that device deleted from my account on Monday.