J D McDorce
Premium
join:2001-12-29
Westland, MI
| reply to Combat Chuck
Re: Watchdogs: Cable gouges broadband users
Maybe it would smooth some feathers if Comcast offered this to their existing non-CATV Internet subscribers. 
This is a new Comcast customer, satellite receiver turn-in promotion |
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vic102482
Premium
join:2002-04-30
Upper Marlboro, MD | Comcast sux I am furious of their increase in pricing.:(
Sorry to echo, but I am furious. I have no other choice.
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Zorglub
join:2000-11-18
Fremont, CA | reply to J D McDorce
I like the small print: Comcast will remove your satellite dish, and may or not keep it... Man, that'd piss me off a little bit, but that's just me! |
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JTRockville
Data Ho
Premium,MVM
join:2002-01-28
Rockville, MD
clubs:
 ·LINGO
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| Here's an ad without small print. Granted, the info is old (Jan '03), but there's no mention of an additional fee for non-CATV subscribers in the Washington Post Cable ISP Directory. As far as I know, the current policy of requiring basic service to get CHSI at the "advertised" rate was in effect at the time the prices were updated. said by J D McDorce  :
Maybe it would smooth some feathers if Comcast offered this to their existing non-CATV Internet subscribers.
I think it would smooth some feathers if Comcast just offered CHSI @ the "advertised" price of ~40/mo to non-CATV Internet subscribers. |
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KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
 ·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
 ·Cox HSI
| reply to aTmFan
There's a difference.
In your example, people get a price break for buying more.
In the Comcast example, people get penalized and charged a higher rate for daring to use the competition.
It's not 'bundling discount' but "Charge anyone who uses a competitor double"
The simple solution is to not ban bundling but allow the consumer to designate which service is the primary or secondary service to then, and the low price is always on the primary.
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"When the day comes that anyone can bend our country’s laws and lawmakers to serve selfish, competitive ends, that day democratic government dies" -- Preston Tucker, 1948 (Yep, it's dead.) |
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newview
Ex .. Ex .. Exactly
Premium
join:2001-10-01
Parsonsburg, MD
| reply to DanB
Perspective from an ex-Comcast cableTV subscriber
Comcast is rapidly losing subscribers to better, cheaper satellite TV providers. Their core business of cableTV access provider is threatened.
Comcast "punishes" their defectors to satellite by hitting them with a $15.00 a month penalty for not subscribing to their inferior cableTV service in addition to their HSI. Comcast disguises this "penalty" as a discount to the customers that have both cableTV and HSI, very possibly in an attempt to avoid antitrust, monopolistic and predatory pricing charges.
In realty the service is ADVERTISED at $42.95 a month . . . NOT the $57.95 a month Comcast spokesman Tim Fitzpatrick touts as being competitive. If $57.95 is so competitive, why is that not the advertised price, Tim? Why not take it a step further and advertise it at $39.95 a month, but you have to pay for a modem rental each month?
It is IMPOSSIBLE to get a bill for $42.95 from Comcast.
Nowhere on their website does it advertise the $57.95 price and describe a discount criteria. There is no disclaimer that if you do not subscribe to their cableTV service (at varying prices depending on where you live) you will incur a $15.00 a month penalty. You have to find this out on your own by calling your local cable office, or just wait and be surprised on you first bill. The varying basic cable prices are also NOT advertised, and are WIDELY varying from lows of a few dollars to a high of $20.00. Comcast also fails to tell you that once you subscribe to cableTV, the local franchise fees , (in my case, about $5.00 per month) kick in (not applicable with satellite), oftentimes bringing your total package pricing higher than HSI with comparable satellite packages. At the very least, this is misleading . . . and skates extremely close to false advertising.
Also, there is no incentive for local Cable Franchise Committees to look into lowering basic cable fees, since the franchise fees are actually based on those fees . . . .the higher the basic cable prices, the more you pay on franchise fees. What's to prevent collusion with Comcast to raise basic cable fees in order to fill local coffers?
Comcast is attempting to force cableTV subscription down the throats of satellite subscribers on the pretext of "discounts" in order to bolster sliding cableTV sign-ups, and make their stock appear stronger than it really is.
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hello123454
Premium
join:2002-02-02
Wilmington, DE | Comcast advertises the $57.95 for nontv-subscribers here - »www.comcastonline.com/code/howmuch.asp?.=. |
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newview
Ex .. Ex .. Exactly
Premium
join:2001-10-01
Parsonsburg, MD
| said by hello123454 :
Comcast advertises the $57.95 for nontv-subscribers here - »www.comcastonline.com/code/howmuch.asp?.=.
. . . but NOT on comcast.com,
where most prospective subscribers would visit. quote:
Price for 1.5Mbps/256Kbps Comcast High-Speed Internet service is $42.95 per month for Comcast cable customers. Equipment fees not included in monthly service charge. Prices do not include applicable taxes or franchise fees. Pricing, content, and features may change and may vary by area. Call your local Comcast office for restrictions and complete details about service, prices, and equipment in your area. Pricing and service offerings displayed on this site are for residential customers only. Commercial and business pricing and service offerings differ. Prices do not include local tax, franchise or installation fees. Prices are subject to change. »www.comcast.com/Products/Interne···inkID=21
"Price for 1.5Mbps/256Kbps Comcast High-Speed Internet service is $42.95 per month for Comcast cable customers.
Am I not a Comcast cable customer when I sign up for Comcast HSI only? Do I not have a Comcast cable feeding my home if I subscribe to Comcast HSI?
This is misleading and should read "Price for 1.5Mbps/256Kbps Comcast High-Speed Internet service is $42.95 per month for Comcast cableTV subscribers."
And they should go on to further disclaim that non-cableTV subscribers would incur the $15.00 a month penalty, similar to the comcastonline.com site.
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J D McDorce
Premium
join:2001-12-29
Westland, MI
| Re: Perspective from an ex-Comcast cableTV subscri
said by newview :
And they should go on to further disclaim that non-cableTV subscribers would incur the $15.00 a month penalty, similar to the comcastonline.com site.
Or at least provide a link to the appropriate page on the comcastonline site. |
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parasonic
I Am Not A Bot
join:2002-03-29
Atlanta, GA
clubs:
| reply to J D McDorce
Re: Watchdogs: Cable gouges broadband users
said by J D McDorce :
Maybe it would smooth some feathers if Comcast offered this to their existing non-CATV Internet subscribers.
This is a new Comcast customer, satellite receiver turn-in promotion
Techs probably have every room in the house with its own HU and IRD
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PaulHikeS2
join:2003-03-06
Merrimack, NH
·Comcast
| reply to newview
Re: Perspective from an ex-Comcast cableTV subscriber
said by newview :
Am I not a Comcast cable customer when I sign up for Comcast HSI only?
No, you're not. You're a Comcast HSI customer. Cable is television. Nothing more. |
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newview
Ex .. Ex .. Exactly
Premium
join:2001-10-01
Parsonsburg, MD
| said by PaulHikeS2 :
said by newview :
Am I not a Comcast cable customer when I sign up for Comcast HSI only?
No, you're not. You're a Comcast HSI customer. Cable is television. Nothing more.
{sarcasm}
Oh . . . so there are tier levels of customers now, huh? With the HSI customers being of the lower class and subject to higher fees? That explains a lot.
{/sarcasm}
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mikedz4
join:2003-04-14
Weirton, WV
 ·DIRECTV
·Verizon Online DSL
·Comcast Digital Vo..
·Comcast
| comcast is not going to change their policies ok. Either bite the bullet and pay the $58/month for internet, sub to cable tv, or go elsewhere. Everyone else does this too. Time Warner,cox,etc they all charge you extra if you don't have cable tv so just take it in stride. Now if you guys fuss enough they'll just make everyone pay $60/month for internet and imagine the fuss then. Comcast would go bankrupt cause they would lose all their internet subscribers. |
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newview
Ex .. Ex .. Exactly
Premium
join:2001-10-01
Parsonsburg, MD
| said by mikedz4 :
Now if you guys fuss enough they'll just make everyone pay $60/month for internet . . .
I think that this is exactly what Comcast has planned. By consistently referring to the $42.95 per month price as a discount, Comcast implies that actual price is $57.95 a month, and can "discontinue" the discount at any time, and everyone's price goes up. The very word discount implies a reduction from the full or standard amount of a price. Those of you who are currently paying the $42.95 per month price are living on borrowed time and at the whim of Comcast for a dramatic price increase once Comcast determines they've brought enough satellite defectors "back into the fold".
By asking the FCC & the FTC to investigate their pricing policy, as Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) has done, and with the harsh light of the Consumers Union on them, Comcast may ultimately be forced to set the $42.95 price as standard pricing for ALL Comcast customers . . . not just the ones who subscribe to both. Raising the price NOW to the $57.95 price point would CERTAINLY draw undesired media and possibly Federal attention on Comcast.
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Zorglub
join:2000-11-18
Fremont, CA | reply to DanB
Re: Watchdogs: Cable gouges broadband users
That actually would be quite funny if they increased the price to $60 for everybody. I'd like to see how many ppl would still defend Comcast then... |
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rjean99
join:2003-03-30
South Bend, IN
| reply to Zoder
Well, as far as *I* am concerned they are a monopoly because I have no other reasonable "consumer" oriented broadband options in my area. I'm too far from a CO to get DSL. I have satellite TV. Not only have they raised my price to punish me for not being a cable TV subscriber, their service has been getting worse lately - they advertise "great for online gaming" and yet when I sit down to play my favorite games, I'm getting pings as high as 1000ms!!!! I have tried to resolve the problem through normal channels, but it's not getting me anywhere. I'm starting to get furious. Not a monopoly!?!? Ha!!!
I too got here from @Home->AT&T
[text was edited by author 2003-04-20 23:52:22]
[text was edited by author 2003-04-20 23:52:48] |
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