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New Comcast TV, Broadband, Phone Price Hikes April First
Competition? Most broadband and TV packages going up by $2 a month...

Fresh off a suite of price hikes last fall that included an increase in the cable modem rental fee from $3 to $5 a month, Comcast is notifying customers they're raising prices again starting April 1. Many Comcast users are being sent these letters informing them that there's several new rate hikes for broadband and TV services starting April 1, including a hike in the cost of several of Comcast's lower-priced broadband tiers by $2 a month. Several TV packages are also seeing hikes including Comcast's Standard ($61.45 to $63.45) and Expanded (from $48.55 to $50.55) services.

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Comcast's "Economy" 1 Mbps downstream 384 kbps upstream service is jumping from $24.95 to $26.95 for those who bundle other services, and $38.95 to $40.95 for those who don't (what's economical about $41, 1 Mbps service?). Comcast's "Performance" 12 Mbps / 2 Mbps tier is jumping from $42.95 to $44.95 bundled, and $57.95 to $59.95 unbundled. Similarly, Comcast's "Blast!" 16 Mbps / 2 Mbps service will be jumping to $54.95 bundled, and $69.95 unbundled.

Even VoIP service isn't going to be immune from this round of hikes, Comcast raising the price of additional lines for Digital Voice "Premium" service $2 to $21.95, and the price of additional lines for their Digital Voice "Basic" service $2 to $11.95. According to the letter, Comcast is raising prices "as part of our commitment to provide you with the very best entertainment and communications experience."

Of course these changes won't impact you if you're under contract, but they will once your contract expires. Like AT&T's recent slew of price hikes for DSL and VDSL service, Comcast has focused on raising the prices for lower tiers, while leaving the price of their "Ultra" (22/5 Mbps) tier alone at $62.95 bundled, or $77.95 unbundled. That gives the user the impression that it's more "economical" to upgrade to the higher speed tiers.

As usual the question remains: if the industry is half as competitive as the industry says it is, why are carriers allowed to continually jack up prices in unison without competitive repercussions?
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Steve B
Premium Member
join:2004-08-02
Auburn, WA

Steve B

Premium Member

Not surprised...

I am under a contract with Comcast (got a netbook from them). So these new prices will not affect me right away. However, this is outrageous. Their HD quality sucks...big time. They've gone from raising prices from once a year to twice a year now. Its outrageous. This just seals the deal that I will be leaving Comcast once my contract is up...that is for sure. I might even break contract before. Comcast is just gotten way out of hand.

Jim Gurd
Premium Member
join:2000-07-08
Livonia, MI

1 recommendation

Jim Gurd

Premium Member

Re: Not surprised...

I dumped them back in December after their last round of price increases. Now I use AT&T for DSL and get my television (which I seldom watch) over the air for free.

Sorry Comcast, you just aren't worth it in this economy. I'm unemployed so I must cut expenses wherever I can.

floyd007
join:2004-06-07
Glen Allen, VA

floyd007

Member

Re: Not surprised...

said by Jim Gurd:

I dumped them back in December after their last round of price increases. Now I use AT&T for DSL and get my television (which I seldom watch) over the air for free.

Sorry Comcast, you just aren't worth it in this economy. I'm unemployed so I must cut expenses wherever I can.
Problem is that At&T is doing that exact same thing. We lose anyway. You will pay either Comcast or At&T or some other company. Capitalism is sure terrible. Comapnies can raise prices many times a year and if we jump ship, the competitor does the excat same thing, eventually

S_engineer
Premium Member
join:2007-05-16
Chicago, IL

1 recommendation

S_engineer

Premium Member

Re: Not surprised...

It's not capitalism thats the problem here, it's decades of lobbying of our federal regulators and failed FCC policies and oversights that would prevent collusive anti-consumer behavior.
DC looks like a pseudo geriatric day care center with pols with no knowledge technology whatsoever. This will only get worse!
Sammer
join:2005-12-22
Canonsburg, PA

1 edit

Sammer

Member

Lack of competition

said by S_engineer:

It's not capitalism thats the problem here, it's decades of lobbying of our federal regulators and failed FCC policies and oversights that would prevent collusive anti-consumer behavior.
Many areas that Comcast serves are effective duopolies, some effective monopolies, and only a few are where Comcast has more than two effective competitors for most of its services. Verizon, one of its competitors has even stopped expanding. Unregulated duopolies and monopolies get to do pretty much whatever they want and usually screw consumers.

GlobalMind
Domino Dude, POWER Systems Guy
Premium Member
join:2001-10-29
Indianapolis, IN

GlobalMind to Jim Gurd

Premium Member

to Jim Gurd
Thumbs up for someone making a perhaps but responsible decision.

Hope you find work soon.

IPPlanMan
Holy Cable Modem Batman
join:2000-09-20
Washington, DC

IPPlanMan

Member

It's Comcastic...

Whooops... I mean XFinity.... Wowwwwwwww.......

How much of this hike pays for the pointless rebranding Comcast is doing?

baineschile
2600 ways to live
Premium Member
join:2008-05-10
Sterling Heights, MI

baineschile

Premium Member

Re: It's Comcastic...

Remember, recently the 42.95 rate was a 6/1 tier. Its now 12/2 in most areas, so 2 bucks a month for double the up and down isnt too bad. It would have been nice if they kept that price point though.

mod_wastrel
anonome
join:2008-03-28

mod_wastrel

Member

Re: It's Comcastic...

There are plenty of customers who are happy with 6/1, so that's $2/mo more for something they neither need nor want.
fiberguy2
My views are my own.
Premium Member
join:2005-05-20

fiberguy2

Premium Member

Re: It's Comcastic...

said by mod_wastrel:

There are plenty of customers who are happy with 6/1, so that's $2/mo more for something they neither need nor want.
Then I'm sure a much cheaper DSL would be a better fit for them, huh?

Jim Kirk
Premium Member
join:2005-12-09
49985

Jim Kirk

Premium Member

Re: It's Comcastic...

Provided they have a DSL option.
fiberguy2
My views are my own.
Premium Member
join:2005-05-20

fiberguy2

Premium Member

Re: It's Comcastic...

said by Jim Kirk:

Provided they have a DSL option.
That's obviously clear... but if not, $2 upgrade for twice the speed, and considering there have been no increases in HSI for years.. still not a bad deal.

If it were ME, personally, I'd cut $2 off the bill in other ways.. in fact, I think more customers - okay, all customers, should find a way to cut their bills by the amount of their rate increase - even if that's removing one box from their account.

This is just one way for the customer to 'reject' the price increase, is it not?

Sadly, this is not something the customer base will do in whole.. which, to be honest, is the consumer's loudest voice; and never used.

MalibuMaxx
Premium Member
join:2007-02-06
Chesterton, IN

1 edit

MalibuMaxx

Premium Member

Re: It's Comcastic...

my boxes are free what about me (Digital Transition Area)? And I dont rent my modem. :/

and no dsl in sight...
fiberguy2
My views are my own.
Premium Member
join:2005-05-20

fiberguy2

Premium Member

Re: It's Comcastic...

... look, there is always going to be some that have no options or choices.. so this is clearly not an option for you.

You COULD, if cable is important to you, downgrade something else in your life then. However, if you still wanted to send a message, then you simply downgrade your cable service to something less, or disconnect. (You can read between the lines as to what happens when you downgrade) .. so you still win, right?
sonicmerlin
join:2009-05-24
Cleveland, OH

sonicmerlin

Member

Re: It's Comcastic...

So in order to fill the coffers of an anti-competitive duopoly we should "downgrade something else" in our lives? You *really, really* have a crush on corporate overlords don't you? Seriously, what is your problem?
Nismo01020
join:2010-03-09
Chicopee, MA

1 recommendation

Nismo01020

Member

Re: It's Comcastic...

You're taking him out of context there. His point is if you aren't willing to give up anything from your Cable service then you can offset the price increase somewhere else.

So it would be one less trip to Dunkin Donuts during the month.

He at least brings up rational points, unlike you. You just want to bitch with no real suggestions. Well done sheep...
fiberguy2
My views are my own.
Premium Member
join:2005-05-20

2 edits

1 recommendation

fiberguy2 to sonicmerlin

Premium Member

to sonicmerlin
said by sonicmerlin:

So in order to fill the coffers of an anti-competitive duopoly we should "downgrade something else" in our lives? You *really, really* have a crush on corporate overlords don't you? Seriously, what is your problem?
Get off of the canny terms like "duopoly" and other stuff.. you have the choice of cable, DirecTV and Dish.. some cities now have a 4th choice, not including OTA.

With that said..

Yea.. what's what with what I said? Life is about Choices.. pay television is a choice. Let me tell you a little story, which is a life lesson to you. Ever gone to court, tried to file a case, had very little money and asked a signing judge for a waiver of the fees? Let me tell you what many judges say.. they will look at your income.. any money above and beyond the poverty level and any expenses that are not direct living expenses claimed, guess what they're going to tell you.. "Your waiver is denied. You make choices in your life... give something up to pay for this, borrow the money, or don't file.. but we all make our own choices in life"... and guess what, you are not exempt from that.

So.. if cable raising your rates is putting the service out of reach for you, and you're not willing to downgrade, EVEN to tier 1 only, that's your CHOICE.

My ORIGINAL statement, since you didn't read, was "if you want to take away their price increase, then down grade your service the amount they raised it, which equals a box rental"... paraphrased. If you can't downgrade becuase you're just basic cable, well.. then you have to look at the rest of your life. If cable TV is that important to you, then give up something else to handle the rate increase. As Nismo01020 told you, that's one less trip to Dunkin Donuts each month. If you're not willing to give something up like that - don't cry about it.. that's YOUR CHOICE.

People like you and many others cry the same story when they ultimately wind up in front of a bankruptcy judge. Think about that one. You don't have a right to cable at a price that fits your budget. You don't have the right to an iPhone, PDA or MP3 player, at a price you can afford becuase of your income. You don't have a right to drive a fully loaded car, at a price you can afford if your budget doesn't allow it.

What is a budget? (I'm going to have to tell you since you don't understand, based on your post) It's how much money you have each month to spend. It's how much you NEED to live on for required expenses (Housing, gas/lights, water, garbage.) Then, how much do you need for food, medical, clothing, etc. THEN a phone, cable, etc. When you know what you make, then you can decide how much you can afford for housing, the standard is 1/3 of your income. After that, what you have left over is your choice how you're going to spend. There's one other thing people forget in their budget.. SAVINGS! If you're living paycheck to paycheck and have cable TV or an MP3 Player and have NO savings, then you're an idiot.

All this boils down to choice. AND, the choice belongs to YOU, no one else. But, you do NOT have a right to "have it all".. there is no law that guarantees that. In fact, in cable, the ONLY thing that you have that's CLOSE to a "right" from the government is tier 1 as it's regulated by your local government... and its still not a "right".. they just mandate that it must be at a certain price level that they determined.

I'm sorry to say, but your post sounds like you're an 18 year old kid just starting out in life... you TOTALLY missed the point.. what do you get that I have a crush on "corporate overlords"... get real. I could care less.. what I'm TELLING you is to "take the increase away from them" did I not???!??!? are you blind??? What I'm telling you is what ANY reasonable person is going to tell you... BE RESPONSIBLE IN YOUR OWN LIFE and also telling you STOP ACTING LIKE CABLE TV IS A GOD GIVEN RIGHT - it's not! Stop acting like a spoiled child that has to have it all - you can't have it all. You CAN make choices in your life.

My problem are people that feel they're entitled to everything in life at a price they want to pay and it doesn't work that way. People who think like you have life all wrong, and are MAJOR contributors to WHY this country is in so much debt.

So seriously.. what's YOUR problem. Listen to yourself .. "Why should I have to give something up!!!" Because that's life! If you want something that bad, and you can't afford it, then give up something else.. or get another job and earn it... or didn't your mother teach you that.

And you are just bitching...

edit: and by the way.. yea, people that think like you do piss me off. See above about why we're in the crapper as a nation.. EVERYONE has to save.. no one does anymore. ALL the problems we have in this country are based on people like you that won't be responsible and give something up if they can't afford it. *I* live with in my means.. I always have.. *I* am not in debt like so many others.. and YES, I get offended when my president stands up and says "we're all in this together".. LIKE HELL! But thank you.. thanks to people like you with that mentality, people like me get to pay for the irresponsible acts of people like you who apparently are appalled that they "have to give something up"... For those of us that DO save money, watch what we spend and don't go into debt, we get the pay for the rest.. and you know what? I APPLAUD those that cut the cable and turn off the satellite in order to save their money on what they consider a waste of money.. how's THAT praying to the evil overlords... THOSE PEOPLE ARE BEING RESPONSIBLE! Those people realize they have better use for their money and for that, I applaud them! If you can't afford, NOR want to afford these price increases.. CUT THE CORD.. or get a cheaper service.. Dish has plans starting at $24.95 a month. Use some common sense for once.

MalibuMaxx
Premium Member
join:2007-02-06
Chesterton, IN

MalibuMaxx

Premium Member

Re: It's Comcastic...

I have OTA... too btw.

I have free cable boxes and im not paying a fortune for my cable. In fact I'm paying less than dish or dtv when you factor in the bundled savings im getting. Internet over sat is a joke and im not going down to dialup... b/c dialup is half the price of my internet im already paying for... and thats not savings in and of itself due to the time you waste waiting for stuff to download.

We dont need your life lessons here take them some where else. I've had my own similar ones and yours are no different... and stop treating the general population here as if they were kids... because I'm sure they are not.

MrWhsprs
Premium Member
join:2000-04-22
Round Lake, IL

MrWhsprs to fiberguy2

Premium Member

to fiberguy2
said by fiberguy2:

If it were ME, personally, I'd cut $2 off the bill in other ways.. in fact, I think more customers - okay, all customers, should find a way to cut their bills by the amount of their rate increase - even if that's removing one box from their account.
For a while I've been considering removing one box from my account in order to reduce my bill, but was on the fence as the additional box was a nice convenience. However, with the impending rate increases Comcast has given me added incentive to remove the box.

Cthen
Premium Member
join:2004-08-01
Detroit, MI

Cthen to baineschile

Premium Member

to baineschile
Comcast gave the upgrade even if customers didn't want it, they didn't have a say so in it. Had customers known they would jack up the rates later for it, most would have told them to just leave it alone.

mod_wastrel
anonome
join:2008-03-28

mod_wastrel to baineschile

Member

to baineschile
I just checked (my area)... that's 12/2 with PowerBoost--so it's really just 6/1 (more or less) anyway. Yeah, PowerBoost can be better for some (or even most) things, pointless for others, and worse for a few things. Is it worth an extra $2? Meh.

LeftOfSanity
People Suck.
join:2005-11-06
Dover, DE

LeftOfSanity

Member

Re: It's Comcastic...

said by mod_wastrel:

I just checked (my area)... that's 12/2 with PowerBoost--so it's really just 6/1 (more or less) anyway. Yeah, PowerBoost can be better for some (or even most) things, pointless for others, and worse for a few things. Is it worth an extra $2? Meh.
Check your reading comprehension, 12/1 comes with PowerBoost. Not that you get 12/1 because of Powerboost.

mod_wastrel
anonome
join:2008-03-28

mod_wastrel

Member

Re: It's Comcastic...

My "reading comprehension" is fine. I could, however, take exception to their ambiguous writing:

"Download speeds up to 12 Mbps with PowerBoost."

could be interpreted either way (and since I haven't been a Comcast customer in years, I don't really care which): "with" could mean (1) "using" or (2) "plus" (but since I'm not presently a Comcast customer, I don't have a current point of reference... which also means I can interpret it any way I choose ). However, the last time I was a Comcast customer, they made it a point to use the PowerBoost max speed in their "up to" promos and not the pre-/non-PowerBoost speed... if that's changed, well... good for them... Bravo!

banditws6
Shrinking Time and Distance
Premium Member
join:2001-08-18
Frisco, TX

banditws6 to baineschile

Premium Member

to baineschile
It still is the 6/1 tier for us here in Naples. I guess we'll be paying $2 more for nothing.
Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL

Joe12345678

Member

At lest there drop the $20+ rent down to $16 for HD Dvr but

At lest there drop the $20+ rent down to $16 for HD Dvr but.

$16 PER BOX??? WHY CAN'T WE BUY IT?

In Canada you can but not hear.

also the Comcast's Standard rate also pushes up comcast digital preferred as well.

canesfan2001
join:2003-02-04
Hialeah, FL

canesfan2001

Member

Re: At lest there drop the $20+ rent down to $16 for HD Dvr but

This is why I'm building an HTPC as soon as the new Ceton Cablecard tuner comes out. And I'll have that whole-home DVR experience no one in the cable industry seems to care about!

Lark3po
Premium Member
join:2003-08-05
Madison, AL

Lark3po

Premium Member

Re: At lest there drop the $20+ rent down to $16 for HD Dvr but

said by canesfan2001:

This is why I'm building an HTPC as soon as the new Ceton Cablecard tuner comes out. And I'll have that whole-home DVR experience no one in the cable industry seems to care about!
They'll probably jack the Cablecard rental fee up to match the box like Knology did.

canesfan2001
join:2003-02-04
Hialeah, FL

canesfan2001

Member

Re: At lest there drop the $20+ rent down to $16 for HD Dvr but

Actually that is exactly why the fee is now regulated to $2 per card, and even though Comcast tries to be shady with M-cards by charging double based upon the premise that the person is getting at least twice the use out of it, it's only $4. Compare that to having two DVRs at $20/mo each and its a big savings.

Nightfall
My Goal Is To Deny Yours
MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI

Nightfall

MVM

Re: At lest there drop the $20+ rent down to $16 for HD Dvr but

said by canesfan2001:

Actually that is exactly why the fee is now regulated to $2 per card, and even though Comcast tries to be shady with M-cards by charging double based upon the premise that the person is getting at least twice the use out of it, it's only $4. Compare that to having two DVRs at $20/mo each and its a big savings.
I will be doing the same thing. I will be saving $40 a month going this route because I have 2 DVRs on Directv.

castsucks
@sbcglobal.net

castsucks

Anon

Re: At lest there drop the $20+ rent down to $16 for HD Dvr but

said by Nightfall:

said by canesfan2001:

Actually that is exactly why the fee is now regulated to $2 per card, and even though Comcast tries to be shady with M-cards by charging double based upon the premise that the person is getting at least twice the use out of it, it's only $4. Compare that to having two DVRs at $20/mo each and its a big savings.
I will be doing the same thing. I will be saving $40 a month going this route because I have 2 DVRs on Directv.
Direct only makes you pay $5 per box and box 1 is free.

Dvr and HD is a flat fee. Some cable systems have a per card HD fee.

Nightfall
My Goal Is To Deny Yours
MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI

Nightfall

MVM

Re: At lest there drop the $20+ rent down to $16 for HD Dvr but

said by castsucks :

said by Nightfall:

said by canesfan2001:

Actually that is exactly why the fee is now regulated to $2 per card, and even though Comcast tries to be shady with M-cards by charging double based upon the premise that the person is getting at least twice the use out of it, it's only $4. Compare that to having two DVRs at $20/mo each and its a big savings.
I will be doing the same thing. I will be saving $40 a month going this route because I have 2 DVRs on Directv.
Direct only makes you pay $5 per box and box 1 is free.

Dvr and HD is a flat fee. Some cable systems have a per card HD fee.
I am not sticking with Directv. I am moving to Comcast because I want to watch Versus for the NHL playoffs. That and I want features like Multiroom viewing that Directv hasn't gotten around to yet. Lastly, I want more recording space without buying more DVRs.

••••

MovieLover76
join:2009-09-11
Cherry Hill, NJ
(Software) pfSense
Asus RT-AC68
Asus RT-AC66

MovieLover76 to Nightfall

Member

to Nightfall
I'm not sure I may be misreading your post, but it looks like you plan to use cable cards with directv, cablecards don't work with directv, the only current way to use directv with a third party dvr is with a IR blaster to the sat box, and then your already paying for the box.

Nightfall
My Goal Is To Deny Yours
MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI

Nightfall

MVM

Re: At lest there drop the $20+ rent down to $16 for HD Dvr but

said by MovieLover76:

I'm not sure I may be misreading your post, but it looks like you plan to use cable cards with directv, cablecards don't work with directv, the only current way to use directv with a third party dvr is with a IR blaster to the sat box, and then your already paying for the box.
I didn't make it clear. I will be moving to Comcast.
fiberguy2
My views are my own.
Premium Member
join:2005-05-20

1 edit

fiberguy2 to canesfan2001

Premium Member

to canesfan2001
And how much are you factoring in for the cost of the HTPC?

For the record, I have 2 MS Media Centers, and I do enjoy them.. I also have the Comcast DVR as well. But I still consider the $750 I spend on each computer when thinking about any 'monthly savings'...

••••••••••

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

fifty nine to Lark3po

Member

to Lark3po
said by Lark3po:

said by canesfan2001:

This is why I'm building an HTPC as soon as the new Ceton Cablecard tuner comes out. And I'll have that whole-home DVR experience no one in the cable industry seems to care about!
They'll probably jack the Cablecard rental fee up to match the box like Knology did.
If they do, complain loudly to the FCC about this anticompetitive behavior.

castsucks
@sbcglobal.net

castsucks to Lark3po

Anon

to Lark3po
said by Lark3po:

said by canesfan2001:

This is why I'm building an HTPC as soon as the new Ceton Cablecard tuner comes out. And I'll have that whole-home DVR experience no one in the cable industry seems to care about!
They'll probably jack the Cablecard rental fee up to match the box like Knology did.
no they will just hit you with cable card HD fees and outlet fees.

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

fifty nine to canesfan2001

Member

to canesfan2001
said by canesfan2001:

This is why I'm building an HTPC as soon as the new Ceton Cablecard tuner comes out. And I'll have that whole-home DVR experience no one in the cable industry seems to care about!
Except Verizon.

•••••

SLD
Premium Member
join:2002-04-17
San Francisco, CA

SLD to canesfan2001

Premium Member

to canesfan2001
That's what I did about two years ago. I couldn't stand the audio drop-outs from the Comcast DVR, so I just created my own. I also dropped Comcast cable and just pull the "free" QAM stations that are sent as part of my cable internet. I could get them OTA, but cable saved my buying a better antenna.
fiberguy2
My views are my own.
Premium Member
join:2005-05-20

fiberguy2 to Joe12345678

Premium Member

to Joe12345678
You can! Go buy a Tivo... and even if the boxes were available for purchase, you'd really want to shell out the $500-$600 for one? With the given track record of DVRs, and with the unknown pending changes in technology coming, why waste your money?

It would take you 3 years to even break-even on your own purchase of a cable box, again, that is if it doesn't break, etc. So you're either spending 16 a month on one, or $600... either way, you're still spending about the same, so does it really matter? ... and if it does, there IS Tivo which you can buy and own.. but still, you're required to pay comcast something for the outlet (via cable card in most markets) AND you get the pleasure of paying Tivo a monthly fee as well to make it more than a brick.

Even if you did buy your own Moto or S/A box, you're still going to pay a monthly fee to use it.. I don't think people realize that buying your own box will NOT save you any money overall.

•••••

Augustus III
If Only Rome Could See Us Now....
join:2001-01-25
Gainesville, GA

Augustus III to Joe12345678

Member

to Joe12345678
said by Joe12345678:

At lest there drop the $20+ rent down to $16 for HD Dvr but.

$16 PER BOX??? WHY CAN'T WE BUY IT?

In Canada you can but not hear.

also the Comcast's Standard rate also pushes up comcast digital preferred as well.
DVR rentals has always been 14.95 here. You do know their prices vary by market? Some will not even get the increase

CT3
@comcast.net

CT3 to Joe12345678

Anon

to Joe12345678
»www.amd.com/us/products/ ··· ner.aspx

With the many micro ATX cases out there, a cheap version of XP [if only they supported unix directly freeBSD all the way then] and you can literally build your own DVR, you just have to be seriously willing to do it. Are you? The cable card cost is a few bucks a month compared to the 19, and this way you can get as much storage space as you want, with any removable media drive type you wish.

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium Member
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

pnh102

Premium Member

Might be time...

Verizon DSL is offering a one year starter rate in my area for $30 a month. Maybe it is time for me to make the switch.

Anyone know how much Verizon DSL actually costs once the hidden fees are added in?
elray
join:2000-12-16
Santa Monica, CA

elray

Member

Re: Might be time...

said by pnh102:

Verizon DSL is offering a one year starter rate in my area for $30 a month. Maybe it is time for me to make the switch.

Anyone know how much Verizon DSL actually costs once the hidden fees are added in?
While Verizon is creative with their billing and customer service, there are no "hidden fees" on DSL - they're all spelled out on the bill. In our case, taxes are about 12% (for the children, of course), and USF charge of about 10%.

Be sure to check if DSLExtreme has a competing offer. In our county, they're usually $5.00 cheaper for the exact same service tier, sometimes more, and you aren't dealing with Verizon customer service and the aforementioned creative billing.
neftv
join:2000-10-01
Broomall, PA

2 edits

neftv

Member

That new branding

It's amazing how many people will fall for the the branding XFinity when in reality it's all the same service nothing really new. Here in Philadelphia the TV/Radio ads Comcast is hyping it like it's something really new. My understanding is that even Comcast customer support is not quite ramped up to the new branding too.
Anyone who didn't see price hikes coming is blind especially now if the NBC deal become reality. They have to pay for all that somehow even if Comcast has the cash for it. Yea programming fees savings my butt. I can see those savings in the news above.

ggma1126
GGMA1126
Premium Member
join:2008-08-30
Claymont, DE

ggma1126

Premium Member

Re: That new branding

They have to pay for all that junk mail advertising I get each day asking me to ditch fios and comeback (lol) and help pay for the nbc purchase
TheGuvnor9
join:2006-06-23
Beverly Hills, CA

TheGuvnor9

Member

2 BUCKS!!!

Maybe we should move to Cuba where broadband is free...LOL

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koitsu
MVM
join:2002-07-16
Mountain View, CA
Humax BGW320-500

koitsu

MVM

Employee raises?

There was a recent thread from some Comcast employees about how they were getting a raise (albeit very small; $0.49/hour for some).

If the price hike is somehow related to that, then I'm all for it. Otherwise if the money goes into the pockets of execs, then nope, not for it.
fiberguy2
My views are my own.
Premium Member
join:2005-05-20

fiberguy2

Premium Member

Re: Employee raises?

Comcast gives raises every year, up to a 5% increase based on merit/performance.

Nightfall
My Goal Is To Deny Yours
MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI

Nightfall

MVM

Price hikes are inevitable

Directv? »www.dish-television.com/ ··· -prices/

Dish Network? »www.satelliteguys.us/dis ··· ate.html
(Hey, at least they only raised the fees on their boxes and not programming. :P)

Time Warner? »gadgetress.freedombloggi ··· 0/29413/

Charter? »www.mlive.com/business/m ··· mod.html

Uverse? »www.dish-television.com/ ··· g-rates/

Verizon FIOS? »bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2 ··· ions-it/

Bill Dollar
join:2009-02-20
New York, NY

Bill Dollar

Member

Comcast's own Costs are Declining

If you go and look at the guts of Comcast's 4Q 2009 SEC report and investor call, you'll see that their total cost for providing high speed Internet declined in 2009, and will decline further in 2010 -- despite their spending on DOCSIS 3 upgrades. Their costs of doing business are dropping like a rock, but they will raise the price of their lowest-tier broadband services, in a recession too.

This is clearly a market where Comcast has market power. If it were competitive, prices would decline as costs decline.
yabos
join:2003-02-16
London, ON

yabos

Member

Re: Comcast's own Costs are Declining

Yep. I used to work as a contractor for a Comcast owned company. 2009 they started cutting costs everywhere, firing lots of people they deemed un-necessary, dropping all joint venture contractors at the end of 2009 etc. They told a bunch of divisions in the company and sub companies that they all had to drop $500,000 from their budget no matter how they did it.

The finance department runs that company and the penny pinchers are only concerned about saving money.

When they came up with their 2009 (Q3 I think) profit of almost a billion dollars, lots of Comcast employees were obviously steamed since they don't see any of that profit.

The company I used to work for saved almost 2 million dollars in 2009, mostly by firing a bunch of people and cutting all the perks that made the company good. No Christmas party for 2009 even. You can imagine how people felt when some bozo from Comcast comes and brags how we saved this 2 million dollars as if we really cared.
Sammer
join:2005-12-22
Canonsburg, PA

Sammer to Bill Dollar

Member

to Bill Dollar
What do you mean their costs are declining. Things like an unnecessary acquisition of NBC Universal are raising their costs big time. Only shareholders may benefit from such things someday but consumers (not shareholders) get to pay for them.
jus10
join:2009-08-04
Gainesville, VA

jus10

Member

Hmm ...

Does anyone know if they need to roll a truck if I drop limited basic and just keep the HSI? I haven't had their vile cable television service TV in years (there is nothing run to the TV at all) but always kept the basic service as well, that's what I've always had. If it'll save me any money at all, I think its time to drop legacy cable TV service.

If they're going to charge me like $30 to have someone roll out and probably break my HSI connection while they're at it; I'll just pass.

•••
ak3883
join:2005-08-20
Marlton, NJ

ak3883

Member

Welcome to the new Xfinitiy, PAY UP NOW!

Gotta pay for all that new advertising....

to be fair my rate did NOT go up last fall, so it has been 18 months since my last rate hike, and $2 is less than the usual 6-10% jump.

nerdburg
Premium Member
join:2009-08-20
Schuylkill Haven, PA

nerdburg

Premium Member

Comcast raises rates because they can.

Comcast does not need to raise your rates, they are making record profits -- about a $billion just last quarter. They raise the rates based on what they think the market can bear.

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cableties
Premium Member
join:2005-01-27

cableties

Premium Member

Good Question!

"why are carriers allowed to continually jack up prices in unison without competitive repercussions?"

Because:

1- Our government is spineless
2- Greed
3- Dumber and Dumber customers

time to send out messages, email, letters, calls, faxes, carrier pigeons demanding this stop. Oh, and sell that stock...
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned)

Member

What a joke

Comcast's "Economy" 1 Mbps downstream 384 kbps upstream service is jumping from $24.95 to $26.95 for those who bundle other services, and $38.95 to $40.95 for those who don't (what's economical about $41, 1 Mbps service?).

Glad Comcast isn't in my area.

Charter offers 1 Mbps for $19.95 a month bundled or not.

at&t offer 756 kbps for $19.95 bundled or not.

So WTF is Comcast smoking?

•••
axiomatic
join:2006-08-23
Tomball, TX

1 edit

axiomatic

Member

Silly comcast

Comcast already gets $230 per month out of me. All this will likely do is make me turn in the two Comcast DVR's I am renting and go 100% with cablecard which is a far cheaper rental than the DVR boxes.

Can't wait for those Quad tuner Ceton PCI cards to release. Then I will dump the 2xTivo's as well and go full Windows MCE for the whole house. That should really free up all the expensive rentals and service fees.
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned)

Member

Re: Silly comcast

said by axiomatic:

Comcast already gets $230 per month out of me.
Just putitng this into perspective in 10 years you'll be giving Comcast $27,600. Really do you think all the TV you watch over 10 years is worth $28K? That's a really nice new car. If you invested that $230 per month and only got 5% you'd have $35K after 10 years, $95K after 20 years.
axiomatic
join:2006-08-23
Tomball, TX

axiomatic

Member

Re: Silly comcast

I hear you and that number is becoming more real to me every day. This shit has gotten out of hand.

Camaro
Question everything
Premium Member
join:2008-04-05
Westfield, MA

Camaro

Premium Member

No suprise

Looks like the shareholders cost of living went up in this great economy,glad someone is making money and getting raises while the rest of us probably haven't seen one in a few years i know i haven't.

SpaethCo
Digital Plumber
MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN

1 recommendation

SpaethCo

MVM

Inflation?

As usual the question remains: if the industry is half as competitive as the industry says it is, why are carriers allowed to continually jack up prices in unison without competitive repercussions?
Grocery stores are an example of a highly competitive industry. I still pay more for a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread than I did 3 years ago, despite having at least 10 grocery stores within a 5 mile radius all competing on price.

I think it's interesting that you gloss over the fact that this is the first HSI price increase Comcast has implemented in at least 8 years -- over the same time the cost of a gallon of gasoline has increased over 300%.

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MovieLover76
join:2009-09-11
Cherry Hill, NJ

MovieLover76

Member

Holy crap... $59.95 unbundled for 12/2

I thought cablevision was bad, even after their promotion the unbundled price is still 44.95, which is comcast's bundled price.

I'm glad I'm no longer a comcast customer

•••
firedrakes
join:2009-01-29
Arcadia, FL

firedrakes

Member

wow

well just like when they had cable before direct tv etc came along.

Boredness
So bored...
Premium Member
join:2005-07-07
Fresno, CA

Boredness

Premium Member

Hopefully I won't get the letter

No rate hike letter here yet maybe because I'm on a 1 year promo that ends in December. I'm on the perfered plus triple play package with Blast! HSI. Going to have to downgrade to Performance or Economy once the new customer promo expires and I will probably have to make some other sacrifices so I can keep my CC bill under $150 a month.
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