I was drawn to this thread because I was watching Kudlow & Cramer host an interview with Brian Roberts, CEO/President of Comcast. I gather that the ER was impressive, but during the platitudes I couldn't help but recall my own experiences with the cable/ISP company.
When they took over from AT&T, they combined the separate bills I was receiving for cable and Internet service. It was good to have one less envelope to open, but it did open my eyes to how much money I was giving this company each and every month. I considered investing then, but it was only a passing thought. The first three months of the new billing saw each bill increase by around $80 with no credit given for any payments. Checking with my bank I found that the online payments were being executed and amounts were being transferred, but no credit was being given. So with the certainty of this information, I contacted the local Comcast office to see what was amiss. The polite lady promised to look into it and get back with me.
In less than a week, instead of finding their error and posting it to my account, a voicemail message was left on my phone that I must drop by the local Comcast office and pay the full amount immediately or my cable service would be severed. That was on a Wednesday. The next day I came home from work to find that I had no cable or ISP.
I bought an antenna and called Earthlink. I wrote a letter to Comcast. In about a month I got an email explaining that the amounts had been posted and I was to contact this person to get my cable restored. About 9 months later, I called and got hooked back up. I never got an apology. They never acknowledged any error on their part.
Time heals all wounds, eigh?
In May of this year I moved my residence. I called Comcast immediately and cancelled my subscription. I made the trip to the local office, delivered my cable modem and got a receipt. THIS WAS IN MAY! As of this writing, I am still getting bills from Comcast. Each bill is for another month of service, complete with overdue amounts and late fees. I called the local office to straighten it out and was told that in August the service would be disconnected and I would be credited for the unbillable amounts since my service termination order.
Is that crazy, or what? ... OR WHAT!
The company is carrying me ... and no telling how many other disconnects ... on their books through the end of the quarter!
I don't trust this company! Something's fishy.
The city I live in now has taken over distribution and billing for all cable services including Internet. I get a combined bill from the City of Wyandotte for both power and Cable/ISP services. My question is, "How firm is Comcast's grip on it's customers?" They act like they have a monopoly, but in each municipality they are subject to contracts with the city. There is a lot that can go wrong with such an arrangement, and this company is particularly inept in it's billing practices.
As for Internet telephony? I signed on with Vonage last month. vonage.com It works great! I have an East Texas area code with an East Michigan address. I love it! While traveling, if I carry a laptop and the Cisco ATA 186 converter, I can receive my phone calls from any broadband connection in any part of the United States.
Yup! Comcast sucks!
HerbVic |
