My husband and I were relocating. I ordered Comcast online on June 13. I received an offer of 12 months of Internet & TV for 69.95/month plus 6 months free Showtime. On the website it said that the self-installation fee was $20. When I check out online, I'm forced to chat with an agent and the self-installation goes to $35, which, of course, I balk at. She says that it varies by area. Okay, so if it varies by area, why do they say $20 on the website? She has no explanation but refuses to honor the $20 which was clearly stated on the website and claims that the $35 is actually the cost of shipping the equipment. Personally, I think $20 is already overpriced and I'm fairly annoyed by now, so I ask her if I can pick up the equipment. She says that there are no Comcast stores in my area. I ask to cancel the order. Miraculously, the $35 fee is waived. The whole process of setting up a new account takes about 45 minutes. Yes, by now I feel like I live in a third world country but it only gets better.
Prior to moving, I check our account online. It turns out they have already billed me and charged me $35 for installation. I called the company 4 different times. On each occasion (during business hours mind you) I am disconnected from my electronic operator with a pleasant "sorry for the inconvenience, please try again later." I go back to the chat and after another 30 minutes I am able to get the fee waived...again.
I've saved every chat transcript with this company and just let me say that by "excellent customer service" Comcast means that they train their agents to utter phrases like "I'll do everything in my power to provide you the best service today!" or "I understand that you're having trouble with your services, I myself would feel the same way. I will get on it and I can assure you that it will be resolved right away" but apparently lies and cheating are acceptable.
June 25 - yes, 12 days later - my equipment arrives. Keep in mind that I've been billed since the day they claim the equipment shipped - nearly two weeks prior. (Class action suit anyone?) Despite being told that I would receive a cable router, they only send a modem because, you know, this is 2000 and no one really uses wireless, right? Fortunately, I have a spare. The set up process takes an hour and my TV still doesn't work. I call and they send me a signal, which doesn't work. I call Comcast yet again and this time I manage to speak to a person. This time the signal works.
I have a TIVO Premiere and can use it as a tuner (saving $7 a month in equipment fees). I call about getting a cable card and am told that I need a technician to install it and they will, of course, charge a fee. I tell them that I am perfectly capable of sliding a card into a slot and to just mail me the card. Guess what? Still a fee. But then the agent asks if I am willing to pick up the card. What? I thought there were no Comcast stores in my area, at least that's what I was told at setup. Oh no, there are four! Yes, I waited 12 days and was charged $35 for equipment I could have picked up after I arrived in my new city.
By this time, needless to say, I hate Comcast. But it's not over yet.
After browsing through my channels, I notice that I don't have Showtime. Not that I really want it, but the promotion I signed up under offered it free for 6 months. Another phone call. They fill out a form and tell me to call back if I don't have it in 24 hours. Guess what? I don't have it 24 hours later. I try Comcast's online chat this time. After more wonderful flourishes of how much they want to help me and value me as a customer, they offer me 3 months of Showtime for free. Uh, no! I was supposed to get 6 months! The agent says that offer is unavailable. Well, it sure was available two weeks ago when I ordered this service (every moment of which I now regret) and I have the screen shot to prove it.
As of right now I am seriously considering cancelling the service prior to the 30 days. I can't believe that a company that is run so poorly is still in business.
Finally, I resolve to try one more phone call before mailing Comcast all of its equipment. I would rather have DSL than deal with this company any longer. I call and get a live person fairly quickly. She is unable to resolve the problem, no surprise there. But, unlike all of my other interactions, she sends me to customer retention. I speak with a person there who sets up Showtime for me in about 5 seconds. Unbelievable! If it was so easy, why wasn’t it done in my first two interactions for this issue?
Let me say that every time I actually spoke to a real person at Comcast, they were pleasant and tried to help but were unable to resolve my problem. Also, every interaction, with the exception of the last one, took a minimum of 30 minutes – far too long.
I’m still considering mailing the equipment back, mainly because my promotion requires a 2-year contract and the idea of dealing with Comcast for two years makes me physically ill.
