A Cautionary Comcast Tale: Decimal Points Are Very Important

When a California retiree missed a decimal point and sent Comcast an online payment of $6,894 instead of $68.94, the massive overpayment didn’t raise any red flags in Comcast’s system. It didn’t cause a cascade of overdrafts in his bank account, either, since he had enough money to cover it. To bring the situation to Comcast’s attention, though, he had to enlist the help of a local newspaper and a television station.

Comcast representatives first promised that the customer would have his refund within five to seven days…then five to seven weeks. Shockingly, the man’s refund took only three weeks after media outlets became involved.

As it turns out, local Comcast offices can issue refunds up to $5,000, but any amount larger than that needs to come from the Comcast mothership in Philadelphia. “Our process and timelines for refunds by check are no different than other large companies,” a Comcast spokesman told the Contra Costa Times.

Missing decimal point leads to frustration for Pittsburg man (Thanks, Ely!)

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