Last week, Dan returned home from work to find that Comcast contractors’ vans had blocked his driveway in. Not just one, but two vans from Kabletown had parked across the end of his driveway. Sure, Dan could just park on a neighboring street and walk for an extra minute or so, but his brother had a bigger problem: he was blocked in. What could they do? Call the police? Comcast? The homeowners’ association? Jack Donaghy? Dan wrote to us while the brothers were weighing their options. One interesting piece of information: the brothers are disgruntled former Comcast customers. [More]
Comcast Employees Caught Taking Payments From 5,975 Customers To Permanently Lower Bills
By August 8, 2012
Most of us wince at our cable bills each month, but what would you do if someone from the cable company approached you and said they could permanently lower your bill — if you gave them a one-time payment of $150? [More]
Comcast E-Mail Rep Needs A Lot Of Words To Say 'I Have No Power To Help You'
By August 6, 2012
Tired of waiting around on hold when she called Comcast, Susan decided to just send them an e-mail with what she had to say. What she had to say to them was “Hey, why did you charge me $64 too much for installation?” The e-mail representative she talked to had an answer to this question: taking four hundred words to say, “I dunno, take some time off work to go to your local Comcast office and maybe they can give you a refund.” [More]
Cable Companies Should Be Worrying About Kids Who Have No Plans For Ever Getting Cable
By August 3, 2012
For many adults between the ages of 20 to 45, cable TV was a staple of everyday life — and something that a lot of us automatically purchased for our homes when it came time to make nests of our own. But for the younger folks who have no memory of a world without widespread access to broadband Internet, cable could be looking more and more like a relic of an older world. [More]
NBC Says Olympic Spoilers Have Actually Helped Ratings
By August 3, 2012
We’re one week into the 2012 Summer Olympics, which means it’s time to look back on NBC’s week of TV and online coverage of the games. And while the network has taken a beating in the social media sphere for its insistence on not airing marquee events like swimming and gymnastics live on air, the suits at NBC pish-posh the criticism and say that people are actually more than alright with knowing who has won or lost the gold medal each night. [More]
Verizon’s Deal To Buy Spectrum From Cable Companies Could Mean Fewer Cable Options For Consumers
By August 2, 2012
It seems like it’s been oh, about eight months since Verizon Wireless announced its proposal to buy billions of dollars worth of wireless spectrum from cable companies who aren’t using it anyway. At first glance, it seems like a not-horrible idea, as Verizon Wireless doesn’t compete directly with the likes of Comcast and Time Warner Cable. But with regulators nearing a decision on the deal, several high-profile folks have come forward to voice their concerns about how Verizon might be sacrificing the growth of its FiOS business in favor of its wireless network. [More]
Hey, Who Cut My Comcast Line?
By August 1, 2012
Jim can’t prove that a technician working for Verizon cut his cable line. He didn’t see it happen, and the vandal didn’t leave a signature or anything. All the perpetrator left behind was a dug up, severed Comcast cable, some fiber optic cable, and a conduit. Less than a week before, Jim had booked a tentative FiOS installation a month ahead of time, pending the approval of his housemate. Instead, this turned out to be one of those very rare Consumerist stories where the hero is… Comcast. [More]
Journalist’s Twitter Account Suspended For Sharing NBC Executive’s E-Mail Address
By July 30, 2012
As we mentioned on Saturday, NBC is taking a lot of heat in the social media sphere for its refusal to air marquee events like swimming or gymnastics until its prime time broadcasts. Now one UK journalist’s attempts to get some sort of response from NBC’s many, many, many Twitter pages has led to his Twitter account being suspended. [More]
Less Than 24 Hours Into The Olympics And NBC Has Already Ticked People Off
By July 28, 2012
When NBC first announced it would offer free live streaming to all of the London 2012 Olympic Games, a lot of people were delighted that they would finally not be stuck having to wait until the network’s oft-derided prime-time broadcast coverage just to see the results of events that were already spoiled to most folks with an Internet connection. And yet, even with the live feeds, NBC has managed to piss off an awful lot of viewers. [More]
Man Accused Of Illegally Downloading Porn Countersues For Defamation
By July 24, 2012
We’ve written quite a bit in recent months about porn company lawyers who have tried to bully alleged copyright violators into settling out of court lest it become public record that they are accused of downloading movies that predominantly feature the word “anal.” But there are a few people who have been willing to stand up and defend their reputatiion, like the Kentucky man who recently fired back at his accusers with his own lawsuit. [More]
FCC: Internet Service Providers Are Actually Delivering The Speeds They Promise
By July 20, 2012
Internet service providers take your money and promise to send you speeding along an information superhighway, dangling the carrot of fast connection times to get your business. And according to an annual report card by the Federal Communications Commission, while Verizon and Cablevision are the leaders in providing advertised speeds, it seems most ISPs are getting better at being more consistent on delivering the goods as well. [More]
Comcast Tech Tells Me He’ll Be Right Back… I’m Still Waiting
By July 11, 2012
One of the most frequent complaints we get about cable installers and techs is the blown-off appointment, wherein the tech claims they showed up at your house and you weren’t there. But here’s a story of a Comcast tech who actually showed up at a customer’s home and then skipped out before completing the job. [More]
Woman Sues Porn Companies For Threatening To Sue Her Over Alleged Illegal Downloads
By July 10, 2012
During the years when the music and movie business began going after people for allegedly downloading copyrighted files, the porn industry did very little, claiming it didn’t have the resources to wage large-scale legal battles. But then someone realized there was money to be made in just threatening people with legal action, and a slew of lawsuits followed. Though many people, even those who claim they are innocent, have just paid up to avoid having their peccadilloes made public, one woman has fired back with a suit of her own. [More]
FCC Tells Comcast It Had Better Get To Marketing That Standalone Broadband Service
By June 28, 2012
The Federal Communications Commission has slapped Comcast with a $800,000 fine for not doing its part to market its standalone broadband Internet service. It was supposed to do just that as part of the conditions of its merger with NBC Universal last year. [More]
Judge Sides With Comcast Against “Shakedown” Porn Lawyers
By June 20, 2012
Last week, we told you about Comcast’s refusal to comply with subpoenas for lawyers for porn companies who wanted the cable company to identify the customers behind IP addresses believed to have illegally downloaded copyrighted material. Now the judge in the case has sided with the Kabletown crew, quashing those subpoenas. [More]
Offering 'Catch-Up' Service That Leaves Out Episodes Defeats The Point, Comcast
By June 20, 2012
Carol has been watching the AMC program “Breaking Bad” using Comcast on-demand. Specifically, the Catch-up service so she can catch up on season 4 before the new season starts next month. This service skips episodes and doesn’t seem to actually be designed to catch anyone up, though…unless that customer is an HD subscriber. [More]
Comcast Tech Saves Sleeping Customer From Fire
By June 15, 2012
A woman in Boston says she has a Comcast tech to thank for her being alive today, after he alerted her to a fire in her building. And before you ask, no, the tech did not start the fire. [More]
Ad Watchdog Asks Comcast To Stop Bragging That Xfinity Is “Fastest In The Nation”
By June 14, 2012
Despite an FCC study showing Verizon FiOS with the fastest download speeds, Comcast’s ads for its Xfinity internet service proudly claim that it’s the “fastest in the nation.” Now the Better Business Bureau’s ad watchdog has recommended that the Kabletown folks stop being so boastful. [More]
