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After yesterday's news that Comcast was considering getting in on the already-under-antitrust-scrutiny merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation, the original article has been updated to be slightly less bad. More »
Frank Eliason is a great pointman for escalating Comcast customer service issues, but what if he dies, gets promoted, a new job, or decides we're all just too annoying? Then you might want to have some backup executive customer service info: More »
Yesterday's news that Hulu soon plans to start charging for its service actually came fresh on the heels of Comcast's announcement that it's about to officially launch online streaming video for subscribers to both their cable TV and Internet services. More »
Coaxed by the promise of rebates, Rhea took the Comcast high-speed internet plunge, but found it difficult to get her money, since Comcast had outsourced its rebates to a company called OfferWire. More »
The Harrisburg, Pa. Patriot-News reports Comcast sent out a service upgrades flier with a number for a phone sex line. More »
Where does spam come from? Well, there are these things called botnets. They're networks of hijacked computers that secretly do the bidding of their masters. Often, they send out spam. Comcast plans to offer an automated service that will inform you, within your browser, if your computer is behaving as if it has been compromised by malware. More »
Mike writes us to say Comcast's On Demand service in Chicago is suffering from dropsies reminiscent of Bears receivers. He says a CSR admitted as much when he called to complain. He writes: More »
Comcast sent me an e-mail with this alert/warning that the company is about to change its billing/customer service interface. More »
Hey, are you ready for Comcast to take more control over your entertainment? Then great news for you! Yesterday a rumor leaked that the cable giant is negotiating to buy 51% of NBC Universal, which includes the movie studio Universal, Universal theme parks, the NBC network, and shows like 30 Rock and SNL. More »
The FCC today proposed new rules to protect and preserve "net neutrality," the idea that ISPs must treat all users the same and not prejudice against different types of customers. In a speech, Chairman Julius Genachowski supported adopting the "Four Freedoms" first articulated by the FCC in 2004 (PDF) not just as principles but as formal rules, and adding two more: "non-discrimination" and "transparency." The big networks are, naturally, incensed. More »
So you're working as a door-to-door contractor for Comcast, faced with the task of convincing subscribers to a competitor to get Comcastic and net you some commission. So naturally you decide, "why not disconnect their service, then step in and offer my wares when they'll be more appreciated?" More »
Comcast is going to start rolling out a $2 fee hike across the country this fall, which means your cable modem rental fee will go from $3 to $5 by the end of the year. Comcast says they absolutely have to do this or they'll never be able to pay for service and equipment upgrades, which makes us wonder how the poor underfunded company manages to stay afloat at all. More »
There are three ways in which HDTV blows your mind: It lets you read too-small text in video games and movie subtitles, makes the picture on DVDs take up the entire screen, and in football games lets you see more of the field, and in such stunning detail you can make out the tears on Buffalo Bills fans' faces as their team blows 11-point leads in the final two minutes. More »
Attention: A satisfied Comcast customer has written to this website. Sadly, reader Kevin is now being denied the delicious shivery pleasure of Comcast's services — because his new house is 600' too far away. More »
We're happy for Comcast that it's a giant company and all, but is it really that impossible to have someone in Connecticut talk on the phone with a Connecticut-based customer about a no-show installation tech who we presume should also be in Connecticut? Maybe that's the problem—maybe the technician was accidentally outsourced and is presently driving around Mexico or the Antarctic looking for Karah's address. More »
Zac read our recent post about Comcast randomly throwing advertisements in the middle of cartoons and other programming. He let us know that the errant commercials can be explained by science. Broadcasting technology science, that is! More »
According to reader Chris, Comcast in South Florida has been cutting into TV programming with commercials, preventing viewers from watching various kinds of shows. Reader Chris H. writes: More »
Remember Jim? His Comcast cable box randomly responded to the emergency alert system (EAS) by tuning in to QVC. According to a source inside Comcast, rogue lightning strikes set off the EAS, even though there wasn't an emergency. Two things happen when the EAS activates: the cable box switches to a local channel, and Comcast replaces the local programming with an alert. In Jim's case, the box switched to the emergency channel—which happened to be QVC—but since there wasn't an emergency, there was no special broadcast. So what can you do next time your cable box independently declares an emergency? More »
According to PCWorld, Comcast is testing a program called "Domain Helper" that will redirect you to an advertising page if you type the wrong URL. More »
Marian adorably paid her son's cable, phone and internet bills as he attended grad school in Chicago. All were handled by a company called... Comcast. Duh duh duuuuuuh! More »
Add "rescue people from an underwater car" to the list of things Comcast is better at than installing cable. More »
When Comcast activates the emergency alert system, Jim's cable box snaps into action and tunes itself to QVC. The locked cable box refuses to tune to any other channel, so Jim is left wondering what emergency information he's missing while staring at the latest deals on cubic zirconia bracelets. More »
Do you know that Comcast commercial where this homeowner gets FiOs installed against his will and then all these bulldozers tear up his lawn and bumbling contractors cause an electrical short? Lelah's letter describes a process that's very similar, except worse and much longer. And then this salesman just picks up her guitar and starts playing it and singing without even asking first. No wonder, by story's end, she's been driven to the brink of insanity, demanding compensation for 5 missed days of work. So far, they're offering her $25. More »
Reader Kevin would like to be billed the correct amount for his internet service from Comcast. This is a dream we all share, so let us give our support to Kevin in this dark hour. In his letter to the CEO of Comcast, Kevin says that he has tried many tactics in order to get Comcast to charge him the correct amount — including — but not limited to —- going to the Comcast office and sitting outside in the hope that the account executive would show up. He didn't. This mysterious account executive has also failed to answer messages left on his work voicemail and his cellphone. Perhaps he has become hopelessly trapped under a vending machine somewhere. Someone should try to find him before the scorpions show up. More »
Hey dumb crooks, if you're going to rob a place be sure not to wear a uniform with your company's name on it and drive a van plastered with a nationally recognized logo. It makes it really easy for the police to catch you. On second thought, do just that, please. More »
Hey, look! Comcast has their very own blog! It features mostly regular company news about Comcast services and the adventures of employees and executives, but at least it allows comments. Even Consumerist favorite Frank Eliason, Director of Digital Care (aka @comcastcares on Twitter) has joined in the fun. More »
Comcast-subscribing NFL fans did the Ickey Shuffle back in May when the NFL Network and Comcast revealed that they'd made nice and the channel would made available to Comcasters on the "Digital Classic" package for no additional charge Aug. 1. More »
Look, Comcast, when you take back someone's equipment and give them a receipt confirming that their account has no balance, it's not unreasonable for them to think that their account is canceled. Don't keep billing them for service and equipment rentals, and don't tell them that you "can keep [the account] active and [bill] indefinitely until [you] decide to disconnect it." Because if you do, they're going to call their state Attorney General's office. At least that's how Paul convinced Comcast to finally cancel his account. More »
How are cable providers reacting to the threat posed by online streaming of shows? Forget bandwidth caps for now—how about online access to cable programs, limited to cable subscribers? More »
If you live near Burke, Virginia, you might want to pay close attention when the contractor hired by Comcast comes to install your service. Rick runs a computer repair company and has twice run into the same problem with Comcast customers, where they can no longer access the Internet after an upgrade and are offered an off-the-books repair service. More »
If you're paying too much for cable these days, it really doesn't hurt to call and ask for a discount. You never know, your cable company might surprise you. That's what happened to reader Nitin. More »
It used to be Steven Soderbergh who could get away with bringing indie films to cable on-demand services on their theatrical opening day More »
If a Comcast subcontractor accidentally drills into your electrical box and sets fire to your home — rest assured that the company will take it seriously. One Pennsylvania homeowner is feeling the seriousness right now. It all started when she asked Comcast to install a cable outlet in her kitchen, and it ended with smoke and flames and $20,000 in damage. More »
Looking for some inexpensive entertainment this weekend? It's HBO and Cinemax free preview weekend at a number of major cable providers, including Charter, Comcast, Cox, Time Warner, and Verizon FIOS. If that doesn't include you, keep an eye on the FreePreview.tv site to learn when your provider's previews are coming up. [FreePreview.tv] (Thanks, Tim!) More »
Sorry kids, your days of catching enticingly named porn listed next to your cuddly family shows on Comcast's programming guide are over. Comcast will now place "blocks of dummy channels" to keep family programs away from the racy pay per view channels. More »
This is a sad evening for Consumerist, because this post is about Comcast sending a gigantic bill to an unsuspecting customer and yet we're going to side with Comcast. More »
Last week's word that Comcast and the NFL finally put their blood feud behind them to make the elusive NFL Network available on the basic digital tier was nice and all, but the out-of-nowhere bonus that the Comcast would also snag Red Zone Channel, which lets you keep tabs on all the games simultaneously, was a phenomenal revelation. More »
This should be an easy one to resolve. Readers Rich and Alisa doesn't owe Comcast any money, and Comcast doesn't want them to pay any money. Still, despite this agreement about what is owed, the cable giant still felt the need to threaten to cut off their cable. More »
It's official, the NFL Network and Comcast have finally reached an agreement that will bring the football-only network to the majority of Comcast's subscribers. So, who caved? More »
Kevin abandoned Comcast and switched to FiOS. Since then, his jilted cable/Internet company has made it quite clear how badly they want him back. They can't believe it when they hear that he won't see them. Denial is tough to watch. More »
Reader Adam wrote in to let us know that he's switching to FiOS after Comcast credited his payment to the wrong account number, accused him of not paying his bill, disconnected his cable, lied about it, then couldn't get it back on for several days. More »
Comcast might want to slash the budget on its Live Chat service and devote more resources to Frank and Sherri over on the Twitter side of things. The only good stories we hear about Comcast customer service comes from encounters with them, it seems. More »
Comcast agreed to lower reader O.'s monthly cable bill to $40, but they didn't warn him that the new, lower price would come with a hefty $150 early termination fee. O. could barely afford Comcast's service before, and wouldn't have agreed to the lower fee if he knew about the surprise fee. Comcast is telling him that he has no choice but to pay, and won't even let him return to his previous plan. More »
Congratulations to AIG for beating Comcast in this year's final. More »
This is it, folks. The Final Deathmatch is here. To reach the final round AIG defeated #32 Target, #17 Peanut Corporation of America, #9 Walmart, and #5 Ticketmaster. Comcast had an equally impressive showing, waltzing past formidable opponents such as #30 DirecTV, #14 Capital One, #11 GM, and finally, last year's returning champion #2 Bank of America (Countrywide, Merrill Lynch) went down in an upset last night. More »
A big cable company vs a big bank. A repeat of our final match-up of 2008. Last year Countrywide (now part of Bank of America) prevailed. Which one will you choose? More »
Here we go people: It's the Final Countdown. Let's hear it for the last four companies standing. More »
If you've followed Consumerist for more than a few days you've probably heard that 2009 Worst Company in America quarterfinalist Comcast has been known to engage in some, ahem, sketchy customer service practices. More »
Graham's roommate is moving out. The cable and Internet are in his name, so they called up Comcast to change the name on the account. Simple enough, right? Surprisingly, it was. Until they wanted to know why there was a $10 fee to change the name on the account. More »
Now here is a match-up! One company is trying to avoid bankruptcy in a tough recession, the other struggles with customer service. Which one makes your blood boil? More »
A [Howell, Michigan] man was ordered to stand trial on charges he exposed his genitals to a computer technician trying to fix his slow Internet service. More »
UPDATE: We're bad at Spanish. See below. We came across a Twitter user who, while browsing Comcast's internet prices, discovered that the Spanish-language version of the site offers reduced speeds at the same prices as the higher speeds seen on the English version of the site. What the hell? More »
The FTC has announced that Comcast and DIRECTV, will be paying some fines for ignoring Do Not Call regulations. Ouch. More »
A clueless cable giant? Or a fee-happy credit card company? Who shall taste your wrath? More »
Hannah needs some more training, because her knowledge of Comcast's bandwidth cap is less than Comcastic. We also think calling her an "analyst" is maybe stretching it a bit. More »
Oh, Comcast. Apparently, during a 2 a.m. showing of "Good Friday Mass at the Vatican," Comcast interrupted this regularly scheduled program with... an ad for Girls Gone Wild. More »
After a long day of work, John called Comcast's "24/7" customer service line to downgrade his service. Press 1 to upgrade, 2 to downgrade, chirped the phone. He pressed two and was told that he was calling after hours and would have to call back later. He hung up and redialed and pressed 1, "upgrade," this time, and within 30 seconds was connected with a customer service rep, "who was more than happy to help me DOWNGRADE my service. It was literally a 2 minute call, and I had cancelled the services I don't use and am saving almost $40/mo," blogs John. Clever, Comcast, so clever. More »
This English-as-a-second-language tech support guy just wants to help Noah out, but the weird combination of formal exchanges and misunderstandings make him sound like an AI program. We don't think Jullan even realizes that his good-natured attempts to help are only annoying the customer more. In theory, we like the idea of a tech support guy "extending an extra mile," but maybe next time he should stick to tech support and leave billing questions unto the billing department. More »
On May 1st, the NFL is pulling its cable channel from Comcast's cable line-up over a dispute about the cable company's sports tier. As the deadline looms larger and larger, the company is taking their case to the people. David L. Cohen, an executive vice president of Comcast Corp, wrote the following opinion piece for the Philadelphia Inquirer. More »
The above picture of the huge video screen in the lobby of Comcast's headquarters in Philadelphia pretty much sums up everything you need to know about Comcast as a company. More »
Hillary discovered that her money-saving free digital service self installation kit from Comcast wasn't so free after all when she got her monthly bill. She says they removed the charge when she called to ask about it, which further reinforces our suspicion that this is a sneaky plan to pass the cost of the free kit back to subscribers. If you request a free self install kit from Comcast, watch your bill for extra charges. More »
OceanNet is a company that provides building-wide WiFi to residential buildings in Ocean City, Maryland. One problem — the WiFi was really just some guy's Comcast account. More »
Did the Pornbowl ruin your evening? Or does the NFL Sunday Ticket monopoly fill you with rage? More »
Comcast keeps sending Andrew's parents letters insisting that "there is a leak of our electronic signal into the air," and that if it can't be immediately fixed, their service will be disconnected. Andrew's parents always immediately call Comcast to schedule a service visit, because nobody wants a signal leaking into the air, especially not one that "could interfere with aircraft and ship communications," but each time they call, Comcast has no clue why they sent a letter, or how to plug the leaky plane-gobbling signal. More »
After spending almost 4 months trying to get Comcast to fix the signal problems with his cable, reader William, who lives in an apartment building that only allows Comcast, has decided to just cancel his his account and go without. More »
The New York Times has reported that a list of over 8,000 Comcast user name and passwords were available to the public via Scribd for two months, before a Wilkes University professor discovered it over the weekend after doing a search for his identity online. Comcast is saying it looks like the result of a phishing scam and isn't an inside job, and that there are so many duplicate entries on the list that it's closer to 4,000 customers. More »
Comcast's new service agreement (PDF) has some curious details buried in the fine print. Here's the short version: "customer equipment" includes your computer and TV set, and if Comcast somehow damages or breaks any customer equipment through "gross negligence or willful misconduct," they will pay you up to $500, no more. "This shall be your sole and exclusive remedy relating to such activity." More »
Reader Evan canceled Comcast — which seems to have lead to a barrage of annoying phone calls that simply will not stop. A little Googling turned up others with the same problem... More »
Bob Garfield, creator of ComcastMustDie.com, has declared victory. Comcast isn't dead, but he says instead of being "a vast, greedy, blundering, tone-deaf corporate colossus," it's merely all of the above with the exception of tone-deaf. ComcastMustDie is one of the many online different outlets for customer rage that Comcast has tapped into to proactively respond to customer complaints. They still have a long way to go, but at least they're listening. That is all Bob really wanted, it seems, as he's moving on to a new project, CustomerCircus.net, that will solicit and broadcast consumer complaints against all kinds of companies. And yep, Comcast will still be one of them. More »
Earlier today, Jessica wrote to us about her Comcast horror story: there was something that smelled terrible, and the smell was coming from inside her apartment! He also hooked up her replacement modem incorrectly, so it still didn't work, then said he'd be right back and drove off forever. Luckily, she was able to steal enough wifi to send an email to Comcast, and as of now the problem has been resolved. More »
He is actually still here I as I e-mail you — I hate to be mean, but the BO is so bad, I am seriously choking. He left to get some parts out of the truck and the smell is so strong in my apartment I am going to need to open all of my windows for the rest of the afternoon just to get this smell out. More »
Comcast is testing WiFi service at about 120 NJ Transit rail stations in an effort to retain broadband customers who might otherwise be tempted to switch to FiOS. Will it work? More »
From the archives, Aug 29, 2007 : In today's go-go economy, savvy companies know it's important to draft official policies for a variety of circumstances and surprises that can crop up in the middle of a busy workday, and ensure they are clearly communicated and readily available. More »
NPR spoke with Daniel Roth, a senior writer at Wired Magazine, over the file sharing fiasco that Comcast found itself in about a year ago—the one where a Comcast customer discovered that the company was secretly impersonating his computer to interrupt bittorrent transmissions. More »
The Santa Rosa, California Press Democrat says that Korbel Champagne Cellars will ask a Sonoma County judge to force Comcast to reveal the names of anonymous Craigslist posters who criticized the company. More »
Ever wonder what it's like to be Comcast's resident Twitter wizard, Frank Eliason, for a day? BusinessWeek did, so they sent a reporter to watch Frank, described as a "maverick," spend a day responding to scorned customers. More »
Hate renting set-top boxes from Comcast? So does one San Francisco Comcast subscriber. He's suing, claiming that the rental fees are far in excess of what the boxes would be worth on the open market. More »
Comcast says their investigation shows that their systems were functioning properly, so they've turned the case over to the FBI. More »
Comcast is giving a $10 service credit to every Tucson customer whose Super Bowl viewing was interrupted by a porno snippet, but you have to call in. The number to call is 1-888-315-8219. A thorough system review indicated there was no technical glitch, "suggesting someone deliberately seeking to interrupt the broadcast rather than a technical glitch," wrote WSJ. US Attorney General spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle said, "We take this matter seriously." The pancake pupcake pile said, "You can call me nanerpus, nanerpus." More »
How much would someone have to pay you to have your kids watch a penis? Comcast answers that question by giving a $5 one-time discount to every subscriber in Tucson, AZ who had their cerebellum gelatinized by seeing the porno movie that accidentally cut into the Super Bowl last night, according to a rumor a reporter we know overheard in their newsroom. More »
Comcast customers in Tucson, AZ watching the Super Bowl saw more pigskin than they bargained for when 30 seconds of a porno movie cut in to the final minutes of the big game. "I was watching the game with my family, Larry Fitzgerald scores the go ahead TD - then bam, penis," writes reader David. A Comcastic Fight Club homage, perchance? More »
Google has decided to throw its weight around when it comes to Net Neutrality; the search giant announced a plan to let end users see what their Internet Service Providers do with their bandwidth. What does this matter to you, the aforementioned end user? Inquire inside. More »
Comcast charged Robert a $24.95 "Customertroublecall" fee after he called to ask why they were taking over a month to restore his service after Hurricane Ike swooped in and caused over $3,000 worth of damage. Robert wanted to know why Comcast was continually missing their scheduled service appointments and why they insisted on billing him for a service he couldn't use. More »
A few hours before Republican FCC chairman Kevin "Kevvy" Martin officially lost his job — he launched an investigation into whether Comcast is deliberately degrading rival phone services. More »
For more than a year, says the Baltimore Sun, there were Comcast cables laying in the gutters, and across the driveways of a neighborhood in Hanover, MD. Why were they laying there? Because that's where Comcast installed them. More »
You thought you were having a bad day? Meet Chris. He was installing some equipment for Comcast (by way of a subcontractor) on a water tower in Payne, Ohio. His rigging broke and left him dangling by his safety harness for over an hour. More »
Ever been scorned by Comcast? A brave Comcast Call Rep has given us an in-depth analysis, as well as some ways to navigate around the Cable giant's sales pitch. More »
If your Comcast cable box starts a fire in your home — should you be responsible for paying to replace it? More »
Reader Benjamin is pissed because Comcast in his town of Richmond, VA they raised his rates, and justified it by saying they have to pass on the cost of rising gas, technology, and health care. He writes "Gas is a Buck' 69, they haven't improved the technology in my area, and health care... Really? They might as well of added a $5 fee to restock the candy bowl in the break room of the service center while they are at it." If that's not fun enough, see what happens when he tries to file a complaint about it. They try to route him to the complaint line...but it's been disconnected! More »
Reader Brad forwarded some links to chat transcripts in which he tries to tell Comcast that he can't make local calls, during which he alternates from incredulity to despair then back to incredulity again. He even sings to the CSR. More »
Here's how Stephanie saved $230 on her cable and phone bills after following the tips in "3 Ways To Lower Your Out Of Control Cable, Internet And Phone Bills" More »
If you would like to reach the immediate clutch of minions encircling Comcast CEO Brian Roberts for some reason (say for instance you tried working with Comcast Customer Service Czar Frank Ellison (email: We_Can_Help at cable dot comcast dot com) and for some reason that didn't work out or you weren't happy with his solution - or you just really want to give his executive assistants a piece of your mind and want to increase your chances it will reach his ears) - here's the phone number for the Comcast Office of the President: 215-286-8960. More »
Does Comcast love Obama? Or do they just really, really, really hate FCC Chairman Kevin Martin? [DSL Reports] More »
Inside, email addresses, phone numbers, and addresses for over 100 different companies to inject your customer service complaints into their corporate executive offices, and get it well on the way to success. More »
Reader aishel says that he saved $323.40 yearly on his Comcast bill just by asking! Yes, it can be just that easy. More »
Amy, a student at UC Davis, has just learned one of the lessons that one inevitably learns at college. Cable companies are simply not very good at what they do. Take, for example, the "finished" installation of some cable outlets in her apartment. More »
Reader Josh is a Comcast customer says he was without power for 7 days due to Hurricane Ike, and by calling 1-800-COMCAST he was able to get a service credit for the whole time he couldn't watch TV. More »
Tressy Campbell of Woodstock, Georgia has a kitchen. In this kitchen is a lot of raw sewage. It's been this way since June. As you might imagine, Ms. Campbell is somewhat annoyed about this, and would like the Comcast contractor who drilled a hole in her pipe and ran a cable through it to pay for the repairs. More »
Oh Comcast, you romantic. You were so sorry to see Michal leave that you pretended he didn't. We get it: he bikes, he blogs, he helps toddlers learn Polish. But after four months of him repeatedly asking you to stop billing him, when you still won't stop it begins to look a little stalker-ish. Your computers can't always be down. More »
Yesterday we told you about a man who saved $238.92 per year on his Comcast bill by threatening to cancel and getting a discount to keep him around. Numerous readers chimed in in the comments with their tales of victory using the same method, tales of failure, and a few company employees shared their insider perspective. Ive rounded up the comments and sorted them by the aforementioned categories so you may learn from their tips and tricks to save on your cable bill. Some of the same tactics can be applied to other services, like cellphone or credit cards, as well... More »
David used the classic Threaten To Cancel method to save big time on his cable bill, $238.92 per year. Better yet, he did it in the face of Comcast trying to raise his bill. Granted, it was by less than a dollar. But why pay more if you don't have to? Here's how he did it. More »
Comcast's customer service czar Frank responded to our post "Comcast: "The Patriot Act" Mandates We Need Your SSN" by saying it was an error on part of the agent. Via Twitter he said: More »
Ryan wanted to order new Comcast service but balked at their request for a Social Security number. When he asked why they needed it, the Comcast chat rep said "The Patriot Act" required it. That doesn't sound right to us, or to Ryan. His story and full screenshot of the chat, inside... More »
That would certainly explain some things. More »
Yesterday, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that the police were looking for two men who were posing as Comcast employees as a ruse to steal social security numbers. The men were driving an unmarked car, wandering around a neighborhood knocking on doors and telling residents they needed to fix some wiring issues. One resident refused, claiming that she didn't have an appointment. She then saw the employees start knocking on other doors and, finding it unlikely that her entire neighborhood could have "wiring issues," called the police. More »
Comcast has joined pretty much every other ISP in New York by shutting off access to newsgroups, effective two days ago, although current users will still have access through October 25th. A lot of stories on this topic have focused on how New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has led the overall "crackdown" due to kiddie porn, but we think this is really just a politically convenient business decision to cut costs on a service that's declining in popularity. DSLReports seems to agree, and they offer some advice on where you can get affordable newsgroup access now that your ISP is no longer footing the bill. More »
Reader Michael forwarded Comcast's official warning about the new 250 GB download cap that they've added (or rather, that they've now admitted to) in their Acceptable Use Policy. The cap has been in place for some time, but Comcast is just now getting around to telling everyone about it. More »
Brett Favre lead the NY Jets to victory over the Miami Dolphins Sunday, but if you're in New Haven, CT you didn't get to see it, thanks to an error by Comcast. The cable company accidentally broadcast the wrong game, but when fans called to have the mistake corrected, Comcast told them that their game was blacked out because they lived too close to Foxboro and the New England Patriots. That is, of course, a bunch of baloney. More »
Northfaceninja watched in horror as a Comcast employee repeatedly smashed his Comcast van into a car driven by a senior citizen before barking: "Get the fuck down from your car so I can kick your ass." The angry employee quickly abandoned his ass-kicking plan once he noticed onlookers jotting down his license plate number. More »
Cnet has rounded up a list of free bandwidth monitoring apps for Windows and Mac users who will be facing Comcast's new 250 GB download limit next month. They aren't perfect, but they "should tide you over until Verizon brings some Fios action to your hood." [download.com] More »
Broadband Reports is saying that they've confirmed through several sources that Comcast is going to be instituting a 250GB cap on their high speed internet.
More »
Here's one more thing to worry about when a fire destroys your home -- Comcast. More »
Reader Jeff writes in to let us know that Comcast Frank and the Twitter team swooped in and rescued him from Comcast tech hell. More »
Here's an odd situation: Reader Stephen says that Comcast (his old cable company) disconnected his new Verizon cable. He's not sure what exactly he should do about it and would like your advice. More »
FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell (R-Obviously) recently warned conservative bloggers that the Commission's decision to repudiate Comcast for crippling Bit Torrent could lead the government to start "dictating content policy" by requiring blogs to give equal time to opposing views. Ha! Of course, this can be avoided if we vote for the *ahem* "right" candidate in November. More »
Reader Adam has written in to share his maddeningly typical experience with Comcast. As he says, "They didn't kill my first born child, but they were a big pain in the ass." More »
Are you a Daily Candy subscriber? Surprise, Comcast now owns it. [AppScout] More »
Reader Kyle says that his dispute with Comcast has resulting in something of a happy ending, though they're still working out that pesky easement issue. Comcast is under the impression that it has an easement on Kyle's property, while Kyle's records show that they do not. According to Kyle, Comcast has agreed to mail him some paperwork about the easement and has offered him a credit of $500. More »
If you think you can sign up with Comcast just to get a Wii and then cancel or downgrade service, think again. Downgrade service or cancel in the first year, $250 in fees, second year, $125. Other restrictions apply. The insider says the new Wii promotion is a bunch of crap and they and other Comcast CSRs won't be offering it to customers unless customers beg for it because of all the caveats. Frankly, they're in the right for protecting their asses on this one. However, it's not too hard to imagine scenarios where Comcast gets the account details wrong and customers wrongly get assessed fees... The internal document, inside... More »
Reader Kyle, like so many of us, would rather Comcast not dig up his property without asking, especially when they are a) running cable for his neighbor b) mysteriously avoiding an area near the curb where they could have run the cable without disturbing his yard. To add insult to (landscaping) injury, when he asked the Comcast workers to stop digging they refused, and when he called Comcast to ask them to tell the workers to stop, they also refused, then hung up on him. More »
Finishing second in the Worst Company In America contest hasn't slowed down Comcast's money making machine. Their profits rose 7% thanks to telephone and high-speed Internet services. They're adding customers and making more money per customer, thanks to bundling, says Bloomberg. "...Average revenue per customer rose 8.6 percent to $109.66 as it sold packages combining its services." [Bloomburg] More »
Just like we told you via exclusive insider leak last Tuesday, Comcast is indeed giving away a Wii to new triple--play subscribers. It says so right in their press release. You will have to sign a new 2-year contract with Comcast for "Triple Play" services. And you will have to sign up with Comcast. There is that. More »
Duhn duhn da duhn! Envelope please... yes, America has voted and... the Worst Company in America award goes to.... Countrywide Home Loans (now owned by Bank of America)! The final vote was... More »
Comcast's Twitter-jockey has his own New York Times story. Awww. We love Frank, even though we probably make his life really crappy by posting lots of Comcast complaints. Oh well! Sorry, Frank. More »
Chris L. writes in to let us know that the EECB (Executive Email Carpet Bomb) is probably the only way you're going to get Comcast to fix a network problem that affects your entire neighborhood. Calling and talking to the "zombies" at the call center will just result in yet another "truck roll" (where Comcast comes to your house and says everything is fine.) More »
The Washington Post is the latest paper to attempt the problem of just why and how Comcast is able to suck as hard and as consistently as they do. They run through the usual suspects (too much emphasis on growth, Brian "Comcatastophe" Roberts makes $20 million a year, too much competition, not enough competition, people watch videos, it's Wednesday, I love lamp, etc.). Whatever the reason for Comcast's suckage, its not accidental, and we're thoroughly bored with the excuses, but we did enjoy the article for its obligatory "bad customer experience" anecdote -- in which Comcast characterizes itself as going "above and beyond" for the consumer. More »
Comcast will be giving away a limited supply of free Wiis in an upcoming promotion, a current employee tell us. The offer is good for new Comcast triple-play subscribers signing up July 28-August 17th in select markets. Our tipster confirmed the promo will be good in Miami, San Francisco, Houston, Denver, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, and some other markets too. In valid markets where triple-play is not available, double-play subscriptions are eligible.The cable provider is apparently undaunted by the unresolved incompatibility issues between some Comcast-provided routers and the Wii. More »
UPDATE: After he sent an EECB, all of Andrew's billing errors have been resolved. More »
Well, folks. This one is for all the marbles and a beautiful lucky golden shit statue, suitable for display in the corporate headquarters of either Comcast or Countrywide (now Bank of America). More »
The box we teased you about contained a glistening golden poo statue. That's right, the award for Worst Company In America is here. That can mean only one thing... On Monday we host our final deathmatch between Comcast and Countrywide Home Loans. It's going to be a brutal bloodbath full of chills and spills. Only one will walk away champion, and then we will mail them their justly deserved prize. Stay tuned to Consumerist.com for all the hot crappy-company-on-crappy-company action. More »
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin told the Associated Press yesterday that Comcast had "violated our principles" when it came to managing their network. He accused Comcast of arbitrarily blocking internet traffic and failing to disclose to consumers that it was doing so. More »
UPDATE: Comcast has now removed Brad from its mailing lists for really reals. More »
Here at the Consumerist we get a lot of emails requesting more "happy stories." While we wait for some to happen, here are 13 headlines we would love to write. They are in no particular order. More »
Here's your first "Final Four" matchup: #1 Comcast VS #12 Diebold. More »
Christopher made the mistake of calling Comcast to order a baseball package and now he's been stuck with an outrageously high (and incorrect) bill. Every month. For 3 months. He calls and calls and they tell him it's fixed and it never is... More »