NEW YORK, 7:02 PM, TUE MAY 13 | 29 POSTS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS | tips@consumerist.com | SUBMIT A TIP | RSS
Posts Tagged “

Comcast

network management

Comcast: You're Paying More For The Ability To Reach The Download Cap Faster

Comcast, it seems, has a serious problem. They're selling "Unlimited Access," but again and again their customers tell us that they're being threatened with "termination" for using too much bandwidth. How much is too much? Comcast won't say. According to their Acceptable Use Policy, "too much" is defined as "where bandwidth consumption is not characteristic of a typical residential user of the Service as determined by the company in its sole discretion." Reader Peter is one such atypical customer. He wants to cooperate with Comcast, but he can't get a straight answer as to how much downloading he's allowed to do. He can't even get an estimate. Since he pays for the highest tier of access from Comcast, he figures that he should be able to download more than a "typical" user. Not true, says the Comcast "Abuse" department. Since his internet is "faster" he's simply paying more for the ability to reach the bandwidth limit sooner. More »

technical problems

Xbox Live Won't Refund Points For Game They Can't Deliver

How long can a company continue to "investigate" what's obviously a failed download before they credit your account? For Xbox Live Marketplace, the answer is 2 months, 2 weeks, and counting. Every attempt Joe makes at resolving the issue lands him in a customer service purgatory from which no solution can ever escape. Joe writes, "The problem is that there is no recourse for the customer in a situation where this actually does happen. Microsoft took my money before my product was transferred to me. The transfer then failed to take place. It is no fault of my own and there is nothing I can do about it." Read Joe's full account below. More »

worst company in america

Round 33: Comcast vs The American Arbitration Association

Tier 1 voting is over (we'll get a nice standings chart up soon). Now it's time for things to get more intense, now we'll have some real competition. This is Round 33 in our Worst Company in America contest, Comcast vs The American Arbitration Association.

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2008 series. The companies nominated for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america


comcastic

Comcast Installs Big-Ass Box On Your Lawn

According to an article in The Press Democrat, some residents in Santa Rosa, CA. are coming home to find large green Comcast utility boxes installed on their property, often in the middle of their lawns. The unsightly green plastic boxes are about the size of an air conditioner and have been popping up in Santa Rosa as Comcast upgrades its cable network. Naturally, the residents are upset. More »

comcast

2nd Insider Says Comcast Indeed Decentralizing Network Operations Centers

Another Comcast insider says that the cable company is decentralizing its two main network operation centers. He says this is because of Comcast's different regions groups complaining about losing customers due to outages they had no control over. In addition, he suggests that while it might result in a better network, it may also lead to higher prices. More »

comcastic

Thank You For Contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My Name Is Lethel.

Katherine, a new Comcast subscriber, was setting up her online account access when for reasons unknown it told her that she must talk the online CSR. Suddenly she felt fear and trepidation radiate down her arm and settle into her mouse hand. She took a deep breath, said a silent prayer and clicked "CHAT NOW." What proceeded was a mind numbing 20 minutes of her life that Katherine will never get back. Her letter and chat log inside... More »

random billing

"Comcast Treats My Bank Account Like A Cookie Jar"

Of all our random corporate screw-up stories, this is one of the funniest, if only because it's so random and so persistent. Oh wait, Kelly's out over $100 now and Comcast keeps debiting her account whenever they feel like it. Maybe that's not that funny after all. More »

comcast

How To Get $90 Off Your Comcast Bill

Reader Matthew just cut his Comcast bill in half with a single phone call. He received a flier from one of Comcast's competitors that boasted a much better price than the $175 per month he was paying. When he called Comcast and told them about the better rate, he was swiftly transferred to "customer retention" which must be a place of magical wonderment because by the time he got off the phone his Comcast bill had been reduced by $90. How did he do it? His letter, inside... More »

videos

Comcast Contractor Van Does Doughnuts

If you've ever wondered why Comcast is late for your appointment, it may be because their contractors are too busy doing doughnuts in the snow with their work vans, as shown in this awesome video! When I showed this to Carey, he said, "I actually like them more having seen it." Whooo, it's Comcastic!

(Thanks to Waldon!)


Comcast Decentralizing Network Support Groups? A Comcast insider part of a network operations group tells me that Comcast is doing some behind the scenes reorganization and decentralization so as not to suck as much. The insider says:

shady

Azureus: Other ISPs May Also Be Throttling BitTorrent

Azureus has released data that suggests that Comcast may not be the only ISP throttling BitTorrent, says TorrentFreak:
A few months ago Azureus petitioned the FCC, which led to a FCC hearing in February. One of the complaints from the commission was that there is little data available on the scope of BitTorrent throttling, a gap Azureus now tries to fill by collecting data on the prevalence of TCP-resets among ISPs worldwide.
More »

success stories

Comcast Fixes Problem Of Reader They Made Cry

Stephanie's internet is back after she used the contact info from our post "Comcast Trawling Blogs And Twitter For Customer Complaints" to email Comcast's problem solver, Frank Eliason. Stephanie writes, "Within an hour of my email to Frank he responded, saying that he forwarded my problem to Scott the local guy...they had a tech at my house within an hour." Score!

PREVIOUSLY: Comcast Skips 3 Appointments, Hangs Up On You 6 Times, Makes You Want To Cry
(Photo: u2acro)


anger

Comcast Skips 3 Appointments, Hangs Up On You 6 Times, Makes You Want To Cry

Reader Stephanie wants to cry because of Comcast:

I HATE dealing with tech support. This time, I bit the bullet because my internet connection wasn't working.

UPDATE: Stephanie's problem has been fixed.

More »

customer service

Comcast Trawling Blogs And Twitter For Customer Complaints

The sometimes customer service deficient cable company Comcast has a new "fireman" whose job is to respond when people blog or Twitter their customer complaints. Frank Eliason's unenviable task is to watch the blogosphere and reach out to posters when they kvetch about Comcast. He's a nice guy, he's reached out to help some our reader's posted complaints, but he's not omnipotent. This article covers two people customers contacted by Eliason. One of them got their problem solved within a day, the other was still waiting for a solution a work-week later. It is Comcast, after all. Still, if regular customer service isn't helping you, try blogging or Twittering your problem and maybe the magic customer service fairy will visit you! Also, his Twitter profile is comcastcares and his email is We_Can_Help@cable.comcast.com.

Comcast's big push to repair its image [Philly.com]


Comcast Apologizes For Tech's Van Blocking Driveway Frank Eliason from Comcast Executive Customer Service provided the following statement regarding the San Fransican whose Comcast cable service mysteriously shut off 10 minutes after asking a tech to move his van from in front of his driveway:

too much internet

Comcast Threatens You With Termination Because You Use Too Much Internet

Dave Winer uses a lot of internet. Too much, it seems, for Comcast's tastes. They shut his connection down because he was clogging up the pipes. More »

customer service

Comcast: Repair Techs On-Time Or You Get $20

Did you know that Comcast has an "on-time guarantee?" That's right, if your tech arrives outside the time window for a repair, you're entitled to a $20 credit. For installs, you get one free cable outlet installed. A former Comcast worker says, "Only dispatchers have the ability to put this credit on accounts, however," which makes us wonder how easy it is to actually get these applied to your account. Maybe if you use these numbers to call dispatchers directly you'll get somewhere. [Comcast]

comcast

Ask Comcast Tech To Move His Van, Mysteriously Lose Signal

Reader Daniel lives in San Francisco, where parking is notoriously impossible. He came home one morning to find a Comcast van blocking his drive way, and politely asked the driver to move. Ten minutes later he lost his internet and TV signal. Mysterious coincidence, or malevolent tech? Check out the details, inside. More »