Here is a brief excerpt. Theories are proposed, and theories are refuted.

Maryjo Bacolod > May I just ask as to what voice prompt you are getting
whenever trying to dial a 603 number?

Brad_ > "we're sorry. due to telephone company trouble, your call cannot be completed at
this time. Will you try your call again later?"
Brad_ > Toll calls work fine. I can call my voice mail box in Seattle, but not my neighbor

Maryjo Bacolod > Also, to better look into your concern, can you provide me a specific
number that you have tried to contact using your phone service with us?

Brad_ > (It's a free, quasipalindromic box... it's cool).
Brad_ > I tried calling my pharmacy — 437-8100. Tried placing a reorder for insulin and I can't get through
Brad_ > I fear for my life if we don't resolve this problem.

Maryjo Bacolod > I really apologize for this.
Maryjo Bacolod > We have already checked here on our end and everything seems
to be working fine with your phone service.
Maryjo Bacolod > There are no current outages.

Brad_ > Then what's the problem?

Maryjo Bacolod > The problem could be with the phone provider of the recepient you are trying to call

Brad_ > Why can't I dial locally?

Maryjo Bacolod > But let me also check here on my end. i would need a minute or two for this.
I'll try to contact the phone number you are trying to access/ call.

Brad_ > I tried calling my parents, my cell phone, my wife's cell phone, the pizza place, a girl I dated
in high school, and the animal shelter. All within 603. Same bloody telephone company problem
error message
Brad_ > It's a problem with the telephone company, you. Not the good folks I was trying to call.
Brad_ > I won't sit idly by while you besmirch the name of the pizza place and the animal shelter, good madam.

Maryjo Bacolod > Let me try to dial it on my end so we can verify.

Brad_ > Please.

Maryjo Bacolod > Would you allow me two minutes for that?
Maryjo Bacolod > Thanks

Brad_ > Take three, they're small.

Maryjo Bacolod > I will try to make a test call to this number you have provided.

Brad_ > Aaaaaaaand....?

Maryjo Bacolod > Sorry for the long wait.
Maryjo Bacolod > I tried dialing your pharmacy's phone number and we can access it here on our end.

Brad_ > No problem. I thought you didn't take your torch and got eaten by a grue.
Brad_ > Cool. So what's messed up between me and them?

Maryjo Bacolod > When do you get the error message. Is it after dialing all the numbers?
Maryjo Bacolod > Or does it prompt you after 4 numbers dialed.
Maryjo Bacolod > or after dialing 603?

Brad_ > I dial the full seven digits, wait about 10 seconds, and instead of the ring, I hear the faux-British lady telling me the telephone company is screwed up
Brad_ > I'm in 603, I don't need to dial it for local calls
Brad_ > I don't think the faux-British lady is even faux-British. Probably Welsh

Maryjo Bacolod > I see. As per advice of my supervisor, the 603 area code has to be included during the dialing process.
Maryjo Bacolod > Can you try doing it on your end?
Maryjo Bacolod > Just to see if it works.

Brad_ > Why would I suddenly have to start dialing 603?
Brad_ > Why wouldn't I have been notified so I wouldn't lose close to two hours of my
life on this issue?

Maryjo Bacolod > I apologize for that.

Brad_ > IT didn't work. I don't trust you or your supervisor

Eventually the CSR agrees to schedule a technician. This is Brad's second chat — after he never received a promised follow-up call.

New chat log:
user Brad_ has entered room
Brad>Need to schedule support, I suspect a faulty modem. Can receive inbound calls, can make long distance calls, cannot make local calls.

analyst Michael has entered room

Michael>Hello Brad_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Michael. Please give me one moment to review your information.
Michael>I will be happy to assist you with that.
Michael>Since your account protection is a priority to Comcast, I need to verify some information before I am able assist you. May I have the full name,and phone number the account is under. Thank you.

Brad_>Sure, Brad Gagne, number’s [redacted]

Michael>Thank you, One moment please, While I verify that information, and I will be back with you shortly.

Brad_>Cool.

Michael>What lights are on the phone modem, Please let me know which are steady and which are flashing.

Brad_>Battery light is blinking green, all others are steady green
Brad_>Thursday night reps Katrina and MaryJo line tested the heck out of our setup, reset the modem remotely, but ended up scratching their heads

Michael>Thank you, One moment Please.

Brad_>And a promised call to schedule service never came
Brad_>*** WARNING *** I’m getting frustrated

Michael>Thank you
Michael>I do understand, testing indecated that I will need tor reset your modem.

Brad_>… and the seventeenth time is any different from the previous 16?
Brad_>Do you have the chatlogs from before?

Michael>I can only hope if it doesn’t work I will schedule a Technician and tell them to bring a new modem.

Brad_>It won’t do a bit of good, but go ahead
Brad_>Work the script

Michael>Thank you for your understanding,

Brad_>IS there any record of the two hours that I’ve already spent on this on your end?

user Brad_ has left room
analyst Michael has left room

Brad_>It’s back up, all green with a blinking battery
Brad_>Seriously… I got dropped again?
Brad_>Hello?
Brad_>Good acoustics in here.
Brad_>Just a small town girl… living in a lone-ly worllllld
Brad_>She took a midnight train goin’ an-ny-wherrrrre…
Brad_>Just a city boy… born ‘n raised in South Detroiiiit…
Brad_>He took a midnight train goin’ an-ny-wherrrrre…
Brad_>I power cycled it myself when your reset brought me nothing but pain
Brad_>Can you hear me now? (Sorry, that’s the other guys)
Brad_>[Tap] [Tap] [Tap] Hello?
Brad_>Michael? You there buddy?
Brad_>Michael?
Brad_>Miiiiichael?
Brad_>You still there?

Michael>Analyst has closed chat and left the room

We wonder how many times a day this exact chat is held with Comcast. Hundreds? Thousands? Eventually Brad did get a technician scheduled, but it took yet another chat session. Next time, why not try the services of Comcast's Twitter team? Tell them the Consumerist sent ya.

Comcast Can Kiss My Ass [GDSOB]
Comcast Can Kiss My Ass Round 2 [GDSOB]
Comcast can Kiss My Ass Round 3 [GDSOB]
(Photo: mojojornjorn )

Amy says:

I know you guys like to rip on Comcast, and now I better understand why. Yesterday, one of my three apartment mates had cable installed in her room. The guy took 2 and a half hours to do everything, which didn't make sense to me, because we've had Comcast cable before so everything should have been all ready to go. And then he left the outlets in the other rooms undone, and even ripped into my wall (see attached photos). And this is the "finished" job. I'm sure my landlord will be pleased.

Yikes. You might want to consider sharing these photos with Comcast HQ— be sure to request that the damage to your apartment be repaired and the outlets installed properly.

WSBTV says that the contractor, Madison Communications, has offered her $12,000 to fix the kitchen, which she would gladly accept — were it not for the fact that the estimates she's gotten say that it will take her at least $15,000-$16,000 to clean up the mess.

We hope she's able to get this resolved, but there is one ray of hope — the limit for small claims court in Georgia is $15,000. Go get 'em, Tressy!

Homeowner Says Cable Mistake Filled Kitchen With Raw Sewage [WSBTV] (Thanks, Tim!)

They told a woman they needed to come into her house to fix some wiring, according to a police report. She noted the men drove a black Saturn sedan rather than a marked Comcast vehicle and refused to let them enter, saying she didn't have an appointment.

The woman told police the men walked down the street knocking on doors.

An 80-year-old homeowner who lives across the street told police he and his son let the men inside. While inside, one of the men had the elderly man say his Social Security number into a cell phone and gave him a false work order, according to the report.

Comcast employees, including contractors, have identification available at all times and usually have a Comcast or contractor vehicle, company spokesman Steve Kipp said.

In some door-to-door sales cases, Comcast employees may ask for the last four digits of a customer's Social Security number to verify an account, he said. But that information also can be provided over the phone, Kipp said.

Installers never ask for money and should have their Comcast badges prominently displayed, he said.

Today the paper posted a new report that confirms that these mysterious social security number thieves were in fact actual Comcast contractors who were not following proper company procedure.

Kipp said the contractors, working for Roseville, Calif.-based Winmark Authorized Agent Group, should have had their Comcast identification present.

"We're working with the contracting company to make sure they're properly trained and an incident like this wouldn't happen again," Kipp said.

He said the Social Security and AARP membership information obtained from one man was used to verify a Comcast account and not retained by the contractors.

According to Winmark Authorized Agent Group's website they're a D2D marketing firm. They don't appear to be in the "wiring fixing" business.

Police searching for fraudulent Comcast employees [Seattle P-I]
Wanted Comcast contractors actually legit, company says [Seattle P-I]

From the Peoria Journal Star:

"The directions that we sent to Comcast were misunderstood," Big Ten Network president Mark Silverman said. "Instead of putting the Illini game on the main channel . . . inadvertently the Northwestern game was put on the main network throughout the state.

"We're going to have another level added to this process . . . to make sure it doesn't happen again. What happened happened, and we know the fans were very upset."

Most Comcast customers in the state subscribe to digital service and were able to see the Illinois game in its entirety, said Rich Ruggiero, Comcast spokesman in Chicago.

"Comcast regrets that standard cable customers were unable to watch the game, and we are working with the Big Ten Network to ensure Comcast will be able to offer Big Ten Network coverage of Illinois games on standard cable to central Illinois viewers throughout the rest of the season," Ruggiero said.

TV snafu prompts apologies [PJS]
(AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

A viewer from West Haven e-mailed the Register to say that, when his daughter called Comcast, “they admitted to receiving many irate complaints and claimed that the NFL ordered this to happen. That is totally false! Their claim was that due to our close proximity to Foxboro, the NFL ordered the game to be blacked out.”

Comcast spokeswoman Laura Brubaker on Monday said the signal overlay was a mistake, related to the standard practice of “network nonduplication protection.”

“Due to an inadvertent technical error, Comcast erroneously overrode the broadcast of Sunday’s NFL match-up between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins on WCBS in the New Haven area. We apologize for the inconvenience this caused our customers,” Brubaker said.

You'd think after so many irate calls, Comcast would start to suspect that something was wrong...?

Comcast admits it fumbled Jets game [New Haven Register]
(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

After his bill kept increasing mysteriously each month Adam and his wife decided that they'd better downgrade their package and get rid of Comcast's digital phone service. It only took 3 days and 9 phone calls before Adam's wife gave up and just went to Comcast's office. And, naturally, when she got home with her new modem the internet didn't work. And when they fixed the internet the cable stopped working. So far, Adam and Crystal are up to 13 calls to Comcast...

- Monday, I got on the phone and called at 9:30pm to find that their offices were closed at 9pm.

- Wednesday, I called at 8:15pm, got the run around and had to hang up to take care of other obligations. I promised I would call back the following night to discuss the matter further.

- Thursday, I started calling at 8pm...

Call #1-2: The first two calls I was put on hold for ten minutes before getting a tier 1 representative. Tier 1 reps can talk about what is on your bill and why it is there, but can not change anything. When the tier 1 rep put me on hold for a tier 2 rep who could change my account (see above: account specialist) I was disconnected both times.

Call #3: My third call landed me a tier 1 rep again who sent me to hold for a tier 2. When what I thought was a tier 2 rep picked up it turned out to be a tier 1 again. I Expressed my frustration to this rep and was assured that I would be put in touch with a specialist this time. I held for 5 minutes and was disconnected.

Call #4: Call #4 had me back on the line with a tier 1 and begging to talk to someone who could actually help as it was 8:52pm and I knew they closed at nine. I was put on hold for a tier 2 and finally someone from sales picked up. The guy from sales said he could not help me, but would transfer me to a account specialist who could. I told him the department closed at 9pm and that I wanted to make sure I got someone on the line. He assured me that the department was open 24 hours a day even after I told him about the prerecorded message I had heard Monday. At 8:56pm I was transferred and got the message about the department closing at 9pm.

Call #5: While on hold for call #4 I asked Crystal to call as well in an attempt to double our chances. The tier 1 rep transferred her to the tier 2 department at 8:55pm and she got the closed message.

Call #6: Crystal's final call of the night was made at 8:57pm where upon she got to a tier 1 rep who told her that the account specialist office was closed at 9pm. My loving wife pointed out the simple fact that it was 8:57pm and wondered to the rep if every account specialist left early that night. The rep repeated herself again (in her best monotone put out robot voice) and tried to end the call. Crystal asked to speak to a manager and the rep told her that a manager would tell her the same thing and could not make account changes. The rep then wished Crystal good night and hung up.

- Friday came and Crystal had the day off. She called mid day and went from a tier 1 to a tier 2 the first try. She decided to downgrade our package and drop the digital phone. When the phone call was nearly complete the line disconnected. Having had enough phone calls to Comcast in one lifetime she decided to drive up to the Richmond office. When she arrived she got in line exchanged the combo internet/phone modem for just and internet one and got an estimate for what our monthly bill would be ($125 by the way).

When she arrived home she hooked up the new modem and the internet did not work anymore. She called Comcast repair and was told she had two options.

1. Remove the plan downgrade, get a chance to fix the internet and be transferred to a tier 2 rep who could reapply the downgrade.

2. Wait till August 5th (4 days without internet) for the plan downgrade to go through their system and then get a chance to fix the internet.

Frustrated she choose door number two in the hopes that I could fix it when I got home from work. When I did arrive home I made sure everything was hooked up properly (it was) and called the same repair department she had earlier. I actually got a competent person on the phone and had the internet fixed in 20 minutes, without any mention of downgrades.

The cable TV in our office stopped working later that night and has not worked all weekend. Crystal called and they assured her that the only way to fix it was by sending out some one to repair it. I am going to call tonight and roll the dice (more like Russian roulette) that I get someone smart on the phone. That or yell at a twenty something who makes $10 an hour.

The icing on this crap cake... Verizon sent us a postcard in the mail starting a two month count down for Fios in our area. You bet your sweet ass I am switching!

UPDATE: Comcast Frank sent us the following statement:

We already reached out to Adam on his blog and we are reviewing this experience with our leaders in Richmond. This was unacceptable and we will make sure we learn from it and work to make sure it is avoided in the future. We have apologized to Adam and we will also make sure he is cared for based on the trouble we created.

Comcast is an Asshole [A2W]
(Photo: Spidra Webster )

Kyle says:

I'm in the basement playing video games and my wife calls down to me, telling me that there are two guys digging in our front yard. I run up stairs to check it out, and they tell me that they're running cable to my neighbor's house. I would have no problem with this, except that they were running the line through my yard, and not through the other patch of grass near the curb where they should have been running it. I spoke to one of them and asked why they didn't ask me if they could dig on my property, and he gave me some noise about needing to run it over here because of the line signal. I told him to stop digging for a few minutes while I spoke with someone at Comcast.

I call the local number, navigate the tree and finally get in touch with a human being. For the first time in probably 3 years, I did not confirm the woman's name before continuing. I explained the situation and she tells me that she can't do anything about it. I ask to be put in touch with someone who can do something about it. She asks me for either my phone number or my account number, both of which I decline to provide. She continues saying that she's trying to help me, I inform her that she does not need my phone number to transfer me to someone who can help me. She asks if I'm a Comcast customer, I say yes, but also tell her that it doesn't matter; if I was a Dish customer, they still wouldn't be able to dig in my yard.

At this point she starts trying to talk over me, and I raise my voice to drown her attempts to talk over me. Then she hangs up on me. I'm researching DirecTV and Dish as we speak.

We asked Comcast for their official lawn digging policy, but our email went unanswered at the time of this post. Kyle says that the Comcast workers did a good job covering up where they were digging, but he's "just irritated that two Comcast techs took it upon themselves to start digging on private property when there is an area near the curb that they could have used that isn't my property." He also adds: "The real test will come in next several days, seeing if any of that grass ends up dying."

Since we don't know Comcast's official policy about digging up your lawn, we'll just refer our readers to their official coffee making policy. It is totally irrelevant, but quite comprehensive.

Kyle sends an update:

Comcast has an easement on the property on the other side of the sidewalk, a strip of grass roughly 3 feet wide directly next to the curb. This same strip of grass is where the box is located, in front of my other neighbor's house.

Had they used this area (and this area only) I would have had no problem. Instead, they also used a part of my yard, which is not fenced. There is no easement on my property, aside from that "communal" strip of grass.

Comcast has written us back and will be investigating the issue further, but in the meantime, Frank, Comcast's Twitter-jockey, says:

"The rules and policies regarding utility easements vary by municipality guidelines. It is always our goal to do any type of digging in the least intrusive manner possible. "

Frank from Comcast sends another update. He says that Comcast was within its legal rights to dig up Kyle's lawn, but admits that it could have been handled better. (Like, by not hanging up on him.)

As a quick follow up regarding this situation. The place where work was being done was in the utility easement for [redacted], which is 12 feet from the curb. We are working with the Customer to learn more of his experience and improve it for others. But ultimately we could have done a better job of explaining what we were doing and what an easement is.

Yay, communication.

(Photo: u2acro )

After five weeks, 20 calls, a day off work and three visits that ended without any idea why Bayes couldn't get service, Comcast found the solution to this head-scratcher of a problem: The company hadn't run cable lines to Bayes's house.

...Bayes, a membership specialist for the National Rifle Association, said his problem began before the first service agent came to his home. The new-home specialist should have been able to tell Bayes there was no service to his new home from the first call, he said. None of the many other service representatives caught that error for weeks.

Comcast installed a line from the neighborhood hub to his home almost six weeks after his first call.

"We went above and beyond for him," [Spokeswoman Jenni Moyer] said.

But that wasn't enough for Bayes. Last week, he switched providers.

"Above and beyond?" Seriously?

Call the Cable Guy. Again. [Washington Post] (Thanks, Brian!)
(Photo: cmorran123 )

I'm writing cause I'm at my wits when and don't really know what else to do. Approximately 4 months ago I called up comcast and explained to them that I needed to have the movie channels discontinued since I don't watch them anymore. I also told them I wanted to add the Baseball package which I really missed the year before when I didn't order it. The guy explained to me that my bill for everything I had would go down to approximately $115+40 for my baseball package (for the time it was on). Sure enough my next bill was 115 since the baseball season hadn't started yet.

The following month I got this bill for $380. I called and talked to a couple people including a manager, who's names I wrote down, they all insisted that I owed comcast $380 or else. Finally, I got in touch with a sweet old lady from the billing department to whom I explained that I had spoke to a rep the month before who had told me I would only owe $115+40 for the baseball package. She asked for some time to look into the issue and through the call logs and said she would call me back. Sure enough she called be back and said that she couldn't put me on $115 a month but could put me on $120 a month package which I was fine with she said she'd fix it and everything would be fine by the next bill.

May bill comes in and again the bill is for $320. So I called comcast again to find out what the issue was and they insisted that I had not fully paid my bill in past couple months. I told them the names of the people I spoke with and to look into the account notes in the system. Again we went through the whole song and dance and the lady said she'd fix it and I should call back in a couple days to verify that the problem had in fact been rectified in the system. She even gave me her extension and name and said I should ask to speak with her. Well I call back and when the comcast agent picks up the phone I asked to be transferred to Debbie. He responded that he couldn't and that he would help me with my problem today.

Well, we got in to a discussion on how I had already told this story a million times and didn't want to have to tell it a million and one times and that I had dealt with Debbie and that I wanted to speak directly with her cause she was familiar with my case. He informed me that their system was not capable of transferring people from one agent to another and that he didn't know who Debbie was, which was funny considering that the gentleman I had spoke with earlier that day said no problem but she wasn't at her desk and to call back. So I told him I wasn't talking to him and I wanted to speak with his manager. The agent again informed me that he couldn't transfer me to his manager cause the system wouldn't allow it without me telling him my problem first and that even if he did his manager was working with the same tools as him and couldn't transfer me back to Debbie. After this round robin of me say I wanted to speak with Debbie and him saying he couldn't transfer me cause the system wouldn't allow it, he said that he would go find his manager and see about what he could do. Upon returning he informed me that his manager said he could transfer me to Debbie if I told him what my issue was. Upon which the following discussion came out of.

Me: So you lied to me?
Comcast Agent: No sir I did not lie to you.
Me: You told me that there was no way to transfer me from one person to another in the system, that is what you said!
Comcast Agent: Yes sir I did say that but...
Me: So you lied to me then!!!
Comcast Agent: Ok sir I lied to you.
Me: Apologize to me!
Comcast Agent: Well sir it wasn't really lying.
Me: Apologize to me or else were going to wait here until you do.
Comcast Agent: Ok... Sorry.
Me: What are you sorry for?
Comcast Agent: I'm sorry I lied to you.
Me: What did you lie to me about.
Comcast Agent: I'm sorry I lied to you about being able to transfer you to another agent.

Normally I try to be a little more nicer to people but I can't stand people treating me like I'm 4 and lying to me. So I told him my issue and he said he would fix it. To which I got his name and told him if I found out he lied to me again by telling me he would fix it then I would be calling him back.

June comes around and I get a bill for $320, again its wrong but this month I'm moving so I make a payment for the amount I really owe and call up to get the rest taken care of. The lady tells me that she'll fix it but its going to take a day in the system cause its got to go up for approval. So, with boxes all around me, I tell her ok and that I just need to schedule a move and that it.

Now she informs me that they can't process a move until the account is corrected so I'm stuck without cable for a couple days but I should call back Monday and verify that everything is fine. So this morning I got onto Comcast's website to find out if the changes had been made, and talked with a gentleman by chat, who informed me that comcast had already credited me with $245 and that I should be grateful for that. I asked him to look at the notes for the account to which he said that he couldn't see any notes made by people who called in but only by instant online chat.

Needless to say my problem is not in act fixed and I don't know what to do. I've called and I've called they say its fixed and then the next month there a huge bill. My apartment building only allows comcast no DishTV, DirectTV or FIOS. I've had it up to here with Comcast but need internet and would like Cable TV.

-Christopher

You didn't mention where you lived, but from the sound of things, your community might have a franchise agreement of some kind with Comcast. Contact your local government and ask them how to file a formal complaint about Comcast and their inability to send you an accurate bill. If your email to us fails to impress, that might get their attention. If nothing else, it'll give your town hall some more ammo to throw Comcast's way when they're feeling annoyed, and we're in favor of that.

Ryan says:

Apparently their trucks run on "high speed" only. And guess what? No free cable.