Here’s a new one. We really thought we’d heard every Comcast complaint out there, but no, this one has a hooker. Reader A. wanted internet but Comcast said it could not hook up said internet because the person who lived there before didn’t cancel their account. In order to prove he was really the new tenant, he needed to show his lease to Comcast. Unfortunately, instead of a proper Comcast office, customer service sent A. to a payday loan in a bad part of town where he was propositioned by a hooker. He is not pleased, and would like to know if Consumerist readers would still sign up with Comcast after the whole payday loan/hooker fiasco.

A. says:

I recently moved to a new home. Having high speed internet at home is very important me, and I was interested in bundling television as well. I called to get installation on several occasions, but (although the landlord assured me that the previous tenants had cancelled all services) your records showed that my new address still had an active Comcast account. I explained the situation and was told the only resolution was to bring a copy of my lease to my nearest Comcast office.

This is extremely burdensome for me, but since I was told this was the only thing I could do to get internet, I did it. The address your representative gave me was in East Palo Alto, and noted I could go there any time 8am-10pm 7 days a week. I was initially impressed by the customer friendly hours, but when I arrived on a Friday at 2pm, I quickly realized (1) the address was in no way a Comcast office, and (2) it was convenience store in a very sketchy part of town. I locked my car doors and called Comcast back to confirm the address. The representative confirmed the address, so I went inside, waited in the payday loans line, and ultimately was told that they could only process Comcast payments at this location, not verify lease information. The Comcast rep (that I had kept on the phone, in part, for my safety) talked to the cashier herself (I handed the phone through the teller hole in the bulletproof glass) and finally decided that this office couldn’t handle enrollments after all and that I should really try a different office. She gave me three more nearby addresses, but when I asked if they were Comcast branches, she said no, and that I should maybe just go to the office in Foster City.

On the way back to may car, I was propositioned by a prostitute. After declining, I quickly got into my car, locking the doors again, and drove home. I am gainfully employed and simply do not have enough time or energy to go on wild goose chases, nor the luxury of being without internet at my home address. On multiple occasions, I asked to have a Comcast technician come to my new home (I would be happy to produce lease information at their request) or to contact the previous tenants (they should have their contact information; I don’t), but to no avail.

While I regret the many wasted hours during my Easter weekend, I am so glad I learned about Comcast’s complete lack of concern for customer satisfaction and lack of desire to work with a customer to figure out solutions before I became a customer.

So, would you still sign up?

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