It’s nothing new for a cable company to send out e-mails urging customers to upgrade to the latest technology. It’s another for those e-mails to include links that automatically opt you in to that upgrade without warning.

Over on his personal site, consumer advocate Bob Sullivan writes about numerous complaints from Comcast customers who say they have received e-mails from the cable giant saying that company “records indicate that your cable modem needs to be upgraded” if they want to take full advantage of the Xfinity network.

Of course, this doesn’t mention that one of those benefits is that the new Comcast-supplied equipment could be used to provide public WiFi access that piggybacks on your home WiFi.

Regardless, what seems to be the real sticking point about these e-mails is the link under “How to get your replacement modem.” Customers complain that clicking on the link doesn’t take them to a page with more information or a form to fill out, but actually places the order for the new equipment… which will cost them $8/month and possibly twenty times that amount of money if it’s installed by a Comcast-contracted tech.

Sullivan, who uses his own modem for his Comcast service, received one of these e-mails and, clicking on that link, confirmed that it orders a new modem for you.

“Great news! You have already placed an order to upgrade your current modem,” read the message he received after clicking on the link. “Your order will be processed in approximately 24-72 hours and, if eligible, your easy to use self-install kit will be automatically shipped in approximately 2 to 4 weeks.”

While Comcast media reps have not yet responded to Sullivan (we’ve also reached out to Comcast and will update if we get a comment), he did find one note online that appears to be from a Comcast rep.

“We’ve tried to make the enrollment process to this program as easy as possible but we realize this may have created some confusion,” reads the message. “We are updating our sites on a regular basis and we will be making additional updates in the coming weeks to help customers with the upgrade process. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

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