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.
cable
Get Comcast Just For Wii? Flee? Fee.
By 8.1.08
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…
Um, Comcast, Could You Maybe Not Randomly Dig Up My Property Without Asking?
By 7.30.08
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.
By 7.30.08
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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]
Comcast Goes "Above And Beyond" By Taking 6 Weeks To Realize They Never Ran Your Cable Lines
By 7.23.08
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.
Charter Gives Family 2 TVs After Contest Snafu
By 7.22.08
To the family that was supposed to win a 65-inch TV and got a 19-inch TV instead, Charter Cable has given them a 42-inch TV. And if you add up 19 and 42, you get 61. So if you combine the two tvs together, it’s almost like they got the prize they were promised. However, as commenter bigdirty points out, this is only 808 square inches of screen space, about half of the 1605 square inches they would get from a 65-incher. In any event, the family is happy. “You can see the sweat on the ballplayers on ESPN,” said Chris Lewis, one of several men dubbed “World’s Greatest Dad” by way of a Charter Cable-sponsored essay contest.
Andrew's Epic Comcast Debacle
By 7.21.08
UPDATE: After he sent an EECB, all of Andrew’s billing errors have been resolved.
Golden Poo Award For Worst Company In America Unveiled
By 7.18.08
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.
Moving With Movearoo's Help? Hope You Like AT&T, Verizon, And Qwest
By 7.17.08
Movearoo.com is a new website that appears to offer free assistance with your move, helping you set up things like phone service, gas, and electricity at your new address. The site calls itself “Your Total Moving Resource.” It’s a helpful site, sure, but you should be aware that it’s funded by AT&T, Verizon, and Qwest, and exists primarily to promote their services. In other words, you won’t find a comprehensive list of competing phone service providers through Movearoo, only those offered by the three sponsor companies. A consumer advocate points out the drawback of making Movearoo your sole relocation resource:
By 7.2.08
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A 14-year-old boy broke into a Central Florida home and ordered more than $100 worth of porn movies on the family’s television, police said.
Dear Comcast: It's Been 3 Months, Stop Incorrectly Billing Me $320 A Month For Cable
By 7.1.08
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…
Listen Time Warner, The 60-Year-Old English Teacher Didn't Order $1,400 Of Porn
By 6.21.08
Time Warner wants reader Nancy, a 60-year-old English teacher, to pay $1,400 for ordering porn—including 17 flicks supposedly viewed on a single day. Nancy didn’t order the porn, and has no clue how the charges were associated with her cable box, but one useless Time Warner representative suggested: “maybe your dog ordered them.”
Cable Company Employee And Registered Sex Offender Charged For Allegedly Touching A 13-Year-Old
By 6.20.08
Thomas Jefferson, 43, was part of a crew subcontracted by Verizon installing cable in a subdivision in Glen Allen, VA, when police say he went to a house where a 13 year old girl was home alone and asked for a drink of water. NBC12 says that after he asked for the water he “touched the girl in her private areas.”
Powerpoint By Pissed Comcast Employee Reveals They Know Exactly How Much They Suck
By 6.20.08
It’s no secret to Consumerist readers that Comcast’s outsourced techs are often late, rude and incompetent, and that calling customer service is more akin to improving dialogue in a Beckett play, but as this exclusively obtained powerpoint made by a Comcast employee shows, it’s no secret to the cable company either. (I know the damn thing wasn’t officially created by Comcast corp. C’mon, give us more credit than that. It’s pretty obvious that it’s too funny to be official. I just meant to describe how it was created by a Comcast employee and passed around to other Comcast employees and came from inside Comcast. I realize now that “internal” makes it sound official, and that wasn’t my intention. I apologize for the confusion.) Watch and/or download the powerpoint, inside…
DirecTV Installer Arrives, Poops, And Leaves, But Doesn't Install DirecTV
By 6.18.08
It’s hard to fit everything you need to do into an average day, but this ingenious DirecTV installer found a way to show up late to his appointments, take a break for lunch, and drop the kids off at the pool—all before 5pm! Now if only he’ll remember to bring a ladder with him the next time so he can actually complete the installation.
Warn Comcast You're Moving, Lose Your Internet Access
By 6.16.08
Chris gave Comcast a heads up that he was moving and wanted to arrange a transfer date ahead of time, and they disconnected his present internet access instead. Gahhhhhhh! Ahhhh!!! When he made various calls to various Comcast departments, various employees agreed it was messed up, but all refused to actually solve the problem. So Chris, using some email addresses we posted, sent out a well-crafted executive email carpet bomb…
