The FCC rule that would have prohibited your ISP from collecting and selling your personal data without your permission is pretty much dead, leaving consumers to fend for themselves. Members of the House and Senate didn’t all spontaneously come up with the same talking points about why the FCC rule was unfair, though; they had help from lobbyists and telecom corporations along the way. And now some of the biggest of those corporations are pinky-swearing that just because they can abuse the heck out of your data now doesn’t mean they will. [More]
comcastic
Comcast, AT&T: We Totally Respect Your Privacy Even Though We Helped Kill The Law Protecting It
By 3.31.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Comcast’s Still Not Sure There’s Any Money In This Whole “Streaming” Thing
By 7.28.16
You might have heard that it’s 2016, and streaming your TV via the internet is all the rage. And yet despite being just as susceptible to cord-cutters as anyone (everyone) else, Comcast is still not thinking the whole streaming-TV thing is a moneymaker. [More]
Comcast “Cares” On Twitter. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
By 5.2.16
If there is one lesson that large corporations really, really need to take to heart about the 21st century, it is this: unless you are universally beloved (and maybe even then), probably don’t self-promote with Twitter hashtags. It will not end well for you. And who would be the latest business to fall for this trap? It’s Comcast, the cable company America loves to hate. [More]
Comcast Says That ‘Almost All’ Services Are Restored, Everyone Rejoice
By 2.15.16
Great news out of Kabletown: Comcast says that the Xfinity outage that caused TV and Internet problems as well as severe annoyance nationwide is over, and “almost all services have already been restored.” Think of all the people who had today off work and school and who were forced to… well, a lot of them probably got online using their phones, or they found something else productive to do. Still. [More]
It’s Not Just You: Comcast Is Having A Nationwide Outage Today
By 2.15.16
This morning, some readers alerted us that they were having problems with their cable TV. Were they alone? Were they being punished by the entertainment gods on a federal holiday? No, as far as we know, that isn’t actually a thing. What we do know is that there are outages reported in cities across the country, and Comcast’s Twitter team is posting so rapidly that their wrists may be on fire. UPDATE: The outage is over. [More]
Comcast’s Holiday Gift To Subscribers: Data Caps Coming To More Users December 1
By 11.4.15
Did you feel like paying more to Comcast next month to keep using the amount of data you’ve been using for years already? No? Well, if you’re in one of several markets in the southeast, tough cookies: Comcast’s data caps, and their fees, are coming to a cable modem near you this December. [More]
6 Things Comcast Customers Can Try To Get Some Actual Customer Service
By 2.3.15 — Updated: 4.28.17
Comcast is not exactly renowned for its high-quality customer service. It consistently ranks as one of the most-hated, most ineffective companies in the country, in both formal and informal surveys. They hired an exec just to change the customer experience, but the heap of public, embarrassing incidents for them just keeps getting bigger. So if you’re a Comcast customer, and you’re stuck in a loop trying to get your problem solved, is there anything you can actually do? [More]
Comcast Customer Says Company Pulled Credit Report Even After He Paid It Not To
By 1.15.15
When a Chicago man recently contacted Comcast to set up a new broadband account, he was told the company would have to run a credit check — or he could pay a $50 deposit to waive that requirement. But the customer claims that Comcast went ahead and pulled his credit anyway, which is why he’s now suing the nation’s largest consumer broadband provider. [More]
More Groups Pile Onto “Stop Mega Comcast” Coalition
By 1.12.15
Only a month ago, a coalition of more than a dozen groups formed in an effort to work together in stopping the pending merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable. And while the federal regulatory review process inched forward on this deal, more and more groups have joined in the fight to prevent Comcast from dominating the consumer broadband market in the U.S. [More]
Comcast Cable Chief Promises Customer Service Will “Be Our Best Product.” Really.
By 1.8.15
Comcast is reigning Worst Company in America champion for a reason: we’ve seen story after story after story where consumers have struggled just to get basic service from the company. But Comcast cable head Neil Smit was confident (or delusional) when he told a panel at the International CES that customer service would soon be the best product to come from the company. [More]
Comcast Will Send A New Cable Modem Whether You Order One Or Not
By 12.11.14
Most people assume that their Internet service provider isn’t going to behave in a similar manner to the very shadiest of computer malware and virus mongers. Apparently, they shouldn’t, especially if they are customers of Comcast. Consumer reporter Bob Sullivan and one of his readers both clicked one link to trigger the shipment of a new piece of equipment that neither of them wanted. [More]
Comcast Eliminating One Annoying Fee By End Of Year
By 10.9.14
Cable companies are notorious for their fees — modems, set-top boxes, HD service, DVR service, repair visits, early termination fees; the list goes on. But Comcast tells Consumerist that it is ditching one annoying little fee over the next few months. [More]
[Update] Comcast Denies Threatening To Disconnect Users Of Ultra-Private Browser
By 9.15.14
Tor is a specialized web browser: its target audience is the very security-minded user, someone who wants to stay private and anonymous. That includes all kinds of folks, from tech writers to, well, some people who have a strong and vested interest in law enforcement not knowing what they’re up to. The browser boasts over a million users now, but Comcast seems to be of the opinion that it knows what every one of those people are up to, that they are up to no good, and that Comcast has the right to cut off their web service for using it. [More]
Comcast Locks Customers Out Of Accounts, Has Been “Working On It” Since 2012
By 8.25.14
Last month, we shared with you the sad story of Karen, who somehow got locked out of her Comcast account. This would have been easier to deal with if Comcast believed Karen when she described the problem, but they didn’t. Now more customers are reporting the same problem: they’re locked out of their accounts, and Comcast’s solutions range from “delete your browser cookies” to “clear your browser cache.” [More]
Time Warner And Comcast Just Happen To Boost Customer Speeds Near Google Fiber
By 8.4.14
When Google Fiber entered the Internet service provider market in Kansas City, the strangest things began to happen. Current providers Comcast, Time Warner Cable, which operate in different parts of the metropolitan area, had to start acting like they were in a competitive business. Last week, bost Comcast and Time Warner announced that they’re doubling Internet speeds for most customers, with no price increase. [More]
Comcast Solves Customer Service Issue, Keeps Calling To Solve It
By 7.22.14
Hey, remember reader Karen, who had trouble convincing Comcast that they had somehow locked her out of all online access to her accounts? She spent more than two weeks fighting her own one-woman Battle of Kabletown, finally getting the attention of the ComcastCares team with Consumerist’s help. It looked like everything worked out for her. It did…except for how Comcast continued to call her about her open “trouble ticket” for days. [More]
Comcast Locks You Out Of Your E-Mail Accounts, Shrugs
By 7.17.14
It all began when Karen paid her Comcast bill online. Maybe that’s what caused her issue, or maybe it wasn’t–all she knows is that when she tried to log in to her account after the payment posted, she got kicked back to the login screen. That’s how two weeks of what she called “Xfinity Hades” began. [More]
Comcast Demands An Explanation Before Agreeing To Cancel Your Account
By 7.14.14
UPDATE: Comcast has issued a statement regarding the demanding customer service rep and Block’s phone call, saying it’s “very embarrassed” by the employee’s behavior. [More]
