Check your Comcast service

[Slugbait]

As everyone knows, Comcast (and cable in general) is having some hard times. I suspect they're trying to cut some corners, in an illicit fashion, and subscribers are paying for it.

Background: I have bundled Internet and TV since @Home first became available back in, what...1999? When Tom Wheeler allowed cable companies to scramble Limited Basic channels (broadcast networks) four years ago, I purchased a rooftop antenna, but I continued bundling Limited Basic TV with my subscription so that I could watch Live broadcast TV on the computer via Comcast when weather drowned out my antenna reception (or when I was on the road, etc).

Earlier tonight, my OTA reception for NBC was null. So I signed into Comcast, but I was denied access to watch Sunday Night Football: it wasn't part of my subscription. Upon reviewing my account, I found that my account was Internet-only. No TV. Also, no reduction in price.

I called customer service, and was told someone in my household canceled TV in September. It took numerous denials and questions by me before the customer service person finally admitted there were no comments in their database about who canceled the bundling...no comments at all, in fact. And the service representative said she would re-instate my TV at our same price (but I would have to sync with a DTA ...different headache).

While assuring me everything would be taken care of, she offered to upgrade my Internet speeds for an additional cost: I can go from my current 25 Mbps to (up to) 200 Mbps.

This is where I realized I was being had. I still have the email from Comcast on March 3rd that informed me I was being given a free upgrade from FIFTY Mbps to 70 Mbps...a speed I confirmed after rebooting my modem. I also informed her that I purchased a DOCSIS 3.0 modem in January of 2015 after being informed of my free upgrade from 25 Mbps to 50, and had verified my speed increase back then as well...after all, I said, why would I ditch my DOCSIS 2.0 modem and pay for a new 3.0 modem if I had no intention of going faster than 25 Mbps?

She replied that the same call in September that "someone" in my household made to them also asked to reduce my Internet speeds. Of course, the 60% speed reduction also was not reflected in my bill. After hitting speed test websites, I verified Comcast had a hard limit of 25 Mbps on my account.

It seemed that every time I countered with denial or hard evidence, she had a new "you asked for it" story. Oh sure, would you please massively reduce my services, but don't save me a dime? Makes perfect fiscal sense, right?

Suspicion #1: because I don't use a DTA or descrambler (they know if you do), they assumed I never watched TV, so they continue charging me the bundled rate, but no longer have to pay their fees for carrying the networks. Ka-ching.

Suspicion #2: they assumed I wouldn't notice a 60% reduction in Internet speeds (in reality I did, but I thought it was just network congestion). Ka-ching.

So check your account. Run your speed tests, check your channels available, phone, whatever. I've seen what Comcast has done in the past, I have learned not to trust them. And if they tried to screw me, I'm probably not the only one.

 

[ViRGE]

I don't know, Slug. That's bordering on a conspiracy theory (and I'm fairly sure there are some specific telco laws against it, too). Comcast is both incompetent and evil, but mostly incompetent...

BTW, have you checked DSLReports for any other reports? If this is happening on a large scale, that's the perfect group to identify it.

 

[Craig234]

I don't know, Slug. That's bordering on a conspiracy theory (and I'm fairly sure there are some specific telco laws against it, too). Comcast is both incompetent and evil, but mostly incompetent...

BTW, have you checked DSLReports for any other reports? If this is happening on a large scale, that's the perfect group to identify it.

Well, people who found accounts they hadn't opened at Wells Fargo could speculate whether that was a conspiracy or an error, also... who knows in this case? Seems like good advice to tell people to check.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Everyone lies. No surprise there. And why would anyone thing the likes of Comcast, or AT&T, wouldn't? Rogue employees that find it comfortable do so. I had been told on several occasions I would get a call back and never did ... and this was Comcast.

 

[clamum]

Dang, that sounds like some shiestiness going on there.

I had Bright House, now Spectrum, and I gotta say I think their customer service is pretty good. I've dealt with them over Twitter where they reply very fast and at all hours, and had a service request recently where a guy came out. I was able to be scheduled just a few days in the future and the guy they sent was very good and pleasant. My only complaint at this point is the price I'm paying for TV (HD option) and Internet, which was raised not too long ago and is now $147/mo.

 

[snoopy7548]

This is one reason why I dropped TV service and am internet-only. My bill is a single line and it's all nice and easy. No way in hell am I paying a sports fee when I don't even watch sports, and shows are 33% commercials.

For how much I hate Comcast, though, their internet is rock-solid.

 

[Sonikku]

As everyone knows, Comcast (and cable in general) is having some hard times.

I stopped reading here.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I stopped reading here.

Yeah, considering record revenues, I have to question the OP a bit.

Sounds like your usual Comcast billing / service-level SNAFU to me. Not some grand consipiracy because Comcast is (allegedly) "hurting". The only people that are hurting at Comcast are their customers, as Wall Street has strongly suggested a $90 ARPU target now for broadband subscriptions.

That's an AVERAGE monthly bill of $90/mo, for Internet. No doubt, they will get that, by upping speeds to Gigabit (but still gimping the upload, preventing you from really using your connection for anything serious, except for downloads), and then upping your bill to $100+/mo.

Sadly, I've gotten sucked down that path with Verizon. I'm paying over $100/mo for FIOS Gigabit. It's nice and all, but it is more expensive than I can really afford, and it cuts into my food budget. (More Ramen!)

Something that you should know is, Most of their plans higher than 25Mbit/sec, show up in their billing system, as "Performance (25Mbit) Internet, with extra speed". That's right, they don't even specify the particular speed and plan that you're on. Which, in my mind, is BS. It makes it easy for their CSRs, when you're on the phone with them, to push the "performance" (25Mbit/sec) config file / profile to your cable modem when re-provisioning your service, so you may not get what speed you're supposed to get because of that.

 

[bradly1101]

Dang, that sounds like some shiestiness going on there.

I had Bright House, now Spectrum, and I gotta say I think their customer service is pretty good. I've dealt with them over Twitter where they reply very fast and at all hours, and had a service request recently where a guy came out. I was able to be scheduled just a few days in the future and the guy they sent was very good and pleasant. My only complaint at this point is the price I'm paying for TV (HD option) and Internet, which was raised not too long ago and is now $147/mo.

Agreed. Expensive but good CS. I rarely have needed to call them, but they always pick right up, and I can understand what they say. And so far no shenanigans, but I don't think anyone can choose their cable co.

 

[bradly1101]

I stopped reading here.

Comcast stock is falling, and on the TV side they face much higher competition.

https://www.google.com/search?q=com.....69i57j0l5.9831j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[John Connor]

I pay $150/month for 100 MbPS Internet, phone and TV and yet I still don't have all of the movie channels I used to plus Spike of all channels after I downgraded. One hundred fifty Fing dollars! BS!

 

[Slugbait]

BTW, have you checked DSLReports for any other reports?

Checked this morning, and there is a thread with a couple of people in my area who were complaining about speed loss over this past month. None of them have dug down to find out what's going on.

Spoke with Comcast again this afternoon while they toiled to appease me. Got sent to L3 support, who gave me an acceptable reason for why the TV bundled was canceled without my knowledge...but she agreed that getting dumped to the 25 Mbps service was a head-scratcher, she couldn't find any reason why my speed was so drastically reduced.

I'm now leaning way over to "human error". That, or a crazy ex-girlfriend of mine just got a job at Comcast. Regardless, still a good idea to pay attention to your service, make sure there are no changes for what you're paying for.

All is well now...got TV bundle back, went from the 70 Mbps tier to the 100 Mbps tier, they threw in a year of streaming HBO, and I had my bill reduced by about $5 a month.

 

[ViRGE]

I'm now leaning way over to "human error". That, or a crazy ex-girlfriend of mine just got a job at Comcast. Regardless, still a good idea to pay attention to your service, make sure there are no changes for what you're paying for.

That would make more sense, especially when Comcast seems to struggle to properly provision an account on a good day to begin with. You are right though, it's a good practice to check your utility bills to make sure everything is kosher.

And I'm glad to hear you got everything fixed in the end. You did get a bit of a bum deal on HBO though; as I understand it, the next season of Game of Thrones won't premiere until 2019.

 

[Slugbait]

...as I understand it, the next season of Game of Thrones won't premiere until 2019.

I am Slugbait. That matters not