Oh, I Wish I Had A Better Choice
Written: Sep 22 '08 (Updated Sep 22 '08)
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Pros: None
Cons: Everything! (Just read the review)
The Bottom Line: Comcast would be great if they weren't so horrible at everything they do!
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| sunangel722's Full Review: Comcast |
Oh where do I begin? Well let me start out by saying I could be free from this horrible cable company called Comcast if in fact my neighbor and I came to an agreement to cut down some trees. Yes, the only way I could be free of this cable nightmare and get let's say Direct TV is by cutting down trees that would block the reception of getting satellite television. Until then I will have to continue to deal with horrible customer service, misunderstood business practices, and expensive bills.
Excuse my rant but I must let you, the reader know that it will probably be an impossibility to come up with one positive thing to write about Comcast. I will try my hardest but now you know the outlook is pretty bleak in that sense.
As there are many different perspectives on Comcast, mine particularly relate to the customer service and technical difficulties that I have experienced as a long time customer of approximately seven years.
I am going to break it down into several different issues to make it easier to read.
Getting Disonnected Before You Even Talk To Someone
Ah, nothing like placing a call and before you even have the chance to speak to a representative your call is disconnected. It's very frustrating and it has happened more than once, or twice, etc. The worst is when I go through the dreaded automatated prompts only to find myself lost in the sea of "Press 1 for English, 2 for Billing, 3 for Adding or Upgrading"....you get the picture. The best is when you have waited a long time on hold listening to the horrible elevator music and the dozens of advertisements and then get disconnected. It's enough to drive you mad!
Being On Hold For What Seems Like Forever
After you get through all of the prompts and feel like you are nearing the finish line now you are waiting on hold. I have found that I am on hold the most when I have a problem, particularly a technical one. There have been times where my husband called on one phone and I called on the other to try to get through. After all it was like a game, whoever could get through first was the winner. It's a little coincidental however that if you call to say you would like to upgrade your service, it seems you are connected fairly quickly.
Watching A Movie Or Show And It Keeps Freezing Up
There is nothing more annoying than trying to watch a movie or program and it does this little stop and skip kind of thing. It always seems to happen at times when you are really into what you are watching. It's like a cruel joke or something. I don't have old televisions and the problems are not my equipment. It definitely has to do with the signal from Comcast. After all since I pay so much a month these problems should be happening, right? Wrong!
Double Standards In Paying Your Bill
If my bill is overdue more than what I gather is thirty days (after all sometimes paying the cable slips my mind), they put some type of lock on pay-per-view. This goes hand in hand with the fact that they will be quick to shut you off (although that has never happened) however if you go to pay your bill to reconcile the past due to get the block off it takes 24-48 hours to process your payment. A little too convenient for them, huh?
Major Problems In The Past With Pay-Per-View Events
My husband and I host UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) parties on a sometimes monthly basis depending on the fight card. There have been times that we have had about 15 people over and had difficulties in receiving the fight. It is extremely embarrasing to have to call your cable company amidst having company over expecting to be watching something. I recall one particular time when Comcast was having such technical difficulties that we couldn't even get through to any of the lines. In fact it didn't even ring on their end and we just received a message to call back due to "high call volume". After almost an hour later we got through and the issue was fixed, however upon my complaints the best they could do was to issue a whopping $20.00 credit.
The Representatives Are Not Good At Trouble Shooting
I'm not sure what type of training the representatives go through but most of the time their usual solution to any problem is to power down your equipment then plug it back in. I consider myself to be pretty smart and normally while my husband is on the phone with someone trying to explain how to fix the issue I have at that time already fixed it myself.
Isn't My Cable Connection Supposed To Be Fast?
Have you ever seen the commercial with the turtles relating to Comcast's high speed internet connection? I believe they are named "The Slowskys". At times I feel like "The Slowskys". Even with a cable modem I find myself at times struggling with the internet connection. I have now just recently noticed that they have different plans for faster modem speeds. I guess I need to now pay more than I do, (which is currently $39.99 for just the computer connection) to get higher speeds? Shouldn't the speed be universal for the price?
Horrible Time Frames For Technicians To Come Out
When all else fails and you need to have a technician come to your house, they give you such a long time frame that you need to cancel all of your plans for the day. The worst is that it is usually a good week or so before they can even come out to your house. In the meantime you sit and pray for a miracle to fix your issue so you don't have to go without television or internet. (I know it's wrong but we live in that kind of world and I'm one of those people who can't go without television or internet.)
In Conclusion
Unfortunately cable companies contain some type of monolopy over the areas they are serving. Much like the electric and gas companies you are stuck with who you have servicing your area. For now I will have to continue dealing with Comcast even though I have all of the above referenced problems at times. Sometimes I go to pick up the phone to call them about something and ask myself, "Is it worth it?" then I usually hang up and go about my business. The only advice I can give is that although I have no experience with other companies if you do have a choice then opt against Comcast. If you are a new customer you might save some money on the new packages they have that allow you to have internet, phone, and television but older customers are kind of stuck in their plans.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 120.00
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Epinions.com ID:
sunangel722
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Location: NJ
Reviews written: 86
Trusted by: 22 members
About Me:
I've been busy for a while but I'm back to writing again.
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