I thank you ahead of time for reading my rip off report. My Comcast horror story spans YEARS. So this is long, bear with me.
When I my husband and I got our first apartment, both of us being avid gamers, we needed a high internet speed. The cheapest way to go was to get Comcast cable TV and then their cable services. Oddly enough we were not put through the horrific accounts some people have put on here about the instillation, I think we paid 50 dollars and the guy came out with a box, set it all up and went on his way.
The problems started from day one, you name it, Pixilation, On demand not working, internet constantly going down. We endured because it was still cheaper than getting a phone line, getting DSL and then getting a dish.
We opted for the free three month HBO service package and the high speed internet deal they had going on. Total cost per month was somewhere around 100 bucks a month for three months. I was told that I would be able to cancel this service for FREE whenever the promo was up. About two and a half months in I called to cancel the service. They said I would be charged a fee for this service. I adamantly told them that I was told that this would not happen and eventually got a hold of a supervisor who said she would waive the fee. They said the reason for this fee was because someone had to come to my home to cut the services down. Luckily for me, I did not have to be home when the guy did this. (odd I thought because I had to be home for them to install, so I assumed they did not need me because they did something outside)
When we came home our service was SHUT OFF. We were unable to get a hold of someone until the next day. When we called we told them what happened and they cut the service back on RIGHT THERE. No one had to come out to our house. Once again, I was upset because I had to pay a fee for a so called cut on service when I first got it.
I then noticed they cut my service back on to include the HBO channels. Fearing that I would get charged for them, I called them back and once again, without someone having to come to my house, they cut the services down. It was a two second thing. They said, your screen is going to flash and you wont have HBO anymore, and that's exactly what happened.
Now I was really pissed because I just knew the whole deal about them having to come to my house and me not having to be there for them to cut my services down was crap. I feel sorry for anyone who paid fee's for something they can do from the office you call.
So we still endured the crappy pixilation and the crappy sometimes slow internet because even though they hiked the rates a few bucks, we were still getting off cheaper.
My mother feel on financial hardship, and my husband and I had to move in with her to be able to afford helping her with the bills. I called Comcast two weeks before we moved and asked them to shut off ALL services at my old address and to cut ONLY internet on at my mother address. They said everything would be shut off at the old address and the internet would be cut on the date I specified to just turn in the box for the TV.
The day that the services were scheduled to be cut off, I turned in the box. Since I own my own modem, we just had to call Comcast and get them to turn the internet on at my moms house. The first day the internet worked fine. Then it shut off, this happened about 2 or three times and they said it was because of a billing error. When asking how and they stated that their systems just haven't caught up with my move. Whatever.
My mother and I get the Comcast bills, now, somehow without even mentioning her name, she got a bill with TV AND internet, and I got a bill for just internet and then an additional bill for a month of internet and TV at my old apartment along with an outrageous fee for me not turning in my equipment. I had to actually GO to a Comcast drop off place and show them my receipt. If I didn't have it, I would have been screwed. I was pissed. So I call Comcast and it takes them a good hour to go okay, you're right, we messed up, lets fix this
Well, they didn't! We kept getting the bill like that for THREE MONTHS. Each time I would have to call and get it settled. The last time I was so upset I asked to speak to a supervisor for some kind of compensation. She ended up giving me 19.99 internet a month for 3 months. I figured this was good enough compensation for what we went through.
Things seemed to have settled down. The service was a bit better, the bills were right and I was getting my internet more than half off. Imagine my surprise when I get a bill four months later for the cost of the amount that I was getting discounted for those three months! (total amount around 90 dollars) I once again called Comcast and was told the infamous story about that person wasn't allowed to do that Well I was not going to settle for it.
I was billed for THREE Months at 19.99 they had three months to figure out someone did wrong. If I'm off a penny on my payment you know right then and there. I refused to pay the bill except for my monthly internet bill. I was told my service was going to be shut off, and the bill put on my credit report. I once again spoke to a supervisor and told them I would seek legal council if they attempted any such thing. Wouldn't you know it, the bill was dropped.
About 6 months later we moved to a new apartment. I once again called two weeks before my move and told them what I was doing. Cutting the internet off at my current location, and cutting the internet and TV on in another place. I asked if there would be any fee's for this move and they said absolutely not. We get in our apartment and the cable internet is already on, but not the TV. So we have to call and set an appointment for a guy to come out and figure everything out. I once again asked if there was to be a charge and once again was told NO WAY.
Also, somehow they royally screwed up this move as well. My mothers TV was shut off numerous times, and our cable in the new apartment was shut off numerous times as well.
So the guy comes out, and come to find out it was a bad cable connection to the house, apparently there were two, and only one worked. Apparently they don't believe in keeping up their lines. So instead of getting my second line fixed (the line coming directly into the bedroom of the apartment, He gave me some splitters and told me what to do. I had to split my own cables and had to run them all through the apartment over doors, through walls ect, by myself! He did not even offer to do it.
He handed me something to sign and it had fees for internet set up tv set up and a coming out there fee or something like that. I asked about the fees and the guy said, no you don't have to pay them, those are there for us to do budgeting. I figured that since he didn't do anything except give me two splitter and not doing anything else that I would not be charged. So I signed the paperwork and he went on his way.
My bill came and I had all those fee's tacked on. It was somewhere in the ballpark of 100 dollars in extra fee's. The first time I called they stated well you signed the paperwork Since this person was so rude I hung up on them. I called AGAIN and got a hold of a very nice person who said they would wipe those fee's off my bill because it did show I was not supposed to be billed. I was told to only pay my regular payment of 103 dollars. The next bill came AGAIN showing the fees, I figured you know, after going through over a year of hell with these people I'm going to go to the TOP..
I contacted Comcast Corporate. Here is the information incase anyone else needs it. I also contacted the division manager, the press manager (I forget the actual name) and a few other people, here are some names and numbers I could find.
Brian Roberts, CEO
Comcast Corporate Office
1500 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-286-8960
[email protected]
Philly, Pa headquarters - 215-665-1700
There is another phone number I found by looking online. Unfortunately, I cannot locate the correspondence I sent to everyone on my computer at this moment so these are the only two numbers I have to offer. However, if you can figure out your division managers name, and its right on the Comcast.com website just go to Comcast.com hit the press room link on the bottom of the page and then click on the link to the left saying corporate overview it will bring you to a site with links saying Corporate Executives Division Executives Board of Directors you just click on one of those, get a name and type it first name_lastname AT Comcast.com and that should send your e-mail to their box.
I compiled all my notes, names of people I spoke with, dates, bill dates ect. (it pays to have actual names and actual timelines) and sent off an e-mail to all of these people. I also stated that if I did not get compensation from them for my trouble, I would cut off the services and go to the media about their unlawful acts.
The VERY NEXT DAY I got a call from the division manager, he is in a conference call with two other people, whom I forget who they are, and everything was settled once and for all, he got rid of the extra that I was not supposed to be charged and even gave me a month of cable and internet for free. I thought that was very nice of them. I have not had a problem with them since.
However, it does not stop there. Recently my mother got a double bill. Both her and I scrutinize her financials because she does not have a ton of money to go around. We went in circles with Comcast over this bill since my mom cut a check each and every month and sent it to them whenever she got the bill. Come to find out in a 12 month span, my mother had sent them 14 checks. We still cannot figure out how this happened but we both assume it was when her billing cycle got changed during the time I was getting my internet installed at her home. Because of this change she was charged double somehow.
I wrote this in a previous rip off report but will state it here just to show everyone what crap people they are at Comcast.
My father is old and my sister usually write and sends off his bills for him. Well, he decided to do it on his own once. So he wrote a rent check for over 400.00 to his apartment complex, and wrote a check to Comcast for less that 60 dollars. He mailed the check for his apartments to Comcast on accident and the Comcast check to his apartment complex.
His apartment complex was nice enough to inform him that he gave them the wrong check. My dad in turn wrote them a new check for the cost of the rent for the month thinking that Comcast would not cash the check since it was not made out to them.
He contacted the bank to try and make sure that Comcast had not cashed the check. Well, they did. My dad at once contacted Comcast and asked for the money to be returned to his account minus the cost of his monthly bill. They first stated they never cashed the check. Then they stated it was written out to Comcast (I have the cashed check, and it says pay to the order of his apartment complex)
Once they weren't able to convince him that he indeed made the check out to them, they asked for his bank to contact them. My dad got the bank to fax something over to Comcast. Now Comcast is telling him that it will take a MONTH to refund the check.
My dad will most likely incur fees for a bounced check (the 400.00 he paid to the apartment thinking Comcast wouldn't cash his check) and for overdraft fees since he does not make enough money to have some sort of buffer. Luckily I will be able to cover these costs for him until he received his check from social security disability next month/
I am extremely pissed at both the bank (Wachovia) and Comcast right now. First Comcast should not have processed the check since it wasn't written out to them, thus they committed FRAUD. Anyone can see that my elderly father (whom is on a fixed income) would not mail them a check for over 400.00. Yet they cashed it the VERY DAY that they received it.
The bank also, Seeing that the check was being cashed by someone that was not pay to the order of" did not even put some kind of stop on the check, they just let them cash it. My father should not have had to go through a run around with both parties only to be given a refund check a MONTH after the money was basically stolen from his account.
Wat's when I came in, I once again compiled names, copies of his bank statement and times he called and sent another e-mail off to the hodgepodge of people in corporate. I threatened to press charges against them for bank fraud, signing a check that was not endorsed to him, and holding monies that were not their property.
Again the very next day I was called by the district manager who was very nice. He asked what Comcast place was nearest to my dad, and 12 hours later my dad went there and picked up the check for the amount he over paid minus his bill. Because of this we also changed his banks for allowing something like this to happen to someone, let alone someone on disability with a very limited income.
So moral of the story. Comcast sucks. Well at least the call centers. I have had a few problems with them since what I wrote about but its so minuscule compared to what has already happened that I do not want to bore you all to death. My word to you all is, to save and write down everything. You cannot go to corporate and say: I talked to this lady, I don't know her name, about I don't know 3 or 4 days ago, and she didn't help me you need to have specifics because when I talked to corporate both times they said without that reliable information they most likely could not have helped me because apparently the call centers don't keep great notes. I would suggest, calling only twice to talk to the bozos in the call centers. Then if your not satisfied take it to corporate.
I hope this helped some of you.
A
jacksonville, Florida
U.S.A.
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