Comcastic or Not Comcastic? I’m Still Undecided

Posted by Andrew Meyer on November 29, 2007

As you know, yesterday I decided to bite the bullet and sign-up for Comcast high-speed Internet. Yesterdays episode with Comcast ended with a Live Chat with Joe (FYI: make Joe laugh and he will waive the $99 installation fee for new customers).

I was feeling great about making Joe laugh and saving $99, but I was still skeptical of the high speed-ness of the service, the extra fees I'm sure I will receive and how Comcast has treated customers in the past (present?!). See this TechCrunch article as in example of dubious customer treatment.

Anyways, today the Comcast installation dude came by to install my 6mbps Performance high-speed Internet service (even though they cap it at 4mbps if you don't buy Comcast cable or digital voice with your high-speed Internet. WTF!).

As you can tell, I was already kind of miffed by the whole 4mbps cap for Internet-only subscribers.

Then the Comcast guy comes in and has a Comcast-modem in hand and a monthly charge item for the Comcast-modem already on the bill. My spidey-senses were throbbing.

Interesting.

This is interesting because I told Comcast that I already had a Comcast-approved modem on hand. The guy tells me that they always bring one just in case the customer doesn't have one. And, if they DO already have one than they take it off the bill. I guess that kind of makes sense.

When the installation guy is installing the cable into the wall he scoffs at my $60 per month Internet service. He than goes on to tell me to call Comcast and ask for their promotional $33 per month deal. I told him that I tried to get it online but Comcast told me it was only valid for customers who were also purchasing TV or phone service with their Internet.

He told me to call one of the service reps and haggle with them on the PHONE. He than told me to keep calling every 6 months and pretend to be a new resident so that I could keep the promotional rate forever.

Wow. I was surprised by this.

He was telling me how to scam his own company. That means only one thing. He has the same skeptical, untrusting feelings about his own company that I do.

BTW, I called Comcast using my PHONE when he left and they gave me the promotional $33 per month rate for 6 months.

Comcast: 0, Comcast employees: 2

I'm still am wary about Comcast, but one thing is for certain. Comcast employees don't mind screwing their own company for the customer.

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