TV Chat
Related: About this forumDish or Comcast? I now have Dish and hubby wants to change to Comcast. Trying to read
about it online, it doesn't sound too good.
Anybody have experience with Comcast?
hlthe2b
(102,494 posts)Last edited Sun Apr 29, 2018, 05:07 PM - Edit history (1)
from the line up (and replacing with nothing) or one year into a two year contract raising your monthly fees at least 50% under the claim that the "special package" that defined the previous contract was NO longer available.
Calling COMCAST for support is generally a "around-the-world" lesson in futility given the bounce from one scarcely English speaking call center to another. During prime US hours, you can sometimes demand your way through to a US-based supervisor if you haven't already reached your emotional limit and they will sometimes break through the "script" driven NO-HELP lines.
I now typically take time off from work to go in person to one of their centers for help, which has worked as long as you pick the right time. Seems a lot of those guys are very sympathetic and actually TRY to break through the red tape to fix things. If you need technical help, the guys they send out are usually quite good and their scheduling system admittedly has gotten much better. But with billing/contract issues...you pretty much have to go in or suffer phone call center hell.
Has it gotten better over the years?--maybe marginally, but all the above problems with fees and contracts still apply.
My northern Colorado locale voted to develop a municipal broadband system and though I know it will surely be some time in the future, I an scarcely wait. That voter initiative succeeded despite COMCAST and a handful of other cable providers spending more than 2000 x more to oppose on tv than the small group pushing the referendum to pass.
So Comcast v Dish, I don't have personal experience with DISH. But COMCAST is just about my only non-satellite choice so it remains the "devil you know and the devil you hate--at least some of the time"
Rorey
(8,445 posts)Hi from southern Colorado.
Some young women came to our door from Century Link about a week ago. I listened to their spiel, and then asked what the installation fee was. One of them, whose ego was way too big for her head, said there wasn't an installation fee, adding, "All I need from you today is a $500 activation fee." I said, "I'm done." and handed her the channel line-up sheet she had given to me. Then she said "How about $250?" and "How about $100?" and finally, "I'm kidding. It's $35." I told her no, that I was done and that I don't like games. She was pretty sad. She has a lot to learn about being a salesperson.
Rorey
(8,445 posts)I just hate all of the games. It seems like they're vague when quoting you a price, and then it's only for a promotional period and it goes up. When it went up to around $160 per month I had enough. I was ready to just have Internet and use an antenna. They offered an option for just basic channels plus HBO for $82, but I did need to agree to a one-year contract. It was going to be $60 for just the internet, so I figured that was something I could live with.
The first day after all of the "good" channels got dropped, my husband was in a very foul mood. His FoxNews was gone. I'm pleased. I missed some things in the beginning, but it's easy enough to watch on the internet. My husband figured out that I was listening to MSNBC one night. Now I've noticed that he's gone a lot, and I'm suspecting that he's listening to right wing crap radio in his truck. I really don't even care any more. There's about a zero chance that our marriage will ever be where it used to be again, and we're sort of living our separate lives.
Anyway, yeah, Comcast sucks. IMO
hlthe2b
(102,494 posts)that tv package is something you usually have to demand, though FCC REQUIRES companies to offer it.
Rorey
(8,445 posts)I had intentions of being creative about our internet access and dropping everything with Comcast. I need it for business, so it would have been very inconvenient.
snowybirdie
(5,248 posts)Both have two year contracts. Channel line ups are similar. Our Dish service would go out in storms in our rural area. Comcast never does. Customer service with Comcast has improved in last few years. Starting up service centers in shopping malls where you can go for devices, complaints, etc. US English spoken. Dish only can be reached by phone. Call centers are in India. All in all we prefer Comcast. Never experienced any of the horror stories some write about. But it's all getting way too expensive!
FloridaBlues
(4,013 posts)The only negative it's expensive even without all the extra channels like HBO etc.
Rorey
(8,445 posts)I think we got a choice between HBO and Showtime. I like to watch Bill Maher, so I picked HBO. I don't watch much more than that.
msdogi
(430 posts)Yes, it's expensive, we have 5 tvs, 2 phone lines and internet. Partly business use, works fine for us. And, I must be the exception, but I have consistently had the best customer service from comcast
Blue_Adept
(6,402 posts)Super helpful with problems through either chat or phone call. And when I changed my plan they were super helpful in getting the price down since it helps with retention on their part. I've had them since forever and have no problems with them. I even changed from ATT for my wireless to Comcast.