Recommend Alternative to Comcast, Anyone?

**wollstonecraft** · 06-15-2010, 08:02 AM

I'm writing this on behalf of my landlord. He has been subscribing to Comcast for some time. He has their subscriber television and "high-speed" Internet service. He's been having a number of problems with them.

They have to replace a converter on one TV in the house, the one I use (he includes me in the service) because of "tiling," which is when the picture breaks up into tiny squares, and the sound goes on and off.

About three months ago he had to have the router on his computer replaced, and now, that one also has to be replaced.

Recently he began using "auto pay" to pay his monthly premiums. When he calls Comcast, he's now getting a recording (really, he has to sit through about three minutes of recordings before he can even select an option) telling him his account is overdue. The words AUTO PAY appear prominently on his invoices, so he assumed that "auto pay" worked with Comcast the same way it works with every other establishment where he uses auto pay. He isn't a native English speaker and he's 83 years old, so I tried calling Comcast to talk to them about it. They wouldn't deal with me at all because my name isn't on the account. When my landlord called them, they told him they couldn't resolve the mistake over the phone, and that he would have to visit their Willow Grove office in person to resolve the matter. When he did that yesterday, the woman he spoke to told him they don't handle billing matters at that office and they had no idea what was going on. They gave him a form to fill out that he had to send to them snail mail to get the matter straightened out.

Does anyone have experiences with Dish Network, Satellite Country, Direct, Verizon FiOS, or anyplace else that offers subscription TV and Internet service at a reasonable price and with good service? I just visited Dish's site, and they're hyping $24.99 a month for 150 channels (far more than my landlord would watch), but the small print mentions "additional charges" that they don't specify.

I wouldn't recommend Comcast to anyone.

**Litter Box** · 06-15-2010, 09:06 AM

Check and see when FIOS is coming to your area. There are a couple of dish systems for TV, I have nothing to back this up but with the upcoming solar flares those systems may be compromised also. Comcast I believe also gets a lot of it's non local stuff by satellite so you may have problems with both. There are a lot of internet suppliers that would be more than happy to have your business.

I have Comcast and am reasonably happy with it except for a slowdown mid day.

I've worked with Comcast for an older friend and I just told them I was him, they didn't know the difference. Grab his bill and be able to tell them his phone number.

Tell them you spoke with the Dish companies and that may get their attention.

I'm sure you're not the only one with problems so follow up and tell us how you decided to go.

**wollstonecraft** · 06-15-2010, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by Litter Box

Check and see when FIOS is coming to your area. There are a couple of dish systems for TV, I have nothing to back this up but with the upcoming solar flares those systems may be compromised also. Comcast I believe also gets a lot of it's non local stuff by satellite so you may have problems with both. There are a lot of internet suppliers that would be more than happy to have your business.

I have Comcast and am reasonably happy with it except for a slowdown mid day.

I've worked with Comcast for an older friend and I just told them I was him, they didn't know the difference. Grab his bill and be able to tell them his phone number.

Tell them you spoke with the Dish companies and that may get their attention.

I'm sure you're not the only one with problems so follow up and tell us how you decided to go.

Thanks, Litter Box. I would tell them I'm him, but I'm a woman. They can see through that even on the phone, and even from India...

**Litter Box** · 06-15-2010, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by wollstonecraft

Thanks, Litter Box. I would tell them I'm him, but I'm a woman. They can see through that even on the phone, and even from India...

You're now his wife, go for it.

**wollstonecraft** · 06-15-2010, 11:49 AM

Also, @ Litter Box, you're right about mentioning Dish. I did that yesterday when I first spoke to them. I told them that the reason I'd tried going online (without success, because their service crashed) was because I was researching the Dish networks and other options for subscription TV service.

**desolate** · 06-15-2010, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by Litter Box

You're now his wife, go for it.

I've been everything from dad to husband to boyfriend to son with customer service.

I learned as a child when I was inspired by Ferris Buller and wanted Cinemax.

**radiocolin** · 06-15-2010, 10:54 PM

Every television provider is just like every cell phone provider - they're all unique in the utter contempt they have for their customers.

**wollstonecraft** · 06-27-2010, 01:13 PM

I checked out DirecTV with the Better Business Bureau. This is what they say about the firm:

"We strongly question the company's reliability for reasons such as that they have failed to respond to complaints, their advertising is grossly misleading, they are not in compliance with the law's licensing or registration requirements, their complaints contain especially serious allegations, or the company's industry is known for its fraudulent practices."

Then why are they in business, with a record like this? For that matter, why aren't they under criminal indictment?

**Dayman** · 06-27-2010, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by wollstonecraft

Then why are they in business, with a record like this? For that matter, why aren't they under criminal indictment?

Money

**wollstonecraft** · 06-27-2010, 05:53 PM

I understand about money, but it's been around for some time. I know I'm showing my age (58) and I don't mean to sound patronizing. But I can remember a time when fraud brought criminal prosecution. There was a time when you couldn't defraud like this and stay in business. It must be a generational thing. I guess most people alive today aren't old enough to remember a time when fraud wasn't rampant and tolerated.

**Sycamore** · 06-27-2010, 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by wollstonecraft

Thanks, Litter Box. I would tell them I'm him, but I'm a woman. They can see through that even on the phone, and even from India...

Comcast's call center is in New Castle, DE.

**Pibbles** · 06-28-2010, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by wollstonecraft

I checked out DirecTV with the Better Business Bureau. This is what they say about the firm:

"We strongly question the company's reliability for reasons such as that they have failed to respond to complaints, their advertising is grossly misleading, they are not in compliance with the law's licensing or registration requirements, their complaints contain especially serious allegations, or the company's industry is known for its fraudulent practices."

Then why are they in business, with a record like this? For that matter, why aren't they under criminal indictment?

Hmm, does it give any information about the complaints or fraudulence? We've had Direct TV for years and have had no complaints or problems what so ever. I can't say the same for Comcast though. Even though we could probably get a better deal through Comcast right now, I refuse to ever give them another cent.

**wollstonecraft** · 06-28-2010, 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by Pibbles

Hmm, does it give any information about the complaints or fraudulence? We've had Direct TV for years and have had no complaints or problems what so ever. I can't say the same for Comcast though. Even though we could probably get a better deal through Comcast right now, I refuse to ever give them another cent.

Let me get back to you. I visited web sites that had a lot of info, and there's a class action lawsuit under way against DirecTV. But I totally agree with you about Comcast. It's my landlord's account, not mine, but if the decision were mine, I wouldn't do business with Comcast.

**wollstonecraft** · 07-02-2010, 09:07 AM

Originally Posted by Sycamore

Comcast's call center is in New Castle, DE.

Maybe for online service help, but when I call about TV service, I talk to someone with a strong Indian accent.

**Sycamore** · 07-02-2010, 09:30 AM

There are those with Indian accents in Delaware. My SIL manages the call center.

**wollstonecraft** · 07-03-2010, 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by wollstonecraft

Let me get back to you. I visited web sites that had a lot of info, and there's a class action lawsuit under way against DirecTV. But I totally agree with you about Comcast. It's my landlord's account, not mine, but if the decision were mine, I wouldn't do business with Comcast.

Okay, Sycamore, I stand corrected.

Pibbles, I'm going to try to put links here:

Consumer complaints about DirecTV - Billing Problems

DirecTV Early Termination Fee Fraud Investigation

**wollstonecraft** · 07-03-2010, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by Pibbles

Hmm, does it give any information about the complaints or fraudulence? We've had Direct TV for years and have had no complaints or problems what so ever. I can't say the same for Comcast though. Even though we could probably get a better deal through Comcast right now, I refuse to ever give them another cent.

Hi Pibbles, I posted two links above.

**Noquisi** · 08-29-2010, 06:28 AM

Anyone have any experience with this outfit?

**theatergypsy** · 08-29-2010, 02:27 PM

After surgery for cancer, I wasn't able to live alone and had my cable and internet d/c'd. Six months later, I returned to my own home and opted for the Comcast Triple Play for $115./month for a year. The contract ended this month and when I called to find out how much they were going to charge for the next year, they offered me the same deal for only $5.more a month AND added channels 200 to 299. I now get everything from 1 to 299 plus all the music channels. (400's?) There's a ton of stuff On Demand that doesn't cost.

My phone service went out twice for about 15 minutes and righted itself. My phone includes long distance at no extra charge.

The CSR's all speak English and are unfailingly polite, (even once when I wasn't). No complaints here.

**humbajoe** · 08-30-2010, 02:52 PM

In response to the original post:

You're not going to get astounding service from any provider, but that is particularly bad service - even for Comcast. It does sound like they're taking advantage of his age and second language difficulty and just trying to brush him aside.

First of all, you do NOT want to rent a router from Comcast. Go to Newegg.com and order one of your own. Read the customer reviews and get a reliable one - you shouldn't have to spend any more than $50 - $100. If you're looking for wireless, you want either a Net Gear, D-Link, or Link Sys that operates on at least a g- signal, but N signal if you can afford it (my D-link Wireless N router cost me about $70). If you need any help selecting a router or setting it up, you can PM me and I'll help you out. You should do this regardless of which carrier you use.

As far as Comcast goes - if you end up sticking with them for any reason - here is what you need to do. First, have your landlord call them, and have him tell them that he wants to add your name to the account and grant you privileges to make changes to it. After he's done on the phone, YOU call them and as soon as you can talk to a living person, request to speak to the "Customer Retraction Department". Make sure to have a pen and paper ready to write down all details, names of whom you speak with, etc. Once you're through to Customer Retraction tell them you are thinking about cancelling unless all of the issues you described in your initial post are fixed. These people should be more willing to work with you - because they're job is to not lose you as a customer.

If all else fails, I would highly recommend FiOS if it is available in your area. It's kind of patchy with it's availability right now because they're still wiring Philly (i'm sadly also stuck with Comcast until they get my area set up for it). Verizon's customer service isn't much better but the FiOS service is bar none the best you can get right now in my experience.

So your best course of action, in my opinion, is the following:

1) Purchase and set up your own router
2) Call Verizon and inquire about FiOS.
3) If FiOS is not offered in your area, call Comcast's Customer Retraction Department and see if they can help resolve your issues.

You MAY want to consider Verizon's DSL service if Comcast is absolutely out of the question and FiOS isn't available, but it will possibly be slower and less reliable. DSL is very hit or miss.

Feel free to PM me with any questions - I'll probably lose track of this thread.