[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by ajbrown

We use Comcast in TV and our home up north. I have had very little trouble (over many years) with the Comcast service itself, but it can be trying talking to folks on their 800 number. IMO this is improving all the time.

We used to downgrade our service to standard tv and put just that on vacation when we left. This reduced the vacation price, kept email address active and avoided hookup fee upon our return, but did not allow us to take advantage of new customer deals on tv packages. With this method we could get new customer specials on Internet.

We have now completely done away with using Comcast vacation, we now cancel the service when we migrate from TV. We plan on doing this in our north home for the first time this winter. This has worked out for us for a couple of reasons:

• Comcast has no contracts for the packages we use**, hence when we return we sign up getting whatever specials they are running.
• I hate paying ANY money for someone to keep my service 'active'

It costs $35 to 'hookup' which for the last two years is far less than we have saved for vacation fees and getting new customer package deals.

** We have Internet, digital tv packages, one HD/DVR. If you have phone, pricing for hookup will vary.

i did that once with my nj comcast service at the suggestion of a comcast rep - it also meant we did not have to return the set top boxes! when we returned and called to upgrade service back to what it had been the rep was reluctant to give us the special reduced rates. so i asked the rep to discuss it with their supervisor and if the lower rate could not be provided to either cancel my service or transfer my call to the retention dept. i never had to talk to retention and i got the lower rate. since then, i have had no problem with downgrading and then upgrading and receiving the special rate when we return from fl.

will be keeping the vacation pkg in tv because i know that if we visit or have family or friends who want a place to stay while we are "on vacation" they can have tv stations 1-22 by just connecting directly to the wall.