Comcast is a Crook

[TCLaD]

Our December Comcast bill wax $95.77. Just got our January Bill, $122.89. These folks are crooks. Something has to be done to stop their unruly billing practices .

[maureenod]

Our December Comcast bill wax $95.77. Just got our January Bill, $122.89. These folks are crooks. Something has to be done to stop their unruly billing practices .

What does it include? Internet, cable, phone, cell? Did you sign up for a promotional offer for 1 or 2 years?

[GPGuar]

Our December Comcast bill wax $95.77. Just got our January Bill, $122.89. These folks are crooks. Something has to be done to stop their unruly billing practices .

I just got our January bill which is just basic cable no extras, Comcast jacked it up a few bucks ... no big deal, but when I called billing and asked why I found that I was talking to someone overseas who couldn't give me a clear answer. Brighthouse here we come!!!

[TCLaD]

TV only. Signed up three years ago. Our original monthly bill was $79/month. Monthly bill has increased steadily but a $27 one month increase is absurd.

[Happinow]

We have Brighthouse and love them. Great Customer service.

[Down Sized]

If you don't like that bill, wait until you get your taxes and insurance bill!

[Sanibel7]

We only had TV and Internet, no HBO etc. Within one year it went up $60 a month! Now we have Century Link and are having problems with our Majic Jack, it keeps cutting off. It never did that before with Comcast. Not sure what to do.

[Jejuca]

Call the corporate office. They will assign someone to assist you. We have had them since October when we moved in and have had to have our bill corrected each month.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I had a similar thing happen several years ago. It turned out that I had signed up for a promotion where I got some movies channels for free during for one year. At the end of that year, instead of turning off the movie channels, the simply continued billing me for them. when I called to complained, the deleted the movie channels and took the charge off my bill.

They are pretty slimy like that, but I don't know of any better service. A friend of mine up north switched over to Verizon Fios and hated it. I don't know much about Brighthouse, but would appreciate hearing from people on this forum who have it.

[DianeM]

Brighthouse beats Concast anytime. They are accommodating and the service is excellent. Had them in Orlando and now here. They are a Time Warner company which I had in NY as well. $155 a month covers cable with DVR and phone and Internet. No premium channels but I don't miss them.

[Harleyman]

I was told our bill would be 109.00 this year. We are snowbirds. Two hours later I got an e mail saying it would be 165.00 per month. I have talked to three people at Comcast, can hardly understand what they are saying. The bottom line is that the price is going to be 165.oo. I don't even know what channels we have. They are a horrible company to deal with. As a seasonal imam not sure what options we have.

[HDriders]

Had same issue with Comcast ~ TERRIBLE customer service and bill kept going up. Just switched to Brighthouse and loving it......have all the same services as we had with Comcast for a lot less $$$$

[jebartle]

we can't get it here in Lake County....I'm also tired of contacting Comcast
every month....Every call, I threaten to go elsewhere, and they remove overbill and correct but it is annoying....But I'm relentless, I will win this war, period! Promotion or not!....One promotion is always replaced with another!

[Single Track]

I couldn't agree more that Comcast is one of the worst companies I have ever dealt with. I signed up with their triple bundle promotion last year and almost every other month I am on the phone with them, which in itself is a nightmare, because of billing issues. They just add packages on at will and then you spend hours trying to get them to remove stuff you never wanted in the first place. It happens too frequently for it to be honest mistakes and it is never in your favor. I can't wait until next year when I can get rid of them. I wish I had the power to organize a few thousand Village households to cancel them until they get enough customer service reps to handle all the billing problems they cause and to lower their rates to acceptable levels. Wow, now I feel a little better.

[Jejuca]

Try this phone number for the corporate office - (215) 286-1700.
It is very tiring to call every month. We had Brighthouse for 25 years and rarely had a problem and when we did they fixed it promptly and courteously. Sadly, Bighthouse is not available where we live in The Villages.

[Bogie Shooter]

Here are some local numbers.



Comcast
13011 County Road 101
Oxford, FL
(352) 398-0653



8130 CR 44
Leesburg, FL
(352) 234-8203


Comcast Xfinity Cable, Phone and Internet Service Center
Comcast Official Site: High-Speed Internet, Cable TV, and Phone Services Deals (http://www.comcast.com)
Google+ page


8130 CR 44 Leg-A
Leesburg, FL
(352) 877-9986

[Jejuca]

The local office could never help us. We contacted the corporate office and within 24 hours someone from corporate who was based in Florida contacted us. He gave us his contact info. Now, if there is a problem we contact him directly. He really does make sure things get done correctly.

[PaPaLarry]

Right now, I'm up to, 226.85 a month for Comcast. Got it in 2008

[sgiamp1]

We only had TV and Internet, no HBO etc. Within one year it went up $60 a month! Now we have Century Link and are having problems with our Majic Jack, it keeps cutting off. It never did that before with Comcast. Not sure what to do.

We have Century Link Prism and Magic Jack and don't have any dropped call issues. What I like about Prism is that I DON'T have a contract so I'm not tied to them if they raise their price. I signed-up last April and can cancel at any time but have no intention of doing so. (I save approximately $30 per month buy switching from DISH to Prism and they gave me a $100 gift card to do so.) I may just be lucky but think that overall, I presently have the best information system I've had in years.

P.S. I'm not a Century Link employee but in full disclosure, I do own their stock:)

[TNLAKEPANDA]

We are moving in mid Feb and have not decided to go with Comcast or Brighthouse. Cyberlink is a definite NO. I believe that Comcast has the fastest internet which is very important to me. Currently we have Comcast internet and Dish Network TV but it is expensive that way!

[swimdawg]

I agree!!! I have Time Warner in Swimdawg North and I get so much more bang for my buck. Not only that, but T-W's customer service is soooo much better than Comcast.

I came on here several weeks ago asking about other services because I'm so disgusted with Comcast. The bottom line is that I guess the new companies aren't north of 466A yet.....and I'm in St. James.

I had Comcast come and take out one DVR and remove my phone landline. The serviceman took 2 1/2 hours and I felt "uncomfortable". He insisted on going in all my rooms which I thought was odd. I just wanted the Greatroom DVR removed and disconnect phone service.

It would have taken Time Warner 15 minutes at most to do what Mr. Comcast did in 2 1/2 hours. I tried to call Comcast to report what happened, but after being put on hold for more than an hour, I gave up.

Let me know when another good service comes to St. James!!!

[dmorhome]

Our December Comcast bill wax $95.77. Just got our January Bill, $122.89. These folks are crooks. Something has to be done to stop their unruly billing practices .

do yourself a favor get brighthouse and piece of mind wish i could take brighthouse back to ma.when i leave.

[swimdawg]

do yourself a favor get brighthouse and piece of mind wish i could take brighthouse back to ma.when i leave.

Please let me know when Brighthouse is available north of 466A. I'm in!

[TCLaD]

ditto

[DianeM]

Try this phone number for the corporate office - (215) 286-1700.
It is very tiring to call every month. We had Brighthouse for 25 years and rarely had a problem and when we did they fixed it promptly and courteously. Sadly, Bighthouse is not available where we live in The Villages.

You might want to check with Brighthouse. They are expanding into dofferent areas all the time.

[DianeM]

Please let me know when Brighthouse is available north of 466A. I'm in!

Give them a call. You might be surprised where they serve in TV.

[Matzy]

I agree that Brighthouse beats several other TV provider, we had it in Miami, FL. I can recommend this company.

[Spectreron]

I have Brighthouse internet and phone service. I dropped their cable TV for DIRECTV. The broadcast quality is very, very much better with DIRECTV and I'm paying the same as before. I have never seen television as clear as with DIRECTV. I'm satisfied with the Brighthouse services I have.

[Steve & Deanna]

I've personally contacted Brighthouse and was told they are not in our Village of Lynnhaven. Given the posts I've seen, what Villages have a choice between Comcast and Brighthouse?

[PJOHNS2654]

I was told our bill would be 109.00 this year. We are snowbirds. Two hours later I got an e mail saying it would be 165.00 per month. I have talked to three people at Comcast, can hardly understand what they are saying. The bottom line is that the price is going to be 165.oo. I don't even know what channels we have. They are a horrible company to deal with. As a seasonal imam not sure what options we have.

We are also seasonal and before we head north I take all their equipment back and cancel the service. When we return in fall we take their six month promotion, Currently paying $49.00 per mo. ( bill comes to $57.68) a month for basic T.V. This includes tax and all their garbage charges.

[Villager Dude]

Other than a satellite dish or Comcast what is available between 466 and 466 A ?

Is ATT U Verse available and is it any good ?

I think we should be contacting the County commissioners as I think they award the contracts to the various companies and give some exclusive territories.

Thanks

[Buffalo Jim]

Each of the cable and dish and phone providers utilize a method of billing that not even Einstein could have figured out . They have all been doing it for years .

This seems to be a situation in which some government over-site to impose rules which would require clear easy to follow consumer pricing . Even a bank could not get away with this type of deliberate pricing chicanery .
Perhaps a letter campaign directed to the offices of our State and Federal representatives might at least get some " pricing disclosure reform " on the table .

[Parker]

Please let me know when Brighthouse is available north of 466A. I'm in!

Ditto for me too!

[LianaB]

My bill with Comcast jumped $26/mo after the first year too, with a basic pkg. I called and they lowered it, but may still switch to Brighthouse

[billethkid]

Other than a satellite dish or Comcast what is available between 466 and 466 A ?

Is ATT U Verse available and is it any good ?

I think we should be contacting the County commissioners as I think they award the contracts to the various companies and give some exclusive territories.

Thanks

Bingo!!!!

[perrjojo]

Comcast is a crook? Comcast, like any other large company has it's problems. The customer service is outsourced to a foreign company and that is frustrating; however calling them a "crook" is a little harsh.

[BobnBev]

Each of the cable and dish and phone providers utilize a method of billing that not even Einstein could have figured out . They have all been doing it for years .

This seems to be a situation in which some government over-site to impose rules which would require clear easy to follow consumer pricing . Even a bank could not get away with this type of deliberate pricing chicanery .
Perhaps a letter campaign directed to the offices of our State and Federal representatives might at least get some " pricing disclosure reform " on the table .

:shrug:Geezzz, Jim, ya lost me on this one.
My bills from DirecTV and AT&T, for the cell phone,
couldn't be any clearer or less confusing.

Maybe I'm just lucky.

[gingersnap]

We have Comcast and have had numerous billing problems. I don't know if anyone else has had this problem, but, they turned us in to a collection agency because they said we did not return their equipment when we moved from one house to another within TV. When in fact, we returned the box in June and I had a receipt to prove it. (We were not moving to the new house until August and headed north, hence the reason to return equipment for the two month span.) The collection agency was calling us on a DAILY basis...SEVERAL times a day. We were being charged $400 for the equipment. I tried on numerous occasions to make the collection agency understand that we did not owe the money, but they don't want to listen. I also tried numerous times to talk to someone at Comcast by calling the numbers they say to call. Soooooo frustrating! They would put me on hold for an hour, or, I would finally be able to talk to someone and then the call would drop.:rant-rave: Finally, I was able to speak to a very nice young lady in the Oxford office. She went over our bills with me and determined just as I did, we owed nothing! She then provided me with copies from the computer screen indicating a "0" balance. The next time the collection agency called I was also surprised to talk to another very nice lady. I explained my situation and told her I had copies from the Comcast office to prove I did not owe any money. She provided me with a fax number, which she told me she wasn't supposed to do, but she was interested in helping me. I wrote them a letter and faxed it along with the copies of the computer screens. Well, I never got another phone call from them. :BigApplause: I did receive a letter stating that our credit was not damaged by the above, but never an apology from Comcast for the mix-up.

Be sure to get a receipt when you return your equipment and hang on to it!

[JB in TV]

We have Comcast and have had numerous billing problems. I don't know if anyone else has had this problem, but, they turned us in to a collection agency because they said we did not return their equipment when we moved from one house to another within TV. When in fact, we returned the box in June and I had a receipt to prove it. (We were not moving to the new house until August and headed north, hence the reason to return equipment for the two month span.) The collection agency was calling us on a DAILY basis...SEVERAL times a day. We were being charged $400 for the equipment. I tried on numerous occasions to make the collection agency understand that we did not owe the money, but they don't want to listen. I also tried numerous times to talk to someone at Comcast by calling the numbers they say to call. Soooooo frustrating! They would put me on hold for an hour, or, I would finally be able to talk to someone and then the call would drop.:rant-rave: Finally, I was able to speak to a very nice young lady in the Oxford office. She went over our bills with me and determined just as I did, we owed nothing! She then provided me with copies from the computer screen indicating a "0" balance. The next time the collection agency called I was also surprised to talk to another very nice lady. I explained my situation and told her I had copies from the Comcast office to prove I did not owe any money. She provided me with a fax number, which she told me she wasn't supposed to do, but she was interested in helping me. I wrote them a letter and faxed it along with the copies of the computer screens. Well, I never got another phone call from them. :BigApplause: I did receive a letter stating that our credit was not damaged by the above, but never an apology from Comcast for the mix-up.

Be sure to get a receipt when you return your equipment and hang on to it!

I had a similar problem when we left Comcast AZ and moved to TV! We had been with them for nealry 20 years, we owned our own cable modem, and when it was time to actually make the move, we returned all of their equiment.

When we got TV, did some research on prices and services, and decided to again go with Comcast. I still believe they offer a good product for internet, and Televesion, but agree that heir customer satisfaction has to be the worst of any company I have ever delt with. We started getting calls from "Comcast" (but were actually from a third party, but never identified as a collection agency) that we owed money for a cable modem that was not returned. We NEVER rented one from them, and our bills showed "customer owned modem" right on them. It took several weeks of calls to finally get it resolved. But it was finally resolved.

Now a new problem...I'll start a new thread as it is not billing related.

[Bonnevie]

they tried doing that to my son and his room mate at college. I received a bill for unreturned equipment. They had provided a mailing box for the college students to send back the equipment and of course, the kids didn't realize they should have got a ups receipt. Luckily, they called and it was ok, but I wonder if they didn't just do that across the board hoping some parent would just pay the bill...because it was sent to this address as my son's home address. I am not a fan of Comcast at all. Plan to keep it until the inevitable price increase then reassess.

[travelguy]

while comcast customer service is awful, and the complaint resolution process can take forever and make you want to rip out your hair, the product(s) they offer are superior to what others provide, especially the 'on demand' features. almost all TV shows are available for free and it is not necessary to use the DVR and plan what you want to record. but i still would not sign up with them again, and am content with century link; contented, just not wowed! comcast is a very profitable company, now owning universal among other entertainment entities. and comcast will be building another landmark skyscraper in center city philadelphia, which has to greatly impact the commercial viability and success of my favorite city.

[dalecrenshaw]

Century Link is also a nightmare to deal with. I have both the home phone and internet service with them on my vacation home in the Villages. You have to be Einstein to figure the billing out and it changes every month...even though nothing has happened to make it change. The house is vacant about 6 months out of the year and I put the service on Vacation during those months and there is always a block on long distance calls. I spend a lot of time on the phone trying to get through to them to find out why there are suddendly extra charges.

About 6 months ago, I noticed that there was a charge for Century Link@Ease in the amount of $10.00 plus taxes. I called again, waited an hour to talk to someone, was transferred, waited again, and asked what the charge was for. They told me that it was protection for my computer and internet service. The explained that if something happened to my computer, that they would have the information backed up and would be able to recover it. When I looked back at my previous bills, they had been charging me for this service for about a year. I told them I had never ordered this protection. They were very rude and insisted that yes I had. I told them why would I want protection when the phone & internet service that is on Vacation mode over 6 months a year and not in use. I asked them to prove to me that I ordered it. They could not. Now the here comes the worse part.....

Before I discovered that Century Link was charging me an extra $10.00 for Century Link@Ease to protect my computer, we arrived in the Villages last year, and on the very first day we were there, our computer got hacked into. They stole all our emails and our email addresses and sent out emails to all our contacts asking for money since we were stranded in a foreign country. We called Century Link to find out if there was anything they could do to help us to recover our emails & contacts. They said no. Nothing they could do. I didn't know at the time, that I was paying for the protection...but according to the bills, I was being charged for the protection at that time. So, what good is the protection, if it doesn't work? And, why would Century Link bill me for services that I never ordered and had never heard of before. We have the same kind of trouble with Direct TV at our permanent home in California....every month, they try and up the bill. We spend an hour on the phone threatening to jump ship. I think these companies need to get their act together or the gov't needs to intervene and come up with some regulations.

[togabill]

Same thing. Comcast billing are terrible.

[Paper1]

Last week there were a number of posts around a home break-in a couple of our Village neighbors suffered. It was indeed a terrible thing. That said I believe this community by virtue of it's growth and per-capita income gets violated legally much more so than illegally. There is a much high skill level in the marketing effort than there is excellent delivering service and value. There are certainly a number of exceptions to that comment but do look around.

[Penguin]

Our December Comcast bill wax $95.77. Just got our January Bill, $122.89. These folks are crooks. Something has to be done to stop their unruly billing practices .

I share you sentiment exactly. Its just legal extortion. I put Comcast in the same category with big oil companies, If we want the product we have to pay and they know it. I cant dwell on this topic too long because I might smash my television and that would just make me spend more money.

[swimdawg]

**ATTENTION: Residents of the Villages **



Good news!!

Bright House is FINALLY available in The Villages!!
For now, it is exclusively offered in the Villages of Sanibel, Charlotte, Gillchrist, Pinellas, Fernandina, Bradenton, Big Cypress, Collier & Hillsborough but more should be coming soon so check back for updates!! We are only going to be south of CR 466A for now. The offers below are only available exclusively through me.


***We offer free installation and a free first month of service with all bundled services!
***We will activate all cable outlets in your home!
***And we DO NOT operate on contracts.

I would love to answer any questions any of you may have.
Please feel free to call or email me to discuss your concerns or to schedule a home visit.
__________________

I personally contacted Brighthouse and promptly got a response from Lysander Jimenez. I asked to please let me know when they will be offering their service in St. James.

Sadly, he responded, "Not anytime in the near future. Right now it's only south of 466A".

:cry: :cry: :cry:

[Villager Dude]

Swimdawg

Do you think Brighthouse does not want to go north because of a business decision at this time or they cannot get an agreement with the county ?

[swimdawg]

Swimdawg

Do you think Brighthouse does not want to go north because of a business decision at this time or they cannot get an agreement with the county ?

Hey Dude! I've got the answer....right from the horse's mouth. Here is the reply I received when I asked him your questions:
------------------
Karen,
It is more like a business decision. Brighthouse built south of CR 466A because it was cost effective since there were no homes there at the time. To build north of there would cost five times as much. Streets would have to be torn up to run fiber throughout the neghborhood. To make that money back would take years...So for now there are no plans to go north..sorry..
---------
Yep....I'm sorry, too. I would just love to get rid of Comcast. Doesn't look good, though.....at least not in the near future. :(

[mulligan]

FYI, they don't tear up streets. The utilities use the easements at the rear of the house lots, and if they must cross a street, they bore under it and pull the cable/conduit through.

[swimdawg]

FYI, they don't tear up streets. The utilities use the easements at the rear of the house lots, and if they must cross a street, they bore under it and pull the cable/conduit through.

Don't kill the messenger.....but I think his point is that it would be too $$$ expensive$$$. Sad, but true.