Comcast.....$$$

[ladila2]

Am a snowbird...go to central NY in summer and subscribe to Time Warner for tv and internet. Time Warner sends the tv signal to every tv in your home that is prewired. No extra charges and no "special" boxes, which use your electrical power, are required for this reception. High Definition is available on local channels for no additional charges. It used to be this way with Comcast, however, looks like greed ($$$) took over!
More cable providers in The Villages would be very nice to combat monopoly issues.

[pooh]

Do you have A&E, History Channel, SyFy, Bravo, Biography, WGN, Turner Classic Movies, RTV, etc?

While the idea of competition sounds like a great idea, the probability of it happening might never be. Installation of cable or fiber optic lines takes time and money and the company that did the initial install can't/won't share.

[rubicon]

Am a snowbird...go to central NY in summer and subscribe to Time Warner for tv and internet. Time Warner sends the tv signal to every tv in your home that is prewired. No extra charges and no "special" boxes, which use your electrical power, are required for this reception. High Definition is available on local channels for no additional charges. It used to be this way with Comcast, however, looks like greed ($$$) took over!
More cable providers in The Villages would be very nice to combat monopoly issues.

ladila: Perhaps there is something going on in central New York but I suspect the direct connection you have is for limited stations and not premium channels, etc.

[ladila2]

Yes, I do...total of 80 channels including the above that you mentioned. I suppose that the situation experienced in The Villages is the modern trend. The FCC use to support free airways but this probably has changed due to the lobbyist who are hired by the big corporations.

[OldManTime]

Yes, I do...total of 80 channels including the above that you mentioned. I suppose that the situation experienced in The Villages is the modern trend. The FCC use to support free airways but this probably has changed due to the lobbyist who are hired by the big corporations.

There are still free airways, and i get my TV signal by "AIR", no monthly charges, total investment $55. get 21 channels

[ladila2]

Hi, do you use an antenna? I checked into this and unfortunately am not in an area for antenna reception.

[beekman]

I have had Comcast since Aug 2013 and have experienced problems with the service immediately following installation.. Upon calling the help center, I was told to unplug and then reconnect the cable..... me? Anyway, after a technician visited 3 times, in the last 3 months, the problem was finally found and at this writing, continuous service has finally been restored.
The problem arises with this months bill...a $60 "service fee" was added for one of the visits, ( which by the way did not result in fixing the problem) I called the billing department and found out that I had not "opted" for the "service contract" at $3.95 a month that would 'have fixed any problem" with my service..

My question. Is Comcast responsible for their service or not? Does SECO or TECO charge a "monthly service fee" for fixing any problems with there service? of course I protested and the charge was removed, but it is the principal of the issue ! I am moving within the Villages in March, I will likely be seeking other providers !!

Has anyone else had such problems; especially with unexpected service charges??

Good luck!

[swimdawg]

Am a snowbird...go to central NY in summer and subscribe to Time Warner for tv and internet. Time Warner sends the tv signal to every tv in your home that is prewired. No extra charges and no "special" boxes, which use your electrical power, are required for this reception. High Definition is available on local channels for no additional charges. It used to be this way with Comcast, however, looks like greed ($$$) took over!
More cable providers in The Villages would be very nice to combat monopoly issues.

I agree. I have Time-Warner in Swimdawg North and it's much cheaper than Comcast in Swimdawg South. I'm having Comcast come on Friday to take out a DVR and my landline phone. I have so many more services with Time Warner for a lot less $$$. T-W has it all over Comcast.

[togabill]

Totally agree. I had Time Warner when I lived up north. So much better than Comcast.

I've got to learn if the antenna will work in our area.

[MikeV]

I also had TW in NY and got Comcast here. That lasted a year and now I have DirectTV which i love. Yes I need a very small box at each TV and a main DVR box at the main TV but I get whole house DVR. I can watch a DVR in any room even stop it in one room and finish in another.

[sharoni]

We have Comcast, both here and Michigan. Unfortunately, where we live in Michigan, Comcast has the monopoly, no other choices! The one thing with Comcast is they do nothing for long term customers. All the "deals" are for new customers. No deals for having 2 residences using Comcast either. And we just received our bill for MI, up $40/month. We are looking into alternatives as $4000/year for cable and internet seems a little excessive!

[JourneyOfLife]

Am a snowbird...go to central NY in summer and subscribe to Time Warner for tv and internet. Time Warner sends the tv signal to every tv in your home that is prewired. No extra charges and no "special" boxes, which use your electrical power, are required for this reception. High Definition is available on local channels for no additional charges. It used to be this way with Comcast, however, looks like greed ($$$) took over!
More cable providers in The Villages would be very nice to combat monopoly issues.


The cable industry (all of them) went to the FCC and asked to enable cable companies to shift all customers to digital tv (meaning set top boxes).

FCC Cable Rules Change Will Require Consumers To Pay More For Basic Cable (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/04/fcc-cable-rules-change_n_2237212.html)

They all are going to do it... their approaches may differ a little in terms of how they shift their customers to set top boxes.

Time warner is reducing the number of channels that do not need a set top box a few at a time. Each time they take away a few channels, they send out letters to customers telling them if they want those channel back, they need to get a set top box. Free for about a year, then there is a monthly equipment charge thereafter.

[logdog]

My question. Is Comcast responsible for their service or not? Does SECO or TECO charge a "monthly service fee" for fixing any problems with there service? of course I protested and the charge was removed, but it is the principal of the issue ! I am moving within the Villages in March, I will likely be seeking other providers !!

Has anyone else had such problems; especially with unexpected service charges??

Good luck!

I have had Comcast for many years and have disputed service charges for fixing problems they have caused. I have always won but it was always a real hassle that usually took months to resolve. It's like they are just hoping you will give up first even though they are clearly in the wrong. Comcast has a really bad reputation when it comes to customer service. I believe they were rated the worst national provider in a survey last year. Many people will go years without any issues and think Comcast is great but the first time you have a problem everything changes. I have posted many issues on this forum that I have experienced including having them cut my cables, missed appointments, lengthy service outages, etc.

I switched to DirecTV which is far superior for TV service. Unfortunately, I haven't found a good internet provider in the price range of Comcast or I would switch that too.

[jblum315]

I have had Comcast since Aug 2013 and have experienced problems with the service immediately following installation.. Upon calling the help center, I was told to unplug and then reconnect the cable..... me? Anyway, after a technician visited 3 times, in the last 3 months, the problem was finally found and at this writing, continuous service has finally been restored.
The problem arises with this months bill...a $60 "service fee" was added for one of the visits, ( which by the way did not result in fixing the problem) I called the billing department and found out that I had not "opted" for the "service contract" at $3.95 a month that would 'have fixed any problem" with my service..

My question. Is Comcast responsible for their service or not? Does SECO or TECO charge a "monthly service fee" for fixing any problems with there service? of course I protested and the charge was removed, but it is the principal of the issue ! I am moving within the Villages in March, I will likely be seeking other providers !!

Has anyone else had such problems; especially with unexpected service charges??

Good luck!

Not here, but in NY I got hit with a $70 charge for a telephone guy who just looked at the outside connection. Didn't touch it just looked. I complained and the charge was removed. I get the feeling that they do this sometimes, in case you're not paying attention

[njbchbum]

We have Comcast, both here and Michigan. Unfortunately, where we live in Michigan, Comcast has the monopoly, no other choices! The one thing with Comcast is they do nothing for long term customers. All the "deals" are for new customers. No deals for having 2 residences using Comcast either. And we just received our bill for MI, up $40/month. We are looking into alternatives as $4000/year for cable and internet seems a little excessive!

When you leave MI - how do you handle your comcast service? We 'enjoy' the same monopoly with comcast here in NJ...so when we leave for the winter I take the service down to the basic level of service [we leave something for the home watch person to watch should they want to!]. Right before we return I call and restore the service to what we had before or whatever the best deal that is being offered at the time! We always get the promo rate for whatever we pick among the deals.

I read lots of comcast complaints here - but cannot share the pain - it was actually a comcast service rep that told me how to work the above deal rather than place the account 'on vacation'!

[Easyrider]

Actually the real reason TV was switched to digital was to free up parts of the broadcast frequency band so it could be sold to wireless carriers for expanded wireless services.
Of course the cable providers quickly found a way to make some extra $$ off their customers while already saving even more money as a result of the change.

Clearing up resources
The most important reason to make the switch to a digital signal is because it will free up valuable portions of the broadcast spectrum, which can then be used for other purposes, such as advanced wireless services and for public and safety services. Plus, networks and TV stations can stop spending the time, money, effort, and electricity doing double duty and transmitting both analog and digital signals.

[Steve & Deanna]

My incident with Comcast came with seasonal suspension and I was NOT told that I would be billed for DVR/HD box and modem. After many attempts to contact them, I asked why should I pay for something I'm not using. After two months, they billed me for the box and modem totaling nearly $500. It was a hassle but I was able to talk with someone, they waived the $500 and a re-hook-up fee. My argument was that they gave me a seasonal suspension confirmation code and made no mention of paying for service not used. This next time, I just may cancel my Comcast, drop everything off at their office on 27/441, come back, start a new account and have them waive a hook-up fee. If you feel that you are being wronged by Comcast, complete a form to Office of The Attorney General Pam Bondi - State of Florida - PL-01, The Capitol - Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050. That would have been my final step had I not spoken to someone that would listen. One added thing is that I wrote to the Senior VP of Customer Care (Rick Germano) in Philadelphia PA requesting an ability to shut off my service up north and turn it on down south. The excuse was that Comcast has 'regional' offices and different promos. Naturally, I flipped out the 'senior' card and wrote that we should have that consideration as seniors...but to no avail...yet.

[swimdawg]

My incident with Comcast came with seasonal suspension and I was NOT told that I would be billed for DVR/HD box and modem. After many attempts to contact them, I asked why should I pay for something I'm not using. After two months, they billed me for the box and modem totaling nearly $500. It was a hassle but I was able to talk with someone, they waived the $500 and a re-hook-up fee. My argument was that they gave me a seasonal suspension confirmation code and made no mention of paying for service not used. This next time, I just may cancel my Comcast, drop everything off at their office on 27/441, come back, start a new account and have them waive a hook-up fee. If you feel that you are being wronged by Comcast, complete a form to Office of The Attorney General Pam Bondi - State of Florida - PL-01, The Capitol - Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050. That would have been my final step had I not spoken to someone that would listen. One added thing is that I wrote to the Senior VP of Customer Care (Rick Germano) in Philadelphia PA requesting an ability to shut off my service up north and turn it on down south. The excuse was that Comcast has 'regional' offices and different promos. Naturally, I flipped out the 'senior' card and wrote that we should have that consideration as seniors...but to no avail...yet.

It's soooooooo frustrating dealing with Comcast. Why is it that the older I get, the less patience I have? I just want to speak to an intelligent person at Comcast.....and so far, they are nowhere to be found. :ohdear:

[mulligan]

Unlike most states, cable is not regulated in Florida. They can pretty much do what they want. Below 466a, there are choices with comcast, centurylink, and brighthouse, and the dish contractors.

[hema54]

We have Brighthouse here. Comcast was more expensive. But I heard that Brighthouse isn't available everywhere in TV. I'm happy with them.