Rethinking cable TV service?
Recently, AJC reporter Carrie Teegardin wrote about consumers who were upset with Comcast’s move to all-digital TV service.
They complained about new monthly charges for the required boxes, poor customer assistance, slow channel changing and long lines to pick up equipment.
Comcast faces more competition these days, however, with the arrival of AT&T’s new U-verse TV service. That service is now being rolled out in metro Atlanta. In addition, there is also competition from the satellite TV companies.
Are you thinking about switching out of cable TV? Or are you satisfied? Why or why not?
In this era of high-definition channels, which service is the best?
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129 comments Add your comment
Chas
October 19th, 2009
2:25 pm
If you are on the net with the cable TV, why would you want to switch to a dish? If you do I believe that the cost will go up for now you may have two bills. Ok so you say you are going to go wireless on you computer but what about security now?
jimmy
October 19th, 2009
3:09 pm
What a great racket the pay TV providers have going. Charge folks for TV thats already paid for with commercials. If i sold the same thing twice johnny law would want to see me.
If commercials pay for TV then what is this cable bill for?
Cable bill or commercials NOT BOTH!!!
Steve
October 19th, 2009
3:36 pm
I fired Comcast two months ago after repeatedly being given the runaround about when/how they were going to switch their entire network to digital and the real cost. I now have more channels for less money and the only thing I lost was CSS sports.
Susan
October 19th, 2009
4:28 pm
I’m not thinking about changing…I did that 3 months ago. Their service was horrible, tech support was somewhere overseas and it was a rare occasion I could speak to someone I could understand, and their internet sucked. I moved on to another large company, and am so much happier, not to mention it’s cheaper!!! Leaving Comcast behind was the best decision I’ve made!
dap
October 19th, 2009
4:28 pm
Good questions Jimmy!! Why do we pay for television with commercials? This is legalized robbery. I want to switch and I haven’t because from my understanding with dish you have to pay for local channels. By the time you go through all the HD charges, local charges and nickle and dimes you are paying almost the same costs. Maybe saving $10-$15.
Art Vandelay
October 19th, 2009
4:29 pm
I just had the honor of adding an extra $12.95 a month to my already outrageous Comcast bill last night, simply because I wanted HD service in a second room of my house — that’s $5 for rental of the box, and $6.95 for the “service,” even though I already have HD on one TV (shouldn’t the $6.95 per month cover every set in the house, considering they’re already sending the HD signal to me?). Comcast is digging its own grave with spotty reliability, apathetic customer service, low-quality, compressed HD channels and a fee structure that would make Bank of America blush. The minute U-Verse becomes available in my neighborhood, I’ll be switching just on principle — it can’t possibly be worse than what I’ve already got, despite the fact that AT&T’s reputation for customer service is every bit as bad as Comcast’s.
marco
October 19th, 2009
4:33 pm
Generally I’ve actually had excellent service from Comcast. I do dislike having to have a box at every television and an inability to easily record channels above 30 on my vcr/dvdr, but that is really the situation with all tv delivery systems now, so I guess Comcast is really no different. I wish that the tv delivery people would come up with a standard decoding mechanism so we could purchase tv’s and peripheral devices that didn’t need these extra boxes and remotes.
Les4USF
October 19th, 2009
4:33 pm
Comcast is by far the worst company I have ever dealt with. We are unable to get U-Verse where I live so I was forced to go with Comcast. Our cable hardly ever works and when it does it cuts in and out. I would not recommend Comcast to anyone!!!!
maybe
October 19th, 2009
4:34 pm
We too dropped Comcast as soon as AT & T U-verse was available in our area. We were so tired of the on demand that we paid for not working, the customer no service etc. While we have had to call customer no service twice since the switch to AT & T U-verse (now almost one year ago) they actually had customer service and they went out of their way to help us with the issue. We love the U-verse for a lot less money (especially if you buy the bundle that unlike Comcast stays the same price not a promotional price).
YoungDawg
October 19th, 2009
4:34 pm
We fired A T&T just over a year ago when we switched to Comcast for phone & internet. We love those services & recently added cable in order to get CSS. I’ll have to say DirecTV is a far more user-friendly, has the most up-to-date technology & there customer service isn’t perfect but its WAY better than Comcast.
Jef
October 19th, 2009
4:34 pm
Chas:
Why switch? Terrible customer service.
Bills/Cost? The prices are competitive.
Security? You’re just as secure as you are with Comcast. Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean you’re not safe.
J R
October 19th, 2009
4:37 pm
Mr Unger, dont knock Comcast unless you have your facts correct. I switched back to Comcast from A T & T so called……..U-Verse. Much happier now, great phone, high speed and cable. Dropping U-Verse with A T & T and going back to Comcast, FANTASTIC> Great pictures COMCAST
clyde
October 19th, 2009
4:38 pm
Several years ago I disconnected the tv and haven’t seen a problem since.I find life to be far superior without it.I spend a little time here on the computer,but most of my day is spent doing something worthwile.This evening the bride and I will go for a walk,then come home and go to bed.We’ll both be up before daylight ready for another day.Never again will we have a television.
maybe
October 19th, 2009
4:38 pm
what does AT & T so called…….U-Verse mean?
Margaret
October 19th, 2009
4:39 pm
COMCAST is an absolutely EVIL (dis)organization run by a bunch of uneducated, rude, foul-mouthed, obnoxious, inconsiderate, dishonest, loud-talking yankees with poor manners and non-existent professionalism, and that entire operation should be in the Eternal Lake of Fire with Michael Vick, Adolf Hitler and Cynthia McKinney.
USMC DAWG
October 19th, 2009
4:40 pm
Saying ComCast sucks would be an understatement. Their offices were apparently designed by someone from WalMart. Tons of windows for cashiers, but only two working. It took me 25 minutes @ the Douglasville office simply to pay my bill. No service changes, upgrades, cancellations, etc. Just stood there to give them $135. Won’t be happening again though. DirectTV on the way in two weeks.
Washington high fan
October 19th, 2009
4:41 pm
On demand is the bomb, Css, and the new redzone tv channel, Comcast may cost but its way better than the dish. I get to watch all the replays of UGA, Ga Tech, and Falcons coverage.
JC
October 19th, 2009
4:42 pm
I’ve had Comcast’s premium package with Internet for 8 years. My bill has gone from about $120 a month to over $210. Damn right I’m looking for another alternative. These new digital boxes that I had to put on my tv’s with no converter are terrible. I found them easy to obtain, easy to install, and easy to activate, but they are slow to change channels.
Art Vandelay
October 19th, 2009
4:42 pm
From Carrie Teegardin’s piece: “Comcast knows that not everyone is happy. But the company said this is simply the reality of new technology. Whether it was the first cable box in history or the arrival of CD players after cassettes and eight-tracks, improved technology often makes existing equipment more difficult to use, said Gene Shatlock, senior vice president for Comcast’s Atlanta region.”
This is a total load of Shatlock, if I may say so. Nobody FORCED me to give up my cassette collection and rebuild it on CD — I had the option to do so when I was ready. On the other hand, Comcast is forcing its customers into the digital age whether they like it or not, despite the fact that the company has been unable to point to a single benefit for the consumer. Comcast’s anticipated ability to offer additional HD channels does not mean a thing to my grandmother, who was comfortable with her old remote control and analog TV, and couldn’t care less whether or not I’m able to get 6 additional HD channels on my TV at her expense. This is just more of the same from a company that has been essentially a monopoly for the past 10 years — the only good news is that U-Verse will eventually provide legitimate competition and force Comcast to actually listen to its customers. Time is running out on their anti-competitive, anti-consumer habits.
Fred
October 19th, 2009
4:42 pm
The magic words that I have used to whip Comcast in line have been… “Direct television.” Once I threatened to jump ship things got rolling. They had a repair truck at my home at 9:00 pm an hour after I called and had me going again.
disgruntledcstmr
October 19th, 2009
4:42 pm
As soon as I have the opportunity to switch, I definitely will. The last two times I’ve had technical issues, it’s taken more than a week to get a Comcast tech to my home to restore my cable & internet service — and that was after haggling with the incompetent customer service reps by phone. With customer service like that, I might as well try AT&T when it’s available in my neighborhood.
BBro
October 19th, 2009
4:44 pm
My Comcast HD and phone service is always screwed up. I sure hope AT&T gets up here in our Forsyth community soon. Those dish sattelites aren’t much better.
Seriously?
October 19th, 2009
4:44 pm
Jimmy – I’m hoping that you’re just having fun and not really arguing that cable TV service is (or should be) paid for by advertisers. TV networks sell commercials to pay for the TV content (the shows) and to make a profit. Without the advertisers, there would be no programming. This has nothing to do with how the TV signal gets to your house. If you don’t want to pay, get a digital converter and rabbit ears. If you want access to the more programming, then you pay for cable or satellite service. It’s not “selling the same thing twice”…
Grandma
October 19th, 2009
4:45 pm
I have one company (not Comcast) for cable and internet. Comcast was nothing BUT problem after problem after problem, and like others, whenever tech support was called, I could never understand the foreigners (who didn’t know how to handle internet problems), and it took DAYS to get someone out, plus I was charged a fee for them to come check and fix THEIR problem! With this new company, I never pay for a tech to come out, they always come out the SAME day (if I call early enough), plus I get a lot more channels than I got with Comcast for LESS cost, and the broadcast quality is so much better. None of the pixelated pictures I got CONSTANTLY with Comcast. I also get AMERICANS when I call for tech support, and they are educated in solving problems with internet over the phone. Wish I had gone with them in the first place!!! GOOD-BYE COMCAST. Too bad I can’t say “It’s been nice.”. (P.S. We don’t need any special boxes or equipment to receive t.v. except for “on demand”. We have 2 t.v.’s with a box, and 2 without. The 2 without get just as good reception as the 2 WITH a box. I’m so much happier with my service.
Get It Right
October 19th, 2009
4:45 pm
We went with Dish network. VERY glad we did.
Me Again
October 19th, 2009
4:54 pm
P.S. My new cable/internet company charges for only ONE t.v., we don’t need a special box, and they are well aware of how many t.v.’s we have hooked up to cable. (They hooked them up for me when I ordered.)
I totally agree with those that say that since we are already paying outrageous prices for cable (considering), we should get commercial free t.v. Save the commercials for those that don’t use cable. I know cable gets more channels, but we are paying for those. Considering that nearly half of the channels are in SPANISH, I believe we are still paying too much. It is advertised “get hundreds of channels”, but half of them I can’t watch because I don’t understand Spanish.
JustaThought
October 19th, 2009
4:54 pm
Comcast did’nt JUST get like this folks…………..They’ve been the sorriest most pathetic cable provider since forever. I have’nt had there service in about 10 years. It wasn’t worth a sh$t then, and I would bet donuts to dollars nothing has change.
JustaThought
October 19th, 2009
4:56 pm
And did I say NEVER AGAIN……………………..
jam
October 19th, 2009
4:56 pm
I am pleased with my Comcast service. Have had service issues before, but they were resolved quickly. Love the on demand and hd content. Internet is much faster than dsl. I have priced the alternatives and they are not cheaper.
Marsha
October 19th, 2009
4:57 pm
I have only had trouble with Comcast over the stupid boxes. Rather than stand in line, I asked them to ship them to me. Should have asked if the little guy to install it would be in the box too. I got some woman in Korea that could barely speak English! I asked for someone that spoke American English. You can do this and they have to get someone for you. Once I got the American English-speaker, things went much more smoothly! I still have one set that will not program correctly, but it’s in a guest room….The picture is great and I never experience any loss of service. Everyone I have ever dealt with have been professional, courteous and helpful.
smh @ Margaret
October 19th, 2009
4:59 pm
Seriously, Margaret???? You put Mike Vick in the lake of fire with Adolf Hitler??? Get a life!
dee
October 19th, 2009
4:59 pm
CSS on demand and ESPN 360 is a cool benefit for comcast! Otherwise Comcast Sucks! How can on person be paying one price, and a neighbor in the same subdivision be paying another price for identical service. That’s sucky Comcast!
JustaThought
October 19th, 2009
4:59 pm
Hopefully Verizon FIOs is on the way!
Marsha
October 19th, 2009
5:04 pm
If you want sorry service try Media Com in Albany GA. You can only shop and pray on that service, not to mention crappy pictures. No TCM!
Bruce
October 19th, 2009
5:09 pm
Drop Comcast, AT&T U-Verse & Dish Network. Buy a Tivo HD Recorder box for $200, (refurb from Tivo), a wireless adapter for the Tivo Box ($40) and Get an HD Antenna ($40), which picks up about 31 HD channels in Atlanta, (all major networks, PBS, CW, Ion, etc), then subscribe to Netflix, which you can access with your Tivo box connected to your computer via the wireless adapter. Access sporting events you want to watch via your computer/laptop & make sure you have a TV Out card, or HDMI out on your laptop, then project any online video content to your TV. Cancel your $80-$120 cable bill & replace with $10 to Tivo & $8 to Netflix per month.
Byron Reynolds
October 19th, 2009
5:09 pm
I would gladly subscribe to Comcast… IF I could watch a channel completely dedicated to watching Mike Vick, Hitler and Cythina “McCommunist” McKinney burn for all eternity.
Heck, if you throw Bill Clinton in there as well, I might even pay for a Premium package.
Ed
October 19th, 2009
5:15 pm
Friends, after Comcast stole what I was paying for in the basic tier and moved to other tiers to shake me down for more money I tossed the thieves out on their ear, put up an antenna, and I now enjoy all the high quality TV I care to view. FREE. I have been on an antenna for seven years. Multiply that by your annual contribution to cable and satellite companies and consider all the more pleasurable things you can buy with the savings. After all, the TV fare being offered viewers is not worth the cost of a movie ticket.
Phil of Playaz Ball
October 19th, 2009
5:20 pm
I’ve tried justifying the switch to satellite or some other provider, but it’s never made sense to me.
U-Verse isn’t available to me so I can’t compare (though their prices look just the same as comcast) – Satellite has the following “problems”:
1) Have to spend $200 for an HD box (not sure if this includes DVR or not). And I have 3 TV’s – I assume I need a box for each one. Don’t have to do this w/ Comcast.
2) Trees interfere w/ satellite dish – would have to mount on front of my house. Not doing that. Plus, someone’s drilling holes into my roof.
3) Storms won’t knock out my cable.
4) Comcast internet much faster than anyone else. Plus – they give you MacAfee, which would cost @ $100 year to renew w/o.
I think my biggest problem is purchasing the equipment – It’d take 3 or 4 years of service to pay off.
Bill
October 19th, 2009
5:25 pm
Never had a problem with Comcast. Love the service. Saved a bundle on phone service after a kicked ATT to the curb. I pay $19 for what ATT (and their death star logo) charged over $50. Internet price has been the same for as long as I can remember and runs circles around ATT (old BellSouth) internet. It doesn’t matter how far I am from the central office, like they say in the Slowsky ads. DVR and On Demand are the bomb. I never watch anything when it is “live” anymore. We watch hour long shows in only 40 mins and blow through all the ads. My kids watch great stuff like Kids Sprout. I can block anything I don’t want them to see. They have seasonal programming including music, movies (check out the horror movie stuff for Halloween), etc. Right after Michael Jackson died, they had every Michael Jackson video available On-Demand. It was awesome to watch those 80s videos again. When I was growing up, we got 4 channels and had to move the antenna and had no remote. I’ll take today’s technology and pay more.
PTC DAWG
October 19th, 2009
5:32 pm
I’m ready for the change….MORE HD is what it’s all about. BRING IT ON…
Marie
October 19th, 2009
5:36 pm
I must qualify as an “Elder” of our tribe because I can tell you that when cable was in the planning stages a selling point was that the price one would pay to the cable company would cover the cable company AND the making of the shows. There would be NO commercials. I think there was a short period of no commercials on cable tv.
fromatl1
October 19th, 2009
5:37 pm
I had both Comcast and ATT high speed wireless networks running side by side. ATT dsl extreme is as fast or faster than Comcast’s high speed internet. But with ATT U-Verse the high speed will blow Comcast out of the water. Regardless, my reason for switching is not technical but customer service.
I’m looking forward to U-Verse coming to my neighborhood. I will switch Immediately. I hope that ATT will not make the same mistakes as Comcast.
Sad Stuff
October 19th, 2009
5:38 pm
Comcast has the worst customer service of any company I’ve ever dealth with. I switched to Directv, which actually values its customers. It’s been a job.
Reid in EAV
October 19th, 2009
5:51 pm
Comcast is the devil. AT&T/DirecTV? Well, they’re also the devil. We’ve spent two years with Devil #1, running through the year of Triple Play, then another year of a discounted premium package. Now, despite my telling them in no uncertain terms that I’d walk unless they extended my pricing, they were unwilling to do so.
So now we’re spending two years in the arms of Devil #2, and (at least initially) getting a $57/month discount as a result, for virtually the same thing. I’m sure after the 24 contracted months are up, Devil #2 will jack up the pricing as high as they possibly can, and I’ll be back with Devil #1 as a “new subscriber” again with all the discounts back in place.
Madness? Of course it is. Any businessperson will tell you that it’s a lot cheaper to keep the customers you have than to chase new ones. But as both Comcast and AT&T are government-mandated monopolies in their various areas (and in terms of bundled TV/Internet/Phone providers they’re a bonafide duopoly) obviously the normal free-market business rules don’t apply.
So folks who are savvy about their money will keep switching back and forth advantageously until the government allows more choices (as they should) OR until the growing offerings online and over the free airwaves renders them obsolete.
SWAT Native
October 19th, 2009
5:51 pm
Wow, my experience with Comcast has been dramatically different. I only have their cable service, but it never seems to go out and I don’t have problems with it. I love the selection of HD channels (especially all the sports channels, including the NFL RedZone). On the rare occasions I call customer service, I always seem to get an American and they are able to help me. Granted, it’s not cheap, but I think it’s worth it. Are you dealing with the same company that I am?
My only complaint is why do we get the Big Ten channel in HD and not an SEC channel?
soulfinger
October 19th, 2009
5:52 pm
I gave Comcast the boot about 5 months and I couldnt be happier! I have a DTV converter box and I no longer have to pay to watch the 5 channels I actually enjoy. What a rip off cable is.
atlwolf
October 19th, 2009
5:53 pm
Charter cable beats the pants off of Comcast. Better service, better customer service, their reps on the phone actually speak English fluently, their techs are courteous, and their prices are fair. Comcast will end up in the $#!tter one day.
Luke
October 19th, 2009
5:53 pm
I will sacrifice money and no internet to not have to deal with Comcrap’s aweful customer service. After 6 weeks of phone calls trying to get someone out to my house for a cable install, I called Dish. They were out there the next day.
Jose
October 19th, 2009
6:01 pm
I have had no problem with Comcast service – just the bill.
My background is IT and include cable TV so it is easier for me to talk to them when I have an issue (rare) or question.
I have the Triple Play.
Be nice to the person on the other end of the phone. People yell at them all day.
Talk to a person of the opposite gender.
Tell them a joke or ask them what the winning lottery numbers are.
Have all your account information ready before you call.
Ask if they have any promotions, tell them their stuff costs to much and you are shopping. They will take your price down a notch or two. If not, ask to talk to the disconnection supervisor. A disconnect is bad news on their count of resolved threats to disconnect.
I know how cable companies work.
One day I had pixelated video on Judge Judy and their own Internet test site said my connection was less than 12 MBS.
I got 12 months of free HBO, just started one year free on my equipment rental (1 box, 1 DVR, 1 cable router), they came out and replaced all my cable from the pole to the TVs.
Yeah – it’s too expensive, but it works reliably.
Andrew
October 19th, 2009
6:04 pm
Comcast sucks! They have the WORST customer service people in the world!! I hate em!
Geezer
October 19th, 2009
6:06 pm
My digital picture gets pixilated all the time – not as reliable as the “old” cable. 128 channels and nothing on – we end up watching MASH reruns. HD?? I can’t tell the difference. I give up.
Geezer
October 19th, 2009
6:09 pm
Oh yeah, and customer service – I don’t want to talk them. I just want it to work. I shouldn’t have to even call, let alone help diagnose the problem.
jimmy
October 19th, 2009
6:11 pm
Commercials pay for content? If that were true then every pay TV provider lies about rate increases. They always blame it on this channel or that channel is raising the rates they charge the provider.
Sorry some folks don’t see the scam for what it is. And to us sports fans we have no choice but to pay up. Yes there are a few sports events on OTA but if you want to watch monday night football then you gotta pay up. And yes my cable bill is paying for the content and charging me and ford for the same show is stealing from one of us!
If intellectual property is real property then why are there no property taxes on it?
Cable bill or commercials NOT BOTH!!!!
DJ Sniper
October 19th, 2009
6:17 pm
My time with Comcast has been pretty good for the most part. I did have a rather unpleasant experience a few weeks ago regarding some DVR boxes that weren’t working correctly and the scheduling of a service technician. A friend of mine who works for Comcast gave me the number to a local corporate office to complain about my experience. When it was all said and done, I got free HBO and Showtime for a year, a gang of credits to my account, and for the next year, my cable bill was reduced from $72/month to $44/month. The person I dealt with was very pleasant and she was more than happy to take care of me.
clyde
October 19th, 2009
6:18 pm
I cannot believe the dollar figures I’m seeing on here that you folks are paying these cable companies.When I quit I was paying $38 a month.What is going on out there?Are you guys really getting what you’re paying For?
Max
October 19th, 2009
6:29 pm
A few things to remember about digital service: Digital saves cable companies bandwidth on their cableplant so they can offer more channels and use the saved bandwidth from ditching analog to sell more high-speed data services, With digital, cable can control charge per tv service is provided to. With analog, TV were cable-ready and could be plugged right into the set without a cable box (not talking about PPV) so you can run 5 TVs in the house by using a splitters for the price of one. With digital, it should be simple to subscribe to the channels you want and not have to buy a package of 100+ channels and maybe you only use 20.
I don’t begrudge cable for charging per TV or trying to offer more services over their cableplant to improve shareholder returns. What I object to is increasing costs to the consumer while lowering their costs.
Doug
October 19th, 2009
6:30 pm
I moved from South Florida to Cumming just over two years ago and it took over a year to get money back from the Florida account.
One night I made over a dozen calls to get it resolved. Half the times I called I’d get routed to the Florida call center – who can’t help with a Georgia account. The other half I’d talk to Comcast people in Georgia who couldn’t help with a Florida account. I can’t understand why both sides could *see* the accounts but couldn’t get the money owed credited to another account with the same $%&#%@ company.
They finally sent me a check after about 14 months of haggling.
Colin
October 19th, 2009
6:34 pm
Ditch cable TV and just pay for the 6 mps internet (~50 bucks a month). I split a house with several roommates, and we bought an “APPLE TV” which lets us all watch anything saved on our computers (windows machines a s well) on the TV in our living room. Including shows on HULU, etc. Works decently and saves 50 bucks a month from not buying their digital cable package, which we are getting rid of soon.
Gordon
October 19th, 2009
6:39 pm
My experience with Comcast is that they are a pain to deal with when you have to, but it works 99% of the time. I use them for TV and internet. I don’t want to go to the trouble of changing my email address (and everyone else in my family), and haven’t been overly impressed with friends who have satellite.
ATL Gator
October 19th, 2009
6:39 pm
I fired Comcast almost a year ago…their billing was atrocious…customer service non-existent, but now, their product is not competitive price wise.
I’m paying $40/mo less and getting 300 channels on UVerse. That’s without the additional $250 AT&T sent me just for converting. More importantly, when there is a problem with UVerse, and its not often, I can call 24/7 and get right through to someone who can understand what I’m saying.
Gordon
October 19th, 2009
6:42 pm
If you are having “pixilating” problems on some channels, the chances are your cable from the outside box to your house or inside your house is old and should be replaced. I had that problem, they laid a new line, and it has worked great ever since. Cable laid as recently as 3 years ago may not have the bandwith to support a full digital lineup, the internet, and voice. Comcast is responsible for the signal up to your house, so if the line there needs to be replaced they will do it for free.
Vagabondking
October 19th, 2009
6:43 pm
Do you recall that Comcast acquired the cable TV in the Alpharetta area when they bought it from AT&T, it sucked then too.
bastman and robiskim
October 19th, 2009
6:46 pm
Man I use dishnetwork and pay 67 a month for the 250 gold package, and have free sirius channels,
doxietrek
October 19th, 2009
6:46 pm
Fired Comcast after a month of horrible signal due to their “digital conversion”. Their customer service was nonexistent; the only help I got was after posting on Twitter how bad it was, and I found out they have a professional troll monitoring the social networks to see what’s being said. The troll got them to run another cable to my house, but it didn’t fix the problem and they claimed it was my internal wiring. I now have a dish, using the same internal wiring, and amazingly the problems are gone. Comcast lied too many times, left me waiting too many times on techs that never showed and charged me exorbitant amounts for horrible service. I won’t go back unless I’m not given a choice!
Scott
October 19th, 2009
6:48 pm
Comcast is ripping off customers in ATLANTA and other major cities…and has deceptive advertising practices too. The last 5 minutes of every half hour :25 and :55 of HLN (headline news) is inserted with pre-recorded LOCAL NEWS UPDATE….in Atlanta case WSB TV an ABC affiliate.
I pay extra to receive HLN and their programming of pre-recorder LOCAL NEWS is keeping me from watching the full program….Clark Howards Show Joy Behar Nancy Grace and HLN..
in fact the last 5minutes of HLN is alway a good interesting story and Atlanta viewers are restricted from seeing it……FCC needs to hear abou this.and force Comcast to eliminate these unfair practices.
b6542
October 19th, 2009
6:53 pm
Comcast has the WORST customer service imaginable. I was having problems with one of the services on a weekly basis then all three went out. Was going to be a WEEK before someone could come out. I FIRED them 4 months ago. Have not had ONE SINGLE PROBLEM with ATT and the Dish. Do not see how they stay in business.
Julie
October 19th, 2009
6:55 pm
I abhor Comcast. This digital switch is a disaster. The whole thing was poorly conceived and even more poorly executed. I requested 3 digital boxes and they only sent two. I called and waited almost 10 days for the third. I then made more than 7 phone calls and spent in excess of 4 hours on the phone with Customer Service to set up my system. As soon as I build up my patience reserve (I’m spent from my Comcast experience) I’ll be exploring all possible options.
Algonquin J. Calhoun
October 19th, 2009
7:03 pm
I recently divorced AT&T because of their outrageous charges and terrible service. I have Dish for television and I’m reasonably happy with it. I no longer have a home phone and my cell phone service is with Metro PCS-$48 bucks a month. Prior to booting AT&T, my internet service was with them. I now have internet with Comcast and I must admit it is nowhere as fast as was claimed. By the way, I chose Dish because Comcast couldn’t get it together enough to send someone to my home. I made appointments to get service but I was stood up three times. I do agree with an earlier post about these various companies being given a license to steal. Hopefully, the internet television services will soon render these bastards superfluous, irrelevant and unnecessary!
skeptic
October 19th, 2009
7:11 pm
Last week I installed the DTA’s they sent me. The next day, one of them started pixelating, dropping audio, etc. on certain channels, but not all. The CSR told me she would have to schedule a truck roll and charge me $49 for the service, since I had hooked up the boxes myself. I told her I must have connected the boxes correctly, since they both worked for hours before malfunctioning. No matter. I cancelled the service call, and am now waiting for UVerse to reach my street so I can drop Comcast.
Stephanie
October 19th, 2009
7:14 pm
My hubby is an electronic wiz, so thankfully, we managed to get Comcast cable and internet without paying for it for over a year. Eventually, we decided to pay for the service. Since then, my internet has been slower (that’s when it actually works) the television changing is slow, and on some channels I can’t get a decent picture to save my life. It took a week to get a contractor to come out and finally hook it up legally and when he came, the box was broken so we had to actually go to the store ourselves, or have another tech bring out another box which we would have had to pay for despite it not being our fault. The contractor was nice, but between him and Comcast, one hand never knew what the other was doing.
Hubby and I plan to go back to “borrowing” the service for free, since when we pay for it, the service is crap.
Stephanie
October 19th, 2009
7:16 pm
Also, while paying for Comcast, if the wind blows too hard or if it rains heavily, the picture messes up. When we got the free Comcast, we hardly ever had a problem with the picture quality.
Max
October 19th, 2009
7:18 pm
As an altenative to cable, think about satellite. I call this voting with my dollars. If I don’t get good service, I go elsewhere if there are alternatives. I can’t get cable where I live so satellite is it. I get DSL from Qwest and it is fast enough for two adults working from home with 3 computers and two VPNs plus a VoIP phone with excellent quality. 1.5Mbps is all I can get today and it is plenty.
I use DirecTv, and it works very well. I also use TiVo (from the days when you could get it from DirecTv) and I am waiting for the new HD TiVo due out in “2010″.
Max
October 19th, 2009
7:19 pm
What I’m suggesting: Look at alternatives, and don’t feel trapped by a vendor. In many cases, there are choices for voice, video and data. Get creative.
Mary Nell
October 19th, 2009
11:24 pm
BURN IN HELL , COMCAST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
couch potato
October 20th, 2009
5:51 am
I have all of the negative feelings toward Comcast as the other bloggers do.
I can recast my AT&T cell phone contract next month. At that time I’ll be switching to U-verse with the bundling deal they have.
I hate to put all of my eggs in one basket. But I feel Comcast was very deceitful in all of this. We subscribers were originally told there would be nothing to do for the digital chageover. Then, months later, they render my VCR useless and charge me to keep my fourth TV connected beyond channel 20.
Millermoose
October 20th, 2009
7:04 am
I am sorry for those who have had so many problems with your TV & cable service. I dropped the dish because I could never get a signal when it got cloudy or rained. I moved to Comcast about 4 yrs ago and I have never had to call them or had them out to fix anything. I also use their internet and it has been 100% better than AT&T which I had before. My biggest complaint is the price, but there is no way I am going back to a dish.
Billyho
October 20th, 2009
8:27 am
We had Comcast but their HD signal wasn’t strong enough and they said that the lines were old and couldn’t do anything about it. Also their storefront locations for equipment exchange/ return remind me of a trip to the DMV. We switched to U-verse about 5 months ago for our Cable and internet and couldn’t be happier. The in home DVR is great. We can record up to 4 things at once and watch it anywhere in the house. We also have the internet service as well and are no longer have to reset my modem daily like when we had comcast.
Sandy Springs Guy
October 20th, 2009
12:59 pm
I dropped Direct about two months ago and hoisted an old fashioned antenna in the attic. I get all the shows I want and have found more free time from watching so many bad programs. If there is something special I want to see, I download from itunes or hulu, then connect to the big screen.
Sandy Springs Guy
October 20th, 2009
1:02 pm
I dropped Direct about two months ago and hoisted an old fashioned antenna in the attic. I get all the shows I want and have found more free time from watching so many bad programs. If there is something special I want to see, I download from itunes or hulu, then connect to the big screen.
What kills me with AT&T is the access tax that is about 30% of my phone bill! I only have the phone for DSL (through mindspring) and alarm monitoring. It would seem that since they can offer naked DSL, they should be able to offer naked data lines. No voice carry, just fax and alarm calls.
Bill S
October 20th, 2009
1:08 pm
I used to hang in Philly with Brian L. Roberts little brother. I can’t even remember his name. He was alright for a spoon fed mamas boy. Rolex watch,BMW,Nice Pad, no ethics… He used to hire homeless guys to do asbestos abatement with very little safety equipment… Sleezball. Can’t imagine his brother was much better.
PH
October 20th, 2009
1:19 pm
Uh, thanks but no thanks. I had Comcast for about 7 years. Continuously saw my cable bill increase EVERY year. Switched to DirectTV 3 years ago. Was paying $15 less a month, but I still had Comcast internet (for the X360). But I kept the ‘Basic’ with the internet because it was acutally cheaper that way with their “bundle”. Well, DirectTV kept going out everytime it rained hard (which it did a lot this year). Went ahead an canceled DTV. I know just have the locals and the internet. I checked U-Verse and would be paying $25 more a month than the cable and the DTV that I did have. I got Netflix instead. Hundreds of movies and tv shows played on my tv (through the X360). I know pay in total for internet, cable, and Netflix what I was just only paying for Direct TV. Plus, these bundles from ALL companies are robbery. $25 a month for phone? Add the fees and taxes and it goes to $49. After 3, 6, or 12 months, your bundle costs pretty much almost double. Kudos to the company that comes up with the pay by channel model. They will make a killing. Did you know that $12-15 of your cable/sat bill goes just for carrying ESPN?
whodean
October 20th, 2009
1:26 pm
What people aren’t realizing is that as Comcast segues from Analog to all Digital cable service as those areas are upgraded, about a week or two later you get about 25 NEW HD CHANNELS with NO price increase. The bandwith wouldn’t be available for this without the transition.
Also, I have 50mb/sec High Speed Internet now through Comcast, no one else can touch it.
whodean
October 20th, 2009
1:29 pm
“Hubby and I plan to go back to “borrowing” the service for free, since when we pay for it, the service is crap.”
That is called theft, what is your address again?
Tiffany
October 20th, 2009
1:29 pm
I hate Comcast and I’m really thinking about switching. I have an issue with my service seems like every month. When you call customer service they act like they don’t know what’s going on half the time and they are quick to send out a tech to your place instead of trying to resolve the issue over the phone. I just had to call them yesterday about On Demand because it was out for the entire weekend and they didn’t even want to give me a credit. I did get my credit after telling the rep. off. In addition to the horrible service, they keep increasing the prices.
Bill
October 20th, 2009
1:42 pm
I did drop cable once before. When moving to a house in Duluth Dish was not an option because of the trees and so I end up with it again.
Cable has not been that bad though. Expensive, bad customer service, digital drop outs, audio drop outs, line down in ice storms, bad customer service. Technically I know I mentioned that last one twice. But it is kind of important.
Now they want to take over my phone and internet and bring the same great experience there? Not a chance.
I’d go back to satellite today if possible.
mar1jdh
October 20th, 2009
1:50 pm
Switched from comcast to DirecTV, directly as a result of their convoluded digital conversion. ow I get more and pay less with DirecTV than I did with comcast. I called comcast to match the price and they offered me 6 months discounts that didn’t even match my new price. Told them I was switching and they said “OK”
Tracee aka TiTi @ 47
October 20th, 2009
2:06 pm
TV USED TO BE FREE (MINUS THE COST OF YOUR ELECTRICITY!) Jimmy is absolutely right! AND CABLE CHANNELS USED TO BE “NO COMMERCIALS”! That’s how they got us hooked in the first place! LOL
GTJohn
October 20th, 2009
2:28 pm
I wouldn’t go back to Comcast if the only other choice was rabbbit ears. Worst customer service in any industry, impossible to get service or technical assistance, they will not accept return of their equipment through the mail or by drop off. No, you have to take time off from work and wait in line for hours just to avoid them charging you for their obsolete useless equipment that will likely wind up in a landfill. Never again.
RGB
October 20th, 2009
2:31 pm
Stephanie, one day you’ll find out that your “free” cable service wasn’t free at all.
ATLnative
October 20th, 2009
2:42 pm
Comcast is the absolute worst run company in the country. Their customer service is atrocious and they don’t give a damn about their customers. I’m ecstatic to see there are new options–maybe this will take some business away from those lowlifes.
Mike in Chamblee
October 20th, 2009
2:44 pm
Well, sorry Comcast, but as the Eagle’s popular song says “I’m already gone”. Comcast ran ad after ad assuring that no changes would be required by staying on Comcast after the digital transition. They flat out lied. I don’t like being lied to, so I am now a (so far) very satisfied AT&T U-Verse customer. Hasta la vista Comcast…
They're outta here
October 20th, 2009
2:49 pm
I fired Comcast over 2 years ago, but they were so inept they disconnected someone elses cable. That left me with free basic cable for over 2 years, until I switched to Directv. Good picture, good technology, much better customer service. They don’t act like I am a burden to them. Everyone I have ever talked to had no problem with me asking for a supervisor when needed, or they handled something that was generally out of their area of expertise or responsibility.
Comcast’s terrible customer service should caused them to impload, but since they bought all the cable competitors, they still exist.
I think Cable service should be somewhat (but not exactly) like Natural gas service, let me pick who I want for it, let them all compete on the same wire. But I fear that will never happen in my lifetime.
alan
October 20th, 2009
2:49 pm
I have been a customer of directv since 1997. I used to have cable but switched when I had a long recovery from an illness and my cable tv went out frequently. Called the company and when I finally got through they made it seem like I was the only one with a problem. I switched and never regreted it. Occasionally when the weather is very bad it searches for a signal, but it is more reliable than cable ever was when I had it. I get my DSL from ATT and am satified with it as it is part of a package, nothing in the world could ever make me go bck to cable. Plus my directv rates are cheaper tham cable and I have HD, extra HD channels and STARZ.
SHS
October 20th, 2009
2:49 pm
I would change from Comcast in a New York minute! I am really angry — and feel very much deceived — about having to rent digital boxes from Comcast when we were told that moving to digital broadcast would not affect people who were on cable. I would need to rent 4 more boxes from Comcast. Already I am definitely considering Clear for my Internet service — because I am so completely disgusted with Comcast.
Jersey Mike
October 20th, 2009
2:56 pm
Hands down, I’ve tried them all and AT&T’s new U-Verse service is THE BEST for Internet, TV, and VOIP!
Angry in West Cobb
October 20th, 2009
3:07 pm
Four time Comcast technicians didn’t show during the 4 hour blocks for service. I spent hours on the phone being passed to different “suprvisors” and being left on hold for almost an hour. Their “upgrade” has left most customers with a worse product and a higher bill. I will switch when an alternative becomes available, even if it costs more. Bottom line – I can’t wait for the day that Comcast goes bankrupt. Customers will dance on the Comcast grave.
Smart Guy
October 20th, 2009
3:07 pm
ESPN cost about $3.00 per subscriber for Comcast. ESPN has to pay for the billion contract it’s has with the SEC. The cost should be $0.50. Without cable ESPN is nothing
Ala carte cable (pay per channel) isn’t on the table because Congress can’t stop taking money from Comcast, Time Warner, Charter et. al. long enough to draft the legislation. Ala carte scares the hell out of cable companies.
Write your Congressman!
Comcast’s system is already digital. How long have your system been pixelating? That’s digital people. The problem is most folks cable lines couldn’t handle the signal so putting boxes in your home was the way to ensure the signal would carry through. Also, they’re using it to so call boost the bandwidth for faster internet and more HD. Yeah right. More $$$$$. We are drones. Take me to your leader…..
DishNetworkFan
October 20th, 2009
3:10 pm
I have had Dish Network since satellites became legal (about 14 years) and although the price has gone up and is nowhere near the cost of cable. First 5 years NO PRICE INCREASE. My in-laws pay the same amount I pay for Comcast Basic service and I get ALL Premium Channels, Sirius Channels, HD, DVR, and I rarely lose signal(only when severe electrical storms come in from the South). I have had signal during Tornado’s that struck near my home. I have had to move dish once but Dish did so at no charge to me…some channels are even interactive were I participated in audience response, live, during the pres debates. No customer service issues although I have read of them online, but never with my service…guess I’m just lucky, but not switching to AT&T, or Comcast who keeps calling to entice me to switch…neither of them are in the price ballpark!
Cindy with Comcast
October 20th, 2009
3:42 pm
I would be happy to assist any Comcast customer that is experiencing issues with their service. You can email me at cindy_kicklighter@cable.comcast.com
Stephanie
October 20th, 2009
3:48 pm
i dont know what you guys are talking about, we have comcast & only pay for our DVR… what boxes do you need to go with the other tv’s? Our cable works just fine in the bedrooms with no boxes… been like this always! AND the customer service has always been good with them