Comcast: A Terrible Phone Service

One of the things you expect to work is your telephone.

It's kind of like turning on a lamp or faucet. You expect light and water.

If you subscribe to Comcast, keep your fingers crossed for a dial tone.

And if you don't get the dial tone, cross your fingers for a Comcast service person to show up.

After being away for a few days, we arrived home to find our phone not working.

So I call Comcast.

I speak with Jennifer, Larry, Merlyn (someone from India, I think), Lynn and Lee.

Jennifer tells me someone from Comcast will check the phone line the next day and that someone would call me within the hour to schedule the appointment. When I don't get a call back from Comcast, I talk with Larry, who tells me the same thing.

No call from Comcast.

I finally talk with Merlyn, who gives me the best news -- that there was an identified outage in our area and that our phone should be working within a few hours. It isn't until later in the evening when I realize that Merlyn was just giving me the good news to get me off the phone.

So the next day I speak with Lynn, who tells me a Comcast service person (note I've been avoiding using 'technician' -- it's too complimentary) will arrive on Saturday (nearly a week after the service went down) between 12-4 p.m.

I tell her that's not acceptable and ask to speak with her manager (ie: someone making $15K a year instead of $6.75/hour). I speak with Lee, who sounds as if he's just gotten off a cigarette break. Lee holds firm on the company line -- Saturday between 12-4 p.m. is the best Comcast can do.

I'm steaming.

Lee then gives me some advice: If I call back every day before Saturday, something may open up.

Ah, I get it. Getting a service person from Comcast is like trying to get Springsteen tickets. Keep calling and maybe you'll get lucky.

After poking around at some other options (AT&T, Verizon), I find I need a working phone to switch services.

In other words, Comcast has a firm grip on my you-know-what.

Looks like I'll have to wait around until Saturday.

And I'm not hopeful.

Comments

[Christine]

I'm glad I read your post, Dan -- we were thinking about dumping our dish and going over to Comcast, since we can't get DSL in our area of Leominster. Maybe we'll just stick with Verizon, DirecTV and crappy dialup.

[Dan]

Addendum to yesterday's post: The latest customer care person I spoke with told me that Comcast identified a "loss of communications" with our account (duh) and the reason we have to wait a week to have phone service is because we're a "linked ticket."

They simply suck.

[Dave]

Amen, brother. Comcast's phone service is terrible. They're OK with internet and cable, but defintely DO NOT subscribe to their phone service. It's the worst.

[Alicia]

Comcast's phone service is famous for its problems. The problem is that they don't get out to help you right away. We had to wait three weeks for our phone to get fixed. I switched to Verizon.

[Kevin]

I had a friend who uses Comcast for phone. Very bad. Comcast is especially bad in central Mass, in towns like Bolton, Berlin and Lancaster. He was without service for like three weeks. They should be reported to better business buerau.

[Cyn]

Amen and Hallelujah. They stink in the Chicago area as well.
I was just remarking to my folks about this very issue with Comcast (we have the triad of Comcast services).
It is very disconcerting to lose phone use so often. Without a cellphone I would have switched off of Comcast phone service long ago. And it's on my to-do list just the same.

[Rufus Disney]

COMCAST CABLE TV, ALL CHANNELS, CUTS OUT (SEVERE PACKET
LOSSES) PREDICTABLY BETWEEN 11:00AM & 3:00PM
EVERYDAY. THE FAULT IS NOT CUSTOMER EQUIPMENT!

I CALLED COMCAST TO COMPLAIN AND WAS TOLD THAT I'D HAVE TO
ARRANGE A COMCAST TECH TO CHECK IT OUT BUT THAT I'D
HAVE TO PAY FOR THE SERVICE CALL IF DISCOVERED THAT
THE FAULT WAS OTHER THAN COMCAST'S. I KNOW HOW
THAT WORKS - IT'S COMCAST'S WORD AGAINST MINE AND FOLKS
PROBABLY GET BILLS THAT CAN'T BE DISPUTED.

THE PROBLEM IS TIMELY, THEREFORE A SYSTEM FAULT. OTHERS
IN THE APARTMENT COMPLEX COMPLAIN BUT THE PROBLEM
NEVER GETS FIXED. COMCAST NEEDS TO ADD DATA
PACKET CAPACITY TO RESOLVE THEIR SYSTEM PROBLEM
RATHER THAN PRETEND THAT IT "MIGHT" BE THE
CUSTOMER'S "BILLABLE" PROBLEM.

I DON'T GO TO WORK UNTIL 4:00P AND THE COMCAST
CABLE TV PACKET LOSSES ARE AT MY PRIME VIEWING
TIME. COMCAST PLEASE TAKE MY EMAIL SERIOUSLY AND
TROUBLESHOOT YOUR SYSTEM PROBLEM.

RUFUS DISNEY
HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILLINOIS
[email protected]

[Tom Hocker]

Last week we signed up for COMCAST Phone service. My wife was told the would install up to 4 phone connections and it would be cheaper then Bell South. The service tech shows up and said that due to Bell South's wires being all underground, he would only be able to install one phone line, which would have to be attached to our computer and required a new modem (which they did provide). Now the problem is that my fax won't work properly with this new modem. We called COMCAST and were on hold for ONE HOUR AND SEVEN MINUTES, before we decided to hang up and try another avenue to get the problem fixed. Ah hah...we finally got to talk to a LIVE person, who said they would come out and look at the problem but it would cost us $39.00. WHAT??? Why should we pay to fix something that YOUR COMPANY hooked up to begin with, and won't work properly? So I asked for a supervisor. "Sorry, we don't have one available. They are all out of the building", I was told. Okay, connect me to the main office. "I can't transfer you from this line". (Oh I see, they must be using the same screwed up phone service I have.) So I ask her to just give me the main office number and I will call them myself. "I don't have the number to the main office." (This is really becoming a joke.)

After all this BS, I decided to go to COMCAST main office in person. I will let you know how it turns out....assuming I don't get thrown in jail.

[Dan]

Yikes, Tom. Sounds like you've been through the Comcast Consumer War. Good luck.

[LIN]

I'M IN MA. JUST SIGNED UP FOR COMCAST PHONE ON 12/2006. CONTINUED PROBLEMS WITH PHONE HAVING NO SERVICE ON & OFF @ VARIOUS TIMES OF DAY. CALLED AT LEAST 5X TO CS. NOONE KNOWS WHY. ON 3/15/07, CALLED & TECH SAID COULD BE SIGNAL/MODEM PROBLEM, WILL SEND TECH ON SAT, 3/17/07 BETWEEN 2PM-5PM. TOOK DAY OFF FROM WORK & WAITED WHOLE DAY. AT 3:30PM, CALLED CS & VERIFIED TECH’S STILL COMING & THINGS ARE ON TIME. @ 4:45PM, CALLED AGAIN, REP, LESLIE, FROM NEW FINLAND OFFICE SAID TICKET WAS CANCELLED. DON’T KNOW WHY, DON'T KNOW WHO CANCELLED IT. ASK TO SPEAK TO SUPERVISOR. WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. WANT SOMEONE TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. SENIOR REP NAMED CHRIS GETS ON THE PHONE, REPEATS SAME DRIBBLE & TELLS ME THE TECH’S ID#. NO ONE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT'S GOING ON. PHONE SERVICE STILL ISSUE, BAD SIGNAL/BAD MODEM STILL ISSUE, WASTED A DAY WAITING WITH NO RESOLUTION TO OUR PROBLEMS. WILL BE CANCELLING THE PHONE SERVICE & GOING BACK TO VERIZON. SO IF YOU ARE THINKING OF SWITCHING TO COMCAST PHONE, DON'T BOTHER. AFTERALL, THEY ARE NOT A PHONE COMPANY. ALTHOUGH VERIZON IS NOT THE BEST EITHER, BUT STILL. IT'S TOUGH BOTH WAYS. BUT FORGET COMCAST.

[theHtbrastenD]

There are satiate a reseller hosting alarm
waterfront pension is capable of doing that for you.
If you are late on pledges, you village riping slapped with penalties.

[Brenda Wilson]

I believe that our situation is the cream of the crop. We decieded to go with the "TRIPLE PLAY" but since June 8th, we've been "triple played"...First of all the so called "cable tech" was so rough and neglegent with my hard drive that he broke the connection from the keyboard into my hard drive. It took us calling everyday for about two before someone even acknowledged their was problem. Then they sent a supervisor "Paul from LECOMM"(one of the major contractors at Comcast) out to my home to see if he could fix the computer along with the poor installation problems that the last tech left behind. The tech that came out prior to paul coming out "lamar" (tech 511) ran a cable line straight across my three year daughters door, who's room door faces the hallway. Lucky for my daughter I went in her room before she did. However unlucky for me because I tripped over the cord in front of the door and almost flipped over the bannister. Here it is some two months later and my premieum channels and my phone sevice are just now starting to operate correctly. After atleast a hundred calls a day and two months later, I have yet to see any action taken by these so called superviors and am still wondering, after having to finally purchase another computer...what the hell is going on and where in the hell is the computer that was suppose to been fixed two months ago. I am a wife and mother of three and at twenty-six years of age i am trying my harderest to get through college. How can I do that when all of my notes and my papers were stored on a computer that I no longer have access to. In stead of consintrating on my studies, I'm worrying about weather or not my children will have running water or electricity to warm there food not to mention a roof over their head. Forget being a student, how am I suppose to function as a mother when my husbands only source of income has been taken away? We've now decieded that thee only way to guarentee results is to consult an Attorney. What else is there to do? For a major corperation making millions, maybe billions of dollars, should it be that difficult for their customers which they claim to value so much, to be compensated? What about my husband's client's who are calling him constantly, how are they to be compensated? I've never experienced such poor service in my life! I am very dissapointed, but seeing how this is their standard opperating procedure I guess I'll have to stand in line!!!

[Tracy]

I totally agree that comcast phone service sucks!!!!! I had come home from work today, went to use my phone and guess what??? NO DIAL TONE!!! I am so mad, I do not have a cell phone so how in the world am I suppose to call them to see what is going on with my phone??? I tried to contact them in a email, but had no response back. Tracy.... fuming mad!

[WILLIAM STILWELL]

COMCAST PHONE SERVICE IS ABSOLUTELY THE WORST SERVICE I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES HAVE MORE RELIABLE SERVICE. BEWARE THE TRIPLE PLAY, IT'S GOING TO BE A NIGHTMARE WITH NUMEROUS SERVICE CALLS, UNRELIABLE SERVICE TECHS AND HOURS A DAY WITHOUT PHONE OR INTERNET!

[Dan]

Yeah, William. I agree. They don't have the skill-set to move beyond cable. They should never touch phone or TV.

[Michelle]

Has anyone been to comcastmustdie.blogspot.com? I have read many similar complaints there and it seems possible that comcast reads the blog and tends to the people who have posted complaints there. I do not have personal experience with that (as I do not have comcast ... thank God from what I'm reading everywhere). But the people there seem to be getting some kind of satisfaction. Good luck to you all.

[Barbara]

I want all the people who live in NW Houston to read my chat session with Comcast Cable today. March 6, 2008. Since they have switched over from Roadrunner cable I have had very slow connection speeds. Less than a DSL Modem. Videos lock up up. I get cut off in teh middle of my Microsoft updates. I have called them over and over about this problem. They have hired "contract helpers" who come out and work on teh cable lines, modems, etc for them. The last person who came out gave me a RCA Cable box that look like it had been thrown against the wall and then hit with a hammer. No cable cords ,no booklets, No CD for the drivers to set up the cable connection. It was also the wrong kind of modem as it had no connection for my phone line. Only internet modem. Today I complained again via live chat since it seems doing it by phone has never worked over the past several months. I ask for a new modem with software , books and drivers and was told they never come with it. And when I told the person I was chatting with I was going to post what he was telling me on teh Houston Chronicle web site he cut off our chat session. See the chat session below. I'm Barbara in teh chat session. The person who works at Comcast (probably a fake user name) "Patrick". Will someone help me deal with these mentally challenged people who work at Comcast Cable company in NW Houston? Also note. They have sold my non published number to Obama and Hillary. I was getting calls form them more than 5 times a day. Changed my number 4 times and it still show on caller ID box of people I call and it's still published even though I am being billed 4.95 a month for a non publised number. That would be like me getting my $160.00 a month bill and sending them a $10.00 payment and acting like I don't understand them so they have to contact me over and over to make me understand my bill. Is there any Comcast cable workers outside of NW Houston who can investigate these mentally challenged retards over there? I am paying for service and they just don't seem to get it or do anything correctly. I'm also posting my comments all over the net about Comcast until someone does something about NW Houston and their cheap customer service.

Barbara(Thu Mar 6 11:00:25 PST 2008)>phone problems

analyst Patrick has entered room

Patrick(Thu Mar 6 11:00:31 PST 2008)>Hello Barbara_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Patrick. Please give me one moment to review your information.

Patrick(Thu Mar 6 11:00:41 PST 2008)>I can take a look at this. One moment please while I bring up your account. Sorry about this.

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:17:29 PST 2008)>I did not set up an appointment for Friday

Patrick(Thu Mar 6 11:00:52 PST 2008)>what's going on?\

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:17:47 PST 2008)>I told the person I was chatting with a few minutes ago I will not be home. Dentist

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:17:58 PST 2008)>I ask for them to come next week

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:18:22 PST 2008)>ant a new modem for the internet and phone. One that comes with teh software and cables

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:18:34 PST 2008)>Not a used modem that has no software or cables

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:18:42 PST 2008)>I think I may have a defected modem

Patrick(Thu Mar 6 11:02:14 PST 2008)>modem doesn't need software.

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:19:12 PST 2008)>I also have a problem with my number showing up. It is supposed to read "private" and be non published

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:19:19 PST 2008)>Yes it does

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:19:29 PST 2008)>It needs the drivers Usb support etc

Patrick(Thu Mar 6 11:02:50 PST 2008)>no it doesn't

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:19:39 PST 2008)>All modem come with books. Software

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:19:42 PST 2008)>Yes they do

Patrick(Thu Mar 6 11:03:06 PST 2008)>You should be using ethernet instead

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:19:56 PST 2008)>huh?

Patrick(Thu Mar 6 11:03:16 PST 2008)>drivers are built in

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:20:11 PST 2008)>I'm using a UBS cable only

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:21:07 PST 2008)>That is usually used for DSL connection and it does not have a phone connection on the card

Patrick(Thu Mar 6 11:04:28 PST 2008)>If you really want to use usb for your computer the drivers can be downloaded.

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:21:22 PST 2008)>I don't want to dl teh drivers

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:21:27 PST 2008)>I want a NEW modem

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:21:39 PST 2008)>WIth the software and book that comes with it

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:21:58 PST 2008)>NOT a "used" piece of junk that has been refurbished

Patrick(Thu Mar 6 11:05:18 PST 2008)>ok, first, again, as said, there is no software.

Patrick(Thu Mar 6 11:05:29 PST 2008)>new or old modem.

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:22:11 PST 2008)>yes there is

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:22:15 PST 2008)>Your wrong

Patrick(Thu Mar 6 11:05:54 PST 2008)>Ok, I do this every day.

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:22:37 PST 2008)>Go to any Best but store or any other store or even try to buy one online without it and you can't

Patrick(Thu Mar 6 11:06:03 PST 2008)>I cannot give you what is not there.

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:22:46 PST 2008)>Then your doing it wrong

Patrick(Thu Mar 6 11:06:13 PST 2008)>i really do appologize for this.

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:22:56 PST 2008)>Or else your selling used equipment

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:23:14 PST 2008)>Then you need to spend some money and buy your customers new modems

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:23:25 PST 2008)>I am going to post what you just told me on teh Houston Chronicle

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:23:39 PST 2008)>That you claim you do not give software or books with yoru modems

Barbara_(Thu Mar 6 10:24:09 PST 2008)>That you are giving customers used modem without siftware, cables and books which are normally included

Due to a network disruption, the message "That you are giving customers used modem without s..." has not been sent. Please try again.

[Josephine]

I have not had telephone service for almost a week. I have tried to make appointments and twice they have not showed up or called. The third time the service people came an hour before I said I could be home and left. The acceleration department is trying to get me another appointment for after 5:00 pm. Dispatch does not answer. The product is often not working. Service people do not show or call or come when I have told them I can not be home. Your customer service department appears to have very little control over whether your independent contractor service people come out or not. I have had to cancel several appointments to be home and your people do not show up. No one seems to have an answer to this. I can not get a definite answer on if someone will be out. I am told it can not be guaranteed. I lost in a complicated sea of beaurocracy with little or no control or accountability and I just want a working phone.

I have had all these same problems as others have posted. They act as if the outage is your problem and don't care about fixing it.

This is the worst service and customer service I have ever encountered.

[Laurel]

I want to have a conversation with a person regarding my problem with my phone cutting out.

Happens more and more and am connected to a heart alarm and if no phone, no alarm. Is getting worrisome for me and need someone to come out and fix it before something bad happens.

[Laurel]

How does one get a response and able to answer?

[maggie j]

My phone has been cutting in and out for 6 months. Does not matter the time of day. and when the other person answers or their machine answers all you here is I..an...ph...pl...as...pu..ti...
When they leave a message on MY machine, same thing.
It's tickin' me off. so we are stopping their phone service. Time for penalty charges!!!!

[Michelle]

I absolutely loathe Comcast digital phone. I mean, I hate it with more of a passion that anything I've ever hated in my life. We were hit by Hurricane Ike (Houston) but got our power back in a couple of days, thankfully. But our interent, phone, cable is STILL down almost 3 weeks later!!! The last few days they've actually had a guy with a generator for a few hours a day hooking up to the power box around the corner (box over there still down). But in the meantime, I work from home and can't get much work done at all. I've called AT&T to switch everything over and b/c of the hurricane they can't get to me until Oct. But I will be SO glad to get rid of Comcast. This isn't the first time I've had phone problems, either, even when I've had full power it goes out more than I would like. I just want a plain old regular phone line again. Whatever you do, NEVER EVER get Comcast digital voice.

[Ges Dillan]

Maybe you should consider Comcast's competitors even closer. I've seen streaming hosting services from MediaCinch which is definitely more sophisticated than Comcast's.