  Lukabottle Member Username: Lukabottle Post Number: 25 Registered: 12-2004 |
I am trying to set up Comcast internet at my house. I don't have a phone line set up at my house so I thought this would be a better route to save money. To say the least, it has been an interesting adventure. After setting up an appointment from 2 to 5 on a Saturday, they finally called at 7:45 to say they wouldn't make it. They showed up an almost two hours late on Sunday without a key. I rescheduled for Tuesday. They called an hour later and ended up canceling because they couldn't get a red dot key. I am trying again with a new appointment later this week. Are there any other alternatives to getting internet without having to pay for a phone line? Has anyone else had similar experiences? I am curious to see if this is because I live in the Cass Corridor. I am assuming most of the problems are the installation company and not Comcast. | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 3005 Registered: 10-2004 |
What??? I do not have a phone hard line and I have Comcast. Even use VoIP phone over the Comcast broadband for $15/mo with VoicePulse out of NJ. It's seems that you are confused and thinking about DSL, which needs a phone line... | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 895 Registered: 06-2006 |
LY: I think the OP's point was that they wan't Comcast because the DON'T have a phone line... | ||
Lukabottle Member Username: Lukabottle Post Number: 26 Registered: 12-2004 |
Thanks Thejesus. I picked Comcast because I don't need a phone line. I don't want to pay for a phone line. With Comcast, I can get internet ala carte. Sorry for the confusion. | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 3006 Registered: 10-2004 |
I never had any real problem with Comcast's contractors except the time a pair of Laurel & Hardy types came by when I was away (including one that couldn't climb a ladder, according to my next-door neighbor) and cut my service because they confused my address with one two blocks away! I bitched and got a sizable rebate for those two days w/o service. Although Comcast's download rates vary, it's fairly common to have rates from 4 to 6 Mbs. I even experienced a super-fast download from Sun Microsystems when they really opened up the spigot on its end and a 65 MB beta download was sent my way in less than eight seconds. I initially thought that the download was aborted and was going to resent it before I realized the entire download happened literally in a flash. (Message edited by LivernoisYard on April 11, 2007) | ||
Fareastsider Member Username: Fareastsider Post Number: 332 Registered: 08-2006 |
They have good connection but the service is garbage. Everyone I know that deals with comcast has complaints. It took them 4 different times to get my line going and the last guy said it was no problem. They were all rude and very unproffesional. I hate comcast and if I could get the speed I have now through another provider I would. Dont believe anything they tell you. I had 3 guys with three differnt excuses and the last guy had no problem. I had similar problems at my last residence. | ||
Cambrian Member Username: Cambrian Post Number: 959 Registered: 08-2006 |
I have comcast cable and internet. No land lines, no issues. Last time I signed up they hit me up for a $54 installation fee, I did not care for that. I don't know what you mean by "red dot keys". | ||
Bulletmagnet Member Username: Bulletmagnet Post Number: 260 Registered: 01-2007 |
Can you get Wide Open West (WOW) where you live Lukabottle? I have heard many complaints about Comcast in Detroit. I can vouch for WOW. When you need to call them, you will get a HUMAN! This is unheard of these days. The price is competitive and you may order it with any combination of cable TV, internet, and voip. They have been nice to talk to as well. | ||
Cheddar_bob Member Username: Cheddar_bob Post Number: 919 Registered: 10-2003 |
I tell them I'm not paying for installation and they usually say okay and give it to me for free. Also, after the introductory cheap period, tell them you can't afford $60/mo., and they will usuaslly offer it to your for $40. | ||
Lukabottle Member Username: Lukabottle Post Number: 27 Registered: 12-2004 |
I bitched the first day and the installation fee was waived. I was also told after the 6 month period of $30 a month is over, cancel and resign. I will look into WOW. Thanks Bulletmagnet. A red dot key is a specific key used. I learned what it was called after talking to my neighbor and hearing his experiences. I was also told to as for the Escalation department. Once I used those magic words, installation people got really nice to me. | ||
Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 798 Registered: 02-2007 |
Oh wow, I know someone that did that with AT&T. The reason they give in because we don't know what the telephone operators have to deal with everyday on those phonelines | ||
Lukabottle Member Username: Lukabottle Post Number: 28 Registered: 12-2004 |
After waiting all day and canceling plans and postponing my plans the next day, I feel that is the least they could do is drop the installation charge. Wow is not offered in the 48201 zip code. I'll give Comcast another try. They come Thursday. | ||
Cambrian Member Username: Cambrian Post Number: 961 Registered: 08-2006 |
I know comcast does like to play with the monthly rates. I often cancel for a period when they try to charge me $100/ month or more for the bundled services. I understand the rate structure varies by city. My folks' rate in Southfield stays the same, never goes up, after 7 years. This last time I joined up for was a year of HBO, Cable box with on demand and the high speed internet for $70 / month, no rate changes. | ||
Bob Member Username: Bob Post Number: 1433 Registered: 11-2003 |
Last time I checked, WOW's high speed internet is not as fast as Comcast's but that may have changed because them really seem to want to compete, and started by offering much better service. I had to laugh when I got a call from Comcast confirming my appointment to have my internet fixed, except I had never called nor had any service problems. | ||
Long_in_the_tooth Member Username: Long_in_the_tooth Post Number: 34 Registered: 01-2007 |
just more of the same.... terrible service.. really, bad service... oh... one more thing, their service sucks. | ||
Ja1mz Member Username: Ja1mz Post Number: 29 Registered: 02-2007 |
I've had comcast for 12 + years in 3 different houses and have had great service. I now live in warren and have only lost service once in 2 years. Yes the internet is expensive but its speed can't be matched with any other providers... | ||
Ro_resident Member Username: Ro_resident Post Number: 215 Registered: 11-2003 |
AT&T is offering 'naked DSL'--that is DSL offered alone without a landline. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pb cs.dll/article?AID=/20070324/B IZ04/703240362/1013 I tried looking up service in my area, it wasn't available. Looking at the pricing, it was tough to tell what the price would be without local phone service. But it is possible to get it, if DSL is offered in your area. | ||
Sstashmoo Member Username: Sstashmoo Post Number: 65 Registered: 02-2007 |
Comcast is the biggest bunch of sloppy thieves operating in the US today. I started out with mediaone and they were a flawless company. Comcast bought them out and immediately my internet service went down. It was out for almost three weeks while Comcast was rearranging everything. In the meantime they called me and asked how I liked their service. I told them. I also told them thanks for raising the service price while I had no service. They replied "Oh it's still the same price" I explained they now charge 5 dollars for the modem, mediaone did not. Thats a 5 dollar increase. And they refused to issue a service credit on the billing for the outage. Channel 2 was a total mess and they had no plan of fixing it.Then they raised my rates sharply and I refused to pay the bill. After hours on hold on the phone with them at different times, and a few weeks passed, they hang this big red tag on my front door with "URGENT" boldly displayed on it. Which if I had to re-do I'd sue the living shit out of them. Screw Comcast, avoid them like the plague. There are stories circulating that they are bribing area officials to be exclusive in many communities. I have Wow-way now, excellent company. The 4mb internet connection is 100% and customer service is great. Can't say enough good about them. Channel 2 is clear. Get more channels for less money. Their HD and DVR service is great. Unfortunately Comcast keeps them out of many communities. If you can get Wow cable, do it. The internet is way faster than Comcast also. It runs a legitimate 2.2 mb/sec on average (Speed for Michigan area), Comcast never ran that fast. Google Internet speed test to check yours. If WOW sets an appointment with you, they keep it. I know lots of people with experiences like mine with Comcast. I would opt for dial-up or DSL before I'd ever consider Comcast again. At my business I use a DSL service. Comcast only area. Sorry for the rant.. | ||
Spitty Member Username: Spitty Post Number: 556 Registered: 07-2004 |
One time the comcast-contracted installation guys told my girlfriend they were going to stab me if I continued using the wrong splitter then tried to take the modem that that I bought from Best Buy because they thought it was theirs. I badmouth those idiots every chance I get, but they are the only choice around and they know it. I then called to make a complaint about the stabbing threat, but I'm pretty sure the woman taking the complaint was either driving and trying to avoid an accident or was on the toilet because she sounded like I was the least of her concerns. Comcast is crap. | ||
93typhoon Member Username: 93typhoon Post Number: 14 Registered: 04-2006 |
My comcast internet connection is questionable. When it is up - the speed is great, but I get connection errors many times a day. I have TV and phone through them also - with no issues. | ||
Brandonhgt Member Username: Brandonhgt Post Number: 15 Registered: 05-2006 |
Comcast is the worst company we have ever dealt with. We lost our service two times last year while living in Detroit, our bills would fluctuate every couple of months, and the service was terrible. To cap it off they recently sent us a $50 bill for a cable modem they say we didn't turn in when we cancelled service, even though we purchased our own modem from Best Buy. It would not have been a big deal had they not sent the bill to collection 2 weeks after we received it! Needless to say, I tell as many people I can of our experiences. Comcast is terrible and they are a bunch of crooks. I feel sorry for all of those who have no other choice for service. | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 3029 Registered: 10-2004 |
Check your router, especially if it's a Belkin, if you experience connection issues. Resetting the power on mine almost always clears up any connection problems with Comcast. | ||
Thnk2mch Member Username: Thnk2mch Post Number: 868 Registered: 02-2006 |
So Lukabottle - How did it go? | ||
Club_boss Member Username: Club_boss Post Number: 38 Registered: 12-2006 |
Comcast…. There was an 8-port adopter on the back of the house in Detroit. We had an HD set, a large television w/ a digital box atop it, two televisions that plugged directly into the cable, plus we had Internet. We had Comcast in Ann Arbor as long as there was a company called Comcast…Continental Cablevision, Columbia Cable, Mediaone. Comcast’s Internet always ran at breakneck speeds, it did go down every once in awhile. By down I mean the Internet would go offline or occasionally the digital boxes would go offline, I never lost everything except one time when a tree took out everything, then we lost phones and Comcast for a week. Here’s my current bill, which I believe is about what we paid in Detroit Brighthouse (Time Warner) Indianapolis Current Charges Cable Services .............................. .................$65.35 High-Speed Internet Services...................... .. $39.95 Digital Phone Services...................... ......... ... $41.90 ------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------ Details... Cable Television Services Cable Television Service Includes: 03/27-04/26 Cable Networks Tier....................... $32.70 03/27-04/26 Limited Basic Service......................$ 12.55 Total Cable Television Services...................... .... $45.25 Additional/Digital Services 03/27-04/26 Digital Variety Package 03/27-04/26 Equipment Total Additional/Digital Services .........................$20.1 0 HSDS Services 03/27-04/26 Road Runner Service ....................... $39.95 Digital Phone Services 03/27-04/26 Digital Phone Voice Mail ................. $1.95 03/27-04/26 Unlimited Nationwide ..................... $39.95 | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1179 Registered: 04-2006 |
Comcast has had lines sitting in the rear of my yeard for four months now. I've been calling them weekly to get it taken care of. Since I don't have cable, they say they can't find a record of me requesting them to come get the dammed lines out of my yard. I don't want to be a jackass and rip the lines out and throw them away because they are attached to homes, but its getting to the point where I want the problem fixed and am getting nowhere. What I have is the $19.99 a month DSL through AT&T and the basic phone plan of 50 calls per month. I'm like most everyone else in which it just makes more sense for me to use the cell phone for my calling. In addition, I need the line for my alarm system. My total bill for telephone/DSL service is about $38 a month. | ||
Llyn Member Username: Llyn Post Number: 1805 Registered: 06-2004 |
luke... I have comcast at my house. I've been very happy with the product. My only complaint has been what you described - getting them to show up when they say they will. If they miss another appt,, it's time to ask for a manager and insist that you are the priority that day. Once installed, I've had few problems over the last four years. One or two problems that we fixed right over the phone, and that's it. In contrast, I've talked with a lot of people dissatisfied with SBC's DSL serviice. Maybe it's just the people I talked to... but it turned me off from any thoughts of switching. | ||
Club_boss Member Username: Club_boss Post Number: 39 Registered: 12-2006 |
“Comcast has had lines sitting in the rear of my yard for four months now. I've been calling them weekly to get it taken care of’.” When the storm hit that took the telephone and cable lines out it was a mess. When the telephone company as well as Comcast came out to run new lines they simply left the old lines in someone’s backyard. To my knowledge these lines downed lines stayed that way, no one every came to clean up the lines, the companies just strung new lines. Never saw anything like it. Missed appointments… Was there not a $20.00 discount or some type of credit that was applied to the bill if they were late or did not show up? | ||
Ladyinabag Member Username: Ladyinabag Post Number: 220 Registered: 03-2007 |
After my intro was done, I found that I was paying $79.99 for the cable internet. This was almost two years ago. God knows where it is now. | ||
_sj_ Member Username: _sj_ Post Number: 1788 Registered: 12-2003 |
Tell Comcast to shove it and switch to cheaper DSL which you can set up yourself. | ||
Courtney Member Username: Courtney Post Number: 134 Registered: 06-2004 |
A tree had fallen in a storm a few years ago at our old house and it had pulled the neighbours Comcast line down so that it was just on the ground in our backyard from the pole, which was in another neighbours backyard. We called, they wouldn't help because we weren't customers (but were willing to sign us up and then they could help - I still can't believe they thought ANYONE would do that!) and the neighbour called a few dozen times. Even though the problem was on the OUTSIDE only, a couple of times, the lazy contractors put in the system that they couldn't do it because the neighbour was at work. What finally got it fixed was a few well placed words (like "lawsuit") in a letter the neighbour wrote, as her 10 year old son had forgotten to look out for the wire (which was by then about 5" off the ground) and had tripped. I would rather only have internet access through my cell phone than go through Comcrap. Our AT&T dsl has been good, despite the fact that I'm still mad we were forced off of an unbundled loop years ago after the Ameritech buyout. | ||
Cambrian Member Username: Cambrian Post Number: 982 Registered: 08-2006 |
I had a similar service problem for a while. The cable TV would go out intermittently. I had the service guy over who worked on it for awhile and said there was nothing they could do because WOMC was interfering with my cable signal. I made him write that down word for word on the repair invoice. When comcast tried to bill me for the month or so until they got it straightened out I would show them that invoice. They removed the charges. | ||
Oldredfordette Member Username: Oldredfordette Post Number: 1500 Registered: 02-2004 |
Comcast sucks, but the internet is so fast, it's like crack, you just can't stop. The only thing they listen to are cancellation calls, and presto chango! your bills go down. We've threatend to cancel with them about six times when they've tripled our rates. Bad buisness plan. They moment they don't back down, we're gone. | ||
Jerrytimes Member Username: Jerrytimes Post Number: 33 Registered: 04-2007 |
I've got phone, internet and cable in my house. All my wiring is brand new and I haven't had an issue in the 2 years I've lived here. | ||
Rockcity2windycity Member Username: Rockcity2windycity Post Number: 132 Registered: 11-2005 |
I was a sub-contractor for comcast for over 3 years. Your problem is typical. Contractors get paid per job not by the hour, the contracting company bites off more than they can chew and overloads its sub-contractors. Each job is assigned a estimated time it takes to complete the job. You try to complete the job as fast and efficiently as possible but things happen (Murphys Law?). I worked in Chicago for Comcast, while they had some of the same problems it wasn't nearly as bad as Comcast in Michigan. Its not just a Detroit problem either. In Michigan i've worked in Walled Lake, Commerce Twp., W. Bloomfield, White Lake, Highland, Keego Harbor, Milford, New Hudson, S. Lyon, Lyon Twp., Canton, Westland, Dearborn, Dearborn Hts., Inkster, Garden City, Taylor, Ecorse, River Rouge, Lincoln Park, And Detroit. I may have forgotten some areas. Its the same problem everywhere. I once heard Comcast has the worst customer satisfaction rating only behind the I.R.S. |
