Comcast comes up with yet another way to shaft customers

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krazykuda

krazykuda

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If I didn't know better, I would say that this is discrimination.....



If there’s one thing that Comcast seems to love more than anything else, it’s shafting its basic cable subscribers and pushing them to upgrade to one of its many pricier bundle plans. If you’re looking for examples, recall the company’s brilliant shakedown that made basic cable subscribers use digital adapters that degraded their signal and forced them to pay an extra $10 a month to get the same HD channels they used to get for free as part of their basic package.

Now GigaOM reports that Comcast has blocked streaming of the Olympics for customers who only subscribe to its basic cable services despite the fact that the Olympics are being shown primarily on NBC, the Comcast-owned network that basic cable subscribers can already access through their subscriptions.
“Some of these restrictions may hit low-income viewers who simply can’t afford a more expensive cable package,” GigaOM writes. “But it looks as if Comcast may also be punishing some of the very viewers it was trying to attract with the internet plus HBO deal: Heavy online users who want access to HBO Go, and were on the fence about cord cutting.”

Although we knew that Comcast subscribers wouldn’t be able to stream the Olympics online if they didn’t have a TV package, restricting the streams further to only those customers who shell out more per month is a fresh twist from America’s favorite cable company.

Why would Comcast do this? Well, part of it stems from the fact that Comcast has seemingly declared war on cord cutters. Recall that last month Comcast announced that it was doubling Internet speeds for many customers… but not customers who only subscribed to its Internet services and not its TV services.

As for its latest initiative, it looks like yet another way that Comcast is trying to push cord cutters to buy into one of its wallet-incinerating monthly video packages. Many Comcast cord cutters who watch most of their content through Netflix, Hulu and Amazon often still subscribe to basic cable because it’s actually cheaper to get a bundle than standalone Internet.


http://news.yahoo.com/comcast-comes-yet-another-way-shaft-cord-cutters-213242011.html
 
It gets worse. I heard the other day that CC and TW are trying to merge. Both seem to be in the top 5 most hated companies in the U.S.

By the way, these digi boxes were why I told TW to go screw themselves. They told me "it was free" but I needed TWO of them, and only one was free, and only free until the end of (last) year.

By the time you discount the shopping, religous, and super biased political channels, and subtract the ones I get off the air for free anyhow, there was only about 3 independent channels that I now don't get, and one of them played much of the same stuff that's on "ME TV" over the air.

I bought a Roku box, LOL
 
comcast is trying to become an monopoly. there should be an antitrust lawsuit, hopefully:protest: I just dropped my cable tv, can`t justify paying that much for bs reruns. Digital sucks, I got better reception with uhf/vhf.
Air TV turned to such garbage while I was on cable. Had to buy a digi amp just to recieve stations that came in clear with uhf.
 
Not to mention that Comcast every once in a while will "shuffle" the channels trying to hide that they have cancelled some of them (including some HBO, Showtime, Cinemax that you pay extra for). And keep charging the same price or more than before.
 
I went through a fiasco with Comcast, the day I was leaving Atlanta to move to Charleston, a huge piece of equipment I never ordered appeared at my doorstep, I had to bring it to their service center. Like I'm their employee!! Then they kept calling me because their records showed I still had it. They suck.
 
goldfish65 said:
I went through a fiasco with Comcast, the day I was leaving Atlanta to move to Charleston, a huge piece of equipment I never ordered appeared at my doorstep, I had to bring it to their service center. Like I'm their employee!! Then they kept calling me because their records showed I still had it. They suck.
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They did that to me when I returned my boxes in Detroit.



They don't give you a receipt, then accuse you of keeping it --> another scam for more money. :finga:
 
Comcast.....yeah the bastards!!!!!!!! Buncha damned Criminals to raise my "big 3" phone net, and TV 90 freakin dollars, as they told me it was the end of my 5 year regular contract to begin the newest one, that raised the rate from $119, to a few cents shy of $210!!!!!!

This is why I haven't been around, I am getting a new service provider and will be back!

Stay tuned!
 
the only way to keep price down is to threaten to leave them. but be ready to. if you leave they do call begging you back. I threaten to leave about every 15 months and they give me new customer deal every time. if you don't do this they will jack up prices everytime.
 
67 Power Wagon said:
Comcast.....yeah the bastards!!!!!!!! Buncha damned Criminals to raise my "big 3" phone net, and TV 90 freakin dollars, as they told me it was the end of my 5 year regular contract to begin the newest one, that raised the rate from $119, to a few cents shy of $210!!!!!!

This is why I haven't been around, I am getting a new service provider and will be back!

Stay tuned!
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If you sign up for Wow cable, they are offering 15 MB/s for $30 per month for new subscribers for one year. Normally $50/month.

They tend to run cheaper than comcast.

I had problems with AT&T internet. I signed up for 12 MB/s and it started at 9.0 MB/s and went down hill from there. Then I call them and complain. After sending out 6 or 7 guys they say that they can't keep me at 12 MB/s because I'm "at the end of the line".... I don't give a rat's ***, I want what I'm paying for...

So they say that they have to put me at 6 MB/s and couldn't get it above 4.5 MB/s. I literally had over 12 service guys out, replaced my line from my house to two utility poles, and still couldn't keep my connection running. I gave them so many chances, meanwhile I'm waiting for 4 hours each time they come (and they were 2 hours late once - 6 hour wait + 1 1/2 hours of work). I got sick of wasting my days. I started telling them that I should be getting a paycheck and full benefits for all of the time I spent waiting for them to fix my connection. They couldn't get it, so I finally dropped them like a bad girlfriend....

Wow hooks me up at 15 MB/s and when I speed tested a computer on ethernet connection, I was running 15.5 MB/s!!! AT&T couldn't meet their quoted speed and Wow beat their quoted speed by .5 MB/s. I'm now running 15 MB/s for $20/month cheaper than AT&T. Then when I go up to full price, I will be getting 15 MB/s for what AT&T charges for 12 MB/s and can't deliver.

If you have Wow cable near you, give them a try.
 
That's the thing. In thousands of smaller towns across the US, there is only one cable co. I actually talked with the mayor of Coeur d Alene on this, and the city, even though it collects taxes on the use of power poles and other infrastructure impact, DOES NO performance review or have any actuall performance based licensing requirements of the cable co!!!!

The only alternative here in this are is

TW cable (of which I have only internet)

Whatever the hell the phone co is now, and that is limited to areas with high speed data lines, and they don't have a very good rep, either

Satellite, yus pays yers moneys n's yas takes yus chances

Or whatever you can drum up on the www, IE Roku, Netflix, etc.
 
Just recently switched to SureWest. Went from paying $180/mo with Comcast to $75/mo (first 3 months free) and price locked for 2 years with SureWest. NBA tv seems like the only channel that I don't get anymore and the internet speeds are the same. I saved about $500 in the first 3 months alone. Never going back to Comcast.
 
I am paying $3000 a year for the bundle with verision but only for 4 more days !we are done! I got the digital antenna for the local stuff, and the roku box . we tried them out so good buy to cable tv , they took 15 channels away and replaced them with Spanish speaking channels. plus there nothing but stupid reality stuff on all the time.it got so bad I spent most of the time watching old tv shows from the 50/60's you know the free stuff.
 
I got rid of TV all together and dont regret it one bit. Its been over a year now.
 
Thanks for the heads up guys! The newest of "Comcrap. (I like it! LOL)

Anyway, I told 'em I was closing their account at my house, and they plead and tried to bargain, and I was like nope piss on you bastards, after I was a loyal customer just a day over 5 years and to take my monthly from $119 to $209, is bullshit.....So, I'm awaiting for the new service provider to get a truck out to check our lines (the new policy) and will be online then, right now, I'm at the local library checking messages......

I'd try Wow, but I don't think they are anywhere near me. the 2 providers in town are Comcrap, and FairPoint, and FairPoint seem to have a decent outlook on price and all just the weather in New
England has played hell on us all! Even them, as they are booked right to the brink right now so......BUT, thats also got me a really good deal too! locked price of $49.99 for both Phone and internet. unlimited access. So, Can't complain to much with that as they actually sent it to me in writing and with that has no "time out period" either! Which I'm really pleased with!
 
They got the golden poo award for businesses last year.

I had a Century Link rep come to my door. We talked for about an hour about cars, music and pinball machines.

I told the guy I'd actually pay more with them to get the hell out of Comcast.

As it turns out, Comcast's 3rd world bargaining tactic that got me into a 6 month $68 phone and internet package, Century Link hooked me up for $57 a month on a new area plan... For five years.

I don't give a crap about television. None of my TVs get reception and I love it. There are too many other things for me to waste my time on, like this place.

When I was with DirecTV, years ago, I stopped watching about 3 months before my service contract terminated. The person on the phone told me to let it run out, because it would be cheaper than early termination fees. They keep sending me stuff. Some super low ball package deals, too, that I only wish I had when I had them before. I won't do it, though.

It's not TV taking my time that bothers me. DVR commercials, record them, watch what I want, when I want.

I mean, clearly, we're on this forum a lot, but I think it's the lack of anything gained after the fact, that bothers me. The exchange is shallow. I gather a lot of knowledge, here, and get to share some experiences. You don't get that with television. Even if the program is educational, if it's worthwhile, you can usually find it on Netflix or find the information online, somewhere.

When it comes to mindless entertainment, I'm sort of ADD. Projects can hold my attention, but I like to be able to keep it as basic as possible and in no commitment. That's why I like arcades. They were designed to have easy to understand appeal and low commitment. If I get sick of it, I don't feel like I wasted my time, practicing a game skill. Home systems have games that require 40+ hours of play to do what they are designed for. Much is the same for HBO. I don't like that design aspect.
 
Yes they are all liars and thieves,all the hidden fees from fart fees to bad breath surcharges..fixing to cut the cord since 95% is useless garbage,am on a fixed income and started out at 89bucs plus taxes which made it 109 bucs,now has creeped up to 146-152 every month.never a def reason and they are pretty evasive so we are going to do an alternative set up in like next month future,main thing is to keep the internet so we are shopping around,gonna have to chk out these 'boxes' you all are talking about and antenae's....has to be a better way..tired of being a slave to these utilitiy co superpowers,also looking into solar grids and such...and yes I agree the asswipes should be arrested for raping the economy...
 
Just do it. cancel everything and look into alternative plans for a DSL line for internet service.

To be quite honest, I've noticed absolutely no difference in connection speed, with the new servers that most DSL carriers have, compared to coaxial.

I ran a cat4 riser (heavy gauge) wire from the new junction box they put on the house for me, they use the blue and white/ blue wire. That's it. routed it to the orange and green wall jack that I put into the office, saved $100 on install. I don't notice a difference, even on streaming video/ Netflix.

If I was on a LAN, did online gaming that had tons of outgoing bandwidth needs, cable might be the thing to do, but if you're just on a laptop or browsing web pages, you will not see a change in services. I've had two other people here, on wireless laptop connection, running youtube, a couple more people here on smart phones using my wi-fi and was still able to stream music on my laptop, no problem.

I could have gotten even cheaper service through Century Link, if I didn't keep my land line. I have a cellular, but I need the line for my business, so they get a little more from me.

The big thing with them is that they offer set prices for 5 years. Sounds reasonable to me. If it goes up in 5 years, I'm sure the price of a Big Mac will have, too, so I'm fine with that contract.
 
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