Comcast chronic internet outage problem resolved

Some people have asked me if I'm still having service problems with Comcast High Speed Internet. The good news is that the outage was resolved to a frayed cable at a pedestal. Once repaired a few weeks ago, I've had no problems.

I did get the $19.95 removed off my bill for that bogus service visit charge. I'm waiting to see if any more of these pop up on my next bill.

My advice, based on experience, if you are having similar intermittent outages that can't be explained:

• However tedious it may seem, report your outages to the Comcast 1-800 service center. Yeah, they'll tell you to reboot your computer, reset your modem, take in your cable modem for a new one, blah, blah. But doing this will build up a case of your outages. The good news, at least in my area, is that the hold time was nearly zero - I usually got connected to a human right away. They can status your cable modem in real-time so it really helps your case if your service is down or flaky at the particular time you're talking with them.
  
• Each time you talk to the Service Center, make a note of the person's name you talked to, and the date/time of day you called. This will help if you need to talk with a supervisor.
• This one's really important based on the new Comcast policy: If at any time you schedule a field tech visit with the Service Center folks, get the person on the phone to give you all terms of the visit, including how much it will cost you - your fault or theirs. It's crucial here that you have the name of the service rep written down in case you need to challenge a line item added to your bill next month. A written statement would be ideal but this is not realistic.
  
• During periods of extreme outages, to the point where you believe your internet connection is not usable, ask for a day's service rebate. Basically this would be your monthly bill divided by the number of days in the current month. Doesn't come out to much, but it will add up if your problem lags on for months and perhaps will eventually get some sqeaky-wheel attention.
  
• Your real friends in getting your service operational again is the field service organization within your local market. These are the folks that drive the Comcast vans around your neighborhood. One of Comcast's big problems, in my opinion, is that the local service folks have no visibility into your dealings with the 1-800 Service Center people, and vice-versa. In my case, the Service Center people had actual observations of my problem, watching my cable modem reset itself a few times while I was on the phone with them, but the local field team had no knowledge of this history or data. So, it really helps to get a phone number into your local service office that lets you at least leave voice messages about your status. I ultimately do believe that the local field team are interested in solving your problem.
  

Scary News about Longmont Comcast High Speed Internet Support

Quick Summary: If you're a Longmont Comcast customer, TV or high speed internet, be prepared to be charged if an outage requires a field service visit, even if the problem is theirs.

I've been having chronic outages for six weeks now on my High Speed Internet Service from Comcast. Some facts about my case:

1. Outages most always happen during the evenings.
2. Symptoms: cable modem loses signal, resets itself, all internet connectivity is dropped for four to ten minutes, sometimes more. Repeat this 4-6 times an hour, 5PM through 1 AM.
   
3. I've been through four cable modems, as suggested by the Comcast evening technical support folks.
4. I've had two service visits (so far) from the local Comcast field personnel.
5. Core diagnosis, so far, is that my incoming signal is too strong.
   

With all of this going on, I was amazed to find a charge of $19.95 on my bill this month, for a field service visit. When the visit was scheduled, it was communicated to me that I would have to pay $30 if it was determined that the outage was my fault. I understood this.

A live chat (this method of problem resolution was suggested on my bill) with a Comcast representative reveals that Comcast now charges $19.95 per house visit, regardless of the source or responsibility of the fault. I've removed the name of the service rep in the chat transcript but I'll supply it to Comcast if they ask for it. Note, as the rep says, that Comcast will be glad to sell you a "insurance policy" for only $1/month to protect you from the $19.95 charges.

Me (Tue Dec 11 2007 23:11:29 GMT-0700 (MST))
Why did I get charged $19.95 for a service call? There was a confirmed problem at my house.

analyst Service Rep has entered room

Service Rep(Tue Dec 11 2007 23:52:05 GMT-0700 (MST))>
All service calls are now charged due to high costs of sending
field techs. However, you may add the Service Protection Plan
to your account and the Plan will prevent you from being
charged any future service calls.

Me (Tue Dec 11 2007 21:53:41 GMT-0700 (MST))
He found my signal way too high, and adjusted it...he
took off some Comcast-supplied equipment on my line and
put in a new 4-way splitter...his name was field tech...NEVER was
I told that I have to pay when the problem is yours...

Service Rep(Tue Dec 11 2007 23:54:01 GMT-0700 (MST))>
If you are experiencing intermittencies as recorded
in your account history, I would then add the Service
Protection Plan to your account.


Service Rep(Tue Dec 11 2007 23:54:29 GMT-0700 (MST))>
The Service Protection Plan is only $.99 cents/mo

Me (Tue Dec 11 2007 21:57:18 GMT-0700 (MST))>
I had the supervisor out on Sunday...do I get
charged for that?????


Service Rep(Tue Dec 11 2007 23:57:27 GMT-0700 (MST))>
You will however be billed all future service call charges by
your local market unless you wish to add the Service Protection Plan.


This is a stunning policy, when you think about it, and not intuitive at all to the way customers deal with other utility providers like electricity, water, sewer, and telephone:

• What incentive would Comcast have to keep their network healthy if they knew they could get a nice steady stream of revenue coming from house visits? The charge is automatic and non-negotiable. Outages are good for Comcast now!
  
• Enough problems like this and they'll amass a good number of $1/month insurance policies from subscribers; they win either way, you lose.
  
• If there is a problem in your neighborhood Comcast pedestal (those greenish cable distribution points, perhaps in your neighbor's backyard) guess what - you pay if you report the problem and they come visit you.
  
• Why wouldn't Comcast string out a problem into multiple house visits, getting them $20 a pop? Line up a bunch of houses in the same area and their margins get higher.
• From the chat transcript, you can already see the poor behavior this policy is driving: Instead of focusing on the problem, the service rep is more interested in selling me an insurance plan. She/he mentions it no less than four times!
  

The ultimate irony? The first visiting field tech told me that I would get a $2 credit on my next bill if I returned a survey comment card. I did this, only to get the $19.95 additional charge instead!