Comcast

[CLach]

I had two polite gentlemen from Comcast come to my door the other day offering service to our area...I live off of Chaffee Rd.  I was surprised to hear they offered service down where I was...they said that people of Fairfax should call Comcast and check to see if their area was ready to be hooked up. They admitted they havent done a good job notifying our area of the services.  So it wouldnt hurt to check with Comcast and see if they are or will be around anytime soon.   Just thought I would throw it out there. 

[mkr]

Now if they could just go a little further down Fletcher Road!  They stop about a 1/4 mile or less from my house.  When I called last year they were trying to get me to pay for the extension.  This was also the case for a couple of friends of mine who called on the other side of town.  Seriously, like I am going to pay for you to run the fiber and cable by my house?  They said get your neighbors together to see if you can all pitch in.  I said how about you get some capital dollars and deliver it to my house.  I would love to know who came up with that sales pitch.  I want the high speed internet, but not for that much!

[mkr]

So thought I would give it another shot and called today.  The lady on the phone was absolutely NOT a nice lady, I will leave it to you what you want to call her. 

She said well you called a year ago and we told you what it would cost to get it if you want it bad enough. SERIOUSLY, this is customer service! I asked well is there anything I can do to put in another ticket or something about the inquiry.  She said it is in there already and we will not call you if it becomes available so you will need to call back in a few months to see.  I then asked is there anyway to know of any expansions coming down the road as I live about a 1/4 mile down on a main road from where they stopped.  She told me no and a 1/4 mile is a long way for cable you know.  I said I work in wireless and quite aware of what it takes and I said well thanks for such a lovely conversation and hung up.

Anyone have anyone network related in Comcast? 

[CLach]

WOW, sorry to hear.  Makes me not want to go through with the hookup. Maybe I will call the gentleman that came to my house and express my concern, he said he was somewhat new to Comcast and they are trying to bring more customer in from rural areas, ....not with this type of customer service.  Glad I asked about the my obligation too..I have none which is always nice. 

[mkr]

I have used Comcast when I lived in Essex while my house was being built.  The actual service (TV/Internet) is wonderful and I really enjoyed the high speed internet.  As for the Customer Service, they have had two chances to prove me wrong and unfortunately they are 0 for 2.

[GamingWeasel]

I've had generally bad experiences with Comcast customer service and tech-support.  If something ever goes wrong with my internet, my first thought is always something like, "Damn, now I have to call Comcast.  I hate talking to those people!"

[Judi]

I have noticed that all the sale pitch prices they offer are for a limited time.  The lowered prices are a great lure but watch out after a year, the rates are always increased a lot.  The t.v. ads make mention of this but as usual they are talking so fast you almost miss that it is for a "limited time".

[hcargill]

I live off Chaffee Rd too and we have Comcast, however I can NOT stand it!  The signal cuts out all the time and the people that I call to talk with are less than pleasent.  We had someone come to our door over a year and a half ago offering a great deal so we took it.   I am surpirsed that they did not stop at your house too Chris!  We are looking into other options currently.  I do not reccomend Comcast!

[suze]

I'm sorry to disagree with everyone, but I love Comcast!  On the few occasions that I've had a problem, the folks with customer service have been extremely kind and helpful!  They have needed to "reset" and they stay on the phone with me for the few moments that it takes for this to happen.  I've been very pleased.

[Travis]

I agree with Suze. I work from home and rely on my internet connection. I've only had one problem with the connection in the past 3 years that didn't have to do with losing power to the house. When I called Comcast, the customer service rep was very nice and helpful. She told me that if I ever have another problem to immediately call and submit an emergency ticket. I've never had to call back. The connection speed is super fast and reliable.

[Henry]

It is good to see some positive comments along with the bad.  I know the speed is really great according to Mary Kay and my other daughter who lives down in Bellows Falls.

[cableguy]

OK, here goes....gulp....I'm the guy who showed up at Clach's door   (thanks for the order by the way), and I've had a very mixed bag of responses to our presence in Fairfax, so with the blessing of the kind moderator, I am now available to (hopefully) clarify details, answer questions, sit down with you, etc.  I have a pretty thick skin, but go easy on me-I'm only one guy in a big operation.  However, I'm a straight shooter and I'll do my best to help you out.

[ASDuling]

I'm of the unfortunate ones with no option but satellite, even though I can practically see the end of the line from my house. I also live next to a cell phone tower yet have no reception, go figure. I'm anxious for Comcast to reach my house so I can have options.

It seems the consensus is the actual home service is pretty good, but the customer service is not.  I doubt Comcast has engineers answering their phones, so you can't really expect the person on the phone to do much but take your information, walk you through a few cursory troubleshooting tasks, and then maybe put you in line for a site visit. Should anything go wrong with your service you're forced to deal with someone who spends their day answering phone calls from people who have complaints or problems. I've got to tell you, that would probably get to me after a while.

I DO think anyone who has a complaint should let Comcast know. A company can't fix a problem like poor customer service unless they know about it.

[cableguy]

ASDuling you are right on the mark.  Usually the first person you talk to isn't the best one to solve tech issues, although most will try.  It's best to deal with repetitive issues by asking to speak with a supervisor immediately. 

Everyone- feel free to PM me if you would like personal assistance.  I can't solve every problem but I might have some advice on how to proceed. 

[hcargill]

Thanks Cableguy for the info and fessing up!  It has not all been bad.  It is just frustrating to deal with someone who obviously does not like their job and/or is to busy to talk with you!  HOwever I did call once and got a very nice lady who was extremely helpful and pleasent!