This week I logged 17 hours trying to resolve a Comcast record screwup and trying to get ok to replace a brand new but none-the-less bad gateway modem. After this experience, I am, like many of you, convinced they have the worse customer service on the planet!

AT&T is my other option. For those who made the switch - is it any better?

 

I have to say I see a HUGE difference between my carrier (Time Warner) here and Comcast. I doubt it could be worse. Time Warner has been great and I'm really glad since I have no other choices down here in the boonies. Good luck, my friend. You always seem to have the patience of Job, so if you're complaining it must be bad.

 

Comcast and Verizon are my options. Maybe AT&T, but I'm not sure. Around here Comcast gets pretty good grades for customer service, Verizon not so much, but I stick with Comcast for TV and Verizon for phone and DSL. I beat up on each of them on a regular basis to keep the price down. When I had major issues trying to get service for Mom's DSL after our February blizzard, I swore if I have any more issues dealing with Verizon, I'd switch to Comcast. That hasn't had to happen yet.

 

My advice is, if you do not have an answer by Monday call 215-286-1700 and ask for the Office Of The Chairman. If the operator asks you what you want again, tell her you want the Office of the Chairman. They will connect you with a local "troubleshooter" who should handle your case.

***This does work, I used it when I was a Comcast customer more than once.

As far as ATT, if they are using Fiber To The Home in your area, I would give it very serious consideration, as this technology generally allows for better video quality, faster internet speeds and better reliability. FTTH is IMHO a much better technology than Comcast's Hybrid Fiber-Coax.

 

Lainey if you do not have FIOS, I would actually recommend using Comcast for (gagging as he types) internet. DSL is old not-so-good technology, again IMHO.

 

Ken, I keep saying I'm going to switch to Comcast and bundle the TV, cable and phone and I never bother...I guess it's because I'm not on the internet much.

 

Do Not Switch to AT & T U-Verse until you google it. I started to a year ago, and found so many people saying it was unreliable (and more choice words) that I changed my mind.

Timely topic. I moved my office the last weekend of June. I moved three blocks away on the same street. Called ATT to move my DSL service and was told it was not available (they kept calling me a new customer after paying them for DSL for 13 years) They said I would have to sign up for U-Verse. I found out that the building 100 feet away has DSL, so they were lying about not being available, just would not hook it up. I spoke to 5 different people before I gave up and went with Comcast. They kissed off my $1,000 a year fees.

Comcast: Came out the day they said they would, hooked me up and the internet worked fine and is faster for less money. But this week when I went to get my Mozilla Thunderbird set for Comcast emails, I spent 4 hours, two representatives, and mucho Google research before throwing up my hands. Comcast finally told me they didn't support Thunderbird. Thanks a lot for not supporting your CUSTOMERS. I finally got a local computer geek on the phone and after 53 minutes he got me up and running. (Mostly due to a Comcast error in setting up my business account.)
So they are all a bunch of a**holes, but I've heard U-Verse is like the Titanic.

 

Thanks Morris. I only know one person personally who switched from Comcast to AT&T and the last time we talked he said he was going back.

My Internet service is generally good. Download speed is 55 Mbps and upload 11 Mbps. If it wasn't for that I'd make a switch in a NY second.

Zippy, thanks for the suggestion. I did not go that high in my first round. I did send a lengthy email to the VP of Customer Service on Wed. and received a call from his "screener" today. I in turn told her I wanted to send her more info from my "summary log", since this has not been resolved. Which I did late today.

As they say, even in a bad experience you learn something. Here's a few thoughts I jotted down tonight:

1. The more a company tries to market how good they are, the worse the support is.

2. Being routed to centers that can’t help, can’t be heard for background noise, can’t begin to understand the problem, can’t be understood, and can’t come close to pronouncing your name is NOT support. Having the ability to read thank-you scripts and trying to up-sell you is NOT support.

3. No matter what automated path selected, you invariably reach an employee, which cannot help you and cannot complete a successful transfer to someone who apparently might.

4. There is no limit to the number of times you will be rerouted back to the main menu. There is absolutely no limit to the number of times you must repeat yourself by providing name, address, phone number, last four of social security, account number and in some cases MAC number.

5. When you reach someone who claims they understand, they have neither the ability nor desire to take any personal responsibility to see the problem to the end. All they know is hand-offs.

6. The department silo structure at Comcast is the worst imaginable. How a company with that structure can survive is a question for the ages.

7. Putting all your eggs in one basket, i.e., one modem for all services, is really a bad idea when you live in a poor cell phone reception area.

 

I've had Verizon and Comcast for bundled services. Sometimes they are great and sometimes they both suck. I've decided to hate them both. It relieves that love/hate whiplash.

 

I do. They installed the lines about two years ago. Even on promotion they could not match Comcast's prices for like viewing. I'm not exaggerating to say they have sent me 50 or more fliers and three times someone has come to my house to try to sell me on AT&T.