How to deal with Comcast
I swear I posted this letter last week. I’m either crazy or my corporate nemesis has found a way to censor me.
To Whom It May Concern:
I am contesting this charge of $27.23 on the grounds that it is not representative of any contract, written or oral with Comcast Cable. I have spoken with your representatives, who stated that Comcast has not even stated what this charge of $27.23 is for. This is part of a pattern of Comcast breaking agreements and demanding arbitrary amounts of money.
Comcast Cable does not list a price for the services I have received on their website. They also apparently do not issue contracts or receipts. In the absence of any written documentation, I have relied on the oral contract made by telephone with Comcast representatives and in person with their installation personnel.
The product I purchased was unbundled internet service. The price I was quoted for this service was $30/month. I have paid this price, along with taxes and installation fees, because those were the terms of our oral contact. Comcast, however, has billed me for $60/month. This price was never quoted or suggested by Comcast’s personnel or literature. Had they stated at any time that their product cost $60/month I would not have purchased it. I understand that Comcast’s prices are subject to change, however, I was not billed the quoted price even once.
Furthermore, Comcast Cable denied my demand to cancel my subscription to their service and continued to bill me. I am currently not certain whether I still have an account with Comcast or not. They have, however, billed me for late equipment. Again, I have never signed and never been shown any documentation stating a) when the equipment was to be returned by, b) what the charges are for late equipment, or c) the address to which the equipment must be returned. A responsible company would have provided this information when they installed the equipment.
Please note copies of the following documents:
A: Comcast’s prices as currently listed on their website. Note that these prices are specific to my address. The product Comcast sold me—monthly internet access without cable or phone service, is not listed among their services.
B: My e-mail correspondence with Nick P and Randy C from Comcast customer service. Please note that when I stated I would pay $30/month in following with our oral contract, Nick P did not reject this offer or present a counter offer. Also note that Randy C’s response to a customer service inquiry contains an order not to share his response with anyone else. This willful attempt to conceal information is not consistent with a company that is honest with its customers.
C: My notice informing me that my service has been scheduled for disconnection. I received this note after I had already demanded that my service be disconnected. Note that the box indicating that Comcast was attempting to retrieve equipment has not been checked. Also note that no date is given on this notice.
D: My receipt stating that all equipment has been returned to Comcast.
If Comcast can explain what this latest charge is for, and can demonstrate that I am in error and have, in fact, agreed to pay $27.23, I will, of course, pay the bill.
Sincerely,
Anonymous Rex
ComcastCares said,
May 4, 2008 at 1:31 am
I would like to investigate this for you. Please send me an email with the account information and a link to this page.
Thank you for the opportunity to assist!
Frank Eliason
We_Can_Help@cable.comcast.com
anonymousrex said,
May 4, 2008 at 5:08 am
Why is Comcast contacting me at 1:31 am on a Saturday?
Did this company ever hear that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?
ComcastCares said,
May 5, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Agreed. At the same time we viewed your website and want to help. Let us know what we can do to assist.
Frank Eliason
Selmac said,
May 15, 2008 at 8:02 pm
OK, sorry to burst in on this conversation but I have a unique Comcast experience and I need some advice.
About 18 months ago I moved. My previous residence was served by Time Warner Cable. I canceled my subscription when I moved and I told Comcast that I didn’t wan’t any of their services at my new residence when they called to try and coerce me into subscribing.
Once I had moved, I plugged in my old cable box just to see, and it worked. I NEVER agreed to buy anything from Comcast, but they began billing me anyway. I paid for a while. But now I realize that my bill is for service at my old address. The bills show up at my new address. The cable box I’m using was given to me by Time Warner, not Comcast. Have I been paying for someone else’s cable all this time and not my own? How can they bill me for something I said I didn’t want? Don’t I have to sign something or at least agree to pay verbally?
anonymousrex said,
May 15, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Hi Selmac,
First of all, I am NOT a lawyer. I am an advocate of what I call “consumer resistance.” Social Darwinists like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockafeller would do anything to lower their costs and increase their profits–creating monopolies, encouraging violence against union workers, etc. But at least the consumers got some cheap steel and oil out it.
Modern corporations have take this to a new low. Instead of preying on their labor or their competitor they try to punish the consumer directly. Bank of America now makes the majority of its profits through transactional fees–stealing money from their own customers. ComCast has taken this to an even greater degree, demmanding money from whoever they want. The pinnacle of this was Comcast’s customer service ordering me to forward their e-mail. Are there people in America so stupid they thing ComCast can tell them who and what they can e-mail?
Corporations do this because we let them. Most American consumers lack the time to fight the endless barrage of corporate fees and chicanery. The good news is that these companies are inherently lazy (otherwise they would work for a living.) This laziness allows us a chance to fight back.
Comcast sicked a collection agency on me. It was simpler for them them than trying to “use their words” and they hoped I would be intimidated. I sent the above letter over a month ago and I have heard nothing from either Comcast or their collection agency. In fact, when I called the collection agency to contest the charges they were very sympathetic.
This may reflect poorly on my credit history but that too can be fixed by going through the proper channels. I have saved every scrap of paper Comcast has ever given me. Have they?
Understanding that this may affect your credit history, I advise you to do what I did and simply not pay them. If Comcast is too lazy to use a contract then they don’t deserve your money.
Open a file and save everything related to this case, including bills from Comcast and angry notes they leave on your door. Don’t communicate with them by phone, use e-mail. Then print out the e-mails and put them in the file too. Make sure you have a written copy of an order to terminate your subscription.
Finally, you are especially vulnerable to ComCast’s attacks on your credit if you are an entrepeneur. If you run a small business or are planning to buy a house or a car you may want to say uncle before fighting the giant that is ComCast.
I support you in your resistance. This isn’t just about you and your cable bill. This is a battle between all Americans and corporations that would rather see us penniless and enslaved. Make no mistake, ComCast would take everything you own and export your job to India in a heart-beat. -AnonymousRex.