Got the call from Comcast !

[Paul56]

I guess I'll be looking for a new ISP?

Comcast called and stated that I will get one warning and if I don't drastically reduce my usage I will be cut-off next month without warning. I was told that 6 times during the 4 minute conversation. I was told that out of 12 million subscribers I was using 1,000 times the bandwidth that normal customers use and I was in the top one-tenth of one percent highest users with almost 500 GB monthly (got to keep that ratio up!). I asked what was acceptable usage and was told that Comcast does not divulge that information to it's customers, I asked him how I was to know if I drastically reduced my usage ~ what would I reduce it too? I mentioned that I ordered additioanl service last month for $10 to increase my service from 6M to 8M, and he was kind off ticked off and stated that was for speed and not for usage, I asked if having more speed could perhaps increase usage; and I had to hear about drastically reducing my usage or get cut-off again.

I asked if there was a business service I could subscribe too, and I was told that I would qualify for the enterprise service at $1500. per month. When I asked if there was any service between the $69 service I have now and the $1500 service he said no he does not supply that information. I told him I would contact the business department and he mentioned I could do whatever I wanted too but he was going to cut me off next month if I don't drastically reduce my usage. He really made it seem personal like I was using his own personal bandwidth. So I'll be looking for a new service provider.

I only have two services available in my area.

Is anyone familiar with Covad? They offer Dedicated DSL (Dedicated Loop TeleSoho®) TeleSpeed Internet Services are Covad’s business-oriented Internet Services based on Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (“SDSL”) services provisioned on separate lines from the Customer’s phone service (144kbps up and down for $120 mo.) or (384kbps up and down for $329 mo.)

My other option is Sky Broadband Service offers symmetrical 1 Mbps service. 1 Mbps for both the upload as well as the download. They state, "when comparing to other services, be sure to note whether our competitors are offering symmetric or asymmetric connectivity. ($99 mo, if I let them put a repeater at my home) and $20. more if I don't. Sky Broadband Service uses a transceiver that is both small (12"H X 4"W X 1.1"D) and lightweight (11 ounces.) This transceiver can reach a distance of up to 2 miles. If your location is greater than 2 miles from the access point, then the optional reflector can extend the range up to 10 miles.

Thanks for any help.

[ThurstonX]

Ugh. Guess I'd better be proactive in this dept. And here I thought $10/mo. more would save me. HA!

Short answer: compare the speeds and the prices. SDSL is good for businesses, but not for torrenting (FWIW, Comcast gives out 384 Kbps at their normal fees; 768 Kbps for the extra $10).
1 Mbps SYMMETRICAL at a lower price is by far the better deal. I'd look into the fine print of both offers... if they divulge such sensitive information to prospective customers... oh wait, that's Comcast ;-)

Hope it works out for you. God I hate Cramcast.

[Seth01]

Can't help you with your decisions, bro but I just wanted to give you my best wishes.

That's a hard one for sure so I'll share what I did when I had a similar problem with my ISP. They wanted me to get a ridiculously expensive business account. I staved off the hungry wolves for a while by purchasing a 2nd home account. Obviously it was twice the price and I had to have 2 different cable modems (one I bought and one I rented) but they connected to the same cable (not at the same time). I kept a tight eye on my usage through their online utility and then when I reached the limit with modem 1 I switched to modem 2. It was stupid and expensive but it kept me going.

Well, Finlay I found a solution that was still expensive (but less than my 2nd account) and gave me the flexibility I needed. I signed up for a webseeder and haven't looked back then. Basically, my downloading and uploading are done remotely using someone else's very fast bandwidth and then when it's done I just dl it. So I still have the "bandwidth cost" in bits of the dl but none of the transfer. On top of that it helps my ratio as it's very fast. If I want to do a seed, it's the same thing in reverse. I have to upload my files to the site and then start the seed there (all done through a web interface). It's a nice but not perfect solution. Some months I'm using way over my ISP's limits but I guess I'm not in that"top one-tenth of one percent highest users" so I haven't been bothered since.

If this sounds like something that interests you, let me know through a PM. There usually aren't too many openings but I'll put you in contact with he who runs this. BTW, I have NO affiliation with this other than that I'm a happy customer. :)

[door71]

Try Verizon Fios for $29.99 a month.

[awaker]

insight's been on my ass for two years last summer hey suspended me for two weeks.i have to wait and not jump on early,my share ratios suck but theres not much i can do

[direwolf-pgh]

Covad is a huge provider/reseller & offers decent service. they are worth a price comparison imo.

[fubar]

I only have two services available in my area.

Is anyone familiar with Covad? They offer Dedicated DSL (Dedicated Loop TeleSoho®) TeleSpeed Internet Services are Covad’s business-oriented Internet Services based on Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (“SDSL”) services provisioned on separate lines from the Customer’s phone service (144kbps up and down for $120 mo.) or (384kbps up and down for $329 mo.)that pricing is terrible.

[mike1061]

Keep us posted as to what you do. Several other people (I think) would like to know. I've spent a lot of time checking out internet providers. I still don't have an answer.
Thanks Mike

[door71]

Check out Verizon Fios..................$29.99 a month..............seriously.

It may not be available in your area yet, I don't know.

[rosc2112]

Did comcast disclose any megabyte limit? Nope.. Therefore, they're full of shit. You pay for bandwidth, not megabytes. Tell them to not call you again or you'll sue them for harassment.

[dcbullet]

Tell them to not call you again or you'll sue them for harassment.

Good luck with that.

[rosc2112]

Ohh I used to have Covad in California, but it was only $60/month for 5 static IP's and 1.5/728 down/up.

Seriously, comcast is full of shit if they're not disclosing megabyte limits - you are using the service you pay for - bandwidth is already limited by their system, you are simply utilizing what you're paying for. They advertise you can watch movies and stuff on the net, so that's what you're doing - watching movies & tv shows that are freely available. Tough titties for comcast if they don't like people using their service as provided.

[rosc2112]

Good luck with that.

Send them a cease & desist letter, just like any other bill collector/harassor. Anything they have to say, should be in writing. Which will be part of evidence in your case against them for not providing the service you're paying for.

[lgerard]

I was sympathetic towards your plight untill I noticed the 600/250 figure in three months

jesus, no wonder they are pissed.

Anyway, the reasoning that the are giving you is just bullshit. So you are in the top .001%, big deal, someone wil always be in the top .001%

As for not telling you what the consider acceptable ussuage..thats nonsense too.

Comcast may have all kinds of arcane TOS, but they do not operate in a vaccum. They have a franchise, and somewhere in your community there is a political entity responsible for enforcing their agreement with your community.

I suggest you find out who that is and start putting pressure on them to get comcast to disclose what they consider reasonable ussuage and under what circumstances they can fail to provide service. If you don't get an immediate answer, recruit some other customers (everybody hates comcast) and bombard them with letters.

If you push hard enough, politicians will respond.

[willndmb]

Check out Verizon Fios..................$29.99 a month..............seriously.

It may not be available in your area yet, I don't know.

till your intro runs out and they jack the price to $48
still way better then time warner road runner though and lots of time you can get deals for phone and or tv as well

[Kstyle]

I asked what was acceptable usage and was told that Comcast does not divulge that information to it's customers,.


That is fuckin' insane. And I thought TWRR sucked. We pay 45 plus tax a month for what is claimed to be over 1 mb/s dl and 756 ul. Haaaahahahah!!! That's rich! They cap me at 600 kb/s dl and a pathetic 55 kb/s ul! So yeah, we're getting 8% of the promised bandwidth that we pay for.

I would love to get even half of that illusory 756. Anybody else deal with TW on this? I'm wondering if it's even worth it to flag my account. Is it a bad idea to use the T-word? ("Torrent? Sir, the police are on their way.") Maybe "video games" sounds better. Oh well, this will all come to a head soon enough as more folks get hip to p2p.

Great thread; interesting to see how this all plays out in the next years.

Would love to hear more on what everyone uses, is capped at, and pays for/gets.

[ZepTALicA]

I got booted off of Comcast for the very same thing last Spring. My Comcast account rep was absolutely clueless (they kept telling me that the service was 'unlimited' even after the 'abuse' department had given me notice that they were going to cut me off). After getting warned, I tried to cut back on my usage, but since they wouldn't tell me exactly how much I was allowed to use, I really didn't know what was 'acceptable usage' to them. When my wife went into the local regional office and spoke to the regional manager, he simply said that there was nothing he could do to help because he couldn't override the decision of the 'abuse' department. My wife has filed grievances with our local city government and the Attorney General of California over this whole thing. Ultimately however I am glad to be out of the clutches of the Comcast Evil Empire (we switched TV to Dish Network and now get twice as many channels at a cheaper price).

Interestingly enough, when searching for another ISP, I was told by AT&T that they did not offer DSL where I live (which happens to be in the middle of a large metropolitan area). I was able to get a connection with Covad, however. It turns out that the Covad DSL, although listed at slower speeds than the Comcast broadband, is actually *faster* in practicality than Comcast was. The weird thing was, the party that set up the Covad line was....AT&T! Covad merely rents out the AT&T phone lines. Don't ask me why AT&T didn't sell me the DSL line directly. However, again, in the long run I feel better about not jumping in bed with another insane giant evil telecom.

[SundayDriver]

I'm a little thankful that I have Cablevision with OOL. :thumbsup

[Jerm]

I fear it will take some sort of organization accompanied by a class action lawsuit to at least bring this issue to light. I've not yet been been 'warned', but believe it's inevitable. They will continue to try 'pruning' their customer base to maximize their available bandwidth. To them, 1000 paying 'small time' users are worth far more than 10 online traders. :(

[eric182]

Yeah that is bullshit, in my TOS with my ISP it says that you can't use excessive bandwidth. I don't think I use that much. I'm happy with Charter, but what would fix this is if cable companies had to compete because if they piss off their customers their competitors would get their business instead so they wouldn't want to lose customers.

[Kstyle]

Jerm said it perfectly. They'd like to get rid of all of us! Just had my providers' tech guy over today, very cool dude who said they treat him like crap too. He was the first guy out of 10 in the company who admitted they do cap accounts. Very few ever run a speed test, and the supe claims I'm not "diligent" enough because it took me over a year to notice they're screwing me!! I'm paying for 512 u/l but have never got more than 60. And then the supervisor acts like he's doing me a huge favor for refunding two months' fees after me paying almost two years for 900% more pipe than they let me use!
And I know it ain't just me or my 'hood; a pal across town with my provider is also capped at 60. But he owns a software company and we are thinking of some interesting strategies in dealing with Goliath.
They are robbing us, it's that simple. Charging for 512 and delivering 60 is criminal, wouldn't everyone agree?

[Seth01]

Charging for 512 and delivering 60 is criminal, wouldn't everyone agree?

It's utterly outrageous! These people really should be punished for their immoral behaviour & business practices. :nono:

[direwolf-pgh]

500 Kbps = 62.5 KBps

400 Kbps = 50.0 KBps

300 Kbps = 37.5 KBps

200 Kbps = 25.0 KBps

100 Kbps = 12.5 KBps

-mind your bits & bytes

[mike1061]

Seth
Kbps is different than KBps. The "B" is upper or lower case.
That's kilo bits and kilo bytes.
It took kme a while to get that straight too. Belive me no sales people I talked too knew.
Thanks Mike

[Kstyle]

Well, I got a call from head office saying, "we think it's a line problem". He then said "we're sorry you're getting less than the advertised uploading speed, but in any case you should know that half of the 'peak' promised delivery is a good number."
Really? Then why not advertise that? In any case, another tech guy's gonna come over and test the outside lines. Ha! Bet he tells me they can't figure it out and maybe I should get another provider. Apparently it's a case of "packet loss", their catch-all term for "we're capping the shit out of your line". I get the feeling I'm one of the very few who does a speed test on his line. They assume that 99% of their customers will be happy with very little pipe, and they're right. God forbid someone should ask for what they pay for.
They did give me two free months so far, though, so that's at least some admission of guilt. We'll see how it all plays out.

[JupiterCoyote]

Comcast High-Speed Internet service tiers range from 4.0 to 16.0 Mbps download speed (maximum upload speed from 384Kbps to 768Kbps respectively). The speed tier received and pricing will vary depending upon the speed tier selected and the level of Comcast video service and/or digital telephone service (if any) received. Speed comparisons are for downloads only and are compared to (as applicable, to 56K dial-up, 768Kbps, 1.5Mbps or 3.0Mbps DSL). Actual speeds may vary and are not guaranteed. Many factors affect speed.

Equipment (including cable modem) is required and unless specifically included in the offer, must be rented at Comcast’s regular rates or purchased at retail. May not be combined with any other discount or offer. Prices shown do not include applicable taxes and fees. Service is subject to terms and conditions of Comcast High-Speed Internet Subscriber Agreement and Home Networking Amendment if applicable. For restrictions, minimum requirements and details about service and prices, call 1-800-Comcast. ©2007 Comcast. All rights reserved. Video Mail not compatible with Macintosh systems, and additional equipment is required.

Comcast Home Networking will let you connect up to 5 PCs (IP devices) to the Internet at one time. Computers using a wireless connection must be within 150 feet of the gateway. Certain devices using radio frequency (including 2.4GHz cordless phones and microwave ovens), may interfere with or disrupt Internet connections. Comcast Home Networking service is only available to Comcast High-Speed Internet customers. Please note: the File and Printer Sharing Interface neither supports interaction between Apple and Windows based computers, nor sharing between two or more Apple devices. Regular service and equipment charges apply. Equipment, including a Comcast Certified Home Networking Device which may be purchased from Comcast or leased at Comcast's standard rates (currently $5 per month) required. Leased equipment must be returned to Comcast if service is cancelled. Additional equipment may be required. You will have the ability to add four additional PCs for a total of five networked PCs per household. Wireless cards are required for additional connections beyond the first computers. Wireless cards may be purchased from Comcast (see rate card for pricing) or at retail. Installation charges are additional.

_____________________________________

I just wanted to put Bombcast's "FINE PRINT" in normal, italic, and bold text since they aren't ever going to do it...los bastardos

_____________________________________

[gsocket]

I can't resist chiming in on this one as I have received "2 strikes" already from Cablevision (basically the same as comcast since they provide "I/O" service)...

Strike one came in the way of throttling by bandwidth back to the point where my vonage service was unable to work... after trying everything to get it back up and talking to their tech support, those idiots finally realized that they had throttled me. Not only did I not receive the courtesy of a call but it took several calls and a total of over an hour of hold time for them to realize that the problem was that they had fucked me over on purpose... So after a patronizing warning and me trying to figure who it is at comcast that I was going to seek out and beat to a slow bloody death, they un-throttled me.

Strike two came in the way of a phone call - the courtesy was probably because I switched over to their phone service... again, a fun-filled screaming match with their poor clueless operator ensued (I know it's not their fault but it sucks to be the bearer of bad and ridiculously unfair news)

So, yes - my ratio sucks because I can only leave a torrent open for an hour or risk the "3rd strike" and get my service cut off all together. This was the best recommendation I was able to find on how to avoid exceeding their mysterious limits since they of course won't tell you how much is too much. This is what really pisses me off - how the fuck can I avoid going over your stupid limits if you don't tell me what they are???? Why is this considered proprietary?

Then of course there is the issue of them trying to jack my bill up by $40 or so (not an exaggeration) every 6 months which happened again yesterday. What a wonderful way to say happy new year to your customers. Apparently my "promotions" keep expiring. If anyone else runs into this situation all you need tell their customer service rep that you want to stop your service. You will be connected to their "retention" department and they will kiss your ass and give you new "promotions" to get your bill back to normal... took me a while to get through, but well worth saving $40 a month.

So, why am I still with them? Because they are all that's available! I'm counting the days until fios comes to my town though... then it's the final farewell to those awful monopolistic ass clowns

[mike1061]

Well, I for one check my up speed all the time. I use Azureus and in the bottom right corner is a total speeds counter. I'm watching it constantly, to make sure I'm uploading as much as possable, if not I add or change torrents. I monater it so much I know eexactly how much up bandwidth I can use before the rest of the family can't surf the wed. I set my up limits to that point.
Thanks Mike

[Kstyle]

"If anyone else runs into this situation all you need tell their customer service rep that you want to stop your service. You will be connected to their "retention" department and they will kiss your ass and give you new "promotions" to get your bill back to normal... took me a while to get through, but well worth saving $40 a month."

So true. I've found that if you're willing to stay calm, keep asking for a supervisor, and then ask for his supervisor, and state your case clearly with the occasional mention of blogging and letters to editors, large corporations have a way of giving you whatever you ask for, sometimes even more (five years ago I spent a total of maybe four hours on the phone over a month and Ma Bell gave me 180 bucks back off a year's worth of bs bills. 45 bucks an hour, fair wages, and tax-free! Of course, it was my money in the first place...).
Only one in ten thousand people at most ever have the balls to fight back and demand what they pay for, be it bandwidth, whatever, so it's worth it. Plus, the feeling of beating Ma Bell, etc at their own game is a mighty good one!
We're only completely fucked when no one will stand up and fight for what's right anymore.
Ron Paul for Comcast CEO!

[gsocket]

The trick for Cablevision, at least in my case, was actually not even to bother with supervisors. I did speak to one who cut a few things off my bill but then patronized me about how they are a business that is providing a service in exchange for money... Thank you Mr. Harvard MBA!

It wasn't until I spoke to the "retention" department that the food gates opened up. My sense was that the supervisors were there to solve problems with customer service but the sole purpose of the retention department is to talk customers into not canceling their service.

I totally agree though Kstyle - customer service and business practices will continue to become more laughable unless more people start fighting back against the bull shit.

[door71]

Does anybody else have Verizon Fios?
Just a few minutes ago I was running at 515kb Download and 110KB Upload.

[lgerard]

The trick for Cablevision, at least in my case, was actually not even to bother with supervisors. I did speak to one who cut a few things off my bill but then patronized me about how they are a business that is providing a service in exchange for money... Thank you Mr. Harvard MBA!

It wasn't until I spoke to the "retention" department that the food gates opened up. My sense was that the supervisors were there to solve problems with customer service but the sole purpose of the retention department is to talk customers into not canceling their service.

I totally agree though Kstyle - customer service and business practices will continue to become more laughable unless more people start fighting back against the bull shit.


You might want to remind mr harvard mba that they are not just a business providing a take it or leave it service....they are franchises, and thus subject to political pressure, and believe it or not, that's the way to fight back.

[door71]

Does anybody else have Verizon Fios?
Just a few minutes ago I was running at 515kb Download and 110KB Upload.

This morning it's running at 100.2KB Download and 219KB Upload.

Comcast is the worst company I have ever dealt with.
I bitched about my cable bill and threatened to use another provider and they cut my bill in half for 12 months.............................of course they'll try to raise it again at that time.

[downey]

im debating getting rid of my cable tv and my telephone and replacing it with comcast = watching tv and movies and att dsl = web use and skype, i live in the bay area and as far as i know we only have comcast and at&t and a company speakeasy, but there prices are about the same as comcast and their privacy policy doesnt look much better. and since at&t has 15 dollar service i think i may end up saving money after i get rid of my phone and tv service. i despise both companies btw so i pray we get some better service in this area.

[rosc2112]

Dont forget to file complaints with your local Board of Public Utilities against comcrap not disclosing the full terms of service if/when they make threats to cancel the service you pay for.

[Dylan]

Does anybody else have Verizon Fios?
Just a few minutes ago I was running at 515kb Download and 110KB Upload.


Wide open I get 2200kbos up from my fios 20/2-

Good Shit

[slewofboots]

I've seen 500KB/sec download and 95KB/sec upload from my Qwest DSL service. $36/month baby.

[fatoldpig]

i'll never use comcrap even i have to go back to dial-up. i'm using at&t yahoo dsl (elite, 750KB up/96KB down for $35) http://promo.yahoo.com/att/packages.html and no problem so far

[rosc2112]

The nefarious "they" called me a couple of days ago claiming I've downloaded 500 gigs the last month! WOO go me! lol

I think they're full of shit, I don't think I could download 500 gigs in a month even going full-throttle 24/7!

I'm preparing a letter to be sent to the local franchise board, ftc & fcc, along with comcrap's top brass, since I'm basically being put under threat and accused of abuse when they've produced no guidelines or evidence of wrong-doing.

During the conversation with the very rude ahole on the phone, he kept making inferences but nothing specific, so of course I'm not going to volunteer information they could use against me, I just act stupid :) If they don't want to reveal details, I'm not going to offer speculation for them to use against me.

I asked several times to explain, and to tell me what they want me to do to fix the problem, never got an answer, just the vague implication that if I continue using the network (as provided) I'd be terminated. The end of the conversation was me telling the rude twerp I'm sorry to hear that comcast treats its customers that way, and there's other isp's in the area so, whatever. I can't fix when they refuse to tell me what the problem is.

Upon doing a bit of research, the GB limits are becoming standard in many isp's tos/aup. So far, Sprint EVDO seems to be the only one offering "unlimited" downloads on their broadband. That'll be my next venture once comcrap violates my contract with them by terminating me without proof of wrong-doing.

The day of data quotas is here my friends.

[rosc2112]

Here's the letter I'm sending:

http://comcastmustdie.blogspot.com/2008/01/customer-disservice.html#c2262296854812403830

[Kstyle]

Well done, ROSC! Had to laugh when I saw your avatar/name...kind of hard getting a fair deal from the Priests of Cablynx, ain't it? We are well into 1984/2112, if only more folks would wake the fuck up and notice. Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia...let's call Iran up too...
The more we allow DC to control us like puppets, the more we will be screwed by big biz with little recourse. But as that site you linked to shows, anger can be power. Joe Strummer always had great cable service in his squat!
If more people continued to hammer away at customer service/supervisors with the addition of complaints to local regulatory boards (everyone's got one) and maybe even a few photocopied warnings to other prospective customers duct-taped to strategic phone poles in the area, etc, I do believe the message will be delivered. Buying a small amount of stock and going to shareholders' meetings can be a very interesting and useful experieince, btw.
Or just set up a local version of that comcast-must-die blog for everyone in your area, and use specifics. Upper mgmt will get the message mighty fast that way.
It's almost hilariously ironic that they sell us all the glories of broadband and then cut us off if we try to enjoy what we pay for. Well, fuck 'em. Competition will increase as more people demand alternatives. We all need to be squeakier wheels is all. They've got us so hypnotized and full of gmo-food and tv lies in theis country that we are truly becoming sheep who will take whatever crap they feed us. This war will go on forever, 'cause so few are really complaining. I had to laugh at the "polls" which showed the other day that voters are more concerned about the economy than the war!! That's classic. No connection between them, folks! We can just go on borrowing hundreds of billions from China and Japan and watch 100-dollar oil crush our economy while Lockheed and Boeing and Exxon stock skyrockets. 9/11 sure set them up nicely to do whatever the hell they want, all in the name of "security". What a happy coincidence!
This is all connected. They want us to have the illusion of power, but not the reality. Bandwidth is power, more and more. That we can communicate and organize like this is something they fear.
And hey, y'all really think they aren't fuming that we are getting all this "free" entertainment? No taxes on each show we download? And less demand for their $20 dvds with ten minutes of ads at the beginning and then FBI ads we are forced to watch on the disc we just paid for?
Stick it to them every way you can, and if we all share what we learn, things will change.
This is our country and our money, after all.
PS Hang up immediately on anyone who calls you and won't give their name. They must identify themselves with a company id number and a first name. It's the law; use it against them for a change.

[fubar]

good luck with that.

[rosc2112]

We are well into 1984/2112, if only more folks would wake the fuck up and notice.
It's my firm belief people won't care to do anything until they're no longer able to go to Walmart and buy junk.

Communist Russia would've been a smashing success if they only followed the Walmart model. Give people the illusion of choice (shitpile1 is on sale for $10.99!) Pay them just enough to survive.

If more people continued to hammer away at customer service/supervisors with the addition of complaints to local regulatory boards

Well, in this area, I'll likely be the only one protesting at all. I know from experience. A much bigger injustice happened to us, involving a mobile home park, corrupt public officials and an unscrupulous landowner. I wrote letters to every level of government here, never got a reply beyond (best response:) "we're sorry to hear about that!" So apparently in Luzerne County, PA. it's perfectly acceptable for a wealthy landowner to commit illegal acts. Given how corrupt this area is, I would be shocked if they give a crap about what wealthy Comcast is doing. After all, it's only ONE person complaining! (That was Pennsylvania's District Attorney and Consumer Protection's response.)


and maybe even a few photocopied warnings to other prospective customers duct-taped to strategic phone poles in the area, etc,

Heh with my luck they'd sue me for damaging their telephone poles! (Yes, previously mentioned landlord threatened to do that when I posted flyers about them committing illegal acts.)

Upper mgmt will get the message mighty fast that way.
I don't think they care. Not as long as someone is still able to stuff their pockets.


Competition will increase as more people demand alternatives. We all need to be squeakier wheels is all.

The US hates competition.

Tell ya the truth, I think the whole money paradigm has to go bye bye. How or when, I don't know. Maybe when we can reproduce gold and material objects, like on Star Trek, heh.


I had to laugh at the "polls" which showed the other day that voters are more concerned about the economy than the war!!

Why should we care about other peoples suffering, when Walmart has a sale on! Dude, yer unpatriotic :P


That's classic. No connection between them, folks! We can just go on borrowing hundreds of billions from China and Japan and watch 100-dollar oil crush our economy while Lockheed and Boeing and Exxon stock skyrockets.

The last gasp of the baby boomers, trying to rake up piles before they die.

As a genX'er, I'm waiting for them to die so we can loot their friggen corp.ses :P


Bandwidth is power, more and more. That we can communicate and organize like this is something they fear.
And hey, y'all really think they aren't fuming that we are getting all this "free" entertainment?
...
Stick it to them every way you can, and if we all share what we learn, things will change.

Absolutely.


PS Hang up immediately on anyone who calls you and won't give their name. They must identify themselves with a company id number and a first name. It's the law; use it against them for a change.

I did find the number on my caller ID, and updated the letter I'm sending to say so, so that there's no confusion about it being a spoofed call. I found elsewhere someone posted the phone numbers for Comcast's Abuse Dept, and that's the number that was on my caller ID so I'm pretty sure it was Comcast.

I didn't hang up cos I wanted to hear the bullshit for myself. Unbelievable. I wish I'd recorded it just as proof of what they're doing, but it's already been documented all over the place, just google it! heh

Ohh and with companies like Comcast, it doesn't matter if you get an ID from them, when you call back, they will deny that person ever worked there! They got their telephone shuffle routine down pat.

[Kstyle]

Yeah yeah, whatever.

What's important is, who's gonna win the big game?

:disbelief

My favorite line to use on any and all company reps is, very gently, "Don't you hate it how this company that pays you half of what you're really worth uses you to take all the anger that they create? It's like they think we're all robots who will do whatever they tell us!" You'd be amazed how that and variations on it have suddenly turned opinions backwards. Suddenly it's me and this guy vs. the compnay that's screwing US!
It works, try it out.
And when they won't bite, no matter how friendly you can be, just flat out say, "Are they really paying you enough to be their little robot?"
Then hold the reciever a few inches away form your ear.
If they're gonna fuck you, at least have some fun (no quotes of southern sherriffs, please...).
This thread is going to assume ver-greater importance as we all start getting hassled by the Boys Upstairs. This whole "sharing" thing is rather un-American, really...no one's making money! Except the folks who are trying to stop us doing it...:hmm:

[lgerard]

Here's the letter I'm sending:

http://comcastmustdie.blogspot.com/2008/01/customer-disservice.html#c2262296854812403830


I would leave off the postscript...it makes it sound like you have a viable solution to the problem, and thus no one needs to act on your behalf

And I would spend some quality time with the local board which deals with the franchise agreement

[rosc2112]

I would leave off the postscript...it makes it sound like you have a viable solution to the problem, and thus no one needs to act on your behalf

It's not in the letter, just on the post on comcastmustdie.com.

I found Sprint EVDO after doing research, and anyway, comcast is the only landline-broadband.

[rosc2112]

A bit of follow-up, it appears that Comcast is monitoring comcastmustdie.com and if you include your account number, someone will contact you from their executive offices.

I went back and left my email address only, and this morning found an email from someone from their exec offices (no it was not spoofed, all the received lines were comcast's offices.) I sent my account number to them and expect a call sometime probably tomorrow.

[rosc2112]

Some more followup, this is a PM from a friend I know from a different forum, who just ran into this problem, (name withheld, they know who they are if they wanna step in on this thread.)

Comcast cut off access w/o notice, on a friday (so no access all weekend, of course! bastods..) I'd make them give me a free month at the higher bandwidth rate for doing that! :P

Their response is instructive of how to handle comcast's abuse dept, so I wanted to share it:


I convinced (Comcast) that since they said I had no limits, they can't harass me. The rep got shitty but they don't call me the queen of bitch for nothing. I told them my attorney was available for a 3 way call but he (the rep), of course, declined. [...] I also convinced them it was my netflix instant viewing that made it go up

[direwolf-pgh]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Time Warner Cable Inc said on Wednesday it is planning a trial to bill high-speed Internet subscribers based on their amount of usage rather than a flat fee, the standard industry practice. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080117/media_nm/timewarner_internet_dc
:disbelief not good

[rosc2112]

They haven't revealed their price structure.. If/when they start doing it here, I'll switch providers (Sprint EVDO is unlimited..so far.)

[rosc2112]

Heh, comcast just killed my account (at 2am, guess they thought I sleep!) cos I have a past due balance. Bye Bye comcrap! I'm going back to Dish (who never shut us off despite having several MONTHS of past due balances!)

And I did get a call from the executive offices, coincidently, today. All the woman I talked with would say, is she can't do anything to help (then why call???) and that I should call their abuse dept (no thanks, I don't like playing those games.)