Comcast employee here, and while I apologize for the shit customer service you're receiving, no one is punishing you for downgrading.

What you're seeing is the result of a bunch of boneheaded policies, coming together to be a huge pain in the ass for customers and employees alike.

In terms of the package, you're probably technically not eligible for the promo-rate blast plus based on corporate guidelines. Sometimes we get a little bit of flexibility there, especially if you call in.

First things first: the online setup sucks. It sucks ass. Never use it. The chat reps are outsourced to the Phillipines, and have very little in the way of flexibility or understanding of the english language. With that said, there are a few (a VERY few) online exclusives that save you some money, and the reps in the call center will not be aware of those (they're all location-specific, so a rep getting online will see different deals).

Simply put, just call. We're local and can provide MUCH better service and flexibility.

Now, moving onto your appointment, that is technically the policy for tech call-aheads. Its the same policy for new installs, restarts, downgrades, and disconnects. Its equally stupid across all fronts. In terms of a missed appointment, we do get them back same-day, but as you noticed its an all-day slot.

Stupid policies? Yep. Conspiracy? Nope. Believe me, there's just as many new customers dealing with the same bullshit.

EDIT - Side note, PM me your general area. If I cover you I can probably smooth this out.

You work for a horrible company.

Eh its like any big company, it exists to make money. Believe me, I've had my share of shitty experiences, but I decided that it was the lesser of most evils for internet LONG before I started working there.

Nobody working here is out to screw anybody, and (gasp!) most of us actually do give a shit about customers. There's a lot of boneheaded policy moves that make life harder for customers and employees, but at the end of the day I work my hardest to do the best I can within those dumbass policies.

If

Nobody working here is out to screw anybody

then why

There's a lot of boneheaded policy moves

I have a hypothesis: You and your cohort are nice, honest hard working people, who happen to be employed by a company that is run by evil, baby-eating assholes who seem intent on destroying the internet. In addition to this, they have you convinced they are "boneheaded", so you excuse their obvious attacks.

Boneheaded != malicious.

I think a lot of the policies are actually well-meaning, but have evolved to a point that they simply don't work. Same with any company as bloated as Comcast I'd imagine.

Right, but Comcast specifically has been trying to destroy the internet. You can't just excuse their actions as "well-meaning" or as "same as any company". You just can't. Comcast is a horrible company with a history that shows it is intent on tearing down the internet and forcing cable back on the consumer.

Honestly, I think you have surrounded yourself with a kind of reality-shield in order to work for them. You actually think Comcast has "well-meaning" policy...It is laughable.

Oh absolutely, and I'm in complete agreement on that.

I'm specifically referring to the policies we're discussing here, which are purely related to pricing and appointments.

If we're talking broader policy decisions, absolutely. The only good news is they're going to get their asses reamed by the FCC on the bandwidth thing with streampix.

I'm thinking that's why the bandwidth cap is gone as whole as of last week, but who knows.

I am so confused by your sudden reversal, but I am happy to call you friendly redditor anyhow.

I guess I choose to see Comcast as a single edifice, and assume that the culture at the top affects the culture on the bottom - grok: the policies OP is complaining about.

For example, let me tell you about "holds". A "hold" is an intentional hoop or chute for the consumer to jump through while seeking reparation for a grievance. The idea is that you put enough hoops and chutes in between the customer and any kind of refund or profit loss, that the customer gives up a certain % of the time.

Out-sourcing your text chat to the Philippines is a Hold. Having them ask, again, for your information, is a Hold. Having to call different numbers, then being read common responses, is a Hold.

Comcast, I believe, employs these tactics at the bottom in order to insulate and enrich the top.

tl;dr: Comcast is evil top to tails, dude. Sorry.

Heh just because I think the service itself is superior says nothing about my feelings towards the corporate policy.

As for the "hold" conversation, especially in regards to the outsourcing: keep in mind that the outsourcing is for setting up NEW service, and only for the online chat. Any current customers, or new customers who call during normal business hours (7am-9pm Mon-Sat, 8am to 7pm Sun) will come into a stateside callcenter, usually within their own state unless call volume is high (in which case they may go to a neighboring state in order to get them on with a rep faster).

I don't mean this as an insult, but you clearly do not work in a call center environment. The single most important number here, from a corporate standpoint, is "Service Level". Service level is the percentage of customers who reach a rep on their first attempt. "Holds" as you envision them are directly contrary to that number.

I'll use the current situation in the midwest as an example. We're receiving MASSIVE call volume, and many departments are understaffed for the volume. Because of this, service levels are universally low. In order to combat this, billing, retention, and tech (all departments that deal with disconnects and existing customer issues) are all working mandatory overtime to raise service levels to >90%.

Nobody likes it, but its a necessity to manage incoming calls.

While I fully agree that the company is employing shitty, malicious tactics in regards to internet competition, the actual customer-facing side is mostly beset by dumbassery, not maliciousness.

I don't mean this as an insult, but you clearly do not work in a call center environment.

Oh I loled. Naw, I went to college.

The single most important number here, from a corporate standpoint, is "Service Level". Service level is the percentage of customers who reach a rep on their first attempt. "Holds" as you envision them are directly contrary to that number.

You don't get it. You are the person implementing the holds. You follow prompts on a screen. You are the person actually implementing parts of the system. You are not there to help, you are there to massage the complainers into consumers.

We're receiving MASSIVE call volume, and many departments are understaffed for the volume. Because of this, service levels are universally low. In order to combat this, billing, retention, and tech (all departments that deal with disconnects and existing customer issues) are all working mandatory overtime to raise service levels to >90%.

What? Comcast is, by your own admission, understaffed for what it is doing and selling?

While I fully agree that the company is employing shitty, malicious tactics in regards to internet competition, the actual customer-facing side is mostly beset by dumbassery, not maliciousness.

It is pretty cool that you can just separate the part of the company you like from the part that is actively threatening the existence of the internet. That is almost psychotic of you.

Oh I loled. Naw, I went to college.

Yes, everyone who works in a call center is a fuckup.

Except myself and all of my immediate coworkers are all college grads making VERY good money here. Nice attempt at a personal attack though.

You don't get it. You are the person implementing the holds. You follow prompts on a screen. You are the person actually implementing parts of the system. You are not there to help, you are there to massage the complainers into consumers.

Again, you're talking about something based on your own assumptions, which are largely incorrect.

I do not have a script. I do not have on-screen prompts to tell me what to say or do. I listen to the customer, determine the issue, and attempt to resolve it to everyone's satisfaction. That's it.

What? Comcast is, by your own admission, understaffed for what it is doing and selling?

During times of exceptional call volume, sure. For most of the year, the call center as a whole sits at >95% service levels across all departments. This means that 95% of incoming calls are being answered before a customer hangs up. The past few weeks have seen EXCEPTIONALLY high new sales calls, which then translate into billing/technical questions. This knocked down service levels, so we required mandatory OT as a result, thus bringing us up to >90%.

It is pretty cool that you can just separate the part of the company you like from the part that is actively threatening the existence of the internet. That is almost psychotic of you.

Its no different than living in America, or working for any other corporation. I don't have to love every single thing about the company to point out that the services they provide are superior.

When's the last time you googled something?

Again, I appreciate (and agree) with a lot of the general sentiment you express about the company, but you've got a lot of preconceptions that just aren't right.

Yes, everyone who works in a call center is a fuckup.

Not what I meant, but whatever.

Blah blah blah

Look. My opinion about Comcast is just that, my opinion. Your opinion, on the other hand, is invalid because you work for them.

Not what I meant, but whatever.

Oh really? How exactly did you mean it then, if not "I went to college and am therefore too good to have worked in a call center, harumph."

Look. My opinion about Comcast is just that, my opinion. Your opinion, on the other hand, is invalid because you work for them.

Which is why, other than the speeds of the service compared to other providers (which is, by and large, an objective measure) I've expressed little in terms of actual opinion here.

I've attempted to provide you some insight into the actual process here, but apparently your preconceived assumptions, incorrect though they may be, are more valid than my hands-on experiences.

It is not that my preconceptions are on trial here.

The point is that as an employee of Comcast, your opinion is biased.

Nothing I can say seems to get that point across to you.

too good to have worked in a call center

I am too good to have worked for Comcast. Comcast is a horrible company. I hope they pay you well, because it is what you being paid for your soul dude. And I don't mean literal, I mean your figurative soul - the part of you that seeks emotional connections with other people.

Heh ok.

I don't work for them and I have the same underlying opinion as him. Stop trying to invalidate peoples responses. You are no one to say that someones opinion is irrelevant. He provided good well structured information and you just simply attacked him. Wanna be a decent human yet?

Jesus fucking christ. You are dense.

dude cannot be trusted to speak about comcast because he is employed by them.

Stop replying to me. Just stop. You have no point to make outside of "you're a bad person".

HE WASN'T BEING BIASED!?! HE NEVER DEFENDED THE COMPANIES POLICIES!

And yes that's mostly my problem with you. You were a dick for attacking someone when all they were trying to do was provide a different angle. I'll reply to who ever the hell I want, why do you think you have the ability to just shout at people and they'll listen??

This is why I love reddit, it allows people to publicly humiliate themselves. You do realize that you are making an ass out of yourself, right? In a whole forum of people that come together and think of outlandish possibilities in this world, no one (actually a negative amount of people) find you to be any where near relevant. So as I said earlier, go on, continue making an ass out of yourself.

it allows people to publicly humiliate themselves.

Calmer than you are, dude.

making an ass out of yourself

If sticking to your opinions and defending them makes one an ass, then sign me up with pride.

HE NEVER DEFENDED THE COMPANIES POLICIES!

That is not the point. The point is he should not be sharing anything, as his opinion is biased. Beyond that, he did in fact defend the polices as boneheaded but not evil. He also claimed that the role of the call center is anything other than keeping consumers compliant.

I don't have to love every single thing about [Comcast] to point out that the services they provide are superior.

Superior to what? All your competitors (if you even have any in the particular area) treat their customers just as poorly (for whatever reason, malice or incompetence, doesn't matter). Also, you are the only person I've ever heard or seen who doesn't speak poorly of Comcast. I guess your opinion makes sense, considering they sign your paychecks.

I'm pretty sure you attacked him by saying he worked for a shitty company.. He was just trying to shed actual light on the stupid policies his company has. He wasn't even defending them. I hate when stupid shit lands on /r/conspiracy there is not conspiracy here, just shitty customer service and policies.

And calling someone psychotic because they don't think Comcast is the spawn of satan...? You might need to take a breather dude.

And I found your college comment condescending, no need to be a dick and act better than others.

I'm pretty sure you attacked him by saying he worked for a shitty company

Yes this is exactly what happened. I don't know why you felt the need to commentate for the viewers at home.

And, sorry to burst your bubble, but a discussion of the tactics that Comcast uses to fuck the consumer and the internet, in concert with similar tactics sourced from the government, most decidedly is pertinent to r/conspiracy.

I had a nice lengthy response but not worth it. You have your opinions I have mine. I do not find this to be a conspiracy and judging by the majority of comments, most others agree. So continue on being arrogant and make mountains out of mole hills.

And how about you try to be a decent human being next time and not attack others on the internet about their place of work just because you have a some chip on your shoulders. There are hundreds of companies with fucked up policies, don't attack the workers for trying to get a pay check.

don't attack the workers for trying to get a pay check.

Sorry dude, but this is the way social change works. I point out that working for Comcast makes one guilty by association of attempting to crush the internet, and by proxy, dissent and free association of humans.

Honestly, call me what you want, change the subject all you want, whatever. Comcast sucks and anyone working for them sucks too. We all have to make ethical choices, and for some people money is more important than self-respect.

Way to generalize an entire work force. Go on being an ignorant fuck, no one in this post finds you relevant anyways.

Go on being an ignorant fuck, no one in this post finds you relevant anyways.

You must have taken a vote when I was not paying attention.

How about instead, you stop pretending you speak for the entire subreddit and drink a nice glass of stfu?

This does not concern you, you just want to feel superior. Or, with your 4 month old account, you are probably just an intern. Knock it off and go get a life.

Lol, an intern. God you a retard.

Lol, an intern. God you a retard.

Uh huh. And now we have fallen to this level of conversation.

Just because I have an opinion you don't like.

You're absolutely correct. I'm sorry for calling you a retard, I shouldn't have stooped to that level. I mean this with no sarcasm attached, Sorry for that comment.

word. I like it better when we totally disagree with some level of civility.

anyway....

That would make sense if these were limited to downgrades or disconnects.

Unfortunately, its an across-the-board thing, same shit happens to new customers trying to set up service. Its genuinely not a conspiracy to hassle downgrades, its just a shitty system.

As for the ease of changing it, I think you are VASTLY underestimating what a complicated process this all is. No less than 6 separate departments have a hand in ANY new install, more if there's phone or internet involved. We're talking thousands upon thousands of customers and employees, so any change is a glacial process.

This is a classic application of Hanlon's Razor, FYI.

I worked for Comcast for 4 years, and what Pfmohr2 says is true.

thanks for posting this :| I hated dealing with comcast, but never for any other reason than just their policies that didn't make sense. Maybe I'm just a little uptight because of my networking background, but man I swear I used to speak with people who didn't even own a computer.

dumb policies aren't conspiracies, and it's nice that people here are recognizing that :c

Yes. I too hate comcast. I'm only using them for the broadband

Since they took over the local cable a few years ago, every year they would raise prices about 10% and cut 2 or 3 channels from the lineup. I really hate them.

I don't know if AT&T is worse but I'm about to find out.

They are like the Bank of America of cable companies. When they go out of business people will cheer.

If you think Comcast is bad, just wait.

Full disclosure, Comcast employee, but I have to use ATT at a vacation home.

The tl;dr is that it is a total nightmare. Take any service/customer service issue you've ever had with Comcast, multiply it by 10, and then add a contract.

A good general rule of thumb with ATT internet is to expect somewhere between 1/2 to 1/3 your stated speeds on internet. Expect a fair amount of ups and downs in terms of speed as well.

I set up the service knowing this, but I've yet to break 4Mb/s on a supposed 20Mb/s connection. 5 tech visits (charged, btw, with 3 no-shows) later and no resolution. I'd write it off to shitty lines but when I hear the same problem coming from multiple areas, its not isolated.

If you do set up ATT, run a speed test once its running. You'll see what I mean.

Now for the REALLY fun part: billing. I've yet to have a correct bill in 7 months of service. Each month, I get a bill ~$70 higher than it should be with unexplained charges, and spend an hour or so each time getting the bill fixed. Each time I'm promised the issue is resolved and won't happen again.

I've had Comcast for many years, and I fully recognize that there's a LONG way to go towards improving customer service. With that said, the quality of service is so far above ATT that its hard to explain.

There's a very good reason that ATT is significantly cheaper.

It's not the customer service I hate about comcast. It's their greed, charging more and more for less and less, till I was paying for something no better than broadcast TV. Screw them. It's their product that stinks.

Yeah, the pricing structure is a huge pain in the dick.

The one thing I picked up as a customer, and that I pass along to all the customers I speak to now, is that picking up the phone will almost universally result in a lower bill. Its a pain in the ass, and it might take talking to 10 people, but eventually it pays off.

Believe me, I wish it was a different approach, because its constantly driving away customers (until the other telcoms do the same thing).

nice try comcast. comcast is far far worse than ATT, and thats saying a lot. plus if you use that shitty cable from comcast you have to use an interface from 1998. But none of that is even the bad part. they rob you. you add fees, bump their bill, all while removing channels. comcast is the worst company in the world.

Why post this in /r/conspiracy? Do you view the workers of a shit company as henchmen or something? They aren't all sitting around high-fiving each other because they made you wait another 3-7 hours for service. Those phone reps make minimum wage. The tech, not a whole lot more. They are just doing their job bro, it's not a conspiracy to fuck you over.

The fact that the only good broadband option in a certain area is a conspiracy. But yeah, a monopoly abusing customers is hardly a conspiracy.

We don't have this problem in the UK - unless you live way out in the countryside, you can choose between at least 8 different ISPs. So something's obviously gone wrong in the US if there are only 2 national ISPs and most people can only pick one of those.

I live in 20 minutes from downtown LA and I have two ISP choices... Comcast or AT&T. Oh man, what I wouldn't give to have a third choice!

This isn't a conspiracy. This is what businesses do to customers because they have the freedom to.

And that freedom comes from where?

Oh yeah deregulation of communications by a corporate/state union!

Uh, cancel your service, OP.

Send this over to the Consumerist.com

Cancel your cable anyways. It's all shit and propaganda. You can stream, download or purchase the good shows (Breaking Bad, GoT, Mad Men, Walking Dead).

We are switching from comcat to uverse. Our comcast bill is 250+ for tv and internet. Uverse we will get phone, tv, and faster internet(supposedly) for a little under 150. When i asked if comcast could get me close to that price as 5+ year customer, i was told that their best deals are only for new customers. So i told them they just lost a long time customer. Ungrateful jerks.

Heh good luck with those internet speeds. A good rule of thumb for most uverse areas is to expect 1/2 your stated speeds.

Side note, they should've gotten you to retention. They'll typically roll you into a new promo on threat of cancellation.

Stop shilling for comcast.

Hey man I fully concede that I think Comcast is the better service, doesn't mean I'm shilling. I currently have both services and can directly compare.

Stating a commonly-known fact is simply that. ATT is great for a lower bill, but there's a good reason for that.

Stating a commonly-known fact is simply that.

No. Not after you have admitted that you work for Comcast. Your opinion in all things internet related is compromised.

Sure, which is why I stated it up front. It doesn't take away from something that is a commonly-known fact in the industry, but a fair point nonetheless.

Simple test for this, any volunteer ATT customers should post their stated speeds, and then run a speed test and post the results.

Here's my hypothesis assuming people do so honestly: there will be a minority of people who are reaching their stated speeds or close to it. The majority will be receiving substantially lower speeds than they are promised.

This is not about ATT or speeds. This is about you and your bias.

Well, if its purely a bias issue, it should be easy to test, right?

easy to test

Any scientific study would toss you out of the sample for obvious bias.

Good thing we're not testing my speeds then, right? I stated a fact that's well-known in the industry. I full admit to being a Comcast employee, AND to having a bias (though its based on myself comparing both services, as opposed to the employment).

I'm not trying to have a scientific conversation here, I just mentioned an anecdotal statement and you are getting your panties in a bunch over it. If you've got ATT, test your speeds. If not, no biggie there either.

You keep trying to turn the conversation back to speeds and ATT. Why? I am not talking about either of those things.

I am talking about

1. Comcast is a horrible company and any sane user of the internet would not want to support them in any way (although we all give what we can)

2. Your opinion in everything regarding the internet is potentially biased by your relationship with Comcast, even in ways you are probably unaware of. I am certain Comcast employs operative conditioning in their training (as almost all companies do), to which I can certainly say you have been brainwashed by them.

Heh ok. You responded to a comment about internet speeds, calling my statement shilling. I pointed out that its a commonly-accepted fact in the industry, and easily testable.

I've never claimed to support any decisions the company makes on a corporate level. We weren't talking about that when you responded to my comment. I was talking about service quality.

You'd probably be surprised by how aligned we are on a lot of that thinking.

Stop shilling for Comcast!

I agree. I switched to Uverse and could not believe how sloooow my Internet was. I switched back the my previous provider as soon as my six months were up. Comcast doesn't thrill me, I've also had issues with their Chat feature, bit my experience with Uverse was awful and expensive.

Its an endlessly cyclical thing. Comcast pisses someone off, they go to Uverse. The service is shit, so they go to Direct. A slight breeze takes out their service so they come to Comcast. Comcast pisses them off and it continues ad infinitum.

I've had Comcast MUCH longer than I've worked there, and long ago decided it was the least of most evils in regards to internet. The internet speeds are pretty much untouchable in most areas (though FIOS has some really nice speeds where its available). Its a pain in the ass but as long as you're willing to pick up the phone and deal with some bullshit, its generally easy to keep the bill where you want it.

I highly recommend going into a service center, if at all possible. I had an extraordinary experience in Hopkins, MN. The employee took the time to go over my account and apply every possible deduction. If you can find a time when they're not very busy and are polite, they'll probably commiserate with you.

Heh that's going to be VERY dependent on location.

I don't know about out in MA, but in the Midwest the service centers are nightmares. They take on a real "Lord of the Flies" vibe late in the day.

I generally do everything I can to avoid sending customers to service centers if I can help it.

When I called Comcast in July of 2010 to report my cable line disconnected and laying in my back yard, they said they would send someone out immediately to take care of it. Two days passed and I called them back to find out when they were coming out when the customer service representative told me it was probably not their line that was down and nobody was coming out. I reassured the representative that I have no cable or internet service and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the line laying on the grass in my back yard. Now that it was approaching the weekend, they rescheduled a technician to come out the next Monday. Wednesday came and I called them back to ask when the technician is showing up and we rescheduled ...again. Repeat the past week again.

It finally took 27 days and over ten phone calls from the first time I called until I had service again. I cancelled my service a couple months later.

Fast Forward to late May 2012, over a year-and-a-half since I cancelled my Comcast service. Early in the morning, I hear someone creeping around the perimeter of my house. I get ready for whatever, and open the door to confront the person. It's a Comcast technician that came out to my house to check on a "downed line"! All I could do was stare at him with blank expression and blink at him really, really slowly.

i worked for comcast sales team they live off contracts that are designed to go up. best action you can take is simply call 1866 comcast the customer loyalty line and tell them a sales rep from dish network or direct tv has come and offered you a much cheaper deal and your going to make the switch unless the can match the offer or lower your bill to its orginal cost. you can do this for ever cause they value your money that you send them. or if you are married or have a roomate simply cancel your service say your moving to a area that does not have them if you stuck in a contract. then simply have the roomate sign up and get the new customer discount. if your married you can tell them you got a divorce and are seperating to switch the name over and get new customers rates

No conspiracy here, just a shitty system with comcast.

I am a former 4-year Comcast tech support employee.

After watching my bill jump from about $110 to $176 in the course of less than six months for no discernable reason,

The #1 biggest call driver that Comcast has is from customers not reading their bill. Everything you need to know about how much you pay is on the bill, every month, in plain language.

When a promotion is about to expire, how much you are saving per month because you're on a promotion, what you're playing full price on, the exact date your promotion expires, it's all on the bill. People so want to think that they're on a promotion forever that I just facepalm when I see posts like the OP.

To the OP, here it is in plain language: Your bill went up in price because your promotion ended.

Ok, if that's the case then send me a PM and I'll help you out.

Change username to ComcastSupportTeam and I would be in full support of this addition.

He hasn't PM'd me (a day later), so I hope the OP has already been taken care of.

No hate meant, I just get the runaround regularly from them. Network seed is important for my work so I regularly have to make calls when it's not up to it's guarentee

I understand. I worked for them for 4 soul crushing years, and it seemed like 1/2 my time there was spent fixing issues other employees had created.

Check out Comcast's online escalation team. They should be able to get you in touch with someone higher up locally who can actually help you.

If

Nobody working here is out to screw anybody

then why

There's a lot of boneheaded policy moves

I have a hypothesis: You and your cohort are nice, honest hard working people, who happen to be employed by a company that is run by evil, baby-eating assholes who seem intent on destroying the internet. In addition to this, they have you convinced they are "boneheaded", so you excuse their obvious attacks.

HE WASN'T BEING BIASED!?! HE NEVER DEFENDED THE COMPANIES POLICIES!

And yes that's mostly my problem with you. You were a dick for attacking someone when all they were trying to do was provide a different angle. I'll reply to who ever the hell I want, why do you think you have the ability to just shout at people and they'll listen??

This is why I love reddit, it allows people to publicly humiliate themselves. You do realize that you are making an ass out of yourself, right? In a whole forum of people that come together and think of outlandish possibilities in this world, no one (actually a negative amount of people) find you to be any where near relevant. So as I said earlier, go on, continue making an ass out of yourself.