Comcast Bait-and-switch

Oh Comcast, I knew there was a reason I dropped you so many years ago and never looked back. Comcast reps are always knocking on our door. I give them 2 minutes, then thank them for their time because the deals are never worth switching for. Here’s what I want: no-frills basic cable + internet and nothing else for cheaper than the other guy.

One day a rep comes knocking with some deals. I tell him what I want. He tells me that there’s a new special out: $49.99/month for one year for basic cable + internet. I’m intrigued. I ask questions:

– “What’s the price after a year?”
– “It’s higher, but if you call me next year I’ll hook you up.”
– “What do you mean by basic cable? You’re not talking about broadcast cable. I want ‘real’ basic cable: USA, TNT, TBS…”
– “Yup, vanilla basic cable.”
– “Can I think about this and call you back later?”
– “No, you need to decide today. I’m an authorized salesperson, not a 3rd party, and these deals are only available through me.” (Yeah, right.)

Okay, for once I was sold. I signed up and scheduled an installation appointment.

The installer comes by, runs a new line down my house (argh, we’d just paid to get a bunch of old lines taken down last summer). He hooks up the cable and starts showing me the features of my plan.

– “Wait, why don’t I get TBS?”
– “Not included in your plan.”
– “What? I specifically asked about that. Is this a broadcast cable plan?”
– “Pretty much, plus a few other channels. But no USA, TNT, TBS…”

I was pissed. I called up the sales rep while the installer was still there. They chatted. He apologized, said he must’ve misread the plan description. Called his boss, called me back (after the installer had to leave), said there was NOTHING HE COULD DO.

Really? You sell me plan, run a line down my house, then can’t deliver? I call Comcast directly. They try to talk me out of cancelling, but why would I want to stay? Their own reps don’t even know what they’re selling. Here’s where it gets really ridiculous. They tell me that an installer can come by in a few days to disconnect their cable, but they’re not allowed to reattach my old cable. I’m going to have to call the other guys. What? The other cable is live and all they have to do is screw it back in. Nope, they refuse and even tell me that if my other cable company charges me for coming over, they won’t cover it. It’s their “policy” not to pay to connect you to another company, even if they goofed.

Luckily when the installer comes by, I tell him to reconnect my old cable. He shrugs and complies. Shortest Comcast contract ever: 24 hours. Now all I have to do is unsubscribe from all this Xfinity spam that’s flooding my inbox and uninstall all these bookmarks and homepage settings that got pushed to my browsers.

Should’ve trusted my gut on this one. Never again.

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