It didn’t take much research to make me glad that I’ve never had to use Comcast for my internet service. There are whole websites set up for unhappy customers to vent their frustration. The FCC and the Better Business Bureau, along with congressional subcommittees, have been flooded with complaints from unhappy consumers. Although the list seems to be endless, I’ve tried to condense it into ten major concerns.
- Poor customer service – Naturally, the most prevalent problem is the horrible, if not total lack of, customer service. The litany of complaints include, but are not limited to, rudeness, incompetence, conflicting information, calls not returned, misinformation and general lack of problems being resolved. Repeated calls to customer service rarely result in any significant satisfaction to the customer.
- Incompetent technicians – Complaints usually result in Comcast sending out a technician to try to solve the problem. This often ends up with more complaints and no problems solved. The service techs rarely show up on time, and then leave without really fixing anything. One was reported to have left without letting the customer know. And then left the garage door open, compromising her security.
- Overcharging – One of the biggest complaints by customers is overcharging on their monthly bills. Many times they were quoted one thing and charged another. Several calls and many months are involved before any problems are resolved, if ever.
- Surprise fees – Part of the overcharging is the various fees that show up on their billing statements that the customers are not told about ahead of time. Service fees and modem rentals are just a couple of the unpleasant surprises on the bill.
- Delayed hook up – Many customers make arrangements far ahead of time to make sure that they get their service connected by the time they need it and are sorely disappointed. For business owners, this is particularly infuriating. Appointments are cancelled last minute, then rescheduled with the same result causing countless hours of lost time and revenue.
- No choice – Most people feel that one of the biggest reasons for Comcast’s poor service is that they have a monopoly for internet service in many areas. People are very frustrated that they don’t have the choice to use a different company. There’s nothing like healthy competition to keep prices down and service up.
- Defective equipment – Another major complaint is getting defective equipment that never works right from the start. Since many people get their cable TV and telephone bundled together, one piece of faulty equipment can affect everything else.
- Consistently bad – These complaints are not isolated cases in certain areas, but seem to be fairly consistent nationwide. Some customers have had Comcast off and on and in various locations with the same bad experience.
- Arrogance – Many customers complain about the blatant arrogance they are subjected to by the Comcast staff. From technicians, to customer service, to supervisors and executives, they experience an attitude of uncaring superiority.
- Fraudulent advertising – People have been duped into switching to Comcast by the promise of money savings that never materialize. The prices they’ve been told over the phone or otherwise advertised aren’t the same as what shows up on their billing statements.
The overwhelming complaints registered on various websites and elsewhere may be finally getting some results. Although far from perfect, Comcast seems to be making a better effort to resolve their customer service problems and improve their image. Having their customer service personnel at least deal with complaints in a more caring and understanding way, goes a long way for consumers who just want their problems resolved.
