Comcast Nibbling

I recently had occasion to call Comcast to fix something on my monthly bill. While on the phone I said (paraphrasing) “My service is expensive. What can I do to make it less expensive?”

I was presented with the COMCAST TRIPLE PLAY (imagine dynamic music in the background). It seemed like a good deal: Go with the promotional rate for 12 months and I’d get $17 off my bill, plus add phone service which I don’t have. The next two years would be about equivalent to my current bill (still with the addition of phone) and then they jack the price. By then, I figured I could work a new deal or cancel the service.

However, upon questioning them, I learned that it’s not that easy. You also need a special modem to handle the voice, which they’re more than happy to rent to you for $7 a month. I could buy one, but that’s $150. Thanks for the nibble, Comcast.

While I would still be saving $10 a month for the first year, this is frustrating. If they’d presented it with a equipment-cost-included rate, I probably would have been thrilled by the $10 savings. As it is, I feel like Comcast is once again trying to get as much money out of their customers as possible and I’m less likely to call back and go with their promotion. I’m also tempted to go with the TRIPLE PLAY and not bother with the modem for voice calls and just keep doing what I’m doing with internet and cable.

I should probably ask around and see if that would somehow screw things up. Stay tuned.

Comments

3 responses to “Comcast Nibbling”

  1. Melissa Mendoza Avatar
    Melissa Mendoza

    I’m sorry for any frustrations we’ve caused. I would like to check into this for you. Please email our team at the address below and include a link to this post, the service address, and best contact number. We will review this with our area contacts.

    Kind Regards,
    Melissa Mendoza
    Digital Media Specialist
    National Customer Operations
    We_Can_Help@comcast.com
    @ComcastMelissa
    +Melissa Mendoza

  2. Bill Ruhsam Avatar
    Bill Ruhsam

    Melissa: I appreciate you contacting me and I will certainly contact you via email, however I’m not seeing how this is something to be fixed (per se). The approach here is obviously a part of the business model that Comcast is maintaining. I’m not complaining about the cost of your service, nor am I complaining about any of your representatives or customer relations personnel. I’m glad I asked a few questions instead of going through the trouble of setting up the Xfinity Triple Play only to then find out that there would be upcharges either for a modem rental or personal equipment purchase. That would have made me exceptionally pissed off, while right now I’m merely disappointed.

    As I mentioned above, if Comcast had approached me with the Xfinity Triple Play promotion in a fashion where I could see a savings for 12 months (which I would!) and then a decision point about whether to keep the service or go back to the internet/cable only, I doubt we’d be having this exchange. Telling me about the cost of the modem only after I’d asked some questions is what has got my back up. This is a marketing decision, and I understand it, however it is one I regard as underhanded.

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