Comcast/Xfinity rant.

[K191145]

So, i'm up early this morning installing this new wifi modem Comcast/Xfinity bugged the crap out of me to order by snail mail and email, even though I don't have any wireless devices. They claimed it would speed up the internet. That would be fine if the modem they sent actually worked. So, I hooked up all connections (correctly) and checked it several times because according to Comcast it's always the customers fault, it's company policy. So, after doing all that and powering it on the phone line blinks and just goes off never to be seen again. The book says wait 20 minutes and I waited 25, no phone. So, I unpluged the power cord, waited 2 minutes and powered up again, phone light on the modem blinks then disappeares into oblivion, no phone. So, I re-installed my old modem and have phone service. New modem, no phone service. Old modem, phone service. So, I am packing up this new modem and sending it back.

[MphsTiger1981]

 I fell for the same marketing deal. Finally let them send me their modem to replace one that I owned that was only two years old. I only did it because they insisted the only way I'd be getting the fastest internet speed was with their modem. It came late on a Friday afternoon and I installed it on a Saturday morning. Of course, there was a problem with the install and I had to call customer service over in Pakistan. She pushed some buttons and viola' I had internet. After changing the passwords on all of my wifi equipment I found out that in the far corner of my house downstairs (where we spend a great deal of our time) there was no wifi signal and we were unable to connect our iPads or even the TV for some of our streaming movies. So i just hooked up my old 8 year old Linksys wireless router and plugged it into the Xfinity modem and now I have coverage again. I've not noticed any increased speed for the internet so like you, I'm on the verge of sending this one back to them. Other than the monthly charge for renting their modem, nothing has changed. 

[MrsMonkeyMan2500]

Oh, I do NOT miss that! When we left the city we 86'd all cable services. We have a roku 3 and stream any and everything we want. So much cheaper, no hassle, no getting a headache about bills, rising rates or just the general piss poor attitude of their CSR's! I feel for you!

[bersaguy]

The only thing I will ever use Comcast for it cable TV. I won't ever use anything else they offer period. I delete all their emails without opening them and pay the Cable bill in person and if it is anything from them but a bill in snail mail it does not get opened either. Junk mail file 13 for it.

[NextExit]

When I first got Comcast, the rep suggested I avoid the modem lease fee by getting one at Radio Shack.  (Why pay $7/month when I can buy it for $50?) No issues after 3 years.  I've found the key to Comcast is to go to their office and deal with them directly.  Don't call the toll free number, all you get is a script reader.  I found this out the hard way.  The script reader screwed everything up (put me in a package I didn't want and dropped my internet speed)  I went to Knoxville and got it straightened out.  The rep apologized and gave me 3 free months of Showtime and free DVR for a year.  :up: And yes, occasionally there's a defective unit.  I got an extra receiver and it was dead right out of the box.  Had to go back and get a new one.

[Dustbuster]

Comcast sucks azz I signed up for triple play for 129 a month, they jacked my rate to 179 a mo w no warning. It's just a necessary evil for me. I'll eventual go back to a wifi box and roku but yes it's organized thievery

[Dustbuster]

Comcast sucks

[maroonandwhite]

Man I'm so glad you posted this. It somehow led me to an internet surfing session that led to Sling TV. It's a $20 streaming service that included ESPN, AMC and basically all the other channels we watch regularly. I have been planning to get an Xbox One which has the app for Sling TV. Between that, an antenna and the possibility of the Xbox having a DVR function before the end of the year you just saved me some money and gave me a good reason to get an Xbox!

[Sam1]

Their modem/router is a pile of garbage.  It also comes with default settings to share your wifi out as a hotspot.

 

Send them that garbage back, go to a store a buy a Motorola Surfboard modem and whatever kind of wireless router you want... They make a killing renting people those things, you might as well own a better one for less in the long run.

[btq96r]

Comcast sucks azz I signed up for triple play for 129 a month, they jacked my rate to 179 a mo w no warning. It's just a necessary evil for me. I'll eventual go back to a wifi box and roku but yes it's organized thievery

 

You had one of those promotional rates.  The fine print had the timeline for it.  Depending on if you agreed or not to a fixed period, you can call to negotiate it.

 

I was on the same thing with my service package, but I wasn't locked into anything past the promotional rate.  When the raise in the bill came, I called them, told them I wasn't going to pay higher than a certain amount, and they magically found a combination of discounts to get me under that number.  This last time they tried to sell me more speed at the higher price, but I told them I live alone, 25Mbps is all I need, and $50 per month before taxes and fees is my limit.  Just be firm with what you want, but don't expect them to give you more service or less of a price than you've already had at some point.

 

Renting one of their modems is out of the question.  They can't BS me since I actually know the specs of my modem.  The Motorola Surfboard I've had since I signed up with Comcast can handle six times the speed I'm paying for right now, so if they ever tried to tell me their lies, I'll call them out on it riki tik.

[K191145]

 I fell for the same marketing deal. Finally let them send me their modem to replace one that I owned that was only two years old. I only did it because they insisted the only way I'd be getting the fastest internet speed was with their modem. It came late on a Friday afternoon and I installed it on a Saturday morning. Of course, there was a problem with the install and I had to call customer service over in Pakistan. She pushed some buttons and viola' I had internet. After changing the passwords on all of my wifi equipment I found out that in the far corner of my house downstairs (where we spend a great deal of our time) there was no wifi signal and we were unable to connect our iPads or even the TV for some of our streaming movies. So i just hooked up my old 8 year old Linksys wireless router and plugged it into the Xfinity modem and now I have coverage again. I've not noticed any increased speed for the internet so like you, I'm on the verge of sending this one back to them. Other than the monthly charge for renting their modem, nothing has changed. 

 

Well my older modem works just fine, my internet speed is pretty fast also, alot faster than my brothers Uverse. I think Comcast is scared because ATT/Uverse just installed fiber optic cables in our area and thinks people are going to change. I checked out other deals paying seperatly for TV, Internet and phone and so far Comcast bundle has them beat on price. If I wasn't so addicted to my land line, and if there was a service that I could choose only certain channels I watch for a lower price I might change. There's hardly nothing on local channels I ever watch and really just a few cable channels. When I went to comcast cable internet in the 90's I had old AOL dialup in the, never watched any videos then so I am spoiled on the speed now.

[Dustbuster]

i hear ya, i agreed to a fixed rate. they snuck their 178 on me, i had no contract to read or freebies....itll get it fixed, they do suck though...

[K191145]

Their modem/router is a pile of garbage.  It also comes with default settings to share your wifi out as a hotspot.

 

Send them that garbage back, go to a store a buy a Motorola Surfboard modem and whatever kind of wireless router you want... They make a killing renting people those things, you might as well own a better one for less in the long run.

 

Thing is I don't have any wireless devices and have no plans for any. They send the new modem anyway saying it will speed up the internet. The wifi service is usless to me, I didn't even know it was also a wireless modem untill I recieved it, all connections to my computer and phone were the same and the wifi service had to be activated differently.

[btq96r]

Thing is I don't have any wireless devices and have no plans for any. They send the new modem anyway saying it will speed up the internet. The wifi service is usless to me, I didn't even know it was also a wireless modem untill I recieved it, all connections to my computer and phone were the same and the wifi service had to be activated differently.

 

You can still plug your computer directly into the private modem.  If you need more than one port, you can just get a switch like this one for an extra $20.  If you don't need wifi, then you don't have to connect it to a wifi router.

 

My private modem cost $70.  It basically paid for itself after seven months, and I've had it for a year and a half now, so the savings also paid for my wireless router which cost another $50.

[Oh Shoot]

So, i'm up early this morning installing this new wifi modem Comcast/Xfinity bugged the crap out of me to order by snail mail and email, even though I don't have any wireless devices. They claimed it would speed up the internet. That would be fine if the modem they sent actually worked. So, I hooked up all connections (correctly) and checked it several times because according to Comcast it's always the customers fault, it's company policy. So, after doing all that and powering it on the phone line blinks and just goes off never to be seen again. The book says wait 20 minutes and I waited 25, no phone. So, I unpluged the power cord, waited 2 minutes and powered up again, phone light on the modem blinks then disappeares into oblivion, no phone. So, I re-installed my old modem and have phone service. New modem, no phone service. Old modem, phone service. So, I am packing up this new modem and sending it back.

 

You did go through activation process either online or over the phone for the new modem/router, right?

 

- OS

[Steelharp]

Had a Comcast guy in the shop the other day. He was talking with another guy, laughing about the customers paying extra for the "higher speeds." He said what they don't realize is that the outlets they have won't do anymore than 6MB out anyway, and people just fall for all that marketing hype and pay through the nose for nuttin'.

[btq96r]

Had a Comcast guy in the shop the other day. He was talking with another guy, laughing about the customers paying extra for the "higher speeds." He said what they don't realize is that the outlets they have won't do anymore than 6MB out anyway, and people just fall for all that marketing hype and pay through the nose for nuttin'.

 

I found it funny that the cable industry and their lobbyists got quite pissy when the FCC changed the definition of broadband internet to 25Mbps download/3Mbps upload.  The National Cable & Telecommunications Association actually said this change would, and I quote, "dramatically exaggerate the amount of bandwidth needed by the typical broadband user."

 

That would mean the serves they push on customers with as much enthusiasm as a drug dealer- often well in excess of the 25/3 standard- should be defined the same way.

[Tncobra]

I have two options, comcrap or directtv. I guess I'll stay with cable and add Netflix or something for tube.

I use my own modem and net runs fine for me.

[Jonnin]

I tossed them when they decided to be anti-gun.    Never again for comcast.

[K191145]

You did go through activation process either online or over the phone for the new modem/router, right?

 

- OS

 

Well I had no phone service to call the activation number, the modem should have given me phone service, the manual said the light would stop blinking and stay on, THEN call to activate. There was also no internet to go online. I called the number they provided hooked up to my old modem, they read your account through your phone number so you can't use another phone, they don't let you talk to a person, the recording said I had to have the new modem installed so they can activate it. The phone service should have worked.

[btq96r]

Well I had no phone service to call the activation number, the modem should have given me phone service, the manual said the light would stop blinking and stay on, THEN call to activate. There was also no internet to go online. I called the number they provided hooked up to my old modem, they read your account through your phone number so you can't use another phone, they don't let you talk to a person, the recording said I had to have the new modem installed so they can activate it. The phone service should have worked.

 

Comcast's blocks any foreign router until the customer calls to active it by giving them the MAC address.  The customer service rep has to manually add it to their network.  Then you get to repeat the process when it "mysteriously" drops off at some point.

[Oh Shoot]

Well I had no phone service to call the activation number, the modem should have given me phone service, the manual said the light would stop blinking and stay on, THEN call to activate. There was also no internet to go online. I called the number they provided hooked up to my old modem, they read your account through your phone number so you can't use another phone, they don't let you talk to a person, the recording said I had to have the new modem installed so they can activate it. The phone service should have worked.

 

Comcast's blocks any foreign router until the customer calls to active it by giving them the MAC address.  ...

 
Yep, except the firmware allows certain Comcast URLS to connect.
 
I'd say that's the prob...modem has to be "provisioned", meaning MAC address added to their system for your particular location as btq says.
 
Should have been a URL on sheet with modem for you to go to. And actually, every time I've changed a Comcast modem, simply opening the browser and attempting to surf anywhere brings up the default activation site. And yes, when I changed to the voice plan,  I remember phone wouldn't work until I activated the modem via the website. So I'd say it's "user error" I'm afraid. :)
 
Ah, here it is (though just trying to surf to anywhere will likely bring it up):
 
http://comcast.com/activate

 

Should automagically do its thing with just a few mouse clicks with your new equipment hooked up and powered on.
 
- OS

Edited May 26, 2015 by Oh Shoot

[K191145]

 
Yep, except the firmware allows certain Comcast URLS to connect.
 
I'd say that's the prob...modem has to be "provisioned", meaning MAC address added to their system for your particular location as btq says.
 
Should have been a URL on sheet with modem for you to go to. And actually, every time I've changed a Comcast modem, simply opening the browser and attempting to surf anywhere brings up the default activation site. And yes, when I changed to the voice plan,  I remember phone wouldn't work until I activated the modem via the website. So I'd say it's "user error" I'm afraid. :)
 
Ah, here it is (though just trying to surf to anywhere will likely bring it up):
 
http://comcast.com/activate

 

Should automagically do its thing with just a few mouse clicks with your new equipment hooked up and powered on.
 
- OS

 

Like I said, the "MANUAL" I was supplied with said nothing about that. It said, "CALL THE NUMBER PROVIDED" to activate. The "MANUAL" that came with the equipment said the "PHONE LIGHT ON THE MODEM WOULD BLINK WHEN POWERED UP, THEN STAY ON" which it did not. So, if you follow what the "MANUAL" says, then it's not the users fault. Peroid.

[Oh Shoot]

Like I said, the "MANUAL" I was supplied with said nothing about that. It said, "CALL THE NUMBER PROVIDED" to activate. The "MANUAL" that came with the equipment said the "PHONE LIGHT ON THE MODEM WOULD BLINK WHEN POWERED UP, THEN STAY ON" which it did not. So, if you follow what the "MANUAL" says, then it's not the users fault. Peroid.

 

Ok, gotcha. Indeed, if that is the only instruction that came with it, bad on Comcast.

 

Here's how (link at end).  Note in video, claims computer will connect with activation site when opened. Won't if you have blank homepage as default, have to try to surf somewhere. And one of the three I installed, I still had to go the activation site manually by entering URL. So even it is a bit incomplete for all possibilities.

 

Note that all lights on modem have to come on steady before doing it, and also note it shows phone light also comes on, but as far as I know, that is wrong, phone light won't come on until activated, so that's another little glitch in the instruction if I'm remembering it correctly.

 

And yes, it is completely possible that the modem is not functioning correctly, but that's actually relatively rare. The only reason I ever changed them out was to go through the drill before getting a service call (always used my own), and the only reason I went to a VOIP capable one which I have now was to get a better deal on package. Hell, the only thing I ever do with the phone is call my cell once in a great while when I can't find it. :)

 

http://customer.xfinity.com/help-and-support/phone/self-install-xfinity-internet-voice

 

- OS

Edited May 26, 2015 by Oh Shoot

[K191145]

Ok, gotcha. Indeed, if that is the only instruction that came with it, bad on Comcast.

 

Here's how (link at end).  Note in video, claims computer will connect with activation site when opened. Won't if you have blank homepage as default, have to try to surf somewhere. And one of the three I installed, I still had to go the activation site manually by entering URL. So even it is a bit incomplete for all possibilities.

 

Note that all lights on modem have to come on steady before doing it, and also note it shows phone light also comes on, but as far as I know, that is wrong, phone light won't come on until activated, so that's another little glitch in the instruction if I'm remembering it correctly.

 

And yes, it is completely possible that the modem is not functioning correctly, but that's actually relatively rare. The only reason I ever changed them out was to go through the drill before getting a service call (always used my own), and the only reason I went to a VOIP capable one which I have now was to get a better deal on package. Hell, the only thing I ever do with the phone is call my cell once in a great while when I can't find it. :)

 

http://customer.xfinity.com/help-and-support/phone/self-install-xfinity-internet-voice

 

- OS

 

I'm not that savy about some things dealing with activation, programming and all that stuff. I'm good at installing electronics but I need instructions on making it work. If I would have known I wouldn't have ordered the thing but it was like Comcast was begging me. I got Xfinity emails, snailmail letters every week. My old modem and speed are just fine and the new modem is boxed up and in route to Charlotte NC. via UPS.

Edited May 27, 2015 by K191145