Any advice on switching from DirecTV to Comcast?

[jgradyc]

I live in Nashville. My DirecTV system is maybe four years old. I already have Comcast internet, so switching to Comcast DoublePlay with internet plus tv would save me about $100/month.  

Should I call Comcast and talk to a sales rep to sign up or should I sign up online? 

Any benefits to talking to a real person? I tried switching two years ago by telephone and the order got totally messed up. 

[.357SIG]

Comcast customer service sucks! But if it saves $100/month then I would probably do it.

I have internet and a basic TV package through them. I am waiting for Google or anything else.

[mikegideon]

My fiance is fixing to dump direct for Comcast. Why? Customer service sucks. They both suck. Comcast probably is better technology.

[jgradyc]

I've read that their product is good if you can avoid the customer service part. I tried to switch before, but they messed up the order, installed an out-of-date DVR box, and made it really hard to get the problem fixed. They said they'd send me a new DVR. I said I paid for install and I wanted them to install it.  For some reason, they couldn't get anyone out to install the correct box. I finally cancelled and returned everything. 

Anyway, should I sign up online or call a sales rep?

Edited August 23, 2016 by jgradyc

[gunslinger_Griff]

11 minutes ago, jgradyc said:

Anyway, should I sign up online or call a sales rep?

You're going to talk to a person one way or another... Even online orders will have you "chat" with someone and then you'll get a call from someone independent to confirm the order.... So you might as well speak with someone up front... My suggestion (call me a racist pig if you want) is that whomever you speak with... if they don't have any command of the English language... hang up and call back...  I do that hen calling anyone for service... And I am just not referring to foreign born people who don't speak English well...  When I called and ordered I was made aware of a promotion that wasn't available online... and some online offers aren't available when you call..  It's just the way it is... There are some very good Comcast reps... but most $uck sweaty monkey b@lls... (I hope I don't get banned for saying that)... 

[dawgdoc]

If you do online chat, save a copy of the chat transcript.  Charter told me one thing in the chat but tried to add on fees before the install.  I declined the install, but I could have made them honor the deal.

[gunslinger_Griff]

2 hours ago, dawgdoc said:

If you do online chat, save a copy of the chat transcript.  Charter told me one thing in the chat but tried to add on fees before the install.  I declined the install, but I could have made them honor the deal.

Cannot emphasize this enough. 

Their people lie...all the time... even saving the transcript may not help you if there's a problem...but save it. 

 

There's a reason they are consistently ranked as one of the most hated companies in the country every year...

[krunchnik]

My 2 year contract was up with Comcast so therefore my bill took a pretty good size leap upwards-I called Comcast service and asked what kind of package I could get for a bit cheaper and the person I talked with was very accommodating-My Double package changed from about $165.00 a month down to $125.00 and good for a full 2 more years.I know they have a less than stellar history but in my 2 years of dealing with Comcast I have had a good experience. 220 channels and Blast internet speed-which is rated at 75mbs but I constantly get around 90mbs.Awhile ago I purchased my own router and modem which saves a few bucks a month also.

[Omega]

I've probably had them all at one time or another and can say all their CS can suck depending on who answers the call.  Here are my thoughts on the ones I've had:

Charter, service was decent though their coax couldn't handle too many HD channels.  Internet was good, plenty of speed and was up most times up until around the flood, then it was down quite often because their junction box was underwater anytime it rained hard.  Their cost was much higher than the others at the time.

CDE Lightband, new equipment and fiber optic all the way to the house, then twisted pair or coax to the box.  Their issue was that their techs either didn't know how to run the equipment or the infrastructure was maxed out.  Alot of pixelation, freezing,  and isssues with the listings.  Internet was decent and never had issues while I had it.   Price was good for everything but couldn't stand the tv issues.

AT&T, Uverse pretty good overall but a bit pricey considering the limitations such as HD channels available at any given time, 4 at once I think.  

Direct TV.  Ok, I think if their customer service was better I would stayed with them but I probably won't go back unless forced to.  Let me explain; when AT&T purchased them I thought I could get the football package, but was, IMO, lied to.  They said Uverse was being phased out (and it may be) and I could only get the football package with direct tv.  I ordered it and before they installed anything all the football stations showed up on Uverse.  When they installed the dish everything seemed good, but unbeknownst to me they installed an old model box that they knew had issues, when I called about the issues, the next day mind you, they diagnosed the issue and identified the box as the culprit but told my wife they would not send us a new one.  When I called,  they said they would send one out.  About two weeks later, an empty box shows up.  I called and asked WTF, they said it was a recovery box for the old box and the new one would show up later.  Another week goes by, no box..called again and they again try and say they wouldn't send another.  Finally got the call escalated, they said they would send a new one.  I told them it needed to be the newer model, if it wasn't I'd send both boxes back and cancel service.  Week goes by, old model shows up.  I called and tried to cancel, first they said I needed to pay a cancellation fee unless a tech came out to verify the issues.  I said fine, make sure he shows up with a new box.  After a bit she lets slip that she was "like" a supervisor and had to get authorization...I told her to put me on with her supervisor. He finally checked all the call logs and waived everything and cancelled service.  I sent back the boxes but they said to keep the dish, or recycle it if i wanted to.  So, anyway back to AT&T Uverse but guess what, I now have Red Zone...I bet all the football channels will be next.  I did like Direct TV's features though, specially being able to start a show from the beginning and it had more HD channels than Uverse but their CS lost me as a customer. 

 

[btq96r]

Comcast is okay as long as you know what you're getting into.  Research the plans, research what you need versus what they'll try to stick you with (equipment, rental fees...I brought my own modem), and unless you pick a plan, be ready to spend 30-45 minutes asking them to tell you what you can get while you keep reminding them of your firm monthly amount.  My biggest asset in dealing with Comcast has been patience, but you being a new customer, I think they'll try to do well this first time...just make a note of when the initial agreement is up, and be ready to negotiate a new package, or else you'll see the spike in your bill.

[analog_kidd]

We just did exactly what you are proposing: Dumped DirecTV and moved to Comcast.

We already had Comcast for Internet. Since AT&T / DirecTV couldn't get fast enough Internet to the new house we bought, they let us out of that part of the contract. Our contract finally expired, and we discovered we could save about $85 by going all Comcast. I had considered getting an antenna for local channels, Prime for movies and using USTVNow to pick up ESPN and FoxNews, but I figured I would only be saving $10 or so a month compared to the Comcast bundle. The convenience factor of having only one remote, and not having to switch input settings on the TV all the time was worth the $10 to me.

My wife got the whole thing set up in a chat session started from their web site. It was pretty easy. If you hesitate on pulling the trigger, they keep sweetening the deal. My wife would say "Let me think about it" or "let me talk to my husband" and they would come back with "We'll throw in a $80 rebate to cover installation" or, "We'll throw in a free DVR for a year". I had heard that part of the X-Finity rebranding, they were trying to rebuild their customer service reputation. I felt the whole process went very well. They were respectful and helpful.

I do think Comcast equipment and their TV offerings are far superior to DirecTV. I really like the DVR interface. You can talk into the remote to search for shows. Seems like everything I have searched for so far shows up in On-Demand. Comcast seems to group their channels a bit better, AND they don't put a damned info-mercial channel on every other channel. I swear DirecTV had hundreds of those things, which irritated me to no end.

The installer came and spent several hours here. I wanted to move my router to downstairs. The previous owner had ran 4 cable lines to the bedroom, and I wanted to clean up some cables. They did all that for me.

You will want to look up on Google how to hack the remote to add a 30  second skip ahead / 10 second skip back. It makes zipping through commercials on recorded shows so much better. It was very easy to do, just a few keypress sequences on the remote to modify the setting.

[Sam1]

I switched 2-3 months ago to the $110/month 300mb +100 channels and happy as hell I did it.The channel lineup isn't as good as directv, but I am getting internet and cable with no contract for the same price I was getting cable.

[NextExit]

Don't call the 800 number. They are script readers.  Deal with them in person.  Was told I could save a few bucks by using my own modem (why lease theirs?) and got everything without a contract. I did a self install so I didn't have to wait for them. They just turned it on at the pole. I've had them for about 3 years now and no issues.  The power could go out and I'd still have cable and internet.  DirecTV and Dish had one good feature....  I could always tell when a severe thunderstorm was headed my way because I'd get the "signal loss" message.  

[Luap]

Comcast sucks pond water.

I've had Direct TV since 2005 when living in Atlanta.  Moved it when we moved back to Memphis area without issues.  I have very, very little trouble and seldom have signal loss, unless it snows very hard.  Currently have multiple receivers at home in Arlington and separate Reciever in south Arkansas for travel trailer that I have on the farm.  

Trick is to have the service tech ( who is not a Direct TV employee) point and set the receiver with a bird dog.   If he/ she doesn't use a bird dog device. You will have signal loss.  Since I have a bird dog 0 issue at farm.

 

[Sam1]

^^^

directv does have better channels.  But comcast romps everyone around (in my area) with internet speed.  I can have 300mb through comcast, 3mb through DSL or 1.5mb through satellite.

Not a hard decision to make.

[jgradyc]

Wow. Here is my experience so far. I bought the Arris Residential Gateway and Router from Best Buy for $199 in preparation to connecting to Comcast Double Play. I already have Comcast internet. The Arris would not connect to the internet. It wanted some authorization from Comcast, so I decided to reinstall my old modem. I'll wait and let the professional installer connect the new modem.

I signed up using the chat for the $110 double play plus a second TV X1 Platform... cost of $119. By going online, I figured they couldn't mess up the order and I'd have a record of the chat. It didn't work out that way.

I got all the way to the Order screen, clicked on order, and it just started processing. After five minutes, the Chat person suggested I refresh the screen. I did. It knocked me completely out of chat and completely out of the order process and took me back to the initial home screen where I started!

Now I don't know if I have an order or not! I guess I'll wait to see if I get a notice by email. This does not bode well so far. 

By the way, I signed up for the 2 year contract. Is that a good idea? I'd rather not switch often and I don't like getting surprise increases. 

UPDATE:  I just received a confirmation email. 

[jgradyc]

The only thing I forgot to ask was whether there are add-on costs. I'm sure that there is. I hope it's not much.

[NextExit]

1 hour ago, jgradyc said:

By the way, I signed up for the 2 year contract. Is that a good idea? I'd rather not switch often and I don't like getting surprise increases. 

If you're in a contract, you won't get an increase until after it's up. 

1 hour ago, jgradyc said:

The only thing I forgot to ask was whether there are add-on costs. I'm sure that there is. I hope it's not much.

Yup....  The additional charges (at least on my bill) are HD Technology fee, broadcast tv fee, sales tax, franchise fee, FCC fee.  Adds about another $20 to the monthly bill. 

[DaveTN]

2 hours ago, jgradyc said:

Wow. Here is my experience so far. I bought the Arris Residential Gateway and Router from Best Buy for $199 in preparation to connecting to Comcast Double Play. I already have Comcast internet. The Arris would not connect to the internet. It wanted some authorization from Comcast, so I decided to reinstall my old modem. I'll wait and let the professional installer connect the new modem.

I signed up using the chat for the $110 double play plus a second TV X1 Platform... cost of $119. By going online, I figured they couldn't mess up the order and I'd have a record of the chat. It didn't work out that way.

I got all the way to the Order screen, clicked on order, and it just started processing. After five minutes, the Chat person suggested I refresh the screen. I did. It knocked me completely out of chat and completely out of the order process and took me back to the initial home screen where I started!

Now I don't know if I have an order or not! I guess I'll wait to see if I get a notice by email. This does not bode well so far. 

I don’t know what you had before, but the X1 is great compared to the old Comcast.

I was supposed to be able to upgrade for free. They added $20 on. The person said they could not take it off, I ask to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor told me he would not take it off either. When I ask to speak to his Supervisor he told me “I’m the last person you will be speaking to tonight”. I thought my head was going to explode.  But I got it taken care of by email though their customer service.

2 hours ago, jgradyc said:

 

By the way, I signed up for the 2 year contract. Is that a good idea? I'd rather not switch often and I don't like getting surprise increases. 

They won’t give you the best price without doing that. In two years your bill will take a GIANT leap. You will have two call them and they will bring it back down for another two year agreement. They keep doing that to me and I have been with them for over 15 years.

So why do we stick with them? Because they don’t have any competition because of government involvement.  My service is fantastic. I have internet so fast the numbers don’t matter and every TV channel known to man. I just wish they had some competition .

 

[jgradyc]

Well.... I just received a 2nd email from xfinity saying that my order has been cancelled. "If you have any questions, please call us back at..." 

I'd really prefer to sign up online, so I guess I'll try again.

[NextExit]

If you can, it's best just to go to them.  When Comcast screwed up a channel package I requested, I went to Knoxville.  Guy there said never call the 800 number as they are nothing but script readers. 

[Appalachian]

I'm new to Comcast, have had the Triple Play for about three months.  I did everything online and didn't talk to anybody.  The cable boxes and interface are much better than anything I've had previously with Time Warner and Mediacom (living in different regions while in the military).  The installer was good.  So far I've been very happy, but I haven't had to use customer service for anything yet.

[Sam1]

4 hours ago, jgradyc said:

Well.... I just received a 2nd email from xfinity saying that my order has been cancelled. "If you have any questions, please call us back at..." 

I'd really prefer to sign up online, so I guess I'll try again.

Let me refer you, seen a commercial that says I can get a referral reward up to $500 (not sure on specifics)  Whatever it is, I'll split it with you.  So if they give me $500 bill credit, I'll cut you a check for $250.  PM if you want to do that.

[jgradyc]

Thanks!!! 

Unfortunately, it won't work for me. I read the fine print. I'm not eligible because I'm an existing customer.  This would be an upgrade of service, not a new customer referral. Plus, Comcast is misleading in their promotion. In the fine print it says $25 per service per person, up to $500 in total referrals per year. So, even if I was a new customer, it would have been only $25. Still, thanks for thinking about it and bringing it up. Better luck next time.

Edited August 29, 2016 by jgradyc

[jgradyc]

Update: I went online and signed up again on Sept 8. Installation was supposed to be today Sept 13. I called when they didn't show and the woman (an Indian, judging by her accent) told me I wasn't signed up. She could provide no response as to why.  Apparently, they had all my order information on file, but no record of me signing up. 

She set me up for installation on Thursday... two days from now. 

If I hadn't rearranged my day to be home all afternoon today, this would be funny. 

Edited September 13, 2016 by jgradyc