Sometimes it isn’t enough for consumers to just read the fine print. Sometimes a needle-in-a-haystack search is required just to find the right fine print to read.
(Interested in what your broadband provider is doing on early termination penalties?)
To wit: Our blog item from last week on high-speed Internet providers increasingly imposing early termination penalties to keep their customers from straying away for a better deal somewhere else.
We went to great lengths to contact the country’s top high-speed Internet providers and ask them what we believed was a fairly straightforward question: Do you impose early termination penalties on your high-speed Internet customers?
Several providers — including cable giant Comcast — assured us that they did not impose early termination fees, which we reported as part of our blog item.
So imagine our surprise when someone sent us a copy of a recent Comcast memo to a county official in Virginia about a looming rate increase, which, way down at the end, in a footnote, contained the following:
“Two year term agreement required. $150 early termination fee applies if any service is cancelled or downgraded during the 2 year period.”
We called Comcast and talked to spokesperson Jenni Moyer, the same person who had told us last week the company didn’t impose early termination fees.
She explained the early termination fee referred to in the memo only applies to customers signing up for Comcast’s so-called “Triple Play,” which is a bundle of phone, Internet and cable television service.
She then said that while certain local Comcast systems (in this case the Spotsylvania County in Virginia) do impose the early termination fees on their Triple Play bundles, the company generally sells its services on a month-by-month basis — with no long-term contract requirements or early termination penalties.
Indeed, that is what we found when we checked the “Terms and Conditions” section on Comcast’s main web site. You can read them for yourself here.
Moyers says Comcast is completely up front with customers about the early termination penalties.
“The customer knows going in what the situation is,” said Moyer. “It’s all spelled out in the contract.”
Yup. In the case of the memo to Spotsylvania County memo, it is spelled out at the bottom of page five of the six page document, in type so small that it is nearly unreadable.
And before actually signing up, we suggest you demand a complete contract from your local system and you read all the fine print, including the footnotes at the end.
Are you as frustrated? Do something about it! Tell the FCC to stop broadband companies from charging early termination fees!
Well, Comcast just lost my business. If they are willing to lie to Consumers Union, they will certainly have no trouble doing the same to me. I’ve been looking at switching to satellite anyway, and I already have DSL, so bye bye Comcast.
Unfortunately, I am a Comcast customer because at the time I locked myself in, Verizon FiOS was not available in my area so I had no other choice for really high speed internet. Now I am stuck. I am particularly upset by this is I am a Union member and Comcast is notorious for its anti-Union practices and Verizon is a Union company. I would much rather get my service from a company that pays its workers decent wages and benefits.
Note should be made that one cable company, Bright House Networks, serving several large Florida metropolitan areas and counties, makes a very strong point in its advertising that it imposes no long-term contract provisions or equipment purchases in its products! Not only that, the quality of their service is superb. I am fortunate enough that I was able to get Bright House Networks to extend service to my location as the local phone company, BellSouth, not only does not provide DSL service at my location, but, to add insult to injury, through the use of badly outdated multiplexors provide phone lines of such low maximum speed capability and reliability as to be essentially useless for dialup connectivity, and the Florida Public Service Commission diavows responsibility to intervene!
I am frequently called by my cable provider…Time Warner with offers to replace my DSL with their RoadRunner high speed internet. But they never have a good answer why their “Introductory” low price of $19.99 a month for the first twelve months is higher than my lifetime guaranteed rate of $17.99 for my AT&T DSL service. And since they took over Comcast in my area, I think I am inclined to trust them even less. Fortunately, though I have bundled services with AT&T, I am past the point of early termination fees.
I use SBC Global – they charge $150.00 for early termination on a 1 year contract – didn’t want to do it – but really had no choice on where we lived at the time. Just don’t see a way out of those charges, you just can’t say no – then they won’t give you service even if your willing to pay your bill timely and stay with them maybe longer than the year. They don’t give you the opportunity. Sometimes they have promotions for 3 months – then I can see them wanting you to stay a bit longer so you don’t just bounce around – but 1 or 2 years, seems a bit ridiculous.
Was a comcast customer. Till I found out what they were up to. Ended my service and will never go back.
As with any contract you (the consumer) have the right to alter a contract. Simply cross out what you do not want and submit it. If they do not object you have a contract that you can live with. If they object then you can take your money elsewhere. If enough people altered the contracts you would see more competition among all service companies. You can add or delete anything that you deem unfair or objectionable. The contractor can take it or leave it. If they want your business, they will have to comply with our wishes. If indeed business establishments have the right to refuse service to anyone; the same is true that we do not have to patronize any business if we so choose. The consumer can win, but it must be a concerted effort.
This is another example of why support for CU must never flag. In an ever increasing complexed world that is defined by small print CU stands a a shinning example of responsiblity
I think you are unfairly zeroing in on Comcast. The bottom line is that they all charge fee’s and bury them. Verizon is a horrible company to deal with and they have fee’s tacked on for everything. AT&T formally SBC also charges fee’s and when I had them they had terrible customer service. Comcast at least offers outstanding customer service and their fee’s and charges are pretty much in line with everyone else.
I should be so lucky to have a fast speed service that could charge me for termination! Out here in a very rural area, dial-up is all that is available. Talk about slow!!
What you should be looking into is the promised internet speeds as opposed to actual internet speeds and the different prices of premium speeds. I discovered two things:
1. I was being charged for download speeds of 12MB but I was only getting 1/10 that speed.
2. When I downgraded to the 1.7 MB speed (since that was all I was receiving anyways) I then received only 1/10 of that speed.
I use Cox Cable.
Grrrrr
The problem in this country is EXACTLY what Mark DeBarbieri states above- “The consumer can win, but it must be a concerted effort.” People these days do NOT want to be bothered or take the time to call ANY company to complain OR to follow it through all the way to corporate headquarters if necessary. Talking to “customer service reps and/or managers/supervisors” that are in THIS country is not much better than dealing with those same reps in other countries. You almost always have to contact corporate headquarters to get any real action.
Seems like they hire ANYONE to answer the phones whether they know the answers to your questions or not. If they don’t know, they make something up or give you incorrect information just to get rid of you. My name must FLASH on EVERY computer screen in this country when I call because I really raise hell! I am sick and tired of working all day doing MY job and then I have to come home and follow up on some mix-up because someone else IS NOT doing their job! It happens ALL the time!
Lately AARP seems to be getting EVERYTHING mixed up whether it’s their drug prescription program or their health insurance plans! THEY think that I’M the one making the mistakes, when in fact, it’s THEM!
If people just let these companies continue in this vain, then NOTHING will ever change. Things will just get worse!
I love it. I think everyone should have it. Very happy with it. Great product and great price.
I do not like Comcast because Comcast loves expensive and greedy fees. What about PeoplePC.com/online? AOL is so busy and crowded. Yahoo and Hotmail are very popular. What do you think? Doesn’t PeoplePC online need Speed-up DSL modem? Thanks so much.
My service was switched from Time Warner (road runner) to Comcast. It is a nightmare trying to
switch e-mail address – have spent approx 4-5
hours on the phone with 10-12 people from Road
Runner and Comcast with no success yet.
So why exactly are cell phone companies allowed to charge an early terminiation fee. I pay $50 per month x 24 months – $1200 and they want $175 per line to terminate early.
I am a Comcast customer in CA who signed up for the “triple play” package. I also specifically asked at the time of purchase if there would be moving or dicontinuation fee and was told no. I will be moving out of state in July… if they charge me for an early termination fee is there anything I can do to fight it? Besides throw a huge hissy fit and hope for the best?
In switching from Earthlink dialup to Earthlink DSL in November 2006 we experienced some getting started problems out here in the boondocks of Arizona. Outsourced technical help, over several months has left a good impression.
I can’t echo the horror stories aired here at all. I believe Earthlink rents DSL circuits from the local provider Qwest but manages them better.
I doubt if I’ll ever go back to dial up, even if my DSL were to get somewhat worse. I have a 3 computer wireless network using 3 different operating systems (WinME, WinXPPro, OS-X) Trouble free? Close enough for me.
When you consider signing up for a service that has a contract of any kind, locate the Terms of Service (or whatever it might be called) and copy the typically tiny text into a word processor where you can resize the font to 12 or 14 points and make reading much easier. So far, I have not encountered a website that prevents this practice.
IF THIS DESPICABLE MARKETING PLOY IS TRUE (AS INDICATED HERE) IT JUSTIFIES THE EARLY ALBEIT CERTAIN TERMINATION OF THEIR SERVICES BY ALL OF THEIR CUSTOMERS…. YES, IN SPITE OF ITS ABUSIVE PENALTY!
Yup! That’s why I got away from Ted Turner in the land of taxes New York! I couldn’t tell the difference between Verizon DSL and Optimum Online. I also got a dish and was lied to from cable. They said weather would ruin the signal. We’ve had some pretty bad weather over the past 10 months and not a flutter. The free DVR is great too. Cable…you have some nerve charging the prices you do!
“Triple Play” Services from the cable companies are a joke and an insult to any knowledgeable consumer!!
I did the research and found that the “Digital Phone” service was MORE expensive than the same “unlimited long distance” service offered by BellSouth. However, BellSouth service is over double the cost of VoIP “Digital Phone Service” offered by SunRocket. So, I went with SunRocket and have verified that ANY net total cost for phone service over $17 per month is excessive. If all the features are added to the cable company service, it is over 45 dollars per month. Again, with all the taxes and fees, SunRocket is about 17 dollars per month – and MORE features and services are provided.
So, avoid “deals” that cost more than standard offerings. Do your homework and find the best service for the best price!! PS. I invested in a 35 dollar UPS for my computer – and my digital phone coverter box is plugged into it. Hence, I have phone service for about 8 hours during a power failure!!
-Jim
BTW – international phone calls are included for the first 100 minutes per month!!
I don’t have a problem with Comcast because the area where I live I cannot subscribe to Comcast service. My problem is with AllAmericanDirect! I subscribed to this company when Dish Network dropped my local channels. So, in order for me to get my local channels back, I had to subscribe to a company that does provide me with local channels. I chose AllAmericanDirect the company Dish Network told me could provide me with local channels. I paid $30 for 6 months for the two local channels this company would provide me with. There was no mention of an early termination fee or cancellation fee on the initial order. I could not place the order online so I had to call their toll-free number to place my order but no mention of early termination fees at all. In the meantime, DirecTV contacted me & promised me local channels in their package of services. I agreed to go with DirecTV with a two-year agreement. When I contacted AllAmericanDirect, I spoke with a rep named Ashley who agreed to disconnect my service on the date I requested. She never mentioned an early termination fee! To make a long story short, when I called to see when I would receive my refund because I did not use the service for 6 months I was told I would have to submit a request in writing & it would take about 3 weeks for me to receive the refund in the mail still not being told about an early termination fee. Three weeks passed still no refund check so I called back the third time, then I was told my service was disconnected but no refund because of the $25.00 cancellation/early termination fee. When I asked why I was never told this on the previous contacts, the rep said the service was non-cancelable and because this company allowed me to cancel my service with them, there is a $25.00 cancellation/early termination fee. I feel like I was misled & scammed. Someone somewhere along the way on 3 different calls should have told me about this fee because I would have never, ever gone with this company if I had known this. Instead of a refund check I got ripped-off!!
Comcast has also been cutting customers off without warning who use too much “bandwidth”. Though there is no mention of how much bandwidth is too much bandwidth.
I’ll probably get cut off because I listen to net radio while I work. :-O
For #17, Nikki who is a Comcast Customer in CA. I would always keep a piece of note paper in your Comcast file and whenever you ask a question and receive an answer like there will be no early termination fee if you move out of state, write down the person’s name, number and ext., and the date and time they told you that.
Then, if they do charge you, call customer service and tell them who told you what.
If they still want to charge you, tell them you will file a complaint with the BBB and the California Department of Consumer Affairs, they will usually cave then. At least that’s my experience.
I have Bellsouth DSL it is Ok most of the time but when i have problems i call and get someone that cannot speak very good English they do not do me any good so i have to get some that i know to fix if i did not have some one to help me i would cancel.656
My service provider Earthlink has initiated a series of agreements (posted on their customer support website), that increasingly remind me of cell phone providers. Yes, early termination fees are charged because you commit to a 1 year period of service if they provide you a modem at the point your DSL service needs upgrade. Initially, Earthlink allowed a subscriber (I have been one for 10 years!) to hook up their own router to provide wired/wireless service to other computers in your household, NOW they charge $7.99 per month for the privilege of doing the same and have somehow prevented your own router from hooking up unless you provide them the monthly charge. All this in addition to having the most frustrating technical support system in the world…I spent more than two weeks sorting out an interruption in service! Upon resolution, I had to put a stop payment on my credit card account in order to dispute my charges. Just hope that your service never needs support……
Comcast isn’t the only one being shifty. Directv sent letters to former customers soliciting their business saying that they would receive DVD players that would never show up and that there would be no cancellation fees. When I canceled they wanted $100 fee (I never received the player, a freind experienced the same thing) and when I told them about the letter they told me to prove it! Fax it to them. Who keeps the letter for an indefinite time! Make sure you do for proof in the future, that’s the lesson here.
I SWITCHED FROM EARTHLINK DIAL-UP WHICH WAS VERY SLOW TO OPTONLINE AND AM HAPPY WITH THE SERVICE. I HAD TWO YEAR CONTRACT WITH EARTHLINK AND JUST WAITED MY TIME UNTIL THE TWO YEARS WAS OVER, THEN SWITCHED. I GUESS I HAVE MORE PATIENCE THAN OTHER PEOPLE. I PLAY BRIDGE, DO MY CHECKBOOK ON LINE AND E-MAIL A LOT. WHEN THE LOW RATE IS OVER WITH, I MAY CHANGE AGAIN TO A CHEAPER SERVER. I DID THE SAME WITH THE CELL PHONE AND FOUND THAT THE PHONE IS ONLY GOOD FOR TWO YEARS BEFORE GOING BLOUY. I WILL LOOK INTO THE PENALTY IF I SWITCH AND GET BACK TO YOU.
Comcast recently bought out Adelphia Cable who we thought were a bunch of crooks but it turns out they were just small time petty thieves when compared to Comcast. Comcast is a big time Soprano type of extortion. Plus they have the worst Customer Service I have ever encountered.
The first thing they did was hit us with a rate increase (no surprise here from an unregulated monopoly). Then they starting moving channels from the the Expanded lineup to Digital Service including Hallmark, Country Music, HBO, Cinemax, and Court TV, among others. Then they insulted us further by moving the 24 hour local news channel (to a digital channel) that served the community well especially during inclement weather situations. What has Comcast replaced these channels with? Zilch. No doubt more channels will be removed.
It is obvious why. They are forcing us to sign up for the more expensive Digital and Premium services.
I explored satellite TV but it seems since they are now well established in the market place, they too have learned from the cable pigs how to extort our money. Like Comcast, they have moved many popular channels into their upper tier pricing. So if you want local stations, a good lineup of channels (over basic), the DVR box and extra receiver you going to pay just about the same per month as cable’s Extended Basic plan – plus you are under a 2 year contract. No bargain here anymore.
You can write your congressman, the FCC, state representatives and Attorney General about the cable rip-off and I have. Don’t hold your breath waiting for a response. No doubt they get their cable service for free.
Sooner or later, emerging technologies will will finally kill the cable pig’s monopoly and its ongoing unregulated greed. I can’t wait.
Well…I guess they learned from italians.
I lived in Italy and there, not only the broadbands, but also, the telephones companies, TELECOM is one….expects the utents to pay in full one year even if they received a termination request by the utent.
I thought USA was different.
We must to stop Comcast before this could allow other providers to do the same.
I have no problem with early termination fees when the company has provided special equipment and expects to recover these costs over the period of the agreement. What I do object to is how Comcast and others attempt to hide important information like this in small type that is barely readable. This information should be printed in the same size type as their promotional hype. The mailing I received from Comcast on their Triple Play promotion has all the important details a consumer needs to evaluate the offer in small type squeezed into 2 inches on the back of the page. It certainly wasn’t a lack of available space that caused them to do this.
I pay $50 a month for highspeed Comcast and it goes down multiple times daily forcing me back to dialup. I will surely switch companies with the first decent alternative, even if it costs me $175.
I live in northern Illinois an recently our current cable provide (Insight Communications) was purchased by Comcast. I’m sure this is what I have to look forward to. My provider is going from bad to worse in a hurry. I’m much rather have DSL for $30 less per month but it is not offered in the area where I live. It’s amazing how monopolized the cable industry is. From a consumers standpoint I feel as though I have no choice other than to not have service at all.
I have had Comcast cable and internet for years (excellent service, with strong customer support). I recently investigated switching to their phone service. They were very upfront with me that getting the bundle pricing would require a 2 year contract. Maybe I’m just used to it, but every time I sign a term contract, I expect that there will be penalties if I break the contract before its expiration date. This goes for most all contracts, not just cell phones and utilities. Everyone has the right to not sign up for the 2 year contract and still have the service. However, the price will be more expensive. So, it is an individual’s decision to either save money and sign up for two years or go month-to-month and not risk paying an early termination fee. And no, I don’t work for Comcast or any similar company.
I just received an ad in the mail for a Verizon bundle of phone, cable, and DSL. They also charge an early termination fee. I think consumer groups should go after wireless companies. They started this trend, and I see no reason why they should continue to get away with it.
Hey, this all sounds like nightmares of old I had five years ago when AT & T here in Colorado sold their cable to Comcast. Three fee raises and two “service” calls later I wished I had never heard of Comcast. I dutifully took the boxes and cable back to Comcast and subscribed to Direct TV (with a dish)! I had more channels, all channels were high definition (I’m not sure of what it really was called,) but Comcast had it only on a few channels and I have lost transmission once because my dish was “way” up on the roof and it snowed for three days. (Now it’s on the side of my house and ONCE in three years I had to brush it off) When I moved Direct TV gave me a new dish and mounted it free on my new residence. They told me I was an “A” list customer and the move was free. Comcast is actually not the best it is “best” at fees, poor service and arrogance. Oh yes, I have not ever and do not now work for Direct TV…I just think it is what pay tv should be.
I have qwest with 1.7mb speed. I signed up for it because it was $26.99 a month, then I got a bill for $44.99 a month for highspeed internet.
When I called them on it they told me the $26.99 was an introductory price for the first year, since I can’t find the original paperwork I can’t say it wasn’t, but now I have to commit to 2 years to get the $26.99 then there is a cancellation fee of $200. This does not apply if I move somewhere that does not have qwest highspeed.
Mystical product pricing — i.e. burying details in lengthy text too long and too small to read — is simply the latest wrinkle in marketing practices deliberately designed to deceive and entrap consumers. It’s an ongoing Darwnian struggle between marketers and the rest of us. They continually devise new ploys as soon as we figure out the old ones. It’s the American way.
I called AT&T in March to switch my cable tv and IP from my current provider, Charter. I spent over 90 minutes speaking w/AT&T salesperson. It was ridiculously confusing in terms of pricing, which changed repeatedly during the phone call, immediate charges for the services, immediate credits for the services (yes, you read that correctly), and future credits for the services. I asked twice where on AT&T’s website this information was located, and was told, it wasn’t there. I told the salesperson to forget the order, that I myself worked for MCI for 20 years, and knew AT&T was playing pricing games by the absence of the details on their website.
I have wi-fi now in the resort and that iS the only way to go. Soon we will have WWAN.
I must use Comcast,because our emergency service goes thru Verizon,slowing everything to a crawl.The major problem I run into is that our so-called gardeners don’t hesitate to run over the cable,cutting off service.I can’t recommend the 3fer service,because what happens if you want to report power outtage or something?Anyway Verizon and Sprint long distance are FAR cheaper in this area.
I have AT&T DSL (formerly SBC) and have had no service problems, but you have to not only read the fine print, but the fine print’s fine print. As a result of their attempting to bill me for a level of service I had not signed up for, I am getting 12 months for $12.95 a month — with an early cancellation fee. The only sticker is that you have to have an AT&T land line to get their DSL and those prices keep escalating. When my contract is up in September I will have to decide if it is cheaper to bundle with Time Warner for cable, broadband and telephone.
I am quite happy with my user owned dial-up service, while it may be slow for downloads & web surfing, it is fine for e-mail (Which is the reason I have the connection.).
I used to have service with a premium service in Houston, Tx. until it was bought out by a power company owned broadband service, then made a swith to my current provider which is the user owned Houston League of PC Users which offers free support for duffers such as I in addition to classroom instruction on various software programs in addiition to offering a clinic that diagnoses computer ills.
Most major population areas have at least one such user owned service. Such services may be found by contacting public libraries..
Howard Bingham
.
I have DSL now, and I was thinking of changing to comcast cable. They are now having a price promotion in my area, I even order the self instalation kit but after reading all the complaints against Comcast I’m staying put. Thanks for telling your bad experiences with Comcast.
I’ve had Verizon DSL for several years. it’s fine UNLESS you need service, then you listen to an extended recording that finally leads you to the India Connection. MOST of them speak limited English and they’re quite difficult to understand. I spent considerable time yesterday both online and reading over a bill, there is no contact info, no address to send a letter, only e-mails are available to order more service- – -FAT CHANCE
Very similar to cell phone stuff. Another point I didn’t see made: once your contract period lapses, they bump their fees by 50% unless you subscribe to another term, subject to the same penalties. e.g. I pay $25.00 for 3MBaud service instead of $35, but I now have 8 months to go on my “new” contract. So, I have to remember to shop my provider in 7 months.
I’m at the end of my Verizon contract and I have had nothing but trouble with their software and my computer for almost the whole year. AOL dial up was slower (but not by much) and I’d be perfectly happy with it if I could use the phone and the computer at the same time. I don’t use the web that much and all the web stores I like have catalogs which are really more useful anyway. I have two dead cell phones and don’t plan on buying anymore to pollute the environment with. It’s all starting to make homesick for the good old days of radio before TV and all the rest of this stuff!
This is fraud. Everytime someone comes across it, they should report it to the BBB. Better Business Bureau, and their local attorney general. The BBB is easily found on the internet. Believe me, no business wants to hear from THEM! Charge ahead my heros! (Never promise payment for lousy or fraudulent advertising…make them perform their services, or cut them OFF!
Whatever happened to “consumer shopping?” This great USA is becoming more and more of a dictatorship between the “big” people and the “little” people (big companies and big government vs. controlled citizens)! Businesses making people stay with them and not giving the “freedom of choice” anymore, no more unions, no more pensions, ridiculous consumer interest rates, no more job security due to outsourcing, consumer price gouging, unaffordable housing, severe lack of medical benefits for all in need, unaffordable education, “freedom of speech” slowly dissipating……shall I go on; it is a sad case of events!
Your suggestion that the FCC will step in and give the consumer some relief is laughable. The FCC is staffed by members who have ties to the telecommunications industry. They are not interested in passing real reforms that might rock their (gravy) boat. In my area, SBC, Insight, and Comcast are in a 3-way tie to get our business, but all of them have hidden fees and poor service. They are becoming a bigger monopoly than ma bell was before the ’84 breakup. Remember money=power in Washington.
For those of you in Ohio, SBC bought AT&T… not the other way around. SBC now uses the name “The New AT&T”. It’s a nice trick, allowed them to almost double prices…
I suggest you try First Communications for your landline, and ToastNet for your Internet. Neither
charge a termination fee, both have worked perfectly for me for many years, and part of SBC being allowed to purchase AT&T was that they could no longer have a monopoly on DSL service.
http://www.toast.net/start or (419)292-2200. Do not put up with the latest round of crap from SBC!
First Communications was formerly ACCERIS.
I’d like to mention another practice that Comcast does to its customers that is completely unfair. I live in Georgia. I called on a Friday to have my cable turned on a Monday (that’s when the technician arrived) and they began charging me for my bundled service Saturday instead of Monday! When I called they had claimed that they told me this over the phone when I first called to have it set up. They in fact hadn’t, told me that this is a common practice and they would NOT credit me the two days. I’d like to see this practice uncovered and have all those that were charged unfairly repaid. If there is ever a class action suit, contact me!
In Rhode Island there is only 1 cable/broadband company, Cox Communications. Until 2004, it was a publicly held company until the owners, Cox Enterprises, decided it should go private (again). CoxComm went public in 1995 when it decided to grow and expand fiber optics in its footprint.
That growth is over, now it is private again to protect it from consumer groups watching its appetite to raise rates.
Please remember the only cable rates that are regulated by the FCC are the basic tier (local network and access tv) and installation charges.
Internet is not regulated, digital tv, hdtv, premium movies and on-demand is not regulated, so the Broadband/Communications companies are able to charge at will.
The teaser of having a bundle service (cable, internet and phone) is laughable because this offer is determined by the company, not the consumer’s needs. If you don’t need a higher broadband speed for internet you will pay the full rate for the lower speed; if you don’t need all the bells and whistles with universal phone too bad.
The consumer is not a customer in the Cable world.
Since Comcast DOES charge early termination fees, why isn’t this reflected in your article linked to < (Interested in what your broadband provider is doing on early termination penalties?)>? Readers who read the overview of all companies, but not the update, will be mislead by the original.
I live in Arizona, and I use Qwest for phone and internet; believe me these people are no better than Comcast! In fact, If you call Qwest, and complain about the telephone service; they will send a tech out to find the problem, but if the “problem” is on YOUR end, they charge you $85.00. And you will NEVER know if the tech ACTUALLY came out! You must take they’re word for it! And they have an “early termination” fee!
Do not do business with Qwest if another choice is available.
I recently signed up with “The New AT&T” for their bundled package of ultra high-speed DSL, long distance, and DIRECT TV. I only wanted the DSL, but thought I had to buy the whole deal to get it. Because the Direct TV offer was being touted by AT&T, I thought the Direct TV charges were part of the $117 monthly charges. Also, AT&T was going to charge me an additional $5 for an additional room for DIrect TV. When I received my first Direct TV bill I stupidly ignored it, thinking it was an error. When I got the second bill, I called AT&T to cancel the bundled package. AT&T SORE they had told me I would be billed separately. My sister had gotten the same spiel, and she understood it the same way I did. When I called Direct TV to cancel their service, I was told I would have to pay $125 in early cancellation charges. I am angry at AT&T for not making it clear that I would pay two separate bills. I stayed with AT&T because they are my landline phone, but I will not get anything more from them.
I am very upset with our situation here in Bethlehem, PA. We have (1) cable, internet and telphone company (RCN) for our locality and that’s the only choice we have! Unbelievable…no competition and rate increases almost at will. Direct TV is an option but telephone and internet are not. HELP!!
I just wanted to say that I’ve had Comcast internet at three different locations (including two simultaneously right now). The simple fact is that they offer a very fast connection compared to other broadband ISPs I’ve had or heard about.
But that’s only when everything is going fine. Any time I’ve needed any kind of support from them, from billing or technical issues, it’s been a complete struggle. The billing department was applying our payments to the wrong address at one point through no fault of mine, and it took over a dozen calls to get them to fix it, even though they repeatedly said they had (they even disconnect our service twice and then admitted they shouldn’t have). Also I had to live with extreme packet loss popping up intermittently (making the connection nearly unusable for hours at a time) for over three months at one point.
I repair computers for a living and likely know more about networking protocols than 95% of the techs at Comcast. And every time I’ve had to call them for a technical problem, I tried to insure I could prove it was their fault, because it’s usually a fight to get them to fix any issue that isn’t readily obvious and in whatever little manual they no doubt follow.
I’m mad as hell and not going to take it any more. Phone Companies, internet services, credit card companies and corporations in general are squeezing the life out of middle class Americans who are being screwed by greedy corporation in the name of higher profits. I blame the Bush Administration and their terrible leadership that has brought “Our Nation” to Hell in a Handbasket. This bunch of self-centered, arrogant nit wits has enabled this kind of business to become fair game in America. Since the President chooses to support the interest of Corporations over the Constitution (We the People), now is the time for Congress to act, particularly now that it no longer has Republican majority rubber stamp that lines the pocket of the wealthy and greedy.
We switched from AOL to Netzero 3 years ago. I’ve thought of going high speed, I have it at work, but we’ve been using dial up since 1996 and we’re used to the slowness of it. Netzero is far better than AOL. I really don’t like dealing with Comcast. I have basic basic cable with them, the only reason I have it is for PBS & CBC. They are constantly changing the line up, and downgrading services, and now beginning in July it will cost $1.99 to pay the bill in person at my local office. Their customer service is terrible, and they don’t respond to emails. There’s now point contacting the BBB with your complaints about any of these companies as they are in the pocket of big business and the Republican Party. Your best bet is to contact your State Att. General, if you have a good one, or the Bad Business Bureau. I’ve found the Bad Business Bureau to be most helpful with information on corporations to look out for.
In our previous home we had Comcast & it was great. I was dying for Comcast’s buyout of Adelphia to be put in place for the past 2 years! Last week I called Comcast to upgrade my service to get the sports package for my teenage son. I was also gung-ho to get Comcast Digital Voice for my home landlines (2) to cut my costs (compared to Verizon) on these seldom-used but essential numbers. Two days, 3 managers, a tech housecall, and 6 hours of wait time on the phone (both me and their own tech!), I finally have the sports package and an above-ground cable running through my yard, and I had to cancel the installation of the Digital Voice to get even that in place! Apparently there is no “Chinese wall” between the Digital Voice & the horrendous TV cable divisions, so the two orders were tied together, keeping me from getting a simple channel turn-on until I got the phones! Cancelling even a pending order is next-to-impossible. And who knows when they’ll actually get out to my yard to bury the new cable since they claim the original one was too old & causing a weak signal. I think the lawn service will have lots of fun mowing around this one for the summer… For the record, I am no longer a fan of Comcast and will never give them my phone service.
I live in southwestern Pennsylvania and have only my ISP with ATLANTIC BROADBAND(formerly Charter Communications). I have not had any problems getting technical suppport from them and was considering looking into the newly touted Verizon “fios” bundle of phone, internet and cableTV, but reading the above postings has made me think if the “dollar” deal is too good to be true. I think I will keep with Atlanticbb.net for my internet service and Verizon for my telephone, separately. Thank you for the information.
We live in rural Illinois, with lots of small towns. Cass Cable is the only game in town and they know it. I subscribed to their high-speed internet only to find out by using a “ping” program that their service during peak user times was worse than the dial-up speeds I had given up. Packet loss was horrific and staying online was nearly impossible. They don’t mind charging full high speed rates for their ancient and ridiculously overburdened decrepit equipment. I changed to DSL with another company, and it is swift compared to to anything Cass Cable has to offer.
The only thing wrong with “cable” are the scrooges running it and charging for “tiers” of service, in lieu of, a channel by channel selection by the customer,via “a la carte”, like that’s ever going to happen!
This topic has hit a sore spot. When choosing an internet or phone provider, it’s a matter of picking the least of the evils, and it seems they are ALL striving to become the worst. Here in northern N.J. we have Patriot Media cable, Verizon phone, and Verizon Wireless. I swore I’d cut the cable when it went above $50, and now we’re over $120 – granted, that is partly due to having added broadband. (Dial-up in our area is terrible from any ISP because of the poor condition of the Verizon infrastructure). When your younger son moved out, we turned-in our 3rd cable box, expecting reduction in our monthly bill. SURPRISE! It went WAY UP. Simultaneously, our one-year broadband contract had ended, and they took that as an opportunity to put the screws to us. To add insult to injury, they have a new T.V. ad campaign in which they’ve REDUCED the monthly rate from $29.95 to $19.95 – FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS! Verizon is currently deploying FIOS, but it is not yet available in our area, so we are stuck with PatMedia and NO COMPETITION. But, we’ve also had bad experiences with Verizon/Verizon Wireless, so…
It’s discouraging to hear in another post that the FCC has no teeth. In my experience with the BBB, they were worse than useless (when we had a serious problem with a homebuilder). Does that mean that the policies of the communications industry are totally unregulated?
My solution? I’ll be moving to Montana as soon as logistically possible. The services out there are certain to be better – or the providers will have to deal with me and the new shotgun I plan on purchasing (as protection from any aggressive grizzly – I’m normally very easy going)!
I’ve subscribed to directv since 1/04.when I called to cancelled my service on 6/07 I was informed that there was a $100.00 early termination fee because one of my receivers had to be replaced a few months ago,according to directv because of that a one year service commitment was required. I am going to dispute this charge with Discover and see what happens.
In May 2007 I informed AT&T of my move to another location and wanted to transfer my landline and high speed internet service. They said sure, then informed me they did not provide service at the new location !! They have the nerve to expect me to pay them an early termination fee of $99 because THEY are unable to keep their end of the contract. What???? I informed them verbally and also in writing that I wished to continue to have their service, and to please provide it at my new address. Why is their refusal still a license to collect $99 from me? I received a Collection Agency demand for said $99. So now what? Sending copies of my formal complaint to the FCC and the State Atty General’s office ain’t gonna cut ice with them, no doubt. So I am blackmailed, essentially, into paying the greedy sods $99, right? Way to go America. You may guess I am an expat from the UK who is appalled, enraged and disgusted with what this country allows the socalled free market to impose on its poor old citizens, and non citizens alike. Equal opportunity ripoffs I suppose.
This is typical all over the place. The fact is companies can get away with it because you have no other choice, the government allows these small monopolies due to the fact that the logistics of having several communications grids lying on top of each other is way too expensive and very cluttered. I mean if you think about it, if you have 5 companies that offer you cable, they either have to A) share the equipment used to transport the data or B) have 5 different communications Grids lying on top of each other. Now there is competition over regions that these companies are allowed to provide service too. Normally I’m not too into government involvement in business, but i think if they are going to allow these miniature monopolies to exist, there need to be stricter regulations and guidelines, along with closer monitoring. Just a thought.
I signed a contract with comcast in august 2010, for the triple play which is $100/month for 2 years.Now in october I am trying to cancel but they say i have to pay , the remaining balance of $100/month for the remaining 2 years. this equals to almost $2400, that is a crazy termination fee. I don’t know what to do. Can anyone please help?
ATT U-Verse charged 98.00 for an early termination fee!!!!! For the two extra receivers they let me rent BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I signed up on September 24 of last year.
I told them send me documentation that shows i signed up for the promotional offer that committed me to the contract—-OR send me the recorded call that confirms i agreed to committing to a one year contract and an early termination fee if i cancel.
I too have had very frustrating service from Comcast. They want four figures $$$$ to cancel the service for my small business.
I’ve been in business for myself 18 years and have dealt with hundreds of vendors and at least 5 landline/cell phone providers. I’ve always been pleased with the service I’ve received until I switched to Comcast. It took weeks and weeks to get our account up and running and the phones working properly. We had trouble with our phone numbers and caller ID’s, which I’d estimate cost us between $10-15k in lost business in the summer of 2011. Due to our phone issues we permanently lost some valuable customers, it’s hard to put a $$$ amount on that loss. After countless phone calls and dozens of wasted hours we finally began to receive the phone, caller ID and internet service we were promised.
When I hear “Comcast Business Class” I think “First Class”. It sounds classy, but I definitely feel like I receive anything buy first class service. I’d love to speak with a manager who actually has some authority to get my account closed out so I can move on. Every time I ask for a manager I’m told that they are all “busy” or “in a meeting”. I spend a sizeable amount with Comcast each month. Their poor service on their business end makes me want to cancel my Comcast Cable TV service at home.
What can I do to speed up the termination of my Comcast Business Class service?
I have stopped paying my bill and a rep called today and I said I was happy to pay my April and May bill once my service was terminated. He was helpful and transferred me to a representative named Ed who what perhaps the most helpful person I’ve spoken to at Comcast thus far. Unfortunately he couldn’t get it done either. I’m waiting on a call back from Jennifer.
I have called in several times in the last few weeks and still do not have my service canceled. One rep asked me to produce a “Bill of Sale” or “Organizational Chart” to prove my ownership of my company so he could speak with me. I explained that the most fraud proof way to confirm me as the owner is to verify my ownership with the Secretary of the State and provided links in my email to him proving my ownership. This didn’t work, which was disappointing. Anyone with a computer can produce a false “Bill of Sale” or “Organizational Chart” so why not actually go to a reputable source and help prevent fraud (I trust the extra steps are to prevent fraud, not just to make it more difficult for me to cancel my service). When sent a copy of the “Contract” there are a bunch of pages that I never saw or signed. The one I signed has clearly been faxed by its distortion and the header notes. The other pages are pristine PDF files that clearly nave never been faxed. To top it off the last page is where someone other than me forged my signature (it’s clearly not my signature). I’m not looking to make a big deal. I just want to terminate my service, pay my April and May bills and move on with life. I’m confident that when I speak to the right person we can get this resolved and I can have a more positive experience of Comcast “Business Class” service.
I’m certainly not happy about my “Second Class ‘Business Class’” service from Comcast.
Dissatisfied Comcast Customer
I also posted on Comcast’s Forum:
http://forums.comcast.com/t5/Customer-Service/Early-Termination-Fee-Question/m-p/1296855/highlight/false#M23004
I just contacted comcast chat for specifics and this is what they replied:
Marry: If you will disconnect or cancel the service during the term of agreement, early termination will apply. This is the complete details per service: For months 1-3 – $0 For months 4-6 – $150 For months 7-9 – $135 For months 10-12 – $120 For months 13-15 – $105 For months 16-18 – $90 For months 19-21 – $75 For months 22-24 – $60
I live in Oregon and the person #73 right before me said he/she contacted a chat rep to get that information. I can confirm that’s the same information I got when I inquired about it with a chat person (Chris – or so his name said). Immmediately before that I had called 1-877-395-5388 and spoken with a phone rep who ASSURED me I would not be charged anything for a downgrade if I didn’t like the service. The chat rep CONFIRMED a downgrade would be chargeable. I think phone reps are more honest because you can take screenshots of what they say. Also, the Details and Restrictions link on the comcast website for each bundle they sell do NOT give you details. And the phone rep called me back from an 804 area code, which is Virginia. I actually worked for Comcast about 10 years ago, and back then they had reps local in Oregon. I guess they fired all of the local employees to get cheap labor or something, 7.25 instead of 8.95 for the minimum wage.