Comcast pay more get less

They did it again. Things have been stable since 2010 when Comcast upgraded their system requiring customers to get a box to hook up that was a bit of a pain. I was actually pleased with the upgrade because we got many more channels including some (not all) of the one's that had been previously been deleted. About 2 weeks ago Comcast raised the price again but worse some of the channels we have come to enjoy are no longer available without upgrading our service. So much for Sundance, Fox movie Channel and IFC unless we pay more.

I was looking around the Comcast website when an employee started chatting with me. 

Chris: Hi, I'm a live Comcast product specialist. Would you like my help checking out?

Chris: Just type your question below.

You: Why have Sundance, Fox Movies and IFC been taken away?

Chris: All technical issues with Comcast Service are handled by our Technical Support Chat Agents. I can guide you through the path of connecting to this group.

Chris: Are you ok with me sending you to the appropriate webpage to connect to that group?

You: It's not a technical issue. The channels are no longer available on Digital Starter

Chris: Sundance nd IFC is included in our Digital Preferred plan. While, Fox Movie is on our Digital Premier plan.

You: Those channles were on my Digital starter until about 2 weeks ago

Chris: Thank you for being a current Comcast customer. Customer service will be able to assist you with the help you need. You can reach our Customer Service team by calling 1-800-comcast (1-800-266-2278).

You: I'm getting a Dish

Chris: I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I can provide you with our Customer Service team's number to help you or discuss alternative options. Please don't hesitate to initiate contact and call them at 1-800-Comcast (1-800-266-2278). They will be able to pull up your account and process the changes just for you.

Chris: Our Customer Service team is available Monday through Saturday, 8 AM to 7 PM. Please call them at your convenience.

You: I'm blogging about this at Gort42.blogspot.com Pass it along to your PR people

Chris: My apologies for such change in your programming.

Chris: I recommend calling our Customer Service Team. They've got all your account information and they also have the expertise to better assist you. That number is 1-800-comcast (1-800-266-2278).

Chris: Thank you for your time! Are there any other questions I can answer for you?

Chris: How are things coming along?

You: No. I'm just upset that channels that I enjoy are no longer available unless I pay more.

Chris: I understand, please call our Customer Service team at your convenience.

Chris: Do you have any other questions I can answer for you?

You: What's the point? If I want those channels back I have to pay more.

Chris: I suggest that you call our Customer Service team so they can offer you options in getting back the channels.

You: Thanks Chris, get some sleep.

Chris: You're welcome, that's so sweet of you.

Chris: I will in a bit. Take care.

Chris: Thank you for visiting Comcast today.

Chris: Have a great evening.

Gort on TV

I was the guest of Tiffany Cloud on the WYLN show Storm Politics today. This was first TV show for me although I have been a on few radio shows before and as the old joke says I have a face made for radio. It was fun and Tiff was a gracious hostess who is also a long time reader of Gort42. I made sure I gave a shoutout to my blog buddies in NEPA.

The show can be seen on Service Electric W-B channel 7, Service Electric Hazelton channel 35 and Metrocast channel 7. It is not available to those of us who have Comcast but you can see it online at this link:

http://www.wylntv.com/

Or just go to the WLYN home page and click on Watch Online on the top bar.

Air Times:

Tonight 8PM

Thur 9:30PM

Sat 5PM

Sun 11AM

Mon 8:30PM

Tues 9:30PM

Kudos to Comcast

I bet that's a headline my long time readers would never expect to see.


Earlier today a Comcast technician showed up on my doorstep saying that the company's remote diagniostics detected a week signal on my internet connection. He came in and did some measurements and decided we needed some new cables to replace the same wires we have had since 1996. He also replaced the splitters with dead ends that I had jury rigged over the years.

I really can't complain about the signal service as we have rarely lost our connection to cable or the internet. The pricing, boxes and other hassles is another story.

The last time I did a post about this media bohemeth one of their press flacks contacted me the next day. Let's see if that will happen again. Are you out there Melissa or have you moved on?

Comcast update

I broke down and ordered the boxes from Comcast that are supposed to restore my TV viewing to what it once was in the days when Adelphia was my cable provider with the promise of more channels. They arrived today and I hooked up the first one and followed the instructions provided but I still don't have the upgraded service. Nothing worked. Even worse, after I plugged in all the wires and boxes then waited the required time it knocked out my internet connection. I'm usually pretty good with electronic devices but I can't figure this out. I disconnected everything to get things back to normal.


I'm sure that Comcast will offer to send over a tech geek to make it all work for a "modest service charge" sometime between 6Am and Midnight someday next month if I ask.

Update: I figured it all out. So now I can be enticed to buy first run movies for a low. low price.

Comcast responds

From the inbox:


Hello,

I came across your post and wanted to reach out to you regarding your concerns. First, we are going all digital so that we can reclaim some of our bandwidth for more programming and increased internet speeds. For every 1 analog channel on our system, we can fit up to 10 SD channels or up to 2 HD channels. Also, we are working to bring speeds of 105mbps in Xfinity areas. If you are subscribing to our Expanded Basic tier and are losing channels as a result of the changes, we are offering up to two DTA devices (digital transport adaptors) to each home at no additional cost. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns regarding the changes and the options available to you. I’d be happy to have one of my colleagues from the regional corporate office reach out to you.

Regarding Keith Olberman, Comcast is not in any way involved with the decisions made currently by NBC news. As this transaction is still in negotiations and awaiting approval, the law prohibits our involvement.

Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with. Our team is here if you need us.


Kind Regards,

Melissa Mendoza
Digital Media Analyst
National Customer Operations

Comcast and Keith Olberman

This started out on my Facebook page and I will mix in some comments from some friends.


I've had enough of Comcast. They sent me a piece of mail today saying I won't be able to watch TV unless get one of their boxes. Blackmail. My TV's aren't that old but they are moving more channels to the digital tier that I will need a box to tune in. I miss Adelphia, they were run by a bunch of crooks but we had great service but I'm actually happy with the internet service. I've had it for 5 years and only had one brief outage. I'm reluctant to get a dish because many of my friends tell me they have weather issues and my late father-in-law would roll over in his grave if we defaced his brickwork on our house.

Keith Olberman has been suspended by MSNBC because he gave some money to Democratic candidates. A host of another MSNBC show gave money to Republicans

Joe Scarborough did the exact same thing


IOKIYAR

My friend Tony quotes Rachell:


"I know everybody likes to say, 'Oh, that's cable news, it's all the same. Fox and MSNBC, mirror images of each other.' Let this lay that to rest forever. Hosts on Fox News raise money for Republican candidates. They endorse them explicitl...y, they use their Fox News profile to headline fundraisers. Heck, there are multiple people being paid by Fox News now to essentially run for office as Republican candidates....They can do that because there's no rule against that as Fox. They run as a political operation; we're not."- Rachel Maddow

This should be a case of don't do that again because you violated company policy so take a few days off and don't do it again. But even MSNBC will grovel before the FoxNews/TeaParty/Republican noise machine.


What Role Did Comcast Play in Keith Olbermann's Suspension?--UPDATED with Comcast response

Pray with Gina today

Republican candidate for Register of Wills Gina Nevenglosky will be praying at the Luzerne County Courthouse today at 1PM.

The program was sent along by Kathy Dobash.

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Opening Prayer by Pastor Tom Miller of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship

Selected Christian Songs by the Perspective Church Praise Band

Prayers for our County and the Elected Officials of Luzerne County By Pastor Sarah Washington

Why support Gina in this election? By Pastor Sam Washington

Commissioner Steve Urban - remarks and special introduction of our Republican candidate for Register of Wills/Clerk of Orphans Court Gina Nevenglosky

Selected Christian Songs by the Perspective Church Praise Band

Open to the public for prayer

Closing prayer by Pastor John Murray

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WTF? I think the 1st amendment regarding the separation of church and state even applies to Luzerne County. I have never met Gina despite going to countless Republican events over the last few months but she was always a no show. We will miss each other again because I will be watching the Penn State game on ESPN 360 at that time because Comcast removed ESPN Classic from my cable lineup last year.

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Update: A couple of wags on my Facebook page have suggested that the courthouse needs an exorcism instead of a prayer service. Another Monkey is worried that Facebook and Twiiter will kill blogging. I think that Facebook expands my audience but I haven't tried Twitter yet.

Please stand by

About 3:30AM I lost my Comcastic internet connection. I called the service number and was told that there is an outage in my area and will be informed by a robocall when service is restored.

Of course I was in the middle of a riveting and insightful post that would have surely been considered for the Bloggers equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize if I could have finished it.

I ask for the patience of my regular readers and the people who find Gort42 by accident. We hope to resume regular programming in the wee hours of tomorrow morning.

Are you ready for some football?

I'm not. Penn State will open with Coastal Carolina at Noon today and it should be a blowout. I love football but always have mixed emotions when the season starts because it means the end of summer. With all the political news I haven't paid much attention to this year's Nittany Lion team but will catch up with the help of the PennLive PSU blog.

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The good news is that Comcast and the Big Ten Network have made a deal so I don't have to wander out to find the game on TV. I'm still thinking about getting a dish but Mrs. G has threatened to strangle me with the all the new wires that would be involved.

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A few months ago Comcast told us that to view Turner Classic Movies and Toon Disney we would have to get a box because of a technical problem that forced them to move them to a digital format. When we were on vacation in Delaware both channels were on the basic cable without the need for a box. Somehow I think that that we have been lied to.

Good news Penn State fans

And the whole Big Ten.

Via I’ve Made a Huge Tiny Mistake

Comcast, Big Ten reach pay-TV deal

The nation’s biggest cable company and the Big Ten Network reached a deal today that will put the new college sports channel in millions of Comcast Corp. homes in Pennsylvania and other states.

The Big Ten Network will launch on the Comcast network on Aug. 15, in time for the Penn State football season.

Last year 3 PSU games were on The Big Ten Network forcing me to abandon the comfort of my recliner to seek out a watering hole with a dish package that carried them. As luck would have it the one place that I've found that had the games was Big Ugly's in Wilkes-Barre which is owned by Luzerne County Commissioner Greg Skrepenak's dad. I didn't run into Skrep on those Saturday's because he was probably home watching Michigan on ABC.

Now the question is will I need a box to tune them in?

Comcast

http://www.comcast.com/


I'm really getting tired of being shit on by Comcast. This week they dropped Turner Classic Movies and Toon Disney from my basic lineup and told me that TCM is still on basic cable if I get a box that will be will provided to me free for a year.

But there is a catch and DB caught it:

And for just $2 per month PER TELEVISION, you can get a digital converter from Comcast that will permit you to view these channels, and all the others that Comcast will eventually change. They'll allow you to have ONE converter free of charge for twelve months, but after that, it's $2 a month. (Prices subject to change without notice.)

Not to be confused with the changeover to HD broadcasting, which shouldn't affect your cable signal...unless your local cable monopoly decides it does. Too bad there isn't some sort of Public Utilities Commission designed to protect consumers from predatory and monopolistic practices by service providers.

Save your receipts for the eventual class-action suit...

Since Comcast took over from Adelphia they have cut some channels from my local lineup; the WE network(38), UPN-57 (11) and Newswatch16 (63) and the price went up. Comcast deserve's it 's place in the The Customer Service Hall of Shame. And now we lost Toon Disney and TCM with the friendly 1-800 rep explaining it was some sort of technical thing that requires that those 2 channels have to have a box. Such bullshit. They're just trying to shove a box down my throat so they can sell me more TV channels that I won't watch and many pay-per-view options that I'll never buy.

A good source has informed me that Comcast has hired a new consultant that designed this brilliant strategy. This is outsourcing taken to the extreme because they have contracted with the Marketing Division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation.

The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy electronic guidebook defined the Marketing Division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation as "A bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first up against the wall when the revolution comes"....

So help me out folks. What kind of Dish shall I get? Is the the Big Ten Network available on both Direct-TV and the Dish Network? I'm reluctant to make a switch because I really don't need more devices, wires and remotes but they leave me no choice.

But Comcast's strong arm tactics must be working:

Comcast profits soar in first quarter

Note: This is the 3rd the third version of this post because my trusty proofreader, Mrs. G, objected to all the F-Bombs and other expletive's in the first two drafts. I haven't been this pissed off about something since Bob Cordaro chased the Phillies farm team out of town.

This and that

I got a robo call from Comcast a few days ago saying that that they were going to change my cable lineup and tonight it has started. The first thing to disappear was Turner Classic Movies and now at 2:30 AM most of the channels have the same infomercial runninng. We'll see what channels we lose this time and if they really butcher it I might get a dish. Since Comcast took over from Adelphia we have lost 5 channels from our basic cable and the price has increased about $10 a month. Mrs. G just said "I'll take the Adelphia crooks anyday."

My inbox has been flooded with a few hundred messages over the last few days, I'm a popular guy. Many were the usual garbage that slipped through the spam filter and pleas from various campaigns begging for money. Every time one of you, my dear readers, takes the time to leave a comment blogger lets me know and you have been busy. My apologies but I just can't respond to every one. And many thank you for adding to the discussion. As far as some of you that have asked me specific questions if I haven't responded yet please re-send it because I may have accidentally deleted your message.

The Big Ten Network vs. Comcast

Now Comcast is blocking some kinds of internet activity.

NEW YORK - Comcast Corp. actively interferes with attempts by some of its high-speed Internet subscribers to share files online, a move that runs counter to the tradition of treating all types of Net traffic equally.

The wag that sent me this asks a good question. When will they start blocking content? Like some blogger berating them for not carrying the big 10.

The Inky has the latest rundown of the dispute and this is what it boils down to:

The Big Ten Network says it expected to take in more than $60 million a year in revenue by appearing on Comcast's expanded basic tier. Instead, the Philadelphia cable company has offered a deal for basically $2.5 million by placing it on the sports tier, which costs an additional $5 per month and is seen by only 4 percent of Comcast's subscribers.

A plague on both their houses. This is still an argument over money between 2 giant corporations. More pressure will mount when basketball season starts and people in Indiana can't watch the Hoosiers. The controversy has taken on the overtones of a "nasty political campaign." Complete with negative ads run by Comcast opposing the Big Ten Tax.

All I know is that they better come to a deal by next football season or other people might act like this woman. (h/t The Pennsylvania Progressive)

Big Ten Network and Comcast

Will cable dispute sideline Lion fans?

It still comes down to the sports tier vs. $1.10 a month for everyone. Comcast wants to put BTN into a sports package that people who are interested pay an extra $5 a month and BTN wants to be on basic cable at $1.10 per suscriber. The Chicago Tribune has a good rundown of the dispute. Comcast says that the BTN has a limited appeal and should be put off on a specialty band and BTN calls bullshit on this argument pointing out that they already carry limited appeal channels such as Versus and a bunch of religion and shopping networks. Since Comcast took over from Adelphia they have cut four channels from my local lineup; the WE network(38), ESPN Classic(67), UPN-57 (11) and Newswatch16 (63) and the price went up. Comcast also has entered The Customer Service Hall of Shame.

Big Ten and Comcast not close to a deal

Lafayette Journal & Courier

When the Big Ten Network makes its debut Aug. 30, Comcast cable customers could be in the dark because the new network and the cable corporation are at an impasse in negotiations. "I can tell you, if Comcast is agreeable to putting it in basic carriage, we can sit down behind closed doors and negotiate a deal with them,” Big Ten Network president Mark Silverman said Monday.“If they're adamant about (the BTN) only being on a sports tier, then we're in a stalemate."We have told them if they're willing to talk about being on expanded basic we can sit down and get this thing going. And they have said, as of last week, publicly, it's sports tier or nothing."

The college football season is coming up fast and it looks like 3 Penn State games may be out of reach for the average fan unless one of the local broadcast stations makes a deal to carry them. Another argument over money between 2 giant corporations and we get screwed. Yes people, the Big Ten Conference is a big corporation that has always been a collection of football/basketball factories and now has it's own TV network. Now tell me why the players shouldn't be paid?

The Big Ten network vs. Comcast

My fellow Penn State fans should be on alert.

Big Ten network to carry PSU

I don't know who to mad at in this one. Since Comcast took over from Adelphia they have cut 2 stations from my basic cable. The WE network is no big loss but the elimination of UPN-57 means I don't get the Phillies games on the weekend. I'm listening to it on the radio right now.

But until Comcast comes to an agreement with the Big Ten 3 Penn State football games may be out of reach. Unless you want to pay extra for them.

The burgeoning Big Ten Network, which is slated to launch nationally in August, announced Tuesday it will broadcast the Nittany Lions’ season-opening game against Florida International on Sept. 1, as well as the third game of the campaign, Sept. 15 against Buffalo. Both are scheduled for noon kickoffs at Beaver Stadium.

And a confrence game is also slated for this new channel.

Just after Comcast took over from Adelphia I had 3 cable/ISP outages within 2 weeks. Coincidence? I'm not sure. The NY Times has a rundown.

Comcast is not the only company I don't like. Any monopoly sucks. My battles with the Pennsylvania Water Company are wearing me out. But I will continue.

Eventually the Super Bowl is going to be on pay-tv with commercials.