Comcast's modem rental fee

[Batman]

Comcast is quickly getting on my **** list.
We first got wireless internet through them in 2007. We bought our own modem rather than rent one of theirs. We still have the same modem.
About six months ago, I got a letter stating they did "a review" of my account and "found that you are not being billed for the monthly modem rental."
Called, got the charge reversed, took care of it.
Two months later, same thing. Called, thought it was reversed but it wasn't, got dinged for two months. An angry trip to the local office did get the problem taken care of.
Today, I get a THIRD letter stating they're going to start charging me the rental fee.

Looking online, this is not an isolated billing problem. It seems to be a way to generate new revenue for Comcast. Anybody else had this problem? If so, what did you do to finally nip it in the bud?
I'm getting sick of dealing with this crap every other month.

 

[DeskMonkey1]

I've never heard it but I'm not surprised. You might want to send it to the authorities at this point

 

[Alma]

Comcast is quickly getting on my **** list.
We first got wireless internet through them in 2007. We bought our own modem rather than rent one of theirs. We still have the same modem.
About six months ago, I got a letter stating they did "a review" of my account and "found that you are not being billed for the monthly modem rental."
Called, got the charge reversed, took care of it.
Two months later, same thing. Called, thought it was reversed but it wasn't, got dinged for two months. An angry trip to the local office did get the problem taken care of.
Today, I get a THIRD letter stating they're going to start charging me the rental fee.

Looking online, this is not an isolated billing problem. It seems to be a way to generate new revenue for Comcast. Anybody else had this problem? If so, what did you do to finally nip it in the bud?
I'm getting sick of dealing with this crap every other month.

AG's office.

 

[LongTimeListener]

They are mother****ers and this is their business plan.

I rent a modem from them -- and for a while according to their billing, I was renting three modems. I called to get six months' worth of charges taken off for the triple-billing and they agreed -- then never credited me. Then they came to repair a line and ended up knocking the whole thing out, so when I called fuming, they refunded me two weeks' worth of service -- but also didn't put THAT on the bill. It's all supposed to reconcile next month, so we'll see.

They make a hell of a lot of money by throwing these charges on there and counting on people not to notice. I would bet their profit just from that runs well into the hundreds of millions annually, perhaps into the billions. To get our latest bundle package at a good price we had to commit to a contract, but when that's up, we're gone.

 

[DeskMonkey1]

For all the bad things I've heard about Comcast, I've never heard of a contract.

 

[LongTimeListener]

You don't have to, but this was the way to get the lowest price. They do that all the time with introductory offers (as do DirecTV and the others). It isn't unusual at all.

 

[DeskMonkey1]

I've had multiple promotional offers from Comcast over the past 12 years but was never under a contract. I could leave without penalty 2 months, 24 months or 200 months later.

That has not been my experience with Dish or DirecTV. In fact, I recently backed out of Dish after setting up an install because I had a bad feeling over the contract.

I hate Comcast but I love the flexibility of knowing that if things get bad in 5-6 months, I can just get rid of cable to help with my budget.

I'm not saying you're not telling the truth. But it's the first I've ever heard of it. In fact, I'd consider it if they would give me a low enough price.

 

[NDJournalist]

The good thing with Comcast is that it's like DirecTV in that if you call with a complaint and then ask for, say, some channels for your troubles, they'll sometimes give you free premium or other channels.

 

[LongTimeListener]

The good thing with Comcast is that it's like DirecTV in that if you call with a complaint and then ask for, say, some channels for your troubles, they'll sometimes give you free premium or other channels.

Does your mom know you have the Spice Channel unscrambled?

 

[Madhavok]

I dropped them due to some obnoxious charge for a service tech to install the setup. No one did it. I did. They thought I was bluffing, but a day later I canned them. I get about four emails a week asking to come back. They can go **** in their hat for all I care.

 

[Batman]

It's kind of funny. I'm pissed off about the bogus modem rental fee and will continue to tell them to refund it every month.
Yet I've had the MLB and NHL packages free for the last three seasons and won't say a damn word about it. I paid for the MLB package for two years, then just decided not to renew the next. They've never flipped the switch to turn it off. Since the NHL package is on the same channels, I've had that, too.
I'm way ahead on them, and feel the slightest twinge of hypocrisy, but then I remember it's a soulless giant corporation and they're intentionally trying to **** me over. So ****'em.

 

[Roscablo]

I've had multiple promotional offers from Comcast over the past 12 years but was never under a contract. I could leave without penalty 2 months, 24 months or 200 months later.

That has not been my experience with Dish or DirecTV. In fact, I recently backed out of Dish after setting up an install because I had a bad feeling over the contract.

I hate Comcast but I love the flexibility of knowing that if things get bad in 5-6 months, I can just get rid of cable to help with my budget.

I'm not saying you're not telling the truth. But it's the first I've ever heard of it. In fact, I'd consider it if they would give me a low enough price.

I have a contract with them too for the same reason -- best possible price. It actually made it cheaper than what I was getting before and I got more channels out of the deal. It ends here in a month or two so I'm going to have to bicker with them again about it. I honestly like what they provide for the most part but you do have to keep on them about these stupid charges. We moved last summer and when I called to get the service switched, which they claim is free, they originally told me I could do it myself then changed their minds and said I needed someone to come out. They charged something like $100 for the guy to plug everything in. I've plugged in a cable box before and didn't need someone to come out and do that. Took a couple of calls but they eventually credited it.

 

[deskslave]

It's kind of funny. I'm pissed off about the bogus modem rental fee and will continue to tell them to refund it every month.
Yet I've had the MLB and NHL packages free for the last three seasons and won't say a damn word about it. I paid for the MLB package for two years, then just decided not to renew the next. They've never flipped the switch to turn it off. Since the NHL package is on the same channels, I've had that, too.
I'm way ahead on them, and feel the slightest twinge of hypocrisy, but then I remember it's a soulless giant corporation and they're intentionally trying to **** me over. So ****'em.

They're not rectifying their error that negatively affects you, so why should you rectify their error that negatively affects them?

 

[BTExpress]

but then I remember it's a soulless giant corporation and they're intentionally trying to **** me over.

I do find it interesting that they're "making an honest mistake" in not turning off the channels you canceled but are "intentionally trying to **** me over" by making another mistake.

Our perception of intentions is completely based on how the result affects us. Couldn't possibly simply be "two oversights."

 

[NDJournalist]

You guys gotta remember that the people on the phone with you don't know you. They're probably not paid well, either, and certainly aren't making enough to **** you over intentionally just because.

 

[PaperDoll]

I'm sadly reassured to learn Comcast isn't just charging me random fees. For the past six months or so, my DVR has come with an HD fee... even though I do not own an HD-capable TV.

But whoever suggested being persistent about credits is correct, at least in my experience. Also, ask for the customer-retention department. Those are the folks who actually have the authority to make changes.

I'm probably going to switch from cable-only to a package soon. What charges should I be aware of and make sure to get eliminated in advance?

 

[LongTimeListener]

That's the trick --on the phone (and on the email confirming your agreement) everything will look fine. Then as the months go on, charges will start finding their way in.

If you're going to the whole package, the one thing they are very murky on is what kind of options you have for Internet speed -- can you get the highest speed with a stripped-down version of cable, or is that only for the highest tier? I still don't know what the **** the true answer is, to be honest, I just get them to a point I can live with.

 

[Batman]

but then I remember it's a soulless giant corporation and they're intentionally trying to **** me over.

I do find it interesting that they're "making an honest mistake" in not turning off the channels you canceled but are "intentionally trying to **** me over" by making another mistake.

Our perception of intentions is completely based on how the result affects us. Couldn't possibly simply be "two oversights."

Trying to charge me a modem rental fee once was an oversight.
Doing it again after I called and got them to fix it might have been an oversight.
Doing it a third time -- via a method that a number of people nationwide have reported encountering -- is not an oversight. That's something fishy. At the very least, it's incredibly annoying to have to keep getting it fixed.

 

[EStreetJoe]

Knock on wood, I've never had a problem with Comcast in the seven years I've had them.

 

[DeskMonkey1]

Are we talking contracts or promotional prices? Or, maybe it's limited to certain markets.