I signed up for Comcast’s XFINITY Internet service this week, despite a deep seated aversion to contributing to the reign of a giant monopoly. Time will tell if I can live with the decision, but so far, it’s not looking so good. They have already done a hard pull on my credit report illegally, as I did not consent to it and they explicitly told me no such pull would be done since I was paying a $100 deposit. Additionally, the speeds are not as advertised. My attempts so far to deal with both these issues have wasted a lot of time and have been unsuccessful.

Previous Internet

I’ve been using MonkeyBrains wireless Internet for almost a year, and the service has been pretty good. They charge $35 for the basic residential service after a $200 installation fee. The service speeds fluctuated lately, but likely due to construction on my house. I discovered the workers apparently moved the microwave receiver, so I don’t know if it is even pointing in the right direction anymore. Typically I was getting 35Mbps down and 15Mbps up.

monkeybrains.png

New Internet promise

I wasn’t quite sure if the speeds would be enough for my whole household, so I hesitated to implement it into our network. I considered whether we could get two residential accounts, but that would cost $70 per month, another $200 installation, and would involve complications to due having two source Internet services. There was apparently a cheaper, faster option, but it was painful to consider. Comcast.

The others in my house use Comcast, and are paying about $110 per month for Internet that is a bit faster than my MonkeyBrains download speed, but slower than the upload speed. As far as I can tell, it was either the “Performance 25” or the “Performance 50” service. Several times when I tested recently, I got less than 10Mbps, so I’m not sure.

But it looked like, as a new user, I could sign up for 12 months of “Blast” Internet, which is supposedly 150Mbps. Additionally, I wanted to get VoIP phone service through Phone Power to replace the phone line we get through Comcast at $20 per month. The Phone Power service would cost about $200 or $250 for two years, versus the $500 through Comcast.

Signing up for Comcast

So I took the plunge and signed up for Comcast the week of March 1, 2016. For my ZIP code, 94117, Comcast listed the following Internet promotions.

comcast_internet_offers.png

On the URL http://www.xfinity.com/customization/customizeInternet.aspx, I selected the 150Mbps option at $49.99 per month. The small print was as follows.

comcast_pricing_smallprint.png

Pricing & Other Info.

[COLLAPSE]

Offer ends 3/21/16. Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Limited to new residential customers. Requires subscription to Performance 25 Internet service. 1-year minimum term agreement required. Early termination fee applies. Equipment, installation, taxes and fees, and other applicable charges extra, and subject to change during and after the promo. After promo, regular rates apply. Comcast’s service charge for Performance 25 Internet service, ranges based on area, from $59.95/mo. to $61.95/mo. and for upgrading from Performance 25 to Blast!® is $30.00 more per month (subject to change). Service limited to a single outlet. May not be combined with other offers. Wi-Fi claim based on September and November 2014 studies by Allion Test Labs. Actual speeds vary and are not guaranteed. 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee applies to one month’s recurring service charge and standard installation up to $500. Call for restrictions and complete details. ©2015 Comcast. All rights reserved.

[/COLLAPSE]

After I added the service to my cart, I went to check out. The first screen asked if I would like to lease a modem, but I selected “No, I will use my own modem”, and clicked “Next”.

checkout1.png

On the next screen, I selected “Self-Install / Delivery”, which was $15 the first time I got to this screen, but when I redid the process, it said “Free”. I’m not sure why it changed.

checkout2.png

The next screen is where problems got worse. Under “Please select your monthly payment preference”, there was only one option, “Pay manually each month”. This is fine, but under that, there were two options: “Perform a credit check” or “Pay a $100.00 deposit”.

You’ll receive a bill from us later. This preference requires a credit check, or a $100.00 deposit.

This deposit will be credited back to your account after 12 months, as long as your account has been in good standing for the previous 6 months. We’ll mail your bill later.

I selected the later, as I knew the former would result in a hard pull on my credit report and subtract from my score, possibly resulting in thousands of dollars lost due to higher interest rates if I end up getting a mortgage or other loan in the next two years. I filled out the credit card information for the deposit.

checkout3.png

The really sketchy part of that form is the “Social Security Number” section, which says:

We need your social security number to verify your identity – this information is NEVER shared.

“We need your social security number to verify your identity — this information is NEVER shared.” I felt uneasy about providing this, as it would certainly be feasible Comcast could conduct a hard pull of my credit, but the same page made it pretty clear they would not do a credit check if I paid the deposit.

After I clicked “Next”, I was brought back to the same page with a “All fields on this page are required.” message. There were no fields specifically marked as erroneous, but the social security number field was blank. In a highly deceptive interface trick, Comcast surreptitiously changes your “Pay a $100.00 deposit” selection to “Perform a credit check”. It would be completely reasonable for a user to see the “all fields required” message combined with the blank social security number field (which the page jumps to upon page load, calling your attention to it) and think he or she simply entered the wrong number by accident. Users would not expect Comcast changed their selection without asking.

checkout4.png

I switched it back and completed the signup. I received the following email confirmation.

confirmation.png

The next day, I received two phone calls from Comcast at 5:30 a.m. and 5:45 a.m. These ridiculously early calls woke several sleeping people in my house, and they were not appreciative of it happening twice!

I later returned the call, and Comcast took my cable modem’s MAC address and walked me through plugging in the modem and ensuring the modem activated. It was done, I thought.

Illegal hard credit pull by Comcast

Just days later, I got a notification from Mint.com and Credit Karma of new hard pulls on my reports. To my dismay but not to my surprise, Comcast lied and conducted the hard pull anyway.

creditkarma_comcast.png

I pulled my Equifax credit report and found it was true.

equifax_comcast.png

I submitted a dispute with Equifax, so we’ll see what comes of that.

equifax_dispute.png

In researching this issue, I found many examples of Comcast illegally doing hard pulls. There is apparently a $1000 minimum penalty under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and people are suing Comcast for it.

I called to try to get the hard pull removed, but was unsuccessful. It was difficult to even get a Comcast agent on the line who even knew what a credit report is. I don’t think they should be in the business of destroying people’s credit if their employees don’t even know the simplest terminology.

As could be expected, I got the typical runaround. I called the sales department since they did the hard pull presumably, and they said I needed to talk to collections, for some reason. I said this seemed strange, but the sales rep said collections is the only department dealing with credit reports. Once transferred, collections transferred me back to sales. They transferred me to billing without saying anything. The billing department didn’t grasp what a credit report was or what it meant to pull a credit report. I had to explain how the system works, after which point I think he might have understood I wasn’t complaining about a bill from Comcast, which was enough for him to suddenly determine I had the wrong department. After explaining to him how I had talked to many departments already, he called sales himself and explained the situation, supposedly, after which he came back to me and said sales won’t be able to remove the hard pull from my report. I of course suspected there would be no recourse within Comcast after their dishonesty and ineptitude, but I insisted he needed to make this right. I proposed Comcast give me a higher level of service and make it free for a year to compensate for what would otherwise be a $1000 or more judgment if I take the grievance to court. The billing guy seemed skeptical Comcast would do anything and said he didn’t know anything about the law, but claimed to make notes of my request in my account. He said someone would call or email me regarding the matter within 24 hours.

Two full days passed, and I heard nothing.

Slower than advertised Comcast Internet

In addition to the above issues, the Internet speed was also not near the advertised 150Mbps.

trouble00.png

I logged into the “My Account” section of Comcast’s website and observed the service level was apparently wrong. It showed “Your XFINITY® Internet / HSD Performance 25” instead of “Blast”. The speeds I was receiving were higher than the Performance 25 should be, so I didn’t know if this was the cause of the problem or not.

trouble01.png

I clicked the “Upgrade” link to http://www.xfinity.com/upgrade-center/offers, but Comcast’s web administrators haven’t figured out how to let me visit the page, as I got a redirect error.

upgrade_problem_loading.png

So I clicked the “Troubleshoot” link and ended up in a chat in which the first agent transferred me to someone else, and that person ended the chat without saying anything at all. Basically, they hung up on me.

trouble10.png

The full chat follows:

[COLLAPSE]

chat id: 05c1a382-6e46-40a7-9124-d34dd7dc2ca7

Problem: I should be getting Extreme 250 250MBps but I am testing less than 90Mbps, and additionally, my account services page says I have “Your XFINITY%C2%AE Internet HSD Performance 25 “.
CHARLIE_ > My Issue: I should be getting Extreme 250 250MBps but I am testing less than 90Mbps, and additionally, my account services page says I have “Your XFINITY® Internet HSD Performance 25 “.
Christine > Hi! I hope you are doing well. I would be more than happy to assist you with your concern today.
Christine > Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst
CHARLIE_ > My Issue: I should be getting Extreme 250 250MBps but I am testing less than 90Mbps, and additionally, my account services page says I have “Your XFINITY® Internet HSD Performance 25 “.
Marjorie > Analyst has closed chat and left the room

[/COLLAPSE]

After that, I followed the link to the satisfaction survey and let them know why I was trying to get support. The “What can we improve?” box didn’t have room for more than a short paragraph, so Comcast is clearly not very interested in hearing about any problems I’ve had with the company.

I was only able to submit the following comment.

I called to have removed a hard pull on my credit report that Comcast illegally performed, without my permission, indeed after explicitly telling me no such pull would be conducted since I was paying a cash deposit of $100. After being forwarded from sales to billing to collections to billing to sales to billing, Comcast proved to be entirely incompetent in every department and was unable to help or even understand my situation in some cases.

I am currently writing and publishing a blog post de

survey1.png

I got another survey link, so I filled that one out as well.

comcast_survey_dissatisfied.png

Please don’t hang up on your customers. It tends to cause them to think you don’t give a damn.

I went back and tried again, hoping to not be hung up on again. This time I took screenshots of the whole process.

URL: https://customer.xfinity.com/MyServices

trouble01.png

I logged into My Account page, clicked My Services, Overview, and under “Your “, clicked Troubleshoot. Opened new window.

URL: https://customer.xfinity.com/help-and-support/internet-assistant/?INTCMP=ILC:MA:OVR:GEN55c12503a11d5

trouble02.png

Internet Support Tool

Troubleshoot your XFINITY Internet in just a few steps

Clicked “Get Started”.

trouble03.png

Please select a device

Selected the only device, my preowned Motorola Surfboard SB6121 and clicked “Continue”.

trouble04.png

Are you using a Wi-Fi router to connect any computers to the Internet?

Selected “Yes” and clicked “Continue”.

trouble05.png

Are you able to get online using any of these computers?

Selected “Yes” and clicked “Continue”.

trouble06.png

We’re sorry

You need an expert to help you with this problem.

Chat with an agent
Schedule a callback

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Clicked “Chat with an agent”.

URL: https://www.comcastsupport.com/ChatEntry/Protected.aspx?auth=1&

trouble07.png

Welcome to Comcast Chat

A live chat representative is standing by to provide assistance. So that we can better assist you, please provide some information about your reason for chatting with us today.

Please select the topic that you would like to chat about today.

TROUBLE, Login or Password, ACCOUNT & BILL, DISCONNECTING SERVICES, MOVING/TRANSFERRING SERVICES

Selected Trouble > Internet > Slow Speeds

URL: https://www.comcastsupport.com/ChatEntry/Protected.aspx?Trouble.Internet.SlowSpeeds

trouble08.png

Here are a few quick tips that may help answer your question before chatting with us.

Frequently Asked Questions

• If Your Internet Service Seems Slow
• Troubleshoot a Slow Computer
• Is Your Computer or Internet Speed Too Slow?
• Reset Your Cable Modem or XFINITY Internet & Voice Modem
• Troubleshoot Your XFINITY Internet Connection

Clicked “CHAT WITH A LIVE AGENT”.

URL: https://www.comcastsupport.com/ChatEntry/Protected.aspx?Trouble.Internet.SlowSpeeds|form

trouble09.png

I filled out the following description:

Please do not hang up on me this time. I should be getting Extreme 250 250MBps but I am testing less than 90Mbps, and additionally, my account services page says I have “Your XFINITY Internet HSD Performance 25 “.

Finally, I clicked “START CHAT”.

This time, the technician seemed to try addressing the speed issue, after which my speed was reduced from 90Mbps to 8Mbps.

trouble11.png

He claimed it would take a couple of hours for the speed to return, but that it would hit 150Mbps. When I asked exactly which service I had, since it still showed “Performance 25”, he told me I have “Blast”. I’m not sure why this differed from the “My Account” page. I then explained to him I should have 250Mbps service free for a year due to what was discussed with the billing department Monday, and there should be notes in my account regarding it. After some time and an escalation, I was told my account was already indeed switched to the 250Mbps plan, and someone from billing would get back to me by email and phone within 24 to 48 hours to confirm the price would be dropped from $49.99 per month to $0 per month. I am highly skeptical they will actually make good on their word, considering the number of times Comcast has lied to me in this short week, but we will see, and I’ll report back.

The agent asked if I would complete the survey, and I told him I would, impressed he seemed to actually try to help resolve the situation. Interestingly, he also said he would look forward to seeing the result after I submit it. This strikes me as something the agent shouldn’t be able to do, but it wouldn’t surprise me given what I have seen of Comcast. Unfortunately for the agent, the Comcast web administrators again failed to produce a working website, and the survey link did not work.

Your survey has either expired or is unavailable.

trouble12.png

The full chat follows.

[COLLAPSE]

chat id: df470a41-6a9b-4a69-97d7-b01c5c4eb89f

Problem: Please do not hang up on me this time. I should be getting Extreme 250 250MBps but I am testing less than 90Mbps, and additionally, my account services page says I have “Your XFINITY Internet HSD Performance 25 “.
CHARLIE_ > My Issue: Please do not hang up on me this time. I should be getting Extreme 250 250MBps but I am testing less than 90Mbps, and additionally, my account services page says I have “Your XFINITY Internet HSD Performance 25 “.
Ankit > Hello CHARLIE_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Ankit. Please give me one moment to review your information.
Ankit > Hello , Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. We appreciate your business.
CHARLIE_ > Please tell Christine and Marjorie I am very disappointed in them for hanging up on me without even addressing my problem.
Ankit > To ensure that I have understood the issue correctly, you are facing slow internet issue. Is that correct?
CHARLIE_ > Yes. I believe you have me registered for the wrong level of service based on what I see in the “My Account” section of the website. I should be getting 250Mbps but I only am getting around 80Mbps.
Ankit > No worries.
Ankit > I will be more that glad to assist you with your issue.
Ankit > To assist you better, I would like to ask you a few questions. Is that alright?
CHARLIE_ > OK.
Ankit > To ensure that the device has the right system registry, kindly provide the CMAC address (it can sometimes be labeled as HFC or RFA MAC).
Ankit > It is found at the sticker label underneath or behind the modem - composed of 12 letters/numbers (0-9; A-F) (Example: CM MAC - 0A:1B:2C:3D:4E:5F or 0A1B2C3D4E5F).
CHARLIE_ > **-**-**-**-**-**
Ankit > Thanks for the info.
Ankit > Charlie, may I know are you facing slow internet connection over wired connection or wifi?
CHARLIE_ > The problem applies when I plug my computer directly into the cable modem via wired connection.
Ankit > Thanks for the info.
Ankit > I would request you to please stay connected while I go ahead and check the account why you are facing this issue would you mind waiting for a couple of minute?
CHARLIE_ > OK
Ankit > Thank you for waiting.
Ankit > Charlie, I have checked the account and found that there is an issue with the device which can be fixed by performing some troubleshooting over the device.
CHARLIE_ > What is the issue with the device, and what is the fix?
Ankit > Let us first do a complete powercycle on the equipment. This usually fixes most types of issues related to signals. Please follow the steps below:
Ankit > 1. Unplug the modem from the power source to turn it off.
Ankit > 2. Unscrew the Coaxial cable at the back of the modem
Ankit > 3. Wait for 10 seconds.
Ankit > 4. Securely screw the Coaxial cable to the back of the modem and make sure that the other end is connected properly to the wall as well.
Ankit > 5. Plug back the modem to the power source to turn it on and wait for all lights to sync.
Ankit > 6. Once the modem is fully sync, check for internet connection.
CHARLIE_ > First of all, this chat will disconnect if I perform those steps. But second, I have already done those steps several times when I was troubleshooting this issue myself. I do not believe there will be any difference if you have not made a change on your side.
Ankit > We will temporarily get disconnected but please do not close this sesson as we will be reconnected once the modem is back online.
Ankit > Charliem when you will perform these steps from your side I will be performing some troubleshooting over the device from my side as well.
Ankit > Charlie**
CHARLIE_ > All right, I will go do it and see what happens.
Ankit > Sure.
… [10 to 15 minutes pass, and I had to reboot the cable modem again to get it to provide Internet.] CHARLIE_ > Hello?
Ankit > Welcome back!!!
Ankit > Charlie, I am still performing some on the device,.
Ankit > Thank you for waiting.
Ankit > Charlie, I have done all the required steps on the device, now I am going to perform are refresh on the device which will result in better and stable internet connection.
CHARLIE_ > ok
Ankit > We will get disconnected on this chat once this action is made. However, please do not close this chat session since we will be reconnected once the device is back online.
CHARLIE_ > OK
Ankit > Welcome back!!!
CHARLIE_ > Thanks. A speed test shows my service is now 10 times slower, at 8Mbps down and 9Mbps up.
Ankit > Charlie, I have just refresh the modem setting sover server.
Ankit > This will take approximately 2 hours for the modem to get fully configured back over sever and after that you will get the perfect speed as per the package.
CHARLIE_ > Can you please tell me what package I have ?
Ankit > Sure, I have checked the account and found that you are on the blast package in which you will get 150 Mbps internet package.
CHARLIE_ > Monday I was told I would receive the 250Mbps package due to Comcast illegally conducting a hard pull on my credit report when I signed up last week.
CHARLIE_ > Please change the service to the 250Mbps, free for one year, promotion.
Ankit > I would have loved to assist you but I am from Internet troubleshooting department and I can look for your Internet issues. To get the service changed I need to transfer the chat to the concerned department with your permission. Would that be okay with you?
CHARLIE_ > OK
Ankit > Thank you.
Ankit > Before I proceed, I would like to inform you that once I transfer the chat it would appear as a left room on your screen but do not close the chat window as you would get connect to the agent in the soonest possible time. Please do not close the chat window before this chat connects to the next agent.
CHARLIE_ > OK
Ankit > Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst
CHARLIE_ > My Issue: Please do not hang up on me this time. I should be getting Extreme 250 250MBps but I am testing less than 90Mbps, and additionally, my account services page says I have “Your XFINITY Internet HSD Performance 25 “.
Pankaj > You have reached in Sales Department and we appreciate you are giving us a chance to resolve your concern today.
Pankaj > Please allow me a moment while I go through your conversation with the previous representative.
Pankaj > Charlie, as I checked, you want Extreme 250 MBPS deal on your account ?
CHARLIE_ > Yes. Comcast illegally did a hard pull on my credit report, despite promising not to do a hard pull since I am paying a $100 deposit. That crime involves a $1000 minimum damages under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. As compensation, Comcast Monday agreed to switch my service to 250Mbps free for one year.
Pankaj > Charlie, thanks for the confirmation of the details .
Pankaj > I regret for the inconvenience caused to you .
Pankaj > Thank you for waiting.
Pankaj > Please confirm me from where it was promised to you to provide 250 MBPs speed for free for 1 year ?
Pankaj > Is is from phone or chat ?
CHARLIE_ > I spoke on the phone with many departments Monday. You can look up the phone history, and additionally, I was told by the representative there would be a note on my account so anyone else could see the deal.
Pankaj > On your account , Blast 150 Deal is added for $49.99 per month with own modem .
CHARLIE_ > I see. Please change it to Extreme 250 Deal for $0 per month for 12 months. That is what was promised. I already have a very long public website journal of this chaos, and hope Comcast will not add more ridiculousness to the situation by making promises Monday and failing to keep them Wednesday.
Pankaj > Please allow me a moment to add the deal for you as you offered 250 MBPS for $0.00 per month for 12 month .
Pankaj > I am adding the deal for Extreme 250 MBPS on your account .
Pankaj > I am escalating the ticket to the Higher department to make the bill amount $0.00 for 12 month .
Pankaj > You will get a confirmation Email and Call with in 24-48 hours .
Pankaj > Charlie, please provide me the best contact number to call you by the Senior department ?
CHARLIE_ > ***-***-****
Pankaj > I have a good news for you . I can see here that we can remotely activate the services you requested in next 15 minutes..
Pankaj > You will get 250 MBPs of speed with in 15-30 minutes .
CHARLIE_ > All right, thank you very much. I appreciate it.
CHARLIE_ > I look forward to the call and email tomorrow to confirm the $0 per month price.
Pankaj > Sure, please allow me a moment .
Pankaj > Thank you for waiting.
Pankaj > I have added the deal on your account .
Pankaj > Order confirmation number: 100108327497****
Pankaj > Your Escalation has been submitted as reference number: #160309-00****
Pankaj > I have submitted the request to make the bill amount $0.00 per month for next 12 months .
Pankaj > You will get a confirmation Email and Call with in 24-48 hours .
Pankaj > I have added the phone number ***-***-**** .
Pankaj > You will get the confirmation call from my Senior office .
Pankaj > Charlie, I am all set from here .
Pankaj > Is there anything else I can assist you with today?
CHARLIE_ > All right, thank you Pankaj. That’s all for now.
CHARLIE_ > Have a good day!
Pankaj > I would really appreciate you if you will take 10 sec time to full the survey. Your feedback will always help us to improve the customer service.
Pankaj > Would that be okay with you ?
CHARLIE_ > Sure.
Pankaj > Wonderful! I would love to see the result of your survey after our chat. Thank you in advance.
Pankaj > Charlie, have a great night , good bye .
Pankaj > I am going to personally work on your issue to fix it as soon as possible .
Pankaj > Thank you very much for your time and patience all throughout the chat.
Pankaj > Good Bye .
Pankaj > Analyst has closed chat and left the room
CHARLIE_ > Good bye!

[/COLLAPSE]

Strangely, when I returned to the “My Account” section after the chat, my Internet service still shows as “Performance 25”, but now I also have a TV product listed. This company!

my_services_2.png

And several hours later still, my speed has returned to where it was before, but is definitely not near the 150Mbps mark. It’s not due to my SB6121 cable modem, which can handle up to 172Mbps, but I suppose there is a chance it has to do with the input cable wire itself. That seems to at least not be the only problem, though, since Comcast can’t seem to get the right services to show up in my account in the first place.

comcast_blast.png

I should be receiving a Motorola Surfboard SB6183 cable modem tomorrow, and since it’s capable of 686Mbps download and 131Mbps upload, I’ll be able to determine if my current SB6121 is a bottleneck.

Here’s to hoping everything gets resolved, and this post provides some insight to others struggling with similar situations.