The other day, as I was leaving our house, I saw a rolled up Comcast flyer on my door. When I unrolled it, I saw that Comcast was offering high speed internet and cable television for $89.99. That’s about the same base price as Verizon FiOS, so it wasn’t terribly appealing. As I threw the paper behind my door, we were already on our way out, the guy who left it there was next door and he started talking to me. As he gave me his pitch, the most amazing part about their offer wasn’t the price, it was how Comcast was willing to pay any early termination fees, up to $200, I would be subject to by breaking my contract with Verizon. That’s certainly a first, I’ve never heard of that, but that’s nothing compared to the offers they currently have running online.

A few years ago I signed up with Comcast, they were basically the only game in town that offered both cable television and high speed internet, and compiled a list of their high speed internet and cable television deals. Back then I took advantage of the ditch the dish program (I did it three times, twice with the same box because they didn’t actually take it), rocked multiple rebates from various office supply stores, and otherwise had a grand ole time. Since then, all those promotions are gone but the fattest of them all, from ComcastSpecial.com, is still around and now $50 fatter.

ComcastSpecial.com is run by Comcast and their offer includes some pretty fat cash rebates. For their standard $99/mo Triple Play of Internet/Television/Phone, you can get a free wireless router after rebate and $250 cashback. Their Double Play of Internet and Television yields a $225 rebate and a $66/mo rate. Just standalone internet will get you $150, free wireless router and cable modem, plus a $19.99/mo rate for 6 months. It basically gives you free internet for six months (there is no mention of a contract in the promotional details).

If you want to see what they offer in your area, visit ComcastSpecial.com, put in your info and use a throwaway email from Guerrilla Mail.

With the guys walking around our neighborhood, it looks like the cash rebates ComcastSpecial is offering online is simply being used to cover early termination fees. One thing not being mentioned by those salespeople is the fact that Comcast has been known to compress their HD signals and they just announced a bandwidth cap. Booo! Remove those two and you might have my business (or offer a ridiculously cheaper service, you’re just on par right now), until then you’re just going to be my bargaining chip!

I think that the key to finding a good cable company is identifying which ones have the best local technicians. The call centers will always be spotty, I’m sure those folks are overstaffed and overwhelmed (especially if they’re located internationally, if you’ve ever seen the documentaries), so their performance is always going to vary depending on when in their shift you call. Get lucky and get someone just beginning their shift, you’ll probably get 100% accuracy. Find someone who just ended a horrible 30 minute call with a customer bitching at them… probably not the best time to get them. So the discriminator should be the local technicians (since services will vary little, unless it’s Comcast downsampling HD!) and I wanted to give a ringing endorsement to the local technicians in the Howard County area (I have no idea how their areas are segregated). I’ve had two calls (installation and one repair) and each went very well.

My most recent one began the other day when my wireless connection to the Verizon-provided cable modem and router went down. I turned on my XBox 360 to see if the connection is still good because it’s connected via ethernet cable (I could’ve brought my computer down and connected it but I figured if all was well, I could squeeze in a couple games of Call of Duty 4 for my trouble :)) but that connection was down as well. So, I called up Verizon and we went through the process of resetting the router, resetting the box outside (not sure what it’s called), and then checking the settings on my computer (traceroutes, pings, resets, the works). All fail. No biggie, electronics fail all the time.

That’s when the Verizon tech said that the problem was probably the coaxial connector on the cable modem/router. The explanation seemed a bit off, since I could ping the IP of the box outside (meaning the signal went through that connector), but the end result was that they’d mail me a new cable modem/router which was a good thing. The modem was supposed to arrive on Monday but when I called that night, the CSR on the phone let it slip that perhaps the last CSR didn’t complete the shipment order. What’s funny is that when I asked him directly whether the package was shipped, he would give me evasive answers (I didn’t ask more than once, I just thought it was funny he’d respond like taht). Anyway, the end result was that a local technician would be out the next day.

So a lackluster performance by the call center but once again the local technicians came through. The woman arrived first thing in the morning and got to work. We tested out everything, swapped out the cable router, and still no wireless or wired connection. She reset the box outside, still no good. She played with the settings on my computer, which I had jacked up trying to get the XBox to use my computer as a wireless modem - I couldn’t figure it out. Still nothing. Eventually we tried the XBox again and then finally the computer connected without a problem. Apparently we just didn’t wait long enough for the box to fully cycle when we tried to connect the first time. Either way, she said that she’d stick around until everything was up and running.

Now, I don’t consider that above and beyond service, but given all the complaints people have about technicians (like sleeping on the job), I figured a story about how a technician that showed up on time, was courteous and did a thorough job, would be a nice change of pace.

Thumbs up Verizon, please keep it up.

I received an email today from Comcast about how they recently changed their policy regarding accounts:

Comcast takes the security of our customers personal and account information very seriously. As part of our ongoing effort to ensure the security of our customers information, we have recently enhanced the security of the Comcast.com account management system.

As a result of these recent enhancements, if a Comcast.com account is inactive for 180 days, it is removed from our system.

In order to keep your Comcast.com account active, please log in today with your user name and password: www.comcast.com/login.

First off, anytime someone emails me to log into my account, I never click any links in the email. Never ever. I don’t care if it’s some stupid account on some random free email account that you wouldn’t care gets stolen. The fact of the matter is that thieves know that people use the same username and password on multiple accounts so a free email account could yield a free bank account as well. Lastly, I can just go to Comcast.com directly and login there to confirm whatever.

Secondly, if this is legit, Comcast is ridiculously stupid because they should check to see if the account is connected to an active customer account (it is). If it is, then ignore this stupid little rule because they’re obviously “active” because they’re paying for service! If it’s not connected, then I suppose you can request that someone log in every 180 days (though the chances of a non-Comcast subscriber caring about their Comcast account is exactly zero).

Moral of the story - Companies may be stupid and make legitimate but dumb requests, but don’t be a dummy and get phished.

FYI, the email I received, according to the headers, was legitimately sent from a comcastonline.com’s server but…

• The email was “from” a comcastsupport.com email…
• The link in the email was to to comcast.com…
• And the link itself was to gothere2.comcastonline.com…

Seriously Comcast, you gave me 2034982304938 reasons to think it was a phishing email (all they missed was the link going to thisisacomcastphishingemail.com).

Last November, the promotional rate on my Comcast Internet and digital cable service expired and jumped from a somewhat reasonable $70/mo rate to an ridiculously unreasonable $140/mo rate. We tried to do the Comcast cancel dance to no avail as the CSR said “I can’t do anything” and we said “I want to cancel” and the bozos at Comcast actually let us cancel. Almost the same day, Verizon started putting in signs around the neighborhood advertising their new FiOS service, fiber optic right to the house, and we were intruiged. Talking to the Verizon folks at their booth, it appeared that their rates would equal the promotional rates of Comcast so we decided we’d live without Internet for a couple weeks until they got the whole thing setup. Well, as expected, Verizon still hasn’t setup FiOS is our area so I’ve decided to sign back up with Comcast for their promotional rate.

Through Comcast Special I was able to score:

• $34.95/mo for six months promotional rate (it’s $19.99/mo if you already have cable)
• Free $90 cable modem
• $100 cash rebate
• No contract

So, how do you avoid that ridiculous $50 activation fee? Well, the activation fee is so that you have the pleasure of waiting at your home during a four hour window, where they will invariably show up an hour after the end of the window, just so the guy (or gal) can do one of two things:

• If you live in an apartment, he will unscrew your coaxial cable panel from the wall, and connect the cable on the inside with the jack, or,
• He will find the box outside, open it up (it’s hardly ever locked), and connect it.

So, to avoid the $50 charge, just connect it yourself and ask for the self-install kit (please do not steal cable and do not trespass on their property, I’m not advocating or condoning the theft of services that you aren’t paying for). If you have a cable modem, simply hook it up and try to open any website. A Comcast site will appear where you can download their installation CD software and you can do the installation yourself. If you don’t have a cable modem, wait for the modem to show up before you do all of this. If you’re patient, you can avoid the $50 fee but you can’t avoid a phone call, and the 30 minute wait because somehow they are always busy and they never hire more CSRs, to Comcast to activate your service.

The benefit is two-fold - not only do you avoid the $50 fee, you get internet the day you start paying… not two weeks later when their technicians are able to pencil you in for a four hour window they stand no chance of making anyway.

Many moons ago I wrote about a whole host of Comcast deals and rebates, including the “Ditch the Dish” program, and with the year of promotional pricing nearing its end it’s time once again to play the cancel and signup game. How does this game work? Well, do you have a roommate? Cancel your account and sign up under their name. Do you have a girlfriend/boyfriend/friend who can “live” in your house? Then you can cancel yours and sign up in their name. The beauty of Comcast is that anyone can pay the bill, they don’t care as long as you put the correct account number on the check!

The best strategy is to threaten to cancel because you saw a better deal (have the deal in hand). If they don’t give you the same promotional offer that you can get by signing up brand new (or they give you enough that you don’t think dealing with a new signup, because remember you have to “wait” for the cable guy, is worth it) then cancel and sign up again.

Now… onto the updated deals and rebates.

“Ditch the Dish”
Yep, this bad boy is still going strong.

ComcastSpecial.com
This site has by far the easiest and best way to check if Comcast is available in your area. The page that loads lets you enter in your phone number and email and checks immediately. You don’t have to fill in a bunch of junk plus the offer itself is competitive:

• High Speed Cable Internet @ $19.99 for 6 months
• $75 Cash Back - Limited time they say but they always extend these “limited time offers”, check your Comcast availability.
• D-Link DCM-202 Cable modem (might not be that, but it’s that picture)
• A wireless router
• … some other junk.

(also, you can get $75 back for signing up to cable television and $25 back for signing up for telephone service too)

$75 from ComcastOffers.com
No muss, no fuss, sign up with ComcastOffers and get seventy-five bucks for your trouble in 10-16 days plus a free Motorola Cable Modem after rebate (it’s $79.95 initially).

Staples & Dell No Longer Offering Rebates?
Or at least I can’t find them. Last year it was all the rage, sign up for Comcast service on Staples, Dell, Office Depot, etc. and submit rebates for them all. I had done it with great success twice but it appears as though neither vendor is offering rebates with Comcast service activation anymore.

Good luck!

I’ve used Comcast for the last two years and have, on the whole, been satisfied with the service they’ve provided. My only complaint is that they’ve been really expensive and there hasn’t been much I’ve been able to do about it. You can get their high speed internet package for $20/month for six months but then it jumps to around $40 a month. The basic cable is about $50 a month with little wiggle room. Packaged together, basic digital cable and high speed internet comes out to $80 plus tax and service charged. That’s when I learned about the rebate games and the “Ditch the Dish” program which saved netted me a few hundred dollars in rebates, a free cable modem, and $25 off a month for 16 months.

Ridiculously Generous Rebates and Freebies - Updated 6/8/08
It used to be that the various companies taking Comcast high speed internet and digital cable signups didn’t communicate so you could sign up to multiple rebates and have them all fulfilled. It’s still possible that they don’t communicate but people have been having problems lately. Below I’ve listed the best (highest dollar rebates) for the high speed internet signups.

1. ComcastSpecial.com Triple Play - Comcast just improved their ComcastSpecial offer by replacing a broadband internet only rebate offer with a ‘triple play’ that includes broadband internet, cable television, and digital voice telephone with up to $325 back in rebates:
   1. Comcast High Speed Internet Deal - The standard $19.99/month for six months offer plus, $150 CASH, a D-Link DCM-202 Cable modem (may not be this unit), a wireless router, and no contract required! Getting your own modem will save you $3 per month.
   2. Comcast Cable Television Deal - While the rate you’ll pay isn’t disclosed (starts at $39.99/mo), you’ll get a $75 statement credit which is as good as money in the bank just for signing up!
   3. Comcast Digital Voice - A flat monthly rate, $100 cashback and your first month free. I use a cell phone as my primary phone so I’ve never used Comcast for this service.
2. Dell and Staples Rebates - I originally listed a couple rebates from Dell and Staples but they’ve since expired and haven’t been replaced, so I’ve removed the links.

“Ditch the Dish” Program
In their constant battle with DirectTV and similar satellite cable providers, Comcast has implemented the “Ditch the Dish” campaign. Basically you sign up for service, turn in your satellite dish or cable box, and you receive $25 off your bill for the first sixteen months. Details of the program are here (The page says New England but it’s a national program). If you don’t have a dish and don’t know anyone who is getting rid of one, try Craigslist or Ebay. A cable box on Ebay can be purchased for around $15. Sometimes you’ll be lucky and the guy coming to do the installation won’t even take the box with him (installations are contracted out to local companies).

Extending the $19.99/month plan past 6 months
Threaten to quit. Usually they’ll extend it, if they don’t then hang up and try again later. Eventually a customer service rep will give it to you.

Avoid Installation Fee
Get the self-installation kit, it’s some coaxial cable and a cable modem, and hook up the stuff yourself. They’ll charge you $35 to do it for you, a complete waste of money.

If you are looking for high speed internet and cable deals but don’t have Comcast (or hate them), Broadband National (who runs the ComcastSpecial.com listed below) has the capability to search for all sorts of providers including Time Warner, Qwest, AT&T, Covad, and many more providers.

There are more offers out there if you poke around at other sites but they come and go month to month. Office Depot, Office Max, and a few other places usually offer deals that allow you to double or triple dip. The most bang for your buck is the Comcastoffers free cable modem offer because it’s worth the $90 for the modem but also $3 each month so it’s “worth” $126. You may be able to find free after rebate cable modems though, so then the Staples $105 back is the best deal. Regardless, always do the “Ditch the Dish” promotion! Good luck!