Update 12/19: Found out they originally installed the wrong modem and I’ve received lower performance than I’ve paid for since I’ve been on Comcast.
Update 7/14: Finally got a check for all the money they billed me after I closed the account and returned the equipment.
Update 7/2: Got a call back from the Comcast group stringing me along for the last two weeks (as opposed to the Comcast Business accounting group stringing me along for the past 7 months). Turns out my “teleworker” account is a business account (even though you can’t call for support on their business support lines since it’s a residential account) and the residential support group can’t help. They will “forward my paperwork” but declined to provide contact info.
I really don’t see any reason for a business to use Comcast – you’ll get the same – or lower – service as residential customers for a much higher price.
Update: As requested I sent them an email on Monday 6/24 with a PDF from my old account (guess they were wrong, it’s still there) showing the $180 credit they owe me. Got a call yesterday that my fax wasn’t received. Hmmm. I asked for a different email address to send the PDF to (since they can’t find my old account I created the PDF from!?!). Still waiting for a reply.
Original Post:
I got a call this afternoon from Comcast’s “Executive Office” about my “blog post” which was interesting since I had not written this yet.
But let’s start at the beginning…
Last year I moved into a rental house and signed up for Comcast Teleworker since I work from home and it supposedly has better support than the residential service (it doesn’t but that’s another post). Oh, and my company subsidizes it, making it cheaper than residential.
I also had a Comcast Residential Account for TV service and got the bills crossed up on my bank’s bill pay service and decided it would be easier to sign up for Comcast’s autopay service.
All was fine until I bought a house and moved the week of 12/14/12. I canceled the old account, returned the equipment and got a refund for the equipment security deposit and the TV partial month for December.
The new account for the new house has been fine, I get autobilled the correct amount each month.
In January I was charged for the old account so I called in to check on it. I was assured it was a simple issue, it would be corrected and I would receive a credit.
In February I was charged for the old account so I called in to check on it. I was assured it was a simple issue, it would be corrected and I would receive a credit
In March I was charged for the old account so I called in to check on it. I was assured it was a simple issue, it would be corrected and I would receive a credit
In April I was charged for the old account so I called in to check on it. I was assured it was a simple issue, it would be corrected and I would receive a credit
In May I was charged for the old account so I called in to check on it. I was assured it was a simple issue, it would be corrected and I would receive a credit
June 5 I got an email stating my new account would be charged in a few days. But no email about the old account (finally!). I called in to check and was assured that the $179.90 I was owed on the old account was transferred to the new account and minus the current month I still had a credit of ~$129 (the old account was $39/mo the new one $49/mo. Speed kills.)
Then yesterday I saw a $49 charge from Comcast. Sheesh. So I called in and asked for a supervisor. I had to vent before the person agreed to take a message and “someone will call back in an hour.” Three hours later I called in again and again had to raise my voice before I was transferred to some voicemail account where I left a message. I have not heard back from either of those messages.
Last night I tweeted to Comcast and got a response
Well hey! A response! So I emailed, leading to the call this afternoon about the “blog post”
Not sure if caller knew the difference between “twitter” “blog” and “email” but them calling me is a huge step.
It was a fine call, I was told “there will be no problem crediting that amount” assuming I could prove it was owed. Seems Comcast now has no record that that account ever had autopay setup, and there is no record of any credit owed. So all I need to do is collect my invoices and fax them in. Of course, the problem is I live a green life and had electronic invoices. And the account was (finally) removed at least a month ago so I can’t get back in and get them. And then of course I would need to find a fax machine. Maybe the Smithsonian?
So I need to get invoices (they didn’t send me) from the account (that they deleted) regarding the bill pay (that they wiped all traces of) to get a credit for service (that I didn’t receive) and send it via an old technology (that I don’t have). Perfect.
At this point I don’t see how the 15+ phone calls, messages, emails and tweets are worth the $180 I’m owed. I am glad they finally (this month) stopped charging for the service I canceled last year.
Lessons learned:
Don’t use Comcast if it can be avoided. Hey AT&T, or Google, or Charter how about a highspeed service in South Florida (and no, AT&T 1MB doesn’t count). I seriously can’t believe I miss Charter.
Don’t use a vendor’s bill pay. If I’d have left it at my bank I would have stopped the payment when the account closed and the only worried about the 1/2 month credit.
Don’t use paperless invoicing or at least download your invoice every month. You’ll need it for proof if your account is removed.
Pay with a credit card and keep in mind you can reverse charges (probably my next step x5)
Keep a fax machine around. And a land line for it. Just in case.
