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Originally Posted by Napoleon54
Oh crap, does Comcast suck? I'm not familiar with them. They're the only broadband provider available in my new area. Their cable broadband service is $59.99 per month, which is quite steep. Have you had issues with them in addition to cost... quality of service, support, etc?
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Seriously... you are asking this "seriously" right?
If you are serious... then my main reply is:
Comcast is in the business to maintain their monopoly. Their business model to date is built around giving YOU the consumer the least amount of services at a price that is well above what other providers are making available. On top of that, if a legit competitor comes into town, they will do as much as sectionalize their service and make agreements with those companies so that they have their "distinct" area and the competitor has their own area to provide service in so that they don't have to directly compete if they don't have to (My example here is how they have an "agreement" with the other cable provider in Indianapolis so that beyond a certain street address you can only pick one or the other...) The competitor basically is working in collusion as they don't offer their services beyond their negotiated area with Comcast.
On top of all of that, Comcast in my own personal experience has never ever lowered their prices in relation to the growth and expansion of their business. I was a Comcast customer for almost 14 years here, and in that time, I NEVER saw any of their services lower in price, yet I did see them gradually creep their prices up from time to time while still offering basically the same number of television channels (of course they will tell you that their "operating costs" are so high ... this and that.) Yet, when you look at other offerings now available (but not available 10 years ago) for the same amount of money you can get double to triple the amount of service yet Comcast in full grasp of their "monopoly status" never makes any effort to adjust their prices in light of the new offerings. Instead... what they do is market a "smear campaign" against their competitors and give "limited discounts" for new customers only.
Pretty much, as a long term customer, Comcast really didn't make me feel like they REALLY wanted (or earned) my business. In some ways, they kinda operate like AOL... they provide the same old "dog food" for the same price even though a much faster/better option is available yet they play on the FEARS and loyalty of their consumers in trying to retain you as a customer.
As far as "improvements' in the system go... well with Comcast, every little improvement is gonna cost you WAY extra. You want HD... well you will have to also buy their "digital package" on top of getting the HD service, even though the two offerings are "mutually exclusive" (i.e. HD service is available on Comcast basic, yet they don't package it that way... they basically force you to buy their digital service on top of your basic in order to get to HD... and even then they only offer like 7 to 12 total digital channels anyways.)
Basically to me, Comcast is a big RIP OFF artist and since I've gotten rid of them, I haven't missed having their service one bit.