A Comcast Rant!!!
I ordered high-speed Internet service after putting it off for years (we were able to pick up a neighbor’s signal). And as I had always feared, the process has been one enormous hassle after another. First I was told by Comcast that I could install my own service using their handy Self-Installation kit. I spent a few hours with wires, disks, a modem and a router, and no dice. Then I made an appointment to have the Comcast worker come in, and guess what. He told me I could never have installed it myself. There were multiple problems and old wiring and it took him — a very experienced technician — two hours to get the signal!
Then I went online to try to apply for the rebates the original operator promised me. Have you ever done this? It’s through a company called OfferWire, which seems like a complete scam. There is no clear way to find the forms you need to fill out for the rebates. They make you register on the site and at every step along the way you are offered all manner of crap that they would like to see you spend your rebate money on. No, I want my cash. Then when I finally did reach the page where I select my rebates, the list of rules and regulations is staggering. This is a complete joke. I am pissed off. Frankly, Comcast accomplished what it had hoped for: I don’t have the time or patience to collect the forms and information they demand in order for me to get my rebates, worth about $140. WHO ELSE HERE HAS TRIED TO CLAIM THEIR COMCAST REBATES AND HAS GONE THROUGH THIS?
October 10th, 2009 at 1:53 am
Just another case of a consumer getting the shaft.
October 10th, 2009 at 9:23 am
We don’t have Comcast here, but Frontier tried to give us the shaft when we switched everything over to them. No rebates, just reduced prices for X-amount of months. I’ve had to call them EVERY month to straighten out the bill!
Sears’ home-delivery rebates are just as complicated and take at least 6 months to receive. They hope that we’ll forget about the money they owe us…not THIS chick!
October 10th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I have been fortunate enough to cultivate a talent for these things so always install on my own. The rebates hassle I can definitely relate to. Not with Comcast but with a variety of others. I tend to avoid rebate driven sales for that reason. My condolences.
October 10th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
First: LOL that Comcast has an ad on your site!!! Gotta love Google!
Now: Now you know why there are over 260,000 results when you search “comcast sucks”
I’m sorry for the hassle but amortized over a few years the $140 bucks isn’t much. Have to tried to Twitter #Comcast in your rant? I’ve heard they follow and respond to fix issues.
Frustrating!!!
October 11th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
I haven’t tried to collect their rebate, but I’m leaving them. Three years ago I had a deal: 3 services for $69. At the end of the year they wanted to up the price considerably, but I renegotiated it to about $75. The next year there was another negotiation. Then, with this digital TV business they told me I could have a box free for 12 months. The bill went up to $120. I told them to come and get their box and got the bill back down. TV is just not that important to me. Recently, I made the mistake of calling them about my last payment, which hadn’t shown up as credited. All hell broke loose. They claimed I was getting the internet for free for the last 2 years, and treated me as if I had snuck into their offices and did the dastardly deed myself. The bill went up to $120 again. Verizon is coming this week. They’re not really any better. Just makes me feel better to change every now and then. It costs them when they lose a customer.
October 12th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
I switched my Comcast service in June because of an offer they advertised, which included a $200 cash-back rebate. They told me it would take 4-6 weeks to process.
I got it this past Thursday. 4-6 weeks my ass!
October 13th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
I HATE Comcast, and was so happy when Verizon Fios became available which we quickly picked up for all our services.
As for rebates, I went through the same thing when we had Sprint – it took 3-4 months to get it. But with Verizon Wireless, the times we’ve gotten rebates it’s always been within 2 weeks! Why do companies have to make it hard when it doesn’t have to be…
October 14th, 2009 at 11:00 am
[...] reading my blog post about trying to get Comcast High-Speed Internet installed in my home, a woman from Comcast called me last weekend to try to help straighten out the [...]
October 15th, 2009 at 9:11 am
I work at Bridgevine the company that operates the Offerwire.com website and I’m sorry that you are having problems with your rebate. However if you can email me your order confirmation number and the email address that you used when you placed the order online I will personally look into this matter and get it resolved ASAP.
Sincerely
Mark Ballard
mark.ballard@bridgevine.com
October 30th, 2009 at 12:59 am
I did the Comcast-Offerwire rebate, which sounded too good to be true because it was so much money; in fact it has been too good to be true, requiring five separate rebates to five separate locations with two different timing requirements. I made the sales person send me the forms before I would complete the transaction, because the silly site would not allow me to download them. I meticulously completed the forms, copied them and when sent in one was “lost” and one “lacked the original proof required” although it was taped to the form. I got the second issue fixed with a call – when I said I had a photocopy, they said, “gee it is right here” and processed it. The lost one would not process so I sent it in two more times – then it processed after I send a letter threatening to sue (I have cheap, good legal service available).
I still have only received three of the five rebates, and each time I call they move alone the process another step – but not before. Oh yea – and the online rebate system has been offline more than half of the times I tried to track status.
It has been a horrendous waste of time, with a process that is designed to lose people along the way (not a surprise) I am willing to bet you are able to maintain less than a 30% payment rate on the complete rebate package overall.
I will tell you who I am because I am still missing two rebates (and they are after the wait time) and this has become a personal challenge. I am actually looking forward to needing to sue over a $50 rebate – if I do I will make it a complete, detailed accurate and entertaining story on a web site that gets offerwire, bridgevine and comcast noticed on search engines. I am kind of anal about details and documentation, so it would be really fun.
October 30th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Hey, Tom. Sounds familiar. Except when Offerwire called to ‘help me’ get my rebates, I said, “Forget it.” Comcast got me some credits that added up to almost what I would have gotten from Offerwire. It pays to complain. By the way, the person at Comcast I spoke to never heard of Offerwire. Now how is that possible!? They are an approved rebater for Comcast.
February 28th, 2010 at 3:01 am
I ordered comcast high speed internet.
online!!!! and with online chat help.
they never told me they were not Comcast.
so i never knew i was dealing with a 3rd party (bridgevine aka offerwire)
until i got my bank statement.
the rebate offer is smelling pretty rotten these days.
Maybe if enough of us write to the Florida State Attorney General
Offerwire will get noticed and at least get a hand slap. oh well i’m just disgusted.
May 25th, 2010 at 8:29 am
Sandy says: I’m having a problem finding out what rebates I am entitled to? Help me someone!! PLZ!! Much appreciated. I moved the end of March and had forgotten about my rebates until me son asked me yesterday if I had finished and mailed them. Needless to say .. to find an older rebate is nearly impossible! AND .. forget calling CS .. you either have to wait two days to speak to a rep and forget OfferWire .. can’t understand most of them. I’m very frustrated! Of course .. it’s my fault for not filling out the paperwork before now but finding the necessary information from OfferWire is simply impossible! I am trying to speak to a rep so I will send in the correct forms for my rebates!?