Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! in Comcast HSI http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r13821410 en Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:31:25 EDT Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:31:25 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13886226 DonLibes :
said by Cabledude27 See Profile:

Asking for a bruising but the web credit card option may not be fully operational in your area yet.
It doesn't matter because I can't even get to that step where it tells me the choice of available payment mechanisms. By the way, I left a message yesterday with the Public Affairs rep as he requested and he never returned my call during the hours he assured me he would be on duty. So at this point, given that I've gotten nowhere with the two CAEs, Billing, and now Public Affairs, I don't know what else to do but file yet another official complaint with the LFA.

... advise that if you would like to have your monthly bills paid automatically via credit/debit or via direct debit via your checking or savings most Comcast offices can and will setup you up for this option free of charge. You simply call them up and they send you the appropriate documentation to which you complete and mail back. In about 2 billing cycles you are good to go.
Maybe in your area that makes sense, but in this area I would NEVER set up automatic billing with Comcast. Given their history of billing problems, handing them the keys to my wallet is just insane. In addition, I want to be notified in advance of any price increases so that I have the opportunity to shop for new service and drop their service (which I did with my TV service last year when they raised the price too high).

Not quite sure what confusion you are referring to in reference to the "adjustment" line item on your bill. Most credit systems I've dealt with you specifically select the appropriate credit designation and it appears as such on your bill, ie CHSI credit code produces the appropriate line item on your bill as "Comcast High Speed Internet adjustment".
To recap, first the CAE and then the supervisor saw "Billing Adjustmnt" (sic) and were confused (read: wrong) over what it meant. I understand that customers are sometimes confused by the bills but when the bills are so impenetrable that even the Comcast reps are confused, that's ridiculous. (By the way, if you really want to see an impenetrable bill, I'd be happy to post last month's.)

My suggestion: Instead of "Billing Adjustmnt", have the line read "Credit for internet outage on May 1".]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13886226 Wed, 13 Jul 2005 23:07:54 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13885534 Cabledude27 : Asking for a bruising but the web credit card option may not be fully operational in your area yet. I know when I log into my account from NJ I only have the option of paying one time payments via EFTS, there is a link for recurring payments but I have not attempted to see what that is all about. I dont deal with MD therefore cant be 100% certain and if I were I would personally guarantee you Don you wouldnt be experiencing this much difficulty over various minor and easy to rectify concerns. It is disheartening to me to hear of the difficulty you folks experience there.

As I am not, I can continue to offer my helpful insight and advise that if you would like to have your monthly bills paid automatically via credit/debit or via direct debit via your checking or savings most Comcast offices can and will setup you up for this option free of charge. You simply call them up and they send you the appropriate documentation to which you complete and mail back. In about 2 billing cycles you are good to go.

Not quite sure what confusion you are referring to in reference to the "adjustment" line item on your bill. Most credit systems I've dealt with you specifically select the appropriate credit designation and it appears as such on your bill, ie CHSI credit code produces the appropriate line item on your bill as "Comcast High Speed Internet adjustment".

Hope this helps.
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Your friendly neighborhood cabledude.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13885534 Wed, 13 Jul 2005 21:56:18 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13883001 DonLibes : I just filed an official complaint with the LFA. The complaint covers not only the misbehavior of the various Comcast employees but also asks for a redesign of the bills to avoid confusing terms like "adjustment", a systemwide audit to find other customers who have had rebates turned into charges, and if found to be common, an investigation into what is the reason for it.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13883001 Wed, 13 Jul 2005 17:06:36 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13882738 Maarvin : They also charge $3.50 for credit card payments made through the Comcast operator. It's free if you use the automated system, how generous of them, or if you pay online by credit card or check via routing and account numbers.
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Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13882738 Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:39:13 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13882713 anon : Man, I guess I have been lucky with my Comcast experience. I have had Comcast in NJ, DE and PA with several locations in each state. I have never had any major issues. Maybe cable going out once or twice for a few hours. But CHSI has always been fine (of course I'm sure there were little outages here and there, but nothing that sticks in my mind) other then that DNS situation, TV has been fine and no billing errors other than when I moved one time and had to show them the return receipt to take off an unreturned equipment charge.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13882713 Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:36:18 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13882644 JTRockville : Ok, I changed the verbiage so it explicitly refers to the BBR Comcast HSI Forum.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13882644 Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:28:45 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13882578 jbob : Ok stupid me, I was searching the Comcast forums for that thread. lmao

There are plenty of threads on Comcasts own forum from users in the Maryland area.

But the link does work now.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13882578 Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:22:02 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13882550 JTRockville : The link is fixed now, thanks.

It's true there are a few MCMD trouble topics floating around, but I think cameron barr only posted in one of them.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13882550 Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:18:49 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13882446 jbob : That link doesn't work. I tried to find the thread in question but couldn't but there are plenty other Maryland threads.

Bet that will get Comcast's attention. Nothing like negative press to get reults. The PRESS! Love em or hate em but sometimes they are useful.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13882446 Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:05:44 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13881825 JTRockville : Not only has the local government taken action, but the press is gaining interest too.

Speaking of the press... Don, did you see this note from cameron barr?

said by cameron barr in this BBR Comcast HSI Forum topic »[Connectivity] Montgomery County, MD - COMCAST = HORRIBLE
i'm a washington post reporter working on a story about comcast connectivity problems in montgomery county and elsewhere in the d.c. area. wld like to hear directly from Rob19, ssmduser, ForgotAccountInfo -- as well as others with recent experiences. email barrc@washpost.com or call 301-738-1554 soonest. thanks, cameron barr
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13881825 Wed, 13 Jul 2005 14:48:20 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13878275 DonLibes : Spurred on by the discussion here, I attempted to try paying my bill by credit card. However, I have been unable to do so. When I go to comcast.com, it says I must first add my account number. But I try to do that, it says:

At this time we are experiencing a system issue that is preventing us from adding your account number to your User Profile. If you have recently received a new account number, please try again shortly, as we may be updating our records with these new accounts.
Two days ago, I spoke to two CAEs who gave me different excuses. The first said "oh, it's just that there are too many people visiting the website, try in 15 minutes". I try for an hour or two. I call again and reach Billing who sends me to CAE #2 who says "I've never done that before, hold on while I ask for help. ... No, none of the other technicians here in the office pay their bills over the web, so I can't help you." He then offered to transfer me to Billing ("they would know more about this") but it was Billing that had transferred me to him in the first place!

Realizing I wasn't getting anywhere with the CAEs, I decided to try sending email to Comcast's global support-by-email with the request that they get it working and let me know when it's done. I mean, it's obviously a system problem and it's silly that I should have to keep trying every so often. Why don't they just do it for me or at the very least let me know when it's fixed? The response back was...

Unfortunately, some issues cannot be properly diagnosed or resolved through e-mail communication, and need a more free flowing dialogue to work through. We request that you call our Customer Call Center at 1-800-COMCAST so that we may thoroughly troubleshoot your situation, to assist you in resolving this issue. We appreciate your patience and understanding, and look forward to being able to properly assist you on the telephone. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Clearly they are telling me to do something that I've already tried. Should I be more understanding (as CableDude seems to think I'm not) with the idea that if I just keep calling CAEs, I'll finally get one that is properly trained?

Or is the billing system that unreliable (I just called again yesterday and CAE #3 said it's down and I should try again in 2 hours) that it's pointless to rely on it. I mean, if it's really been down for 2 days, that's not something I want to trust my money with - especially if I want to wait until the end of the billing cycle (to save money) only to find out it's down.

Anyway, I just tried again now and it's still giving me the same error. (By the way, I tried this using two entirely different systems and browsers, one from my home and one my workplace, so I'm pretty sure it's not my fault) I called back CAE #3 who had given me his phone number and, of course, it rolled over to his phone mail which identified him as working in the Public Affairs office.

Anyway, I've now spoken to several CAEs as well as Billing, Comcast's email, and Public Affairs, and I'm getting nowhere. It's obvious that no one is trained to handle this and instead of someone doing the right thing - taking responsibility for getting my account set up - instead they just keep making stuff up, or passing on information that is worthless, and they keep telling me to keep on retrying it myself.

CableDude, do you see a problem here? Do you really think I'm just being too "sensitive" (as you called me earlier). Do you really think I'm complaining for no good reason? Can you now start to get a glimmer of how bad things are that the local government felt obligated to pass cable-related consumer protection?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13878275 Wed, 13 Jul 2005 00:56:43 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13876624 AnnaS8 :
said by Fobulous See Profile:

said by AnnaS8 See Profile:

Where are you guys that can pay by Credit Card on the website? On my Comcast account at comcast.com it only gives me the option to pay by electronic check either reoccurring or one time. I have to call to pay by credit card. Unless it is something new on the site that I missed. I would much rather just put it on my card on the site then having to call them.

Oh I forgot to say about the 99 cent charge for checks...With your bill every month you get that little booklet thing and I believe by law they must put any and all charges to the customer in there. Take a look at the fine print.
I'm in Plano,Texas (my profile says that too) it's the Comcat's Dallas/Ft. Worth Market.
That blows...Comcast should have online Credit Card payment for everyone and not just certain areas. That is stupid to call them up to pay them. If you have a check card or you pay by program like Quicken. It still comes from the same place. My point is...I don't have checks and my payment office is way out of the way for me to go there and pay them. So I have to sit on the phone to pay it. Blah.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13876624 Tue, 12 Jul 2005 21:17:56 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13871838 packetscan : Excuse me?

The customer needs to be vigilant?

Comcast needs to get there shit together plain and simple.

It is completely unacceptable to have errors on invoices. especially these dollar charges.. how many people just let it go because it wasn't worth their time.. Would you call and wait 20 minutes for a dollar? I wouldn't i would pay the bill and move on, thus my reasoning of why they need to get it correct the first time.
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Who do you want to pay off today?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13871838 Tue, 12 Jul 2005 11:47:21 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13868008 jbob : I notice on my bill it says: "Payment by check authorizes Comcast Cable or it's agent to draft or electronically debit your checking account for the amount of the check plus a service fee should your check be returned unpaid."

The first time I saw that I quit sending checks and starting paying through my bank.

And what is Cableguard anyway? Costs me 0.95 cents a month. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13868008 Mon, 11 Jul 2005 21:48:56 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13867739 Fobulous :
said by AnnaS8 See Profile:

Where are you guys that can pay by Credit Card on the website? On my Comcast account at comcast.com it only gives me the option to pay by electronic check either reoccurring or one time. I have to call to pay by credit card. Unless it is something new on the site that I missed. I would much rather just put it on my card on the site then having to call them.

Oh I forgot to say about the 99 cent charge for checks...With your bill every month you get that little booklet thing and I believe by law they must put any and all charges to the customer in there. Take a look at the fine print.
I'm in Plano,Texas (my profile says that too) it's the Comcat's Dallas/Ft. Worth Market.
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I am certain there is too much certainy in the world. - Michael Crichton
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13867739 Mon, 11 Jul 2005 21:17:47 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13867596 AnnaS8 : Where are you guys that can pay by Credit Card on the website? On my Comcast account at comcast.com it only gives me the option to pay by electronic check either reoccurring or one time. I have to call to pay by credit card. Unless it is something new on the site that I missed. I would much rather just put it on my card on the site then having to call them.

Oh I forgot to say about the 99 cent charge for checks...With your bill every month you get that little booklet thing and I believe by law they must put any and all charges to the customer in there. Take a look at the fine print.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13867596 Mon, 11 Jul 2005 21:01:16 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13853734 Cabledude27 : Pablums or not the fact is you are used to poor service, thus it makes you that much more sensitive to every and all Comcast issues you experience. Call it the way you want we'll agree to disagree.

I've been in this business for quite a while and have not seen the type of inherent bad bloodlines within the company that you insist on seeing. I am not saying they are perfect by any means, nor am I saying I've agreed with everything I've seen or heard them do. However, I am saying there is so much speculation of what they the big bad Comcast thinks of when they dont handle an issue, when in fact it's just poor employee pools (have you been to Taco Bell lately Jesus, it's ridiculous). I love to help my customer's but I see a common theme from the folks in your area, I'd go as far to say if God himself ran Comcast perfectly it wouldnt matter because it's cable and cable's evil etc..

I hope you found my accurate explanation of your actual billing issue helpful and I'll leave the speculation to you and the folks of BBR's comcast forum. Notice the lack of actual employees here anymore? Why waste the time trying to explain or assist on our off hours when it doesnt matter?

Going to enjoy my weekend off, hope it gets better for you there in MD, I do mean that, good luck with the LFA and may they assist you when needed, and may they legislate everything to do with cable and Comcast, then by any luck to the good folks of MD, maybe Time Warner can come in or another cable system and effectively reflect a worse off situation than you are in now. The grass is not always greener on the other side.

Take care Don.
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Your friendly neighborhood cabledude.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13853734 Sat, 09 Jul 2005 23:22:06 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13852600 mpbennett : time warner here in the greensboro nc market charges $2 to pay with a credit card over the phone. they didnt charge that in NY. it was time warner there also.

then duke power required me to pay a $150 deposit and said would you like to pay the deposit now with a credit card and i said sure. so i whipped out the trusty debit card and gave here the number and exp date and she said. i need to tall you there is a $4.50 charge by paying over the phone. i was like wtf r u talking about, needless to say i paid the charge so i was assured my electricity was on once we got to NC. and it was to be on friday morning and we got here saturday night and it wasnt on so i called and screamed and it was on instantly. this was a month ago, then 10 days later i get a bill from them....lol]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13852600 Sat, 09 Jul 2005 20:07:11 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13850970 rid0617 : Charter isn't any better. Finding 2 CSRs that will say the same thing in a 5 minute period is about impossible.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13850970 Sat, 09 Jul 2005 15:08:06 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13850528 DonLibes :
said by Cabledude27 See Profile:

Again Don, once they had this "fact" in thier heads they didnt want to see beyond it. In effect there has been a charge for check by phone for at least the last 4 years. I'd chalk this up to being overly confident for the wrong thing. We're beating a dead horse here. They were wrong you were right, there was no check fee assessed to you, you were inadvertently provided the wrong information which was then corrected, albeit, it took longer than needed to accurately address your concern.

Trust me part of my previous responsibilities was to provide quality assurance in reference to the calls received by customer service, although it did happen (absolutely incorrect information purposely provided to a customer) it didnt happen often based on my personal reviews, when it did it was addressed quickly and efficiently.
Your answer suggests a bigger problem: You see this as a minor and infrequent issue. I see it as a systemic problem, indicative of a lack of training (or common sense) all the way up the chain.

It's possible that your personal experience differs but here's my personal experience: As a customer, these problems are too frequent. Not only did I have this month's problem but just last month (on a different billing issue) I got nowhere with Comcast so I had to file an official complaint with my LFA. And the month before, I had to call to get a rebate for an outage - which it turns out was debited rather than credited! And the outage turned out to be caused by Comcast personnel and only after calling twice did I get to a CAE who understood how to fix it even though the first one claimed to have fixed it. Unfortunately the list goes on.

I have spoken to numerous Comcast CAEs, Supervisors, and Customer Advocacy Liaisons who each love to recite the spiel that they're looking out for the customer and understand the point of view of the customer. Your "trust me" paragraph is the same kind of pablum they offer in an effort to convince me that my complaints are unwarranted. Trust me, it's lip service.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13850528 Sat, 09 Jul 2005 14:04:51 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13850515 ReVeLaTeD : I pay my bills with plastic. I hate checks because I hate the unknown delay to debit my account.

For example I could have $500 in an account that gets another $500 added every two weeks. I pay with a check $100 for a bill. Then I pay another bill $249. Then I pay another bill for $50. Then I pay another bill $200.

The problem is, one debit will occur 3 days after I paid. One will occur 2 weeks after I paid. One will occur THE NEXT DAY, one will occur 6 days. What ends up happening? Overdraft. It's happened too many times so I said screw it.

I used to pay my Cox bill with hard cash at the payment center but they closed it and took the kiosk out. Now I have no choice but to pay with my card online, which isn't too bad I suppose, but I'd really rather pay cash and get a receipt.

My card can work as a debit card or a credit card, so I can accomodate either transaction types. My "free and clear" cash from my paycheck goes straight onto the card, so I can just swipe and not think, since it'll never overdraft (it's all my own money anyway). I can even send tax refunds straight to the card, saving me from having a checking account.

As was said before, plastic is a boon for financial planning and money management if you learn to use it correctly.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13850515 Sat, 09 Jul 2005 14:02:31 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13849991 Fobulous : I agree with other Credit Card users. I love my Citi Dividend Platinum card. I use it for everything under the Sun. Also, Comcast allows me to automatically charge the monthly bill to my credit card, not only is this convenient but it's the must dos of the 21st century!!! Checks are so 80ish
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When Baron Davis rises toward the rim, defenders have two options: Duck or become a poster.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13849991 Sat, 09 Jul 2005 12:30:29 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13848671 anon : Every Comcast region is different in how they handle payments. Here in Atlanta, I have a choice of automatic payment from either my bank account or major credit card.

One other advantage of using a credit card is that you can request the credit card company to chargeback disputed charges, such as billing errors. They often give the cardholders the benefit of the doubt and put the onus on the merchant to prove the charges are correct or valid. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13848671 Sat, 09 Jul 2005 06:42:05 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13848173 Cabledude27 : Again Don, once they had this "fact" in thier heads they didnt want to see beyond it. In effect there has been a charge for check by phone for at least the last 4 years. I'd chalk this up to being overly confident for the wrong thing. We're beating a dead horse here. They were wrong you were right, there was no check fee assessed to you, you were inadvertently provided the wrong information which was then corrected, albeit, it took longer than needed to accurately address your concern.

Trust me part of my previous responsibilities was to provide quality assurance in reference to the calls received by customer service, although it did happen (absolutely incorrect information purposely provided to a customer) it didnt happen often based on my personal reviews, when it did it was addressed quickly and efficiently.
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Your friendly neighborhood cabledude.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13848173 Sat, 09 Jul 2005 02:35:37 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13848103 tcp1 : Who pays bills with credit cards? Smart, financially responsible people do.

People who are "against credit cards" just because they think "credit cards are bad" are the morons. Credit cards are perfectly valuable, economically responsible and sensible if YOU use them right.. Just like a gun, knife, or any other tool.. They're beneficial and can be life-saving in the hands of an intelligent person, but can be near deadly in the hands of an idiot with no self-control.

Most cards give you:

-The ability to dispute purchases
-A complete breakdown / itemization of all monthly charges
-A 20-30 day grace period -- where you can use your cash for other, more pressing things (or keep in savings EARNING interest) while your bills get paid when they are due
-The ability to avoid late charges and late payments by letting you pay on a flexible schedule
-No responsibility for fraudulent use
-Payment without costs of postage and checks
-Warranty extension for purchases, auto rental insurance
-The ability to still pay your bills in an unexpected emergency
-Cashback, points, or air miles

The only people who think credit cards are for idiots are people who can't use them in a non-idiotic manner. There are plenty of us out here who can handle them just fine.. To insinuate otherwise is insulting. Sorry if you can't handle it.

(And no, paranoid freaks, I do not, nor have I ever, worked for a financial institution. )]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13848103 Sat, 09 Jul 2005 02:21:52 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13846781 mr_slick : HEY! ---I pay my bills with a credit card! Are you calling me an idiot?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13846781 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 21:34:59 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13846317 actor90 : I myself had a problem with a Comcast CSR making up facts. When I got a DVR I was told to keep the digital box I had already at no additional charge for a second outlet in my house. Well, low and behold it turns at that is an additional $7.95 a month charge. All I can say, is if you complain to Corporate Headquarters in Philadelphia they will resolve the issue, and make sure, it doesn't happen again. Just call your local call center and insist they give you the corporate telephone number.
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Whatever doesn't kill us, makes us stronger...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13846317 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 20:26:35 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13846157 DonLibes :
said by Cabledude27 See Profile:

Instead of taking the time to review the issue further before answering they jumped the gun. The CAE probably told the supervisor that the customer was requesting a supervisor due to being upset over a check by phone payment fee and again instead of clarifying the issue for his/herself the supervisor backed the CAE. Once he/she viewed the issue further she corrected herself and told you the correct information about the credit that was applied as a debit.
That makes sense, but it's not what happened:

Me: How long has this policy been in effect?
Comcast: It's always been our policy to charge .99c for checks.
Me: I've been a subscriber for 4 years; you're telling me I should've seen this charge on every statement - for 4 years?
Comcast: Yes. I cannot explain why you've never been charged this before. You should've have been.

I went through this with both the CAE and the supervisor. Both said the same thing.

If I had given up my questioning, that would've been it. But I pursued questioning the supervisor, basically asking the same questions repeatedly. This isn't my usual style - but in this case I was dumbfounded because what they were saying made no sense. So I just couldn't stop saying that and asking the same questions again and again.

My interpretation is that both the CAE and supervisor were truly ignorant of this particular aspect of Comcast's fees and policies. And instead of starting out with the possibility that the customer might be right, they started out with the assumption that the customer had to be wrong, and they would say anything that sounded halfway plausible to make him go away so they wouldn't have to actually check the facts.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13846157 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 20:04:15 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13845890 Cabledude27 : I hate to have to bust anyone's "Comcast is out to screw the working man" theories, but it's simply a miscommunication issue. The CAE saw the .99 debit and as Comcast charges a .99 cent transaction fee for any payments that are made with a CAE via Check (EFTS/check by phone) they incorrectly assumed that was a valid charge for a "check" payment.

Instead of taking the time to review the issue further before answering they jumped the gun. The CAE probably told the supervisor that the customer was requesting a supervisor due to being upset over a check by phone payment fee and again instead of clarifying the issue for his/herself the supervisor backed the CAE. Once he/she viewed the issue further she corrected herself and told you the correct information about the credit that was applied as a debit.
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Your friendly neighborhood cabledude.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13845890 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 19:25:13 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844941 mikes60 :
said by b10010011 See Profile:

What is really frustrating is out of all our monthly bills Comcast is the only one who is not accepting or setup for automatic electronic payments through my bank.

The only way you can make an online payment is with a credit card.

What kind of an idiot pays their bills with a credit card?
I pay every bill that I can with my American Express Card. And, I've paid the monthly balance in full every month since 1986.

Its a great money management tool, provides excellent customer service if there is ever a problem, and earns me Delta SkyMiles.

Now, if you aren't responible enough to manage your credit card and pay it off every month- with no interest charges whatsoever, then maybe you're the Idiot
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Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday--so why bother?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844941 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 17:10:45 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844842 wadewood :
said by b10010011 See Profile:

What kind of an idiot pays their bills with a credit card?
I pay via Amex credit card; I get % rebate on all purchases. In 20 years of having a credit cards, I have ALWAYS paid bills in full each month. I wish my mortgage company took credit cards.

I did have Comcast start charging me an extra $3/month for cable modem rental. I owned my own modem and have no idea why they started charging me for this. It took me 4 months to catch charge and initially they said they could only issue credit for past month. Eventually, I got them to issue credit for all months but it was a pain.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844842 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 17:00:28 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844786 JSSAUCE :
said by b10010011 See Profile:

What kind of an idiot pays their bills with a credit card?
I pay everything I can with my CC to earn miles then send the money to the CC.

Just used the miles to fly round trip to Japan in Business class by paying my bills.

Joel
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through my credit card for the cash rebate.

It's paid in full every month so it's just
free money....]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844762 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 16:51:18 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844740 kubus : For some reason the check charge does sound familiar. I paid them by check once and I think I got the charge on the next bill, which was taken off.
I look at every single bill I get. Most problems I had were with Comcast. I switched to Direct TV, which is actually one bill I don't have to look, cause the total is always the same.
Verizon and Verizon Wireless (especially Wireless) have horrible bills. I've been going back and forth with Wireless since they can't put mine and wife's phone together on one bill under family plan. Going on 4 months now. New twist is that they are now sending her part of the bill to my old address (9 months ago) and combined bill to me.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844740 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 16:48:57 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844714 pcscdma :
said by b10010011 See Profile:

What kind of an idiot pays their bills with a credit card?
Idiots such as me.

It's actually one of those checkcard things that takes the money out of my credit union account.
Even though both Mediacom and Sprint PCS can EFT money using my checking account, I still use my checkcard to pay it.
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said by b10010011 See Profile:

What is really frustrating is out of all our monthly bills Comcast is the only one who is not accepting or setup for automatic electronic payments through my bank.

The only way you can make an online payment is with a credit card.
Sounds like a problem with your bank; our credit union will cut a check and mail (without charge) to any person or business we specify with a complete mail address if the recipient isn't set up to receive electronic payments.

What kind of an idiot pays their bills with a credit card?
The kind of "idiot" that pays off their credit card balance at the end of each month?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844514 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 16:23:18 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844500 Sunsetstrip :
said by packetscan See Profile:

That's funny you get charged for paying your bill..

What next
Most likely not too funny to the thousands if not ten of thousands that get charged these phony charges and never notice or question them.While laying to blame squarely on Comcast the customer needs to also be vigilant on all billing and question anything that looks/seems/smells out of place.

I live in a zip code that spans two cities,Sprint PCS was charging a city tax from a city I didn't even live in and refused to remove the illegal tax till I called my City Attorney who then sent out notices to 30,000 residents asking to report Sprint to them for legal action,I can't believe that I missed it for over a year and like some brain dead consumer paid what ever was on the bill.
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The only way you can make an online payment is with a credit card.

What kind of an idiot pays their bills with a credit card? ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844452 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 16:16:21 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844425 travelguy :
said by DreamWraith See Profile:

you would be surprised how ignorant most customers are. very few customers actually read the detailed portions of their bills. If everyone read their entire bill, there would be alot more hell raising in america.
Amen to that. When I signed up a year or so ago and received my first bill, there was a .99 charge I couldn't identify. When I called to ask what it was for, the rep stated that it was an insurance charge in case something went wrong with the wiring inside my house. I told her the chances of that happening were close to zero and if something ever did happen, I was perfectly capable of fixing it myself and I wanted it taken off. She grumbled about how if they ever came out on a service call and it was a problem inside the house I would have to pay an hourly rate and reluctantly removed it.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844425 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 16:13:44 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844317 khc987 : no]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844317 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 16:02:17 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844250 packetscan : That's funny you get charged for paying your bill..

What next]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13844250 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 15:54:42 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13843830 TKJunkMail :
said by DonLibes See Profile:

Can anyone answer my earlier question: Does Comcast charge $.99 for payment by checks?
According to my bill and all the Comcast doc they send on the billing rates for my area - there is NO CHARGE for paying by check.
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Join Red Room Forum]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13843830 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 15:09:03 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13843689 Morty : So Cal charges for payments over the phone. I think it's 3 or 4 dollars. I'm sure there are other markets.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13843689 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 14:53:45 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13843133 rody_44 : pp@l electric charges 4.99 for pay by phone here.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13843133 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 13:54:28 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13843006 DonLibes : Can anyone answer my earlier question: Does Comcast charge $.99 for payment by checks?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13843006 Fri, 08 Jul 2005 13:38:55 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13827662 Freak4Dell : Yeah, they probably do. I've had my bill screwed around with, but I usually get it resolved in a day or so.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13827662 Wed, 06 Jul 2005 17:41:38 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13821848 GotNoRice : Yeah, their way of doing things seems to be to just defend whatever is on the bill by making up whatever on the fly excuse they can think of.

A few months ago I had an incident where my bill went from the normal $52.95 to like $65 or something. The first 3 times I called I got the run around ranging from people trying to say that "the prices can change locally, and that is why it's higher than the price listed on the site" to "That is the price for the new Gold Tier".

Finally I got someone that informed me that that was the charge for people who don't also subscribe to cable TV. Turns out that because we pay for our TV on my mom's credit card and may for the internet using my dad's credit card, they didn't show us as having both services and thus not eligible for the combo price... Same address, same last name, and they couldn't figure it out, and not to mention that it was billing that way just fine for about a year before they changed the bill.

I swear they do this shit on purpose.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13821848 Tue, 05 Jul 2005 23:15:01 EDT Re: Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13821471 DreamWraith : you would be surprised how ignorant most customers are. very few customers actually read the detailed portions of their bills. If everyone read their entire bill, there would be alot more hell raising in america. And comcast is by far, not the worst. The cell phone companies are much worse when it comes to confusing billing, and they use deceptive terms in their contract.

Thats how they make their money. Not people like you. But the ignorant masses who dont call when their 6 month @19.99 stops after 3.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13821471 Tue, 05 Jul 2005 22:28:04 EDT Comcast charges $.99 for checks?! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13821410 DonLibes : Upon opening my statement this evening, I found a charge of $.99 labelled "Billing Adjustmnt" (sic). I called Comcast and was told that's the charge for paying by check. But, but, but ... I've always payed by check (usually by electronic check via Quicken but also sometimes by handwritten check) and I've NEVER been assessed such a charge. The CAE said it's not a new policy. I asked for him to waive it and he said he couldn't.

Naturally, I asked to speak to supervisor. Same story. She said that Comcast has always charged for checks. This makes no sense to me. I can't think of any business that charges for checks. She said that only by paying through the Comcast website is it "free".

After I had been on the phone with the CAE and then the supervisor 25 minutes, she then said, "oh wait a second, that .99c is supposed to be a credit." I had reported a one-day outage last month and evidentally someone entered it backward. "And you're not supposed to be charged for your checks, sir."

What the heck?!?

Needless to say, I summarized the problem - that 1) the CAE last month screwed up the rebate, 2) the CAE this month misinterpreted the statement and started giving me this red herring snow job and then 3) a supervisor was happy to continue trying to make me pay an incorrect bill. So clearly three people are in need of training. I included a brief description of my frustration with Comcast as being a monthly exercise in trying to understand my bill (last month, I filed an official complaint with the local franchise authority at how my bill was incomprehensible) and that due to the continuing frustration I encountered and the ineptness of the staff, I would be leaving Comcast as soon as there was competition.

To her credit, she was polite but she said there was nothing she could do: "People are human sir. They make mistakes."

Anyway, I'm considering filing another official complaint. But I'd like to know about this check fee. I've never heard of it before. Is this for real? I can hardly believe it. Does anyone actually pay that?

And what is the problem with Comcast's billing? Why are their bills so mysterious that even the CAEs are confused by them?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13821410 Tue, 05 Jul 2005 22:21:15 EDT