DonLibes
Premium,ExMod 2001
join:2003-01-19
1 edit |  Comcast charges $.99 for checks?!
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? |
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DreamWraith
Premium
join:2004-04-07
Mount Vernon, WA
 ·Comcast
| 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. |
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GotNoRice
Internet Cynic
join:2001-12-04
Pleasant Hill, CA
| reply to DonLibes
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. |
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Freak4Dell
join:2005-03-05
Garland, TX | reply to DonLibes
Yeah, they probably do. I've had my bill screwed around with, but I usually get it resolved in a day or so. |
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DonLibes
Premium,ExMod 2001
join:2003-01-19 | reply to DonLibes
Can anyone answer my earlier question: Does Comcast charge $.99 for payment by checks? |
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rody_44
Premium
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA | reply to DonLibes
pp@l electric charges 4.99 for pay by phone here. |
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Morty
Premium
join:2004-09-18 | So Cal charges for payments over the phone. I think it's 3 or 4 dollars. I'm sure there are other markets. |
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GOLFnSUN
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast
| reply to DonLibes
said by DonLibes  :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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packetscan
Premium
join:2004-10-19
Bridgeport, CT
clubs: | That's funny you get charged for paying your bill..
What next |
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khc987
join:2001-08-22
Jacksonville, FL | reply to DonLibes
no |
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travelguy
join:1999-09-03
Santa Fe, NM
| reply to DreamWraith
said by 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. 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. |
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b10010011
Whats a Posting tag?
join:2004-09-07
Bellingham, WA
·Comcast Formerly ..
| reply to DonLibes
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? |
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Sunsetstrip
Go Kings
Premium,MVM
join:2000-07-08
West Hollywood, CA
clubs:
| reply to packetscan
said by packetscan :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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darcilicious
Cyber Librarian
Premium
join:2001-01-02
Forest Grove, OR
 ·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
| reply to b10010011
said by b10010011 :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? |
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Frohike
Premium
join:2000-07-23
Waxahachie, TX | reply to DonLibes
Your complaint made it on the news page. Good job. |
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pcscdma
Chocobo Chocobo Random Battle
Premium
join:2004-01-14
Winterset, IA
clubs:
| reply to b10010011
said by b10010011 :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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kubus
join:2000-12-22
Irwin, PA
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to DonLibes
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. |
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nightshade74
Yet another genxer
Premium
join:2004-11-06
Prattville, AL | reply to b10010011
Why not pay with a credit card? If you are really anti-credit use a Visa debit card. I run almost all of my bills
through my credit card for the cash rebate.
It's paid in full every month so it's just
free money.... |
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JSSAUCE
Imac - MacBook Air
Premium
join:2001-12-04
Oak Park, IL
clubs:
| reply to b10010011
said by b10010011 :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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wadewood
Premium
join:2003-05-04
Houston, TX
·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to b10010011
said by b10010011 :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. |
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