CLEVELTECH
join:2006-12-21
02107
| Booted from Comcast
Hey guys JL here. I'm actually submitting something that happened to me a few months back with my old ISP called Comcast. I was booted off of thier network because apparently Comcast has a bandwidth cap but refused to devulge what it was exactly. I use my webcam a lot to communicate with friends and family and have downloaded software and free music from the net.
I recieved a phone call from a Comcast abuse department rep saying that they have been monitoring my bandwidth usage and would like me to "limit my downloadinfg" which I politely asked what is the cap or limit and the rep told me that their is no limit and argued back that there had to be otherwise I would not be getitng this phone call.
He in turn explained that if I didn't stop, my service will be cut off for a year and this would be my first and only warning. I in turn responded back that I'm not going to stop, not to threaten me, it's deceitful what they advertise, and to kinda go fuck himself. I also let him know that I am under contract for one year, and I am recording this entire conversation.
Sure enough within a few weeks without warning, my service was cut off.
Made to switch to Verizon DSL and the first thing I asked was do they provide a bandwidth cap limit and the rep said no they do not and I asked them to put it in writing which they did.
I am actually thinking about filing a class-action suit against Comcast for this decietful business practice because apparently, I am not alone and have been talking to other Comcast subscribers and recently I have also posted a video message on YOU TUBE warning others about this. Any ideas? |
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CLEVELTECH
join:2006-12-21
02107
| you can take a look at this article here:
Comcast targets Internet `abusers' but won't reveal limits
Matthew Fordahl, The Associated Press 2004-01-29
By all accounts, George Nussbaum demands a lot from his Internet connection. He streams video and transfers large files from his office. His family downloads movie trailers and his stepson listens to and buys music online.
Click here for Core!!
Nussbaum subscribes to his cable TV provider's high-speed Internet service, which, he thought, was built for such high-bandwidth activities. Then, in November, he got a letter from the provider, Comcast Corp., ordering him to dial down his usage or face service termination.
Until last summer, the service was advertised as "unlimited."
But Comcast, citing a fuzzy "acceptable use" policy, is now cracking down on the heaviest users on the premise that their consumption could degrade neighbors' service.
A number of broadband providers are beginning to offer different tiers of service, charging high-volume users more. Some, particularly wireless providers, charge extra for heavy use.
Comcast, critics say, is trying to impose limits without telling consumers that the service is limited.
Nussbaum, who at first had no idea how many gigabytes he consumed, was willing to cut back. He called to find out by how much, but customer service had no answer. Then he asked how much he used. Again, Comcast wouldn't provide a number.
Last month, Nussbaum got a second letter threatening suspension or termination, so he decided to sign up for a digital subscriber line offered by his phone company, Verizon Communications.
"How am I supposed to know what my limits are?" said Nussbaum, an engineer from Plaistow, N.H. "It was actually kind of ridiculous."
Comcast's letters have been a hot topic of discussion on BroadbandReports.com, a popular online forum. More than 5,000 messages have been posted since the warnings started arriving last summer. Most offer comments, though some are reports of having received a warning.
"They have the right to control their service and offer different services to different people," said David Willis, an analyst at the Meta Group. "The problem is you can't keep changing the rules all the time."
Most broadband companies have vague policies, but Comcast's appears to be the most aggressively enforced. It provides no tools for monitoring bandwidth, and does not give any specific guidance.
Comcast says the few people who receive the warning letters typically consume 100 times more than the average user.
"The total number of customers who have had their service disconnected is well below one one-hundredth of one percent of our overall Internet customer base," spokeswoman Dana Ryan said, reading from a prepared statement.
But the nation's largest cable company refused to reveal the average consumption among its 4.8 million high-speed Internet subscribers. Ryan also would not say how many received warnings or exactly how many have had their accounts suspended or terminated.
A senior Comcast technician, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of losing his job, said letter-triggering usage is typically about 100 gigabytes a month, though it varies from city to city.
A hundred gigabytes of usage a month may not strain the system but some abusers, he said, consume more than a terabyte of data each month -- equal to about 1,000 gigabytes, or 1,000 copies of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Many run Web servers or offer copyright music or videos. Thirty minutes of high-quality video can consume up to a gigabyte.
Excessive use is a problem for Comcast and other providers because they must predict bandwidth use and buy the capacity. If too much is consumed, not only can the local network bog down; it also could affect Comcast's profit margin.
The enforcement comes as cable companies are trying to maintain their lead over DSL, which offers high-speed access over phone lines. Comcast and several other cable firms are doubling their top download speeds to 3 megabits per second, which makes it easier for users to consume more bandwidth and cross any limits.
DSL providers are fighting back by dropping prices -- as low as $27 a month, compared to Comcast's $43. The phone companies stress that they don't restrict usage.
They're less likely to do so because digital subscriber lines are not shared until they reach the phone company's facility. Cable users share the same data pipe with their neighbors.
"I am not aware of any DSL provider that limits the number of bytes available or charges more if a circuit is used more," said Verizon spokesman Eric Rabe.
But cable companies have a history of limiting use. Until recently, for example, Comcast specifically barred its residential customers from using virtual private networking software, which creates secure connections for telecommuters, unless they upgraded to the business plan.
"The cable companies in the U.S. have this history of trying to engineer multiple, tiers, multiple grades of service," Willis said. "So far they've been highly unsuccessful in doing that."
People who received Comcast's bandwidth abuse letters and were willing to discuss their usage patterns publicly were shocked at the "Twilight Zone" experiences they had with customer support.
Randy Jackson of Colonia, N.J. received form letters with blank date fields. Longtime subscriber Tallon Nishihata of suburban Tacoma, Wash., said his letters referred him to a pricey business-grade service that's not available in his area.
One man, a British expatriate in Philadelphia who used to transfer home movies to family in Europe, asked for anonymity because he feared Comcast would unplug him, leaving him with nothing but a dial-up connection because he doesn't qualify for DSL.
"They play the card that I've been causing problems for people in the neighborhood," he said. "If that's the case, that's fair enough, but show me some evidence." |
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hobgoblin
Sortof Agoblin
Premium
join:2001-11-25
Orchard Park, NY
clubs:
| reply to CLEVELTECH
»Comcast usage "Abuse"?
We already have this thread, do we really need another?
Hob
--
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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TD Nickell
Premium,MVM
join:2006-09-26
Federal Way, WA
clubs: | reply to CLEVELTECH
Upon reflection, I do not wish to post. Take me back!
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CableTool
Poorly Representing MYSELF.
Premium
join:2004-11-12
| reply to CLEVELTECH
said by CLEVELTECH  : Any ideas? Enjoy DSL and possibly a shared bandwidth provider does not meet your current needs.
p.s.
That Two year old article is a great read. Good luck with the lawsuit.
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CableFAQ.org/Technicians Unplugged
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dadkins
Can you do Blu?
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
 ·Comcast
| reply to CLEVELTECH
Hate to tell you this, but a webcam is chump change.
The "Inviso" cap is somewhere in the 500-600GB per month range, but will vary market to market... there is no real set limit.
It's when you/me/we degrade the neighborhood by maxing out our line 24/7 for months on end when you/me/we will get noticed.
May I ask, pray tell... WTF were you downloading that could possibly add up to ???GB each month?
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Think outside the Fox... Opera |
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CableTool
Poorly Representing MYSELF.
Premium
join:2004-11-12
| reply to dadkins
Re: Booted from Comcast
said by dadkins :May I ask, pray tell... WTF were you downloading that could possibly add up to ???GB each month? Why.. software and free music as he explained!!
I dont think there is even software or free music worth having on the ENTIRE INTERNET that can total 5-600GBs...
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CableFAQ.org/Technicians Unplugged
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dadkins
Can you do Blu?
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
·Comcast
| said by CableTool :I dont think there is even software or free music worth having on the ENTIRE INTERNET that can total 5-600GBs... Trust me... there isn't!
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Think outside the Fox... Opera |
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CableTool
Poorly Representing MYSELF.
Premium
join:2004-11-12
| reply to CLEVELTECH
said by CLEVELTECH :I in turn responded back that I'm not going to stop, not to threaten me, it's deceitful what they advertise, and to kinda go fuck himself. I also let him know that I am under contract for one year, and I am recording this entire conversation. Sure enough within a few weeks without warning, my service was cut off. Never saw that coming...
So he warned you to curb your dling habits and that it was the one and only warning. You told him you WOULDNT change your habits and to "kinda go fuck himself"... and then you have the nerve to say your service was cut off two weeks later with no warning?
Go back the converstion you "taped" and listen to it again. Or did you already turn it over to your lawyers!!
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CableFAQ.org/Technicians Unplugged
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DanHo
Premium
join:2002-05-20
Seattle, WA
| reply to dadkins
said by dadkins :said by CableTool :I dont think there is even software or free music worth having on the ENTIRE INTERNET that can total 5-600GBs... Trust me... there isn't! Of course it's not software and music, it's all about the pr0n.
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Utinam barbari spatium proprium tuum invadant! |
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TD Nickell
Premium,MVM
join:2006-09-26
Federal Way, WA
clubs: | reply to CLEVELTECH
Where is Big_D with his Flag,because we need to raise it high.  |
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DanHo
Premium
join:2002-05-20
Seattle, WA
| said by TD Nickell :Where is Big_D with his Flag,because we need to raise it high. You mean this one?
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Utinam barbari spatium proprium tuum invadant! |
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TD Nickell
Premium,MVM
join:2006-09-26
Federal Way, WA
clubs:
| That would be the one! |
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CableTool
Poorly Representing MYSELF.
Premium
join:2004-11-12
| reply to CLEVELTECH
I like the YOUTUBE video where he stated "You said your service was UNLIMITED!!"
Which it doesnt say anywhere...
And then he stated he is in a CONTRACT for a year.. which we all know there are no contracts. You could have been in apromo for a year.. and there is no penalty to cancel your service.
No contract.
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CableFAQ.org/Technicians Unplugged
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Cheese
Premium
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL
clubs:
| reply to CableTool
said by CableTool :said by CLEVELTECH :I in turn responded back that I'm not going to stop, not to threaten me, it's deceitful what they advertise, and to kinda go fuck himself. I also let him know that I am under contract for one year, and I am recording this entire conversation. Sure enough within a few weeks without warning, my service was cut off. Never saw that coming... So he warned you to curb your dling habits and that it was the one and only warning. You told him you WOULDNT change your habits and to "kinda go fuck himself"... and then you have the nerve to say your service was cut off two weeks later with no warning? Go back the converstion you "taped" and listen to it again. Or did you already turn it over to your lawyers!! Also, I believe recording a call without getting permission is not allowed as well? |
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CableTool
Poorly Representing MYSELF.
Premium
join:2004-11-12 | Im sure his lawyers will cover that with him!! |
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Cheese
Premium
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL
clubs:
| said by CableTool :Im sure his lawyers will cover that with him!! I hope so |
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operagost
join:1999-08-02
Spring City, PA | reply to Cheese
Also, I believe recording a call without getting permission is not allowed as well?
You don't need permission anywhere in the USA. In most states, you don't even have to notify the other party. |
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KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
 ·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
·Cox HSI
·AT&T Southwest
1 edit | reply to CLEVELTECH
It may be possible to force Comcast to stop this practice.
The simple way is to go to your small claims court and file a suit that they have breached their contractual obligation with you. Of course they won't show up, so you'll win a judgement for a refund of all the fees you've paid to Comcast since the life of the contract, plus some reasonable expense.
Another way may be a little less effective, but if you arrange to have your cable bill paid via credit card, when they cut you off, you should be able to go back at least 90 days and dispute (ie charge-back) the charges on the grounds they broke their agreement.
Either way it creates a hassle for them in which they have to defend their practices OR else you get some money back.
Course, it will be up to you to prove they had a contract with you... but it shouldn't be hard. You can use their own advertising etc in court as evidence. |
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