Comcast and Xfinity are the same company. Comcast started out providing residential cable services. As Comcast continues to grow and buy more properties (companies, TV channels, etc.) they needed a way to separate the residential services from the other companies they own, hence the Xfinity branding. Xfinity is Comcast’s residential services division. They are one in the same.
Comcast offers service to U.S. residential and commercial customers in 40 states including the District of Columbia. Comcast is the largest broadcasting and largest cable company in the world by revenue and is the second largest pay-TV company after the AT&T-DirecTV acquisition, the largest cable TV company and largest home Internet service provider in the United States, and the nation's third largest home telephone service provider.
As the owner of the international media company NBCUniversal since 2011. Comcast is also a producer of feature films and television programs intended for theatrical exhibition and over-the-air and cable television broadcast.
Comcast operates multiple cable-only channels (including E! Entertainment Television, the Golf Channel, and NBCSN), over-the-air national broadcast network channels (NBC and Telemundo), the film production studio Universal Pictures, and Universal Parks & Resorts, with a global total of nearly 200 family entertainment locations and attractions in the U.S. and several other countries.
Fully or partially owned Comcast programming includes Comcast Newsmakers, Comcast Network, Comcast SportsNet, SportsNet New York, MLB Network, Comcast Sports Southeast/Charter Sports Southeast, NBC Sports Network, The Golf Channel, AZN Television, and FEARnet.
Comcast's content networks and investments also include E!, Esquire Network, Golf Channel, NBCSN, Sprout, TV One, and the regional Comcast SportsNets.
Comcast became majority owner of Comcast SportsNet, as well as Golf Channel and NBCSN (formerly the Outdoor Life Network, then Versus).
This isn’t an exhaustive list of all of the properties owned by Comcast, but as you can see they own quote a few properties and that is why it was necessary to rebrand their name to market a better fit their residential services.
Best Comcast Xfinity Offers and Customer Service Tricks
Yes, it should be easy to do business with Comcast Xfinity or any other company but like everything else out there if you don’t know the rules of the game it can be frustrating and time-consuming. Hopefully these articles will shine a light on how to get the best offer with Comcast, how they view customer service and treat their employees, dealing with Xfinity stores, starting or cancelling Comcast service and more. Be sure to share these tips and tricks with your friends.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Secrets For Starting & Stopping Service at Local Comcast Xfinity Stores
*** LOCAL STORES /
SERVICE CENTERS ***
You cannot call your local Comcast Xfinity store. They accept walk-in appointments on a first
come, first serve basis only.
You can pick up equipment at any store. You do not need
to call in to tell us which store you are going to. They all have access to your account.
Do not call Comcast to ask if you can return or swap
equipment at the local store. You only
need to call if you want Comcast to mail you equipment. You can also order additional TV boxes
online. Otherwise, just go to the local
store to swap or return equipment. There
is no need to call in first – you are only wasting your time by doing so.
Comcast Xfinity has a partnership with The UPS Store for
customers that want to return equipment.
Instead of waiting in line at a Comcast store customers can take their
equipment and account number to a UPS Store, hand it to the UPS Store clerk and
have the equipment scanned off their account.
The UPS Store clerk will even provide you with a receipt showing the
equipment was returned.
If your service was disconnected for non-payment and you
plan on paying and restoring service DO NOT RETURN YOUR EQUIPMENT!! Even if you are called about returning the
equipment, advise the caller you are going to keep it and restore service. Once your past due balance and refundable
security deposit is collected Comcast can restore service remotely without
needing to send someone back out to your home.
Keep in mind there is a mandatory deposit required to
restore service disconnected for non-payment within 30 days of disconnect. If
you wait longer than 30 days to restore or start new service a credit check
will be done to determine if a deposit is necessary. You can skip the credit check by paying the mandatory
$100 deposit. Deposits are refundable
after 12 months good payment history or in the event you cancel before 12
months the deposit is credited back to your account at the time of disconnect. This policy is outlined in the Subscriber Agreement.
Be sure to share this with your friends… they’ll be very grateful you did.
Be sure to share this with your friends… they’ll be very grateful you did.
Secrets To Getting The Best Comcast Xfinity Offer
*** OFFERS /
PROMOTIONS ***
You typically get a better price on a package and
installation if you have more than one service.
The promotions offered by Comcast Xfinity are hard-coded
into the computer system. When you call
in offers are pre-loaded on the agents screen based on your service address
since mailers with different offers vary by address. Agents have very little room to negotiate on
rates since they are all hard coded and offer little to no room for flexibility.
Your package price will be different from the advertised
offer you may have received which is advertising the starting price. The average household price for TV and
Internet is $100. For example, an offer
for $79.99 for TV and Internet is actually $99 when you add on $10 HD on 1 TV
and $10 Wi-Fi Modem Rental. Also keep in mind that $79.99 rate is for one year
with a 2 year contract and increases $20 the second year.
The $79.99 offer being mailed to customers with a gift
card up to $250 requires a qualifying HD Triple Play package (including TV,
internet and home phone or security) and the packages that qualify for the gift
card offers start at $139.99 a month without equipment.
The promotional rate you see advertised online or in your
mailbox is the starting rate for service without any equipment or any
extras. Comcast isn’t the only provider
that advertises this way - all providers including satellite price their Hopper
and Genie services this way. If you
don’t believe me, read the fine print on their mailers or web site. One way to lower your bill is by purchasing a
new cable modem.
Comcast has their price structure down to a science. Their 105mbps Internet Only offer with no
promotion including the modem rental is $99 a month. Their 220 channel package with a SD Cable Box
and Wi-Fi Modem rental is $99 a month with contract. Their 140 channel package with SD Cable Box,
75mbps Internet, Wi-Fi Modem Rental and Unlimited Home Phone service is also
$99 a month. Take your pick.
Comcast Xfinity offers free installation with triple play
(TV, Phone or Security, Internet) or quad play (TV, Phone, Internet, Security)
packages where the base price for triple play is $139.99 before equipment and
quad play is $169.99 before equipment.
Very select areas in Colorado and Kansas City offer free installation on
TV/Internet packages with a contract.
Everyone else is subject to installation which varies between $49 and
$149 in most cases. Internet-only
installation is $89. In many cases a
Self-Install Kit is available if the home has had service recently.
Don’t call in to only order Internet service unless you
have your modem, know your home is Comcast-ready and you want to
self-activate. It’s faster and probably
cheaper to order internet-only service online. Ordering Internet with other
services like TV is more complicated to do online and it’s probably easier to
order bundled services over the phone.
Contract offers are $10 less per month than non-contract
offers. This means $39.99 x 12 for 25
mbps Internet-only is $49.99 x 12 without a contract. Don’t forget to add an extra $10 per month if
you are leasing a Wi-Fi modem.
Comcast has the lowest early termination fees in their
industry ranging from $110-$230 depending on your package and are pro-rated
based on when you are cancelling.
DirecTV has ETF’s up to $400 or more and will put you into a new
contract if you add/upgrade equipment whereas Comcast does not.
Existing customers who are moving and call 1-800-Comcast
to transfer their service to their new address qualify for a new
promotion. You don’t have to cancel your
existing service and then set up new service to get a new offer… just transfer
your service to your new address- even if you aren’t moving in to the address
immediately you can have billing stopped at the old address and started at the
new address on separate days. Cancelling
and then starting entirely new service just makes things more confusing for you
and Comcast. (For example, your Comcast login’s for your account and apps don’t
move from one address to another unless transferred properly as part of the
move process.)
Door to Door Comcast Agents have the best offers; they
have better offers than Comcast’s web site, their stores and better offers than
over the phone sales. If a Comcast agent
comes to your door don’t send them away as you likely won’t get a better deal-
and you have to sign up with that door to door agent. If you have to “think about it” that same
offer is not guaranteed at a later time with a different agent.
The entire month of September and Black Friday are when
Comcast usually has their best promotional offers.
Be sure to share this with your friends… they’ll likely be very grateful you did.
Be sure to share this with your friends… they’ll likely be very grateful you did.
Your Comcast Employee Experience / How Comcast Treats Their Employees
*** EMPLOYEES ***
Comcast pays their in-house sales agents minimum wage and
commission. Their commission is calculated
two ways and Comcast changes the rates and what/how they pay their employees
every 3 months so it’s very unpredictable for the agent you speak with to
actually know what their pay will be month to month. Comcast pays a small commission based on
product sold (TV, Phone, Home Security – they do not pay their employees for setting
up your Internet-only account) and they add this product commission to close
rate commission. They take the number of
calls the agent takes and divide it by the number of sales the agent makes that
month and based on the percentage the agent earns the rest of their
commission. They add the close rate
commission plus the product commission and that is the agent’s commission for
the month, plus their minimum wage.
Bottom line is, every call you make into the Sales Department that isn’t
adding money to your account directly penalizes that agent’s paycheck.
In October 2015 Comcast’s West Division revised their
employee commission plan and cut their sales agents pay by 30-40% depending on
the agents close rate and product sales.
Some agents are seeing a pay cut of $20,000 or more. This caused a mass-exodus of employees that
quit in response.
The Government requires Comcast to answered within a set
amount of time or get fined so the company deliberately dumps non-sales calls
into the Sales Department which effectively penalizes the paycheck of the agent
you are talking to (a win-win for Comcast) and requires you be transferred to
the correct department.
Comcast assigns “skills” to their agents as a way of routing
calls. Their Sales Dept does this so
Online Sales, Upgrade Sales and New Sales get routed to the correct
department. When Upgrades or “Change of
Service” calls overflow the system Comcast routes these calls to the Sales
Department. If the agent isn’t adding
money (service) to your account it penalizes the agent’s paycheck. Comcast doesn’t care because the call was
answered so they weren’t fined by the government and it lowers the agents close
rate so they don’t have to pay the agent very much in commission.
In-house Agents are required to ask you about all
services offered by Comcast Xfinity. In
fact, Comcast pays a third party company to listen to 5-6 random calls from
each in-house agent monthly and the calls are graded. The agent’s shift rankings, pay increases,
promotions, etc. are based on these grades.
Unfortunately, most of the customer service complaints actually come
from Comcast’s third party vendors but the company takes it out on their
in-house employees. The Comcast Agent’s
hands are largely tied regarding what they can and cannot help you with.
Sales Agents cannot remove things from your account. There is a separate department for adding
service to an account (Sales) and a separate department for taking them off
(Loyalty). You cannot call in and
instantly get routed to Loyalty- someone has to transfer you to their
department.
Be sure to share this with your friends… they’ll likely be very grateful you did.
Be sure to share this with your friends… they’ll likely be very grateful you did.
Inside Secrets of Comcast Xfinity's Customer Service
*** COMCAST CUSTOMER
SERVICE ***
If you place an order and are given a Confirmation Number
instead of an Account Number your order was taken by a third-party vendor and
not a real Comcast employee. It takes
24-48 hours for these orders to get entered into Comcast’s system and
installation dates/times provided with these orders are not guaranteed. If you call in to modify an order before the
48 hour timeframe it’s highly likely your order will not be in the system.
Comcast hires third-party vendors for everything. They take overflow calls, they install
(contractors), they’re outside Walmart and Best Buy, they manage Comcast’s
sales web site, they manage a large part of the Company’s IVR (phone system
when you call in). For security reasons,
vendors do not have access to all of the tools and information that In-house
Comcast employees have.
Agents selling Comcast service outside of Walmart and
Best Buy are NOT actual Comcast employees – they are third-party vendors. You
can call in and get routed to a vendor and not know it. Orders placed through Comcast.com are all
handled through a third-party vendor.
Comcast doesn’t have an actual “Customer Service”
department. They expect all departments
to provide “customer service.” Comcast has
residential Sales, Billing and Technical Support departments. If you call in for a Tech ETA, to report a
down line, check the status of construction, etc. you are most likely being
transferred to the sales department.
Sales can see very little activity in other departments and communicates
with other departments via ticket system.
The Comcast agent and the customer both have no direct phone number for
calling the other departments.
Demanding to speak with a supervisor will most likely not
yield the result you are looking for.
For example, when you call in you most likely end up with the Sales
Department which has little control over scheduling (they can only see future
appointments). Asking to speak with a
supervisor is a waste of time because supervisors cannot see anything different
than the agent you are speaking with and supervisors can also only submit a
ticket. They have access to the same
scheduling system and can only input a ticket to dispatch.
The agents that route tickets to dispatch, construction
and other departments regularly close tickets without any actual resolution
thereby causing a bad customer experience and generating another unnecessary
call back into Comcast for the customer.
The internal ticket system has strict limitations and requirements as to
what qualifies for a ticket so agents submit tickets as best they can to take
care of customers but the reason for the ticket might not “quality” per the
ticket system so the ticket gets closed. For example, if a ticket is submitted for what
would make sense as a technician “go-back” requiring a tech to go back to your
home (system requires this must be same day as appointment only) but the agent *routing*
the ticket thinks it should have been submitted as a different ticket- rather
than taking care of the customer and getting the request to the right
department or just handling the request they simply close the ticket. If you
haven’t received a call-back from Comcast within 4 hours of having the ticket
entered then you should call back in to make sure the ticket wasn’t closed.
Comcast agents cannot see your technicians ETA on the day
of installation. They can only see the 2
hour appointment arrival window, which you can check online or through the
Xfinity My Account app. Only customers
can get their technicians ETA through the Xfinity My Account app which can be pre-activated and used prior to
installation. Comcast provides customers
with a 2 hour arrival window when you place your initial order and you are
expected to have someone over the age of 18 at home during this timeframe. You can reschedule
online without having to call in to reschedule.
Comcast does not generally offer same day or next day
appointments for professional installation.
Call with the expectation that it might be a week before your service is
installed. Plan ahead when you want a
technician to come to your home- technician availability is usually about a
week out. Self-Installation may be an
option if your address qualifies and you are capable of doing so.
Understand if a Comcast agent is telling you a technician
is required then it is probably required.
Agents (Sales, installers, etc.) get paid for installing orders so it’s
to the agent’s financial advantage to get your service installed as quickly as
possible – they would rather set you up with a self-install if it is an option
so your order closes quickly rather than waiting for an installer to do the
work. An in-house Comcast agent is not
going to recommend a technician installation if you can do it yourself quicker.
Be sure to share this with your friends… they’ll likely be very grateful you did.
Be sure to share this with your friends… they’ll likely be very grateful you did.
Price Quotes for New Comcast Xfinity Service
*** COMCAST PRICE QUOTES /
NEW XFINITY SERVICE ***
If you call in to Comcast to get a service quote, the
offer you are given is only valid on the call with the agent giving you the
quote at that time. If you want that
offer you should have the agent put the order into the system to hold it. It’s likely you could get a different package
or even higher rate if you elect to call back in as offers change regularly,
agents have access to different offers, interpret equipment you need
differently, etc. You are not financially
obligated until 30 days after the installation since Comcast offers a 30 Day
Money Back Guarantee.
Comcast requires any past due balances and deposits
($100-$200, refundable after 12 months) be paid prior to starting new service.
Comcast is the fastest high speed internet service
provider in the United States offering downloads up to 2 GBps according to
Ookla Speedtest.net
CenturyLink and many other service providers are DSL and
may require a phone line to get internet service OR require the phone line to
get the $19.99 advertised Internet rate.
CenturyLink DSL is slow- with many customers reporting speeds up to
1.5mbps (not 20mbps advertised) and CenturyLink knows it so they offer a $20
monthly price with a 5 year contract to entice customers more focused on price
which sounds enticing but once you realize how slow their internet is, it’s too
late to switch and you’re stuck in their contract. Not everyone gets slow speeds with
CenturyLink but eventually you may cap out at their offered speeds and will
need to switch to another provider. It
is easy for the average home user to need speeds faster than CenturyLink can
offer.
Don’t call in to only order only Internet service. You are wasting your time because you can sign up online faster and don't have to be hassled by the agent about all of Comcast's other services. The agent you speak with on the phone doesn’t
get paid commission for signing you up for Internet-only service and will
generally charge you more for monthly service and installation. Sign up for Internet-only service
online. Only call in to sign up if you
have your own modem, know your home is Comcast-ready and you want to
self-activate and are ready to start using the internet service on the same
call.
Be sure to share this with your friends… they’ll be grateful you did.
Be sure to share this with your friends… they’ll be grateful you did.
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