zarzax the blog

My bill increased this month…

Last month my 6 month promotion with Comcast was up and bill went through the roof.  From $106.00/month to $179.00/month for 16MB internet and Preferred Digital Cable with HD.  That is an increase by 169%!

Today I called up my local Comcast branch to see what I could do.  I got a hold of a very nice fellow that insisted there was nothing I could do about cost except by slashing my services.  I slashed a Showtime subscription that had been globbed-on (for Free)  in August but was now costing me ~$17.  I also had to slash my internet down from 16MB to 12MB for a savings of ~$10.  My monthly total $148.00 for a savings of $31 at the cost of slower internet service in both download an uploads.

Continue reading for the whole story…

Then I tweeted…

I twittered my frustration with my findings in a tweet…

Off the phone with comcast. No wait to get on line with the Rep who was nice. BUT unable to cut my bill beyond me dropping everything. – zarzax 11:20 Tue 24th March 2009

Expecting nothing except a joke from my friends, eleven minutes later I received a response from @ComcastGeorge..

@zarzax email our team to have us review the bill, we_can_help@cable.comcast.com – ComcastGeorge 11:31 Tue 24th March 2009

Expecting nothing I sent my email explaining my situation. I am a student and a Comcast customer for a long time in various parts of the city (as anyone in the Twin Cities has to be).  I explained my desire to slash some cost without dropping services and the the near 169% increase was quite high.  

Something Happened…

A few hours later I got a call from Kathy at the same local Comcast branch who said that they could give me a promotional price again.  16MB Internet $39.00/month and Digital Preferred Cable with HD $39.00/month.  Also she picked up on one of my questions about the my bill.  It seems that I was charged ~$5.00/month in error since I started in August.  She slashed that and prorated the value back to me.  She said that she is not normally able to do “Back to Back” promotional discounts but in this case they are able to work with me.

Long story short… By simply tweeting to my friends, @ComcastGeorge found me, guided me to help for my quest, and pushed my local branch into working with me.  My bill will be about $92.00/month + taxes (I don’t know what they will be) for the next 6 months.  A decrease by $5.00 is expected.

Today I found myself unexpectedly happy with Comcast. I wish I could do this with my other bills.

My friends keep on tweeting your problems and maybe something good will come of it. – zarzax