View Full Version : AGGGHHHH!!!! COMCAST!!!! AGGHHHH!
Kid_Again
03-09-07, 11:03 AM
where's sam kinnison when you need him?
i am SOL with broadband at home and now i have intermittant cable TV service......this stretches back a few years when i couldn't get a quality tv signal but now i've lost the whole damn thing....
...i've had EASILY 12 service calls on this and all the guys agree on one thing, i don't have a strong signal coming into the house and now, apparantly, i don't have a decent signal back out...this last guy said the only way he can think of fixing the problem is to have COMCAST drop a new line from the pole to my house...
...over the years, it became comical when i would watch each tech come in and say "your internal wiring is all wrong", and the next guy would rewire it to where to guy two instances before him left it...they just moved wires around randomly but it would ALWAYS fix the problem for a few months....
...when this last guy left, not only did i not have broadband, i lost the video signal throughout the house....i unplugged the coax and turned off each box, when everything powered up, I had an acceptable video signal, no ON DEMAND (makes sense becasue they say i have no detectable outgoing signal)...but last night everything crapped out and i haven't had time to figure out the last problem
...can't WAIT for verizon to get TV on the fiber optic line they just dropped but i just started calling them for information and what a bunch of turds they are...
...geez, any thoughts about my current problems:ohnoes
Kid_Again
03-09-07, 12:55 PM
yeah, that's what VNV is saying to me....but maybe not for the internet access...out my way, verizon wants $49.99 per month for 20MbPS/5 and $39.99 per month for 10/2 which is not bad...
btw, verizon, here's what you can do with your activation fee ->:finger
68Roadster
03-09-07, 01:02 PM
We kept having trouble with cable as well.....cable modem would drop out at inopportune times and tv pic would get fuzzy.....at next door neighbors house and mine!
Would call them up and the y would get to us when they could...crappy service....always end up with some kid who knew nothing more than how to run a new line fromt he box to the house....finally after about the third time they got an experienced tech out there who decided to shoot the line from way up the street to our common box....told them that the city had been digging around there to put in sewer for new house across street. Come to find out that the line had been nicked and every time it rained the cable signals would diminish...finally ran a new line down the street to our box. Took 'em 3 months to bury it though....dropped cable modem service in mean time, not worth the hassle, DSL has been a bit slower but flawless...
Tell 'em to send someone out with a clue and shoot the line from the source....
Kid_Again
03-10-07, 03:27 PM
yup, i bet you're right, the problem's in the line to the house....
...in the meantime, had VNV and my son (the computer geek) spec out Direct TV systems in combination with verizon fios internet...still need a few weeks to do the research...by that time, comcast may have dropped a new line:boogie
John Robinson
03-10-07, 05:19 PM
I just dropped Comcast for AT&T. Yup they have TV and Broadband service. My TV picture is twice as good as it ever was with Comcast. The up side is that I pay the same per month for AT&T as I did for Comcast and get 190 Channels against 80. The broadband cost me $20.00 a month and after not having anything but 26400 dial up for the last 15 years this is great. The service I had put in is called Uverse. No I do not have a dish with this set up it comes in through the phone as a wireless hook up. I did have a quality issue and called their service people and they fixed my problem from 2 states away with their computer changing were my signal came from (Cool:D )
bossvette
03-10-07, 08:03 PM
I have directv and hughes (Satellite internet), the directv is great except in thunder storms ;LOL the internet is better then dial-up which is the only other thing availabe out here in the boonies. Cant get DSL the phone lines are the oldest in the state ;LOL
Kid_Again
03-10-07, 10:33 PM
..believe it or not, even though i live in the most populous state in the union, i live in the sticks....no city water, septic system and propane heat....i think the closest telco switch is 'WAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY over there somewhere.....
yeah, VNV loves those hughes direct tv boxes.....
at&t huh? i'll check that out also
thanks!
Kid_Again
03-11-07, 07:38 AM
at&t is not available in my area
think i'll just put up a tv antenna just like dad did 40 years ago
bossvette
03-11-07, 10:13 AM
we used to get both Philly and New York stations with a good antenna back in the days before comcast ;LOL
seriously directv is the way to go I'd give them a call and tell them that you are getting annoyed with cable and wonder of they can compete; they are trying to pull customers from cable and just might give you a sweeter deal; you will have to sign up for a couple of years to get the equipment for free.
the only problem I have had with them was with local channels and that may have been my Wifes unwillingness to pay $5.00 for them ;LOL
we used to get both West Coast and East coast networks until the local channels put up a stink then they were blocked off (because we were just less then 50 miles from a broadcast station) this year before Daytona I called and went up the food chain and got the local channels added. It required a new dish and box. The first guy I talked to didn't realize that, low level tech support.;shrug
6 Shooter
03-11-07, 08:24 PM
http://i17.tinypic.com/2rxtnip.jpg
68Roadster
03-12-07, 10:03 AM
think i'll just put up a tv antenna just like dad did 40 years ago
...next thing ya know, you'll be getting up off the couch to change channels!
now I'm showing my age!
...geez, any thoughts about my current problems:ohnoes
My son is a sub-contractor installer for Comcast here in So. Fla. After the new drop is run from the pole to the house, ask for an amplifier to be installed where the cable enters your home. The amp will require a power source. I had spotty service too, because I was at the end of a line and the amp improved things quite a bit. Its not always perfect but much better.
Pseudomind
03-12-07, 11:55 AM
where's sam kinnison when you need him?
i am SOL with broadband at home and now i have intermittant cable TV service......this stretches back a few years when i couldn't get a quality tv signal but now i've lost the whole damn thing....
...i've had EASILY 12 service calls on this and all the guys agree on one thing, i don't have a strong signal coming into the house and now, apparantly, i don't have a decent signal back out...this last guy said the only way he can think of fixing the problem is to have COMCAST drop a new line from the pole to my house...
...over the years, it became comical when i would watch each tech come in and say "your internal wiring is all wrong", and the next guy would rewire it to where to guy two instances before him left it...they just moved wires around randomly but it would ALWAYS fix the problem for a few months....
...when this last guy left, not only did i not have broadband, i lost the video signal throughout the house....i unplugged the coax and turned off each box, when everything powered up, I had an acceptable video signal, no ON DEMAND (makes sense becasue they say i have no detectable outgoing signal)...but last night everything crapped out and i haven't had time to figure out the last problem
...can't WAIT for verizon to get TV on the fiber optic line they just dropped but i just started calling them for information and what a bunch of turds they are...
...geez, any thoughts about my current problems:ohnoes
It could be an issue with the cable from the pole to the house, but my money is that it is the main cable going to the pole. The cable feeding your system, main trunk cable.
I kicked Comcast broadband to the curb for the same reason, switched to Clearwire - not as fast but much more reliable. Usually don't have on-demand, just never have had a really good signal at our home for no apparent reason... you'd think after enough trips out they would consider the cost of equipment/wiring versus labor. In the mean time I continue evaluating alternate TV sources. $90 for nothing really extra except HD. All in good time, my pretty... all in good time.
Hey Shooter..... I like the Moonshine hanging from the tripod. Nice touch :D
.......... nut
Evolution1980
03-13-07, 12:02 PM
GRRRRRRRR!!!!! :mad Yesterday I had this nice, long technical post for you to read and digest. And when I hit the {Submit} button, the site had been taken down and the internet gods wouldn't let me go back to recover my text. I guess I'll try to summarize for you.
1) Cable internet is going to be your fastest and typically most reliable service. Get your lines fixed once and for all. The cable company should be able to do signal strength checks at the pole, at the junction box into your house, and at a termination point in your house. Somewhere the signal will drop off. Find it and get that segment replaced.
2) Whomever at Verizon told you you can get 20Mb/s or even 10Mb/s over DSL is on crack. You can't even get that on cable. Hell, one can barely achieve 20Mb/s over a dedicated 100Mb home network. The fastest DSL I've ever seen clocked in around 125KB/s, which equals 1Mb/s. My cable connection at home has occasionally seen 600KB/s, which is 4.8Mb/s. Someone at Verizon doesn't know one or more of the following 1) the difference between Megabytes ("MB"), Megabits ("Mb"), Kilobytes ("KB"), and Kilobits ("Kb"). 2) The theoretical -vs- actual limits of various broadband technologies 3) TCP/IP architecture and inherent limits.
3) Satellite is somewhat of a "line of sight" technology. Clouds and other atmospheric conditions can impact your signal. And don't buy into all the hype about the excellence of "digital delivery / content / signals / picture quality / blah blah blah". It has to be the biggest duping of the people ever when it comes to technologies!
The 20Mbps speeds are with the new FiOS fiber service. Some confusion about the technology and also it's availability.
Leon
Evolution1980
03-13-07, 02:09 PM
The 20Mbps speeds are with the new FiOS fiber service. Some confusion about the technology and also it's availability.Leon, thanks for that heads up. I wasn't aware of FiOS. I just did some research on it. Definitely sounds nice! Although one guy showed a supposed screen capture from Speakeasy's speed test which showed him having a downstream of over 15000K (121Mb/s). He'd have to have a gigabit NIC in his PC to achieve that. Of course, that's not all that uncommon, but...man, I'd have to see 121Mb/s downstream with my own eyes to believe it being in someone's house and not a dedicated or fractional T1 line. (Man, technology is moving fast! And I'm in this darn field! :L :L)
And I can't believe the price they are charging...it's a steal! I'm definitely going to be keeping my eyes open to see if Time-Warner (formerly Adelphia and tons of other cable companies) is going to roll out something like this. Or, I may just switch given that I only have cable for internet. I don't actually watch TV at all.
Thanks again for that heads up!
6 Shooter
03-13-07, 02:32 PM
3) Satellite is somewhat of a "line of sight" technology. Clouds and other atmospheric conditions can impact your signal. And don't buy into all the hype about the excellence of "digital delivery / content / signals / picture quality / blah blah blah". It has to be the biggest duping of the people ever when it comes to technologies!
HughesNet (http://www.direcway.bz/orderhughesnet.html), Dishnet (http://www.dishnet.dishontheweb.com/), DIRECTV (http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/index.jsp) and Cellular Phones (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Cellular+Phones): They're all Smoke and Mirrors (http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h190/Morphthecat/web-smoke-mirrors-banner.jpg).
:upthumbs
Evolution1980
03-13-07, 02:46 PM
HughesNet (http://www.direcway.bz/orderhughesnet.html), Dishnet (http://www.dishnet.dishontheweb.com/), DIRECTV (http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/index.jsp) and Cellular Phones (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Cellular+Phones): They're all Smoke and Mirrors (http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h190/Morphthecat/web-smoke-mirrors-banner.jpg).
:upthumbs
I didn't elaborate on it because it's a different topic than what this thread is about, IMHO. I wasn't looking to hijack it. But, yes, I could give a very long diatribe about why all these "digital picture quality" are simply not yet as good as their current land-based or analog alternatives. (Keywords: "digital media", "data streams", "compression algorithms", and "bandwidth") Just because the industry touts it doesn't mean it's better. And streaming video is a verrry different beast than audio, if you were thinking of making a comparison. :cool
Verizon dug the living bejesus out of my beautiful yard last year, placed junction boxes damn near every 50 feet (and managed to ding one of my 110 Volt power cables that just happened to finally crap out in the middle of winter) and they are offering FiOS with a phone, internet and TV package. Our Comcast service has basically been fine except if you like "dart board" pricing. My bill seems to magically change by a few dollars every month. They are offering this "wonderful promotional package for 1 year). What they are NOT telling me is what it's going to hit me in the pocket AFTER the year is up. I'm thinking on it. But I'll likely stick with what I have until I see what my nutty neighbor thinks of his new Verizon "deal".
........... nut
Evolution1980
03-14-07, 12:58 PM
Our Comcast service has basically been fine except if you like "dart board" pricing. My bill seems to magically change by a few dollars every month. You might want to call their customer service. With Adelphia (now TimeWarner), I can qualify for deals every 6 months. Of course, they never tell you this. Why should they tell you that you can save money every month? So anyways, every 6 months I call up and see what I qualify for. Last time it was 50% of internet service bill for 6 months. This time it's just $10 for 12 months. But hey, $10/month is $10/month!
Doesn't cost ya anything but time to call 'em and see if there's any deals you can get in on.
John Robinson
03-14-07, 01:30 PM
You might want to call their customer service. With Adelphia (now TimeWarner), I can qualify for deals every 6 months. Of course, they never tell you this. Why should they tell you that you can save money every month? So anyways, every 6 months I call up and see what I qualify for. Last time it was 50% of internet service bill for 6 months. This time it's just $10 for 12 months. But hey, $10/month is $10/month!
Doesn't cost ya anything but time to call 'em and see if there's any deals you can get in on.
The question comes to mind if they can operate by giving that kind of discount if you call and beg for it why can't they just make that the price to everyone? It seems they have taken lessons from the oil company's and stick it to you for all they can get not what they need to make a decent profit.:mad
You might want to call their customer service. With Adelphia (now TimeWarner), I can qualify for deals every 6 months. Of course, they never tell you this. Why should they tell you that you can save money every month? So anyways, every 6 months I call up and see what I qualify for. Last time it was 50% of internet service bill for 6 months. This time it's just $10 for 12 months. But hey, $10/month is $10/month!
Doesn't cost ya anything but time to call 'em and see if there's any deals you can get in on.
Surprisingly in a major metropolitan area I have only two cable choices. Comcast and now Verizon. there's three or four satellite choices but Adelphia is not an option. Satellite is out for me having way too many old wood trees blocking more of the birds and for the other reasons mentioned by others. I'm always looking out for another cable deal.
thx................. nut
bossvette
03-15-07, 08:21 AM
What I don't understand is I get cell phone reception at my house, but I can't get wireless internet (due to a patch of woods) my phone lines are copper so no DSL and forget fios ;LOL
Why can't high speed internet be done like cell phones?
Kid_Again
03-15-07, 04:40 PM
since i don't have internet access at home any more IT'S DIFFICULT TO LOG INTO THE CAC
...anyway, here's what i did (propelled by discussions with VNV and my son the computer geek).....
..i finally called verizon FiOS and signed up for the "double play" package which gives me high speed 20/5 plus unlimited continental US phone usage on one of my land lines (verizon does our phones)...the total price will be about the same as i pay for comcast broadband plus my current telephone bills..i asked for, and got, a waiver on all the activation, installation and humjob costs so this is my dead net cost
...best thing is that they scheduled the installation for 3/28 (they could have actually done it this weekend because they had a hole to fill in the schedule but i MUST help VNV with his hood...VNV, calm down, i'm exaggerating, couldn't be home anyway)....
...meanwhile, back at Comcast, the people are helpful but absolutely clueless...
....FiOS TV is not yet available in my area because, i was told, they have so many subscribers that they can not keep up with the current demand...whatever....they MAY be up by mid-april, by which time I may still not see a Comcast truck......
....it MAY be 'hasta la vista baby for comcast in the 'ol Kid household
....hmmmmm, maybe i could host the CAC with that kind of bandwidth;squint:
Evolution1980
03-15-07, 04:55 PM
since i don't have internet access at home any more... it's...dx..G..f...*FHn2fcu...t...og...d8AC I'm sorry, what was that? The last part got a little jumbled. I didn't quite catch it... :L
Kid_Again
03-15-07, 04:58 PM
'zactly:W
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