Is Comcast going to implode? - Page 2

Alidar Jarok · September 15 2009, 09:17 PM

My job has dish network. When it rains, we lose reception. Plus we don't get local sports teams.

To be honest, as long as comcast dominates sports broadcasts, it'll do fine no matter how much it sucks.

Harvey · September 15 2009, 09:19 PM

Well, as an occasional Comcast customer, I wouldn't mind it if they imploded. Their cable service sucks, and their internet has always been dodgy. Then again, so was whoever provided the same service in this area before them.

pookha · September 16 2009, 03:37 AM

Robert Maxwell wrote:

Er, all those things point to Comcast actually doing very well. If they can provide shitty service while making you pay through the nose, business is good.

I hate Comcast, but they seem to be doing just fine.

i dont know.
i just turned in my cable box today and for every person getting equpment there were three or more turning stuff in.

around here comcast service has just been awful.
there was a period of time it was like playing roulette whether the channel you wanted to watch would be on or not.
and they would not prorate your bill for the time that service was messed up.
and pretty par for the course they didnt ask why i was canceling the cable.

JonathonWally · September 16 2009, 03:44 AM

EnterpriseF wrote:

Sheep wrote:

Cancel or downgrade your service if they really piss you off that much. The only way to make them take note is to affect their bottom line. All the bitching in the world means exactly nothing.

I did so after getting fed up with their cable TV prices increasing literally every 4-6 months with absolutely no enhancements that mattered to me. I dropped down to high-speed internet only with them and I've been just fine with OTA HD TV signals for my TV fix.

I was actually going to try the old "I'll switch to the D*sh network" to see if they'll go down in price.

Do it, I did it with Optimum, my cable provider, I mentioned Verizon's TV thing and they cut my bill by a decent amount.

Ar-Pharazon · September 16 2009, 05:14 AM

I have DISH network, and it takes a substantially powerful storm to interrupt the service, and then only for the amount of time it takes for the front of that storm to pass. I think as long as it's aligned as well as possible, it's going to be OK.
Never had trouble in the winter, which we've had 2 very bad ones the last 2 years.

I ended up getting Comcast high speed internet for $60/month, only because it's the highest speed option (8mb now). DISH had a sattelite option, but I think it was only 1.5mb (or something like that).

If you're gonna hit a company for their ridiculous or downright stupid commercials, it's going to be a long rant.

Spot's Meow · September 16 2009, 07:50 AM

I wish so so badly that there was an alternative in my area to Comcast. We can't get satellite because we live in an apartment complex and the signal would not work from our balcony anyway. Comcast is a hugely sucky company and nothing they offer is reliable in any way. I can't even access On Demand 85% of the time...I have to unplug the whole system from the wall and plug it back in then wait 20 minutes to use it. And that of course causes the guide to empty out. Fucking stupid.

The biggest factors in which apartment we choose to live in next time we move will be whether it has a washer and dryer and if it will be an acceptable location for receiving satellite. I love my TV and movies and Comcast is fucking it up.

Robert Maxwell · September 16 2009, 12:25 PM

pookha wrote:

Robert Maxwell wrote:

Er, all those things point to Comcast actually doing very well. If they can provide shitty service while making you pay through the nose, business is good.

I hate Comcast, but they seem to be doing just fine.

i dont know.
i just turned in my cable box today and for every person getting equpment there were three or more turning stuff in.

around here comcast service has just been awful.
there was a period of time it was like playing roulette whether the channel you wanted to watch would be on or not.
and they would not prorate your bill for the time that service was messed up.
and pretty par for the course they didnt ask why i was canceling the cable.

Here is the most recent article I could find, which shows profits are up despite fewer subscribers. Subscribers are declining because we're in a recession, of course, but also because Comcast is jacking up prices. Subscribers were increasing as late as Q1 this year.

This is probably the most interesting part:

The number of (new) Internet subscribers plummeted 77%, and the number of video and television customers dropped as well. Furthermore, ad revenues continued to fall, dropping 20%, as advertisers have been more reluctant to advertise in this economy.

Teelie · September 17 2009, 10:56 PM

I hate monopolies, especially ones run under inefficient, ineffective and deceitful ones like Comcast's. True few monopolies are ever good or beneficial to their customers but Comcast is an example of a particularly bad one even by the standard.

mredom · September 18 2009, 12:07 AM

I've had Directv for about 7 years now. I have been extremely happy with the price and the service. Do I like everything-no, but I don't think that's ever going to happen.

I wouldn't subscribe to Comcast if it was the only thing I could get. I would rather just watch dvd's and internet feeds than deal with the Comcast customer service and pricing.

T'Girl · September 20 2009, 04:41 AM

Hate comcast. paying over hunderd for cable and internet. since going to digital ( oh wow ) you now have to use the cable box, which makes it hard to record lots of different channels on the multiple VCRs I use. pain in the ass really.

who has direct tv, does rain interfear with the signal? got trees acrss the street how bout that?

cylkoth · September 20 2009, 06:39 AM

Soon, ConCrap-as well as other cable cos, will be reducing basic cable service down to a bare minimum 22 channels, mostly, the local broadcast stations, and a few low rent basic networks. The AVS forum (avsforum.com) is filled with posts from around the country mentioning ConCrap switching to a predominantly digital model, where they provide you with 1 or 2 cheap jack free QAM tuner like boxes to unscramble the Extended Basic tier.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1170940

Robert Maxwell · September 20 2009, 06:39 AM

I have Dish Network and unless it is raining like crazy--and I mean raining so hard you're worrying about flash flood warnings--the signal comes in crystal clear. The days where any stray raindrops nuke your signal are long gone. If the dish is installed properly, it takes a damn ferocious storm to knock out the signal, and even then it'll only be until that part of it passes.

Mr. Laser Beam · September 20 2009, 07:38 AM

^ What about the dish being physically knocked off your roof? That's always a risk during a storm, innit?

And don't you still have to have two dishes - one for normal service and one for local channels?

Ar-Pharazon · September 20 2009, 08:01 AM

^ Chicagoland area here (DISH). I have 1 dish and get all the locals and the"Americas 200" (or whatever the number is now).

A second dish would only be necessary if I wanted 2 (I think) more local channels (1 Spanish language and 1 low end public TV channel), neither of which I care about. This is due to (for some reason) those routing through a different satellite.

And yeah, it's always possible for high winds to knock anything down, mine is on a 2nd floor apartment balcony, so it's kinda protected.

And like I mentioned earlier, I only lose reception when an extremely powerful storm is first passing through, usually before the rain even starts. Just during that first dark front hitting. It just has to be aligned as well as possible.

thedude · September 20 2009, 04:49 PM

You guys who have Comcast in Chicago, just be happy you don't have to deal with them in Central Illinois. They used to be Insight here until about 2 years ago, and they're still trying to figure all the wiring out. When I first got high speed at my townhome it would go out every time it rained, and every Friday at 5:30 PM, usually until about an hour before the tech could get there Saturday at 3 PM. Then they never found a problem, so couldn't do anything. It wasn't until a senior tech came out from Indiana did they realize this was affecting everyone on the block, and I was the only one calling about it. There was a "standing waveform loopback" in the wire from the main street, and it was cancelling out service for everyone at peak loads...

Oh, and to top it all off, they're closing the Peoria office, so now tech support loads will increase even further.

And to top it off, I'm paying over $100 for 10 Mbit service, with about 25 or 30 HD channels... I don't even watch standard def TV anymore, buy they refuse to offer any competitive deals with what Dish and DirecTV offer with all HD for like $30/month. So I'm just going to cancel TV now that baseball is over and just get all my TV shows elsewhere...

September 15 2009, 09:17 PM	#16
Alidar Jarok Everything in moderation but moderation Location: Arlington, VA	Re: Is Comcast going to implode? My job has dish network. When it rains, we lose reception. Plus we don't get local sports teams. To be honest, as long as comcast dominates sports broadcasts, it'll do fine no matter how much it sucks. __________________ When on Romulus, Do as the Romulans

September 15 2009, 09:19 PM	#17
Harvey Admiral	Re: Is Comcast going to implode? Well, as an occasional Comcast customer, I wouldn't mind it if they imploded. Their cable service sucks, and their internet has always been dodgy. Then again, so was whoever provided the same service in this area before them. __________________ "What do you hear, Starbuck?" "Nothing but the rain, sir." "Then grab your gun and bring in the cat."

September 16 2009, 05:14 AM	#20
Ar-Pharazon Admiral of the Rear	Re: Is Comcast going to implode? I have DISH network, and it takes a substantially powerful storm to interrupt the service, and then only for the amount of time it takes for the front of that storm to pass. I think as long as it's aligned as well as possible, it's going to be OK. Never had trouble in the winter, which we've had 2 very bad ones the last 2 years. I ended up getting Comcast high speed internet for $60/month, only because it's the highest speed option (8mb now). DISH had a sattelite option, but I think it was only 1.5mb (or something like that). If you're gonna hit a company for their ridiculous or downright stupid commercials, it's going to be a long rant.

September 16 2009, 07:50 AM	#21
Spot's Meow Vice Admiral Location: California	Re: Is Comcast going to implode? I wish so so badly that there was an alternative in my area to Comcast. We can't get satellite because we live in an apartment complex and the signal would not work from our balcony anyway. Comcast is a hugely sucky company and nothing they offer is reliable in any way. I can't even access On Demand 85% of the time...I have to unplug the whole system from the wall and plug it back in then wait 20 minutes to use it. And that of course causes the guide to empty out. Fucking stupid. The biggest factors in which apartment we choose to live in next time we move will be whether it has a washer and dryer and if it will be an acceptable location for receiving satellite. I love my TV and movies and Comcast is fucking it up. __________________ Time present and time past are both perhaps present in time future. And time future contained in time past. —T.S. Eliot

September 17 2009, 10:56 PM	#23
Teelie Vice Admiral	Re: Is Comcast going to implode? I hate monopolies, especially ones run under inefficient, ineffective and deceitful ones like Comcast's. True few monopolies are ever good or beneficial to their customers but Comcast is an example of a particularly bad one even by the standard.

STAR TREK

CSI

ABOUT US

September 18 2009, 12:07 AM	#24
mredom Lieutenant Commander	Re: Is Comcast going to implode? I've had Directv for about 7 years now. I have been extremely happy with the price and the service. Do I like everything-no, but I don't think that's ever going to happen. I wouldn't subscribe to Comcast if it was the only thing I could get. I would rather just watch dvd's and internet feeds than deal with the Comcast customer service and pricing.

September 20 2009, 04:41 AM	#25
T'Girl Vice Admiral	Re: Is Comcast going to implode? Hate comcast. paying over hunderd for cable and internet. since going to digital ( oh wow ) you now have to use the cable box, which makes it hard to record lots of different channels on the multiple VCRs I use. pain in the ass really. who has direct tv, does rain interfear with the signal? got trees acrss the street how bout that? __________________ . The things that come to those who wait -- will be those things left behind by those who got there first.

September 20 2009, 06:39 AM	#26
cylkoth Commodore	Re: Is Comcast going to implode? Soon, ConCrap-as well as other cable cos, will be reducing basic cable service down to a bare minimum 22 channels, mostly, the local broadcast stations, and a few low rent basic networks. The AVS forum (avsforum.com) is filled with posts from around the country mentioning ConCrap switching to a predominantly digital model, where they provide you with 1 or 2 cheap jack free QAM tuner like boxes to unscramble the Extended Basic tier. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1170940 __________________ Have spacesuit...will travel.

September 20 2009, 06:39 AM	#27
Robert Maxwell Cherry Chassis Location: The Track	Re: Is Comcast going to implode? I have Dish Network and unless it is raining like crazy--and I mean raining so hard you're worrying about flash flood warnings--the signal comes in crystal clear. The days where any stray raindrops nuke your signal are long gone. If the dish is installed properly, it takes a damn ferocious storm to knock out the signal, and even then it'll only be until that part of it passes. __________________ Your crash was, like, spectacular! My world simulation project! Also: Women and Men: Self-Image and Rape Culture

September 20 2009, 07:38 AM	#28
Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Location: The visitor's bullpen	Re: Is Comcast going to implode? ^ What about the dish being physically knocked off your roof? That's always a risk during a storm, innit? And don't you still have to have two dishes - one for normal service and one for local channels? __________________ It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed, the hands acquire shakes, the shakes become a warning. It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion.

September 20 2009, 08:01 AM	#29
Ar-Pharazon Admiral of the Rear	Re: Is Comcast going to implode? ^ Chicagoland area here (DISH). I have 1 dish and get all the locals and the"Americas 200" (or whatever the number is now). A second dish would only be necessary if I wanted 2 (I think) more local channels (1 Spanish language and 1 low end public TV channel), neither of which I care about. This is due to (for some reason) those routing through a different satellite. And yeah, it's always possible for high winds to knock anything down, mine is on a 2nd floor apartment balcony, so it's kinda protected. And like I mentioned earlier, I only lose reception when an extremely powerful storm is first passing through, usually before the rain even starts. Just during that first dark front hitting. It just has to be aligned as well as possible.

September 20 2009, 04:49 PM	#30
thedude Lieutenant Commander Location: Central Illinois	Re: Is Comcast going to implode? You guys who have Comcast in Chicago, just be happy you don't have to deal with them in Central Illinois. They used to be Insight here until about 2 years ago, and they're still trying to figure all the wiring out. When I first got high speed at my townhome it would go out every time it rained, and every Friday at 5:30 PM, usually until about an hour before the tech could get there Saturday at 3 PM. Then they never found a problem, so couldn't do anything. It wasn't until a senior tech came out from Indiana did they realize this was affecting everyone on the block, and I was the only one calling about it. There was a "standing waveform loopback" in the wire from the main street, and it was cancelling out service for everyone at peak loads... Oh, and to top it all off, they're closing the Peoria office, so now tech support loads will increase even further. And to top it off, I'm paying over $100 for 10 Mbit service, with about 25 or 30 HD channels... I don't even watch standard def TV anymore, buy they refuse to offer any competitive deals with what Dish and DirecTV offer with all HD for like $30/month. So I'm just going to cancel TV now that baseball is over and just get all my TV shows elsewhere...