Visitor

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4 Messages

Thursday, May 28th, 2026 5:44 AM

Surprise $100 Technician Recovery Fee after a service move

I recently transferred my Xfinity service to a new address and just found a $100 Technician Recovery Fee on my bill. I attempted self-installation as instructed, but the internet wouldn't work — it turned out the cable wiring inside the new unit hadn't been properly connected (an internal line/transmitter issue that was already there when I moved in). The technician fixed it on Xfinity's end; nothing was wrong with my equipment or my self-install.

I was never told during the transfer setup or when scheduling the technician that a $100 fee would apply, and the underlying problem was pre-existing.

It's almost 3 times the price of my monthly payment.

I'd like to request that this fee be waived. Could someone from the support team take a look? Happy to provide account details privately.

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Official Employee

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947 Messages

3 days ago

Good morning @user_k7q6xw, and thanks for reaching out to us on the Xfinity forums, I hope this message finds you well. I am sorry to hear about the charges on the bill for the tech recovery, I know getting an extra charge on the bill is never something you want to see on a bill, but you have come to the right place for assistance. When a new account is set up with a self install, part of the terms state that if a self installation is not successful for any reason, then there will be a tech scheduled with a fee like it would have been if the account was set up as a professional install, with any cost associated to the self install, like shipping fees, automatically waived. 

Visitor

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4 Messages

@XfinityJeff

Thanks, but I'm honestly not satisfied with this response — it's restating the general policy rather than addressing my specific situation. The policy hinges on an unsuccessful self-installation, but my self-install wasn't the failure point. The equipment I installed worked fine. A technician was required only because the cable wiring inside the unit was never connected on Xfinity's side — a pre-existing infrastructure defect that existed before I touched anything. "Unsuccessful for any reason" shouldn't cover problems the customer had no part in creating and no way to fix.

If the response continues to be a restatement of policy rather than an actual review of what happened, I'll file an informal complaint with the FCC. 

Official Employee

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4K Messages

Thanks for reaching back out, and we appreciate your feedback! If the installation is unsuccessful due to needing an outlet activation, there would be a professional installation fee applied. We always offer the self-installation first to help with avoiding professional installation charges when we can; however, if the self-installation is not successful, it would require a visit. Hope this helps! Let us know if you have any additional questions. We are happy to help! 

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Visitor

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4 Messages

@XfinityJeniece

Thanks, but this response confirms my point rather than answering it. You've stated that the fee applies when the installation requires an outlet activation — but outlet activation is work performed on Xfinity's infrastructure, not on anything I installed or could have installed myself. By definition, the self-install couldn't succeed because the outlet wasn't active on your end before I moved in. Charging a "self-installation failure" fee for a problem that existed before I touched the equipment isn't reasonable.

I've now explained this twice without anyone reviewing my actual account or the technician's notes. If the next response is another restatement of policy rather than a real review, I'll be filing an informal complaint with the FCC. I'd much prefer to resolve this here — please pull the account and the tech's notes.

Visitor

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4 Messages

I want to restate that, at no point during the service transfer setup, the technician scheduling, or any pre-visit communication was I informed that a $100 Technician Recovery Fee would apply — and the FCC's Broadband Consumer Labels require ISPs to disclose one-time fees before a customer authorizes service. Hiding a charge until after the fact and then refusing to review it is unprofessional and frankly indistinguishable from a scam. Remove the fee, or I'm filing an FCC complaint.

Official Employee

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4K Messages

 

Thanks for your feedback, and I will definitely make sure that information is submitted. We always offer the self-installation option to help our customers avoid the professional installation cost. If there were never Comcast services established at your address, you would need to have the professional install, and it would come at a $100 fee. 

 

 

I would be happy to take a look at the tech appointment notes on our end. Feel free to send over a Direct Message with your full name and your full address. 

 

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I am an Official Xfinity Employee.
Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.
Was your question answered? Please, mark a reply as the Accepted Answer.tick

Visitor

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1 Message

16 hours ago

I had the same issue. The lady told me my new address was already set up and I could just do self install. Self install didn’t work, because come to find out… the address wasn’t set up for service. I would’ve just gone with a different provider had I know I would get charged $100…

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