6 Messages
Deceptive and unethical business practices
I am writing to formally complain about what can only be described as deceptive and unethical business practices that I recently encountered with Xfinity.
On Thursday April 4, 2024, I contacted your customer service to inquire about servicing new address. I still live and have an active cable plan at my current address. During the call with the rep, I was offered a promotion for my current plan that purportedly would increase my internet speed at a discounted price, without affecting the rest of my existing cable plan. I explicitly sought clarification from the rep multiple times about whether my current channel package would be changed. Each time, I was reassured by your representative that my cable plan would remain unchanged, and this promotion would only affect the internet speed upgrade.
The following day, I discovered that all the premium channels included in my original plan were deactivated. Upon contacting your customer service to address this discrepancy, I was informed that the premium channels were no longer part of my package and that reinstating them, along with the newly promised internet speed, would result in a higher monthly charge than my previous arrangement. This was the complete opposite of what was explained to me by the previous rep. I was told that nothing in my cable plan would change, and now Xfinity customer service was telling me that is not the case and I would now being pay more money for the exact service I had previously. You can imagine my surprise and indignation at this information. It was especially frustrating to hear Xfinity acknowledge that I was given wrong information, but they had no intention of rectifying the issue.
Despite spending over an hour on the phone with various representatives, the best resolution offered was a one-time credit, which falls significantly short of rectifying the situation. It is apparent to me that either I was grossly misinformed by your representative, or this is a calculated strategy by Xfinity to mislead customers into agreements that are less favorable than originally promised.
This situation not only reflects poorly on Xfinity’s commitment to customer satisfaction and ethical business practices but also has directly impacted my trust in your company. I would like this issue to be addressed by offering me an adjustment on my monthly statement that reflects what I was told by the representative during the call on 4/4, that I would have higher internet speed, with no other changes made to my plan.
I feel very misled by this experience, and I have contemplated escalating my complaint to consumer protection agencies, as well as terminating my services with Xfinity. Furthermore, I must express my profound dissatisfaction with the opaque and cumbersome process Xfinity employs for lodging complaints. The absence of a direct email address for customer grievances and the inefficiency of the chat support system, where "live" agents circulated in and out without resolving my concerns, suggests a systematic barrier to effective communication. I hope that posting on this forum will earn me an "invite" to have this issue addressed.
tbill1
Contributor
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597 Messages
3 months ago
I am an avid reader of these boards and I have seen this situation too many times to think these are isolated innocent mistakes.
Would love to hear if you get "made whole" in your situation.
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EG
Expert
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104.3K Messages
3 months ago
Concern moved here to the Customer Service help section for greater exposure to Comcast corporate employees (The Digital Care Team) for assistance.
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XfinityJosephA
Official Employee
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1.2K Messages
3 months ago
Hello, @Docletsirk thanks for sharing this experience. It sounds like you had a Grandfathered package that was changed or removed from your subscription. If that's the case I apologize this happened. I will be happy to double-check your account but when it comes to those types of plans there’s no way to get them back. When you have a chance send us a direct message. You can use the Direct Messaging icon at the top of the page to send your name and service address to "Xfinity Support." It's next to the bell icon on the right side of the page.
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johnmg1
Visitor
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2 Messages
3 months ago
Similar thing happened to me, although not as bad. I changed to a different Internet plan (with chat assistance) that showed a promotional rate at $30/month for 2 years, but when I received my confirmation, the email said $35/month. When I chatted again to clarify, I was told that the previous rep "made a math mistake." Let's be honest here: Comcast has a near monopoly on cable/internet in the areas they service, and are not interested in the slightest in being honest or customer focused. They also own NBC and Universal Studios. They are only interested in their bottom line profit and seeking out more $$ for the squillionaire shareholders and the C-suite.
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Docletsirk
6 Messages
3 months ago
I just submitted a complaint to the FCC and I intend to file one with my state's consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau. [Edited: "Solicitation"]
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LauraT1
1 Message
2 months ago
I will be filing a complaint with the FCC and my Dad's local BBB Branch for their fraudulent practices and taking advantage of the elderly. My Dad has been without TV for nearly a year and after talking with everyone in his senior assisted living facility, they have been experiencing the same things.
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user_29nodo
2 Messages
2 months ago
We have been trying to cancel their service for months, can’t even tell you what a nightmare that has been. The unethical business practices run deep.
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user_sdwuow
1 Message
1 month ago
I have unfortunately experienced a similarly bad experience with a rep who lied to me and [Edited: "Language"] my account.
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user_75q4pz
1 Message
1 month ago
This is by design. Xfinity does this make more money. What is described in this post can be multiplied hundred of thousands of times to millions. Do the math. Some people will switch to another provider but Verizon or any other company will do the same thing. They don't care about costumer service. That's all an illusion that Xfinity uses in it's advertising. I've tried for months to get a downgrade from a cable TV internet package to internet only but you can't do that. Xfinity won't let people control the service they are paying for. Then there are the cheap boxes and remotes they sell. I've been through 5 boxes in the last 6 years. The remotes seem to stop working after about a year or two. The remote problem is so bad that when I went to an Xfinity store they didn't have any. The store person gave a used store remote. The other thing the clerk slipped out was that the remotes that are returned are cleaned up and sent back to stores. I guess this is a good thing as it's kind of recycling. The thing is they have cheap equipment and this is all about the bottom line.
As to the Xfinity responses on the forum, they are just [Edited: "Language"] people and anything they offer is nothing more than placating people. Most people give up and that is also by design.
The only way Xfinity and the other large broadband companies will change is through federal regulation. That's not going to happen due to the millions of dollars spent lobbying Congress to keep their profits up. In the first half of 2023, lobbying expenditure by internet companies amounted to $49.69 million dollars.
I have thought of switching, but my only other option is Verizon and they are no better. Better the devil you know...
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user_jl74tg
1 Message
15 days ago
We've had almost the exact same experience in May. I called to see if I could enter a new plan and have my monthly cost reduced. I first tried the chat and got nowhere, so I requested a callback, which I received in less than a minute after being told repeatedly by the chat agent that there could be a long wait. Once on the phone, I got a very helpful agent who informed me she could keep my exact same plan, TV and Internet, and offer it for one year at a reduced rate. "Great, that's exactly what I was asking for - let's do it!" I asked multiple times if everything was the same "Yes, same internet, same TV plan" She then sent the signature request to my wife's phone, we completed the signature and endded the call. A week later when I checked in on the bill, I noticed that my internet package was reduced from 800 'super fast' to 500 'fast'. That's almost a 40% reduction in available download speed, after I was told that my plan would remain the same. I called back and got no concessions offered, simply "I'm sorry that happened sir, would you like me to put you back on the 'super fast' internet plan? It will be about $20 more per month". NO, NO, NO. I want you to honor your sales pitch and give me what you promised and the price you quoted it. I went into a physical location and got the same [Edited: "Language"]. Now my wife is going through the same thing, trying again. I warned her that her efforts were likely going to fruitless. She's been on the phone for almost an hour and I'm pretty sure nothing is going to come of it
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user_rit6u0
1 Message
7 days ago
Same thing happened to me today. Absolutely horrid practice.
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Docletsirk
6 Messages
6 days ago
UPDATE!!
My issue was eventually resolved. This is what the process looked like
- I printed and mailed this complaint to their main office
- I emailed this complaint to the office of Tom Karinshack (replies were definitely written by AI, lol)
- Sent complaints to BBB, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), my state's consumer protection agency
- I received an email from a rep in their corporate escalation department
- played some phone tag with this person (complained some more when they were not getting back to me), then eventually spoke with them.
Final result??? They switched me back to the plan I had previously. All of that to get the very outcome I asked for during that first customer service call. Sigh...
In the complaints I made sure to state what customer violations were: misrepresentation of the promotion, failure to honor original agreement, obstructive business practices, and inadequate resolution offered.
Conclusion: Be a squeaky wheel! This would not have happened if I did not keep pushing.
One more tip: READ THE FINE PRINT AT THE END OF YOUR XFINITY BILL
-- when reviewing one of my statements, I discovered the you can request the matter go to arbitration if no resolution is reached. The process is reviewed, but that's something I would have never even known about had I not been as active in this process. Channel your frustration into effective action.
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