Constant ping spikes now internet completely dropping

Throughout the entire time I've had Xfinity internet, I've tolerated occasional ping spikes of over 500ms, about once every 30 minutes, because it only really mattered while I was gaming. Recently, this problem has worsened to the point where I have no internet connection at all during these occasional spikes, and they persist longer now about 10 seconds now. I need to speak to a real person about this. Please help.