U-Verse vs. Comcast

[Kalmado]

I, like many fellow BG'ers, have had a ton of problems with Comcast and after them screwing up again I've just had it. My area only has them and possibly WOW which I'm unfamiliar with for internet.

I have the 20mbps service from Comcast and I pay $52/month. I'm receiving a $10/month credit currently and am told I'm ineligible for anything else. We've had Comcast for over a year and we constantly have problems with the service being stable, billing, etc.

U-Verse will do 6mbps for $20/month. They say they can do $50 for the modem you must buy and will split it up with your first three payments. Price is good for 12 months and you're put on a 12 month contract.

We currently do not stream or download much, but will in the future. I do not play any online games currently but will a little bit when my new pc is created.

What can I expect for reliability, service, and support from U-Verse? Does the drop in price make up for the drop in service? Will I regret changing even though Comcast is probably ran by Lucifer?

[Azat]

In my area it was comcast or u-verse, so I picked the lesser of two evils. I've had installation nightmares when I've had it installed and then again when I moved, but this was by mistakes the installers did themselves. The customer service was good tho and got it resolved quickly.

Once everything is finally running I haven't had much problems, vary rarely signal will reset, I do maintain the speeds promised tho occasionally my speed will be throttled but I BT a lot. I ended up bundling with their tv and voip package so I didn't have to pay for a modem, while not the greatest still feels better then paying to comcast.

[Terrestrialrage]

Had U-verse for 4 years now. They had problems on their end for about 2 weeks like 3 years ago, since then we've never dropped connection. Its ridiculously stable and their customer support is usually spot on with trouble-shooting.

[Callisto]

I always feel bad, like I'm the guy who smokes two packs a day and lives to be 100, but I've had Comcast for a decade and never had any real problems that weren't due to a modem shitting out or the equipment outside getting weather-damaged; which they quickly replaced. My package is expensive, but I get what I pay for, the service is fast as shit and reliable, very few outages, maybe an hour or so total every six months, which is reasonable given the randomness of the weather here.

Never had any real customer service issues with them, just the standard annoyance of the 'okay I'm going to walk you through resetting your router' script when I've had to call.

[Kalmado]

I always feel bad, like I'm the guy who smokes two packs a day and lives to be 100, but I've had Comcast for a decade and never had any real problems that weren't due to a modem shitting out or the equipment outside getting weather-damaged; which they quickly replaced. My package is expensive, but I get what I pay for, the service is fast as shit and reliable, very few outages, maybe an hour or so total every six months, which is reasonable given the randomness of the weather here.

Never had any real customer service issues with them, just the standard annoyance of the 'okay I'm going to walk you through resetting your router' script when I've had to call.

Don't feel bad as I'm sure there are many uverse customers that could say the same. For me, I've had so many periods of outages I've lost count. A number of billing errors. Most recently I was charged for a tech visit that should have been covered. I also had to reschedule my tech visit because I didn't answer my phone two hours before my appointment so they auto-cancelled it. If it was cheap I don't think I'd complain, but for $52/month I expect more.

[xopher]

I have rock solid 50 mbps Comcast that ends up being 80 mbps most times for about 80 a month. You will never get that off Uverse.

If you're having issues and you've got a modem you know is good, harass Comcast to have someone come out and do a line test to check the physical cabling in your area

[Gryffes]

You guys get raped.
$30/mo for 80mb down 20 mb up that just works.

[Kalmado]

Everything I've read regarding comparisons of the two, most people say Comcast is superior in speed but At&t is superior in reliability. Price can go either way as we know some get lucky with extended promotions, credits, etc.

There have been periods of time where I was on Comcast's "starter" package @1.5mbps because my promo ended. The speed didn't seem that bad, but it was still around $40/month. Keep in mind I do not download much or stream currently.

[Callisto]

Comcast did also recently significantly up the speeds of their middle and high package without upping the price; also Comcast does not have bandwidth caps. Like I said, despite the high cost I always feel like I get what I pay for, you can't compete with the raw speed.

edit: And yeah, I also stream often, if that's something you're interested in you can't compete with their upload.

[Melena]

Wish I could dump comcast due to customer service issues, the latest being that when I moved they sent all my bills and payment notifications to the previous tenant. That said in the bay area u verse is even worse. I have Internet only. No more TV.

[LiquidFriend]

AT&T is a lot better here than Comcast, but that could be because they rolled fiber out further than just the node in my area.

They say they have bandwidth caps, but they haven't actually enforced them.

[xopher]

You guys get raped.
$30/mo for 80mb down 20 mb up that just works.

Yeah this is the land of the free holmes.

[nekura]

Comcast did also recently significantly up the speeds of their middle and high package without upping the price; also Comcast does not have bandwidth caps. Like I said, despite the high cost I always feel like I get what I pay for, you can't compete with the raw speed.

edit: And yeah, I also stream often, if that's something you're interested in you can't compete with their upload.

Pretty sure Comcast has a 250 GB bandwidth cap, though I'm not sure how strict they are about it.

I recently moved from Seattle, where I had Comcast, to San Diego, where my only decent option is AT&T U-Verse. Most of the issues I had with Comcast back in the day were related to hardware and I solved that problem by buying my own modem. I've only been out in SD for a little over a month but U-Verse has been okay aside from some outages near the beginning. I do have some minor issues with wireless that I could probably solve by buying my own router and connecting it to the one they gave me, but I don't care enough to do that since my primary computing is done on my wired PC. As a bonus, I have a direct line for two of the guys that do tech support for U-Verse out where I live.

Edit: Actually one thing that's kind of bad about U-Verse is their DNS servers are apparently terrible, so I switched to OpenDNS.

[xopher]

Pretty sure Comcast has a 250 GB bandwidth cap, though I'm not sure how strict they are about it.

No.

Also it says "currently suspended" and it's been that way for over a year.

[Julian]

I remember I went home for Christmas like 3-4 years ago, and I downloaded probably close to 750 GBs of stuff in that 2 week period. Comcast got super mad, turned the internet off, and after my mom cried they restored it but threatened to end the service permanently if we ever went over the 250 cap again. Yeah... (This I think was shortly after they put the cap in place, I had no fucking idea there even was a cap back then.)

But if it's currently suspended, and with no expectations on when it may return, I'd go with Comcast. I'm stuck with Cox where I live, which feels even worse. With the exception of the few good ISPs, they all suck anyway.

[Kalmado]

Per usual, Comcast said they fixed my bill but it's not showing on my current status. Chat states they will show it next month and to put my good faith forward that I can pay $40 less right now and they won't charge me a late fee, disconnect, etc. I 110% agree with anyone saying Comcasts speed is superior, but the money plus customer service is terrible. If you care to read my experience it's spoilerd. It wouldn't save properly in PDF so I had to copy/paste.

Spoiler: show

CHAT ID: 7D45E610-03AE-4D7D-8F74-2A15A0BB7628
Problem: I'm being charged for a service that I was told was covered. I called 1-800-Comcast last week and they told me the charge was waved but it's still on my bill.
Edward > Hello Mike, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Edward. Please give me one moment to review your information.
Mike > My Issue: I'm being charged for a service that I was told was covered. I called 1-800-Comcast last week and they told me the charge was waved but it's still on my bill.
Edward > Our goal is to provide you with a consistently superior customer experience – that’s our guarantee. Learn more about the Comcast Customer Guarantee at http://www.comcast.com/corporate/Cus...er%20guarantee
Edward > I understand that you have billing concern.
Mike > Yes. I want the charges removed seeing as I have the service plan and was told the service call was covered and the person I spoke with last week said she removed the charges but obviously didn't.
Edward > I am so sorry for the inconvenience. Let me check your account first. Rest assured, I will do my best to assist you today Mike.
Edward > To better assist you, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?
Mike > sure
Edward > Thank you.
Edward > I am checking your account now.
Edward > By the way, please be informed that you can view your current bill, account balance, pay bills, view services, setup automatic payments, or even go GREEN with our Comcast EcoBill! While waiting, why not take a look at everything you can do online by checking out http://customer.comcast.com
Edward > For the integrity and security of the account, can you please verify the last 4 digits of the Social Security Number listed on the account?
Mike > I already have. That's why I'm contacting you. I'm beyond angry at this point. ssn#****
Edward > Thank you.
Edward > I am sorry if you feel that way, just be cool Mike, I am here to assist you.
Edward > I see that $39.95 was already credited in your account, it will show as deduction on your next bill.
Mike > I'm not paying the $140 you are trying to charge me.
Mike > Comcast is charging me for a service that was covered by my service plan. Comcast screwed up. It should be removed IMMEDIATELY.
Edward > If you want to deduct $39.95 from the current bill, please feel free to do so.
Edward > I am so sorry but Comcast can't change any bill that is already generated since we bill one month in advance.
Mike > I want to see it reflected in the status of what I currently owe. Comcast has screwed up too many times and I do not trust your word. I want to see it in writing.
Edward > Rest assured, there will be no late fee nor service interruption if you pay the current bill LESS $39.95!
Edward > As a proof to this, you can save or print this chat later.
Mike > No. I want it in writing now. If you are scared to provide that because you do not want to be held liable that's fine.
Edward > I am not scared at all since all I am saying is the "TRUTH".
Edward > My employee ID is 36136.
Mike > That's what the rep told me before. That's what I was told before the service appointment. It's what I keep getting told.
Edward > As a proof to this, you can save or print this chat transcript Mike.
Edward > The charge was credited after the bill was generated that is why you can't see it anywhere online yet.
Edward > Its already reflected in our main billing system though. Rest assured it will be deducted from your next bill.
Edward > To recap, we confirmed that $39.95 was already credited in your account. You can deduct it from your current bill in advance with no problem at all.
Edward > Is there anything else I can help you with today?
Mike > No we haven't confirmed anything because it's not reflected in what I owe now
Mike > It is unacceptable to say it will be shown next bill.
Edward > As explained, it will not show on your bill now since we bill one month in advance.
Edward > The charge was credited only after your bill was generated/printed in our system Mike.
Edward > Please understand the process.
Mike > This is unacceptable and I will be cancelling my service with you. Comcast has had too many chances and you guys drop the ball too much.
Edward > Rest assured, $39.95 is now a credit in your account in our main billing system!
Mike > You can keep typing the same thing. It doesn't change my bill isn't being changed NOW because of COMCASTS SCREWUP.
Edward > Your issue is already FIXED!!!!!
Mike > The show it to me
Edward > That is your opinion we certainly respect that.
Mike > Show me in writing it's changed.
Edward > This chat is the proof, you can print or save it.
Mike > No it's not. This is not a bill or an account statement.
Edward > Mike, do you understand Comcast bills one month in advance?
Edward > It means after the bill is printed, it can't be changed.
Mike > That should not stop you from showing me in writing on a statement my bill is fixed.
Edward > All adjustments will eventually show on the next bill yet.
Mike > Then I'll wait to pay you anything until next month. How about that?
Edward > No problem, nobody is forcing you to pay now.
Edward > You can pay anytime you want Mike.
Mike > The cancellation notice I received in the mail yesterday says otherwise.
Edward > As far as we are concerned, your bill is FIXED.
Edward > You can pay without the $39.95 charge, as I repeteadly told you.
Edward > Do you have other concerns for me today?
Mike > Nope. I'll be submitting this chat with a complaint as I cancel your service.
Edward > Sure, no problem at all.
Edward > I am not afraid Mike, since I have helped you 1000%.
Mike > No, you haven't helped me at all
Mike > Just because you say you helped doesn't mean you did.
Edward > I already explained to you evcrything. $39.95 was already credited, and you can pay your bill without that amount.
Mike > Then I want to see on paper the credit. Now. It's my right as a paying customer to request it. Especially when Comcast screwed up. This is not an unreasonable request.
Edward > Even if whoever from Comcast will you ask, it will give you the same information about the $39.95 credit.
Edward > There is no need for a paper. Comcast never provide that since credits are applied through our system only.
Edward > It will show on the bill next month yet.
Mike > There is a need for paper. I'm a paying customer and I'm requesting it. This is why you are not helping me. You are not providing what a paying customer is requesting.
Edward > If you have no other issue Mike, I will have to close this chat now to assist other customers.
Edward > As I said, you can print or save this chat as a proof.
Edward > Rest assured, the $39.95 will show as credit on your next bill - that is the proof.
Edward > If you need assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to chat with us at your convenience. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Comcast also offers great FAQ and Help forums located at http://customer.comcast.com/help-and-support/ to help you solve many issues on your own. Don't forget, you can watch full TV shows and movies online, check out www.xfinitytv.com for more information. Thank you for contacting Comcast! We appreciate your business!
Edward > Good bye for now. Take care Mike!

[Elizara]

Uverse has been pretty decent to us other than two outages that had to do with the outside box (you heard that right) getting struck by lightening.

Beware if you have to call their customer service though. Their default is to push a new modem on you no matter what the problem is. Be firm, say "I'm SURE it's not the modem" and don't let them order one unless you know it REALLY is the modem; ask them to do line tests and stuff. You will be glad you did b/c it's a hassle to send the unneeded modem back.