COMCAST--- extra large RANT:

This may be a national issue or just a Massachusetts issue but to all of you who were led to believe that you, even with the switch to Digital TV in February, would still receive your stations...well, I have some news for you.

I got a mailing from Comcast Saturday telling me that some of the stations we are now receiving would be moved to "the new digital line-up" on July 15th. We will not be receiving these stations unless we have a converter box. As I see it, there has been a great bit of mis-information about this going around, starting with Comcast itself. About 6 months ago, we had to buy a new TV. I called Comcast to ask if I had to buy a digital tv or if I would still get the same programming but not the same quality. There is very little on TV worth watching with the options we have on our section of the North Shore. I was told there would be no problem, that the converter boxes were for the Antenna folks. OK, I bought an analog TV. The clerk at the store told me the same story.

Today I was told by the Customer Service Supervisor at Comcast that the move has nothing to do with the Government switch in February. It is their preliminary move, and more will be switched as we go along. One of the channels I will be losing in MSNBC. I am roaring mad. They keep the jewelry channel and other garbage and get rid of news. Says she, "we will send you a box for free for a year ---fine--1 box. I have 3 TV's. Two are now obsolete as of 7/15.

I also asked what if anything will happen to cable rates when the digital change takes place--well, she did not know. Certainly I believe that!!! Are they compensating anyone for the loss of the channels we now pay for? well, I forgot to ask that but I doubt it.

For $54.00 a month, we get such horrible program options and our town has complained to Comcast to no avail. They say it is a question of demographics. BS. We do not need about 5 foreign language channels, 4 shopping channels, 4 PBS, several home improvement,ad nauseum, you get my idea. We need to have a la carte programming. We should be able to choose our viewing options, not Comcast.

I called our local Comcast liaison who, by coincidence, will be meeting with Comcast tomorrow. He had not heard about the letter. He said I should call and demand 3 free converter boxes. That is not my issue. I don't want converter boxes, I want to be told the truth from the start so that I can make a correct judgement...and I want to choose my own programming. And I want MSNBC to remain as it is. I do not want a "Dish" or other exterior gadgets on my house. The liaison told me that the town was entertaining proposals from Verizon. Maybe Verizon will get the contract and offer us reasonable programming and stop with the bull. I have had about enough with Comcast. Please watch the ads they are putting forth about the change to digital in February, the ones with the old fashioned TV. Have I been mis-reading them?

Damn, Think I'm mad?

Same shit--two PBS channels, multiple sports channels, a catholic channel (wtf?), several duplicate channels, lots of shit I don't even watch for the same price $54. If you don't buy their package of cable tv, internet and phone, you have to pay MORE for cable tv. Why in hell is tv so f'n expensive? why is internet so expensive? You get shit for both up here. They have two speeds of Roadrunner internet. Slow and slower. It's a bullshit.

I had Comcast in Florida. Their customer service bites. I hated them.

No discount for staying with the truncated analog lineup. I've urged her to switch to Dish Network or DirecTV.

And yes, this is what "deregulation" brought you. Cable prices USED to be regulated. Now they're not. But regulations to protect cable companies are still alive and well. Just try and kick Comcast out of your 'hood. Go ahead. I dare you.

I'm assuming you bought the new analog TV because it was DIRT cheap, since it is effectively obsolete. Hopefully, that cost doesn't hurt as much as the lies from Comcast.

I ponied up for a Comcast digital box years ago, so that I haven't paid any attention to the various HARDWARE contortions. However, I do have an analog hookup to my computer TV card, for which I expected to buy a converter box. It already is limited to their current sucky analog channels. Now, you are telling me that they are going to gut the analog channel lineup to force people to buy their cable box in addition to a generic converter.

That sounds really sleazy. Typical Comcast.

Thanks for making me pay attention. I will nose around and see what I hear.

arendt

to say. Typical blather.


http://www.comcastdigitalworld.com/

let me get this straight - on my old analog tv in my bedroom with the DIGITAL converter and the big service that my bf insists upon (our bill is $130 a mth!) for our two tvs (one hd) - I think I'm at the next to the top level in service - I SHOULD still get MSNBC right?

Whatever the case, my daughter has Verizon FIOS and we are wired for it because my phone and internet are Verizon, but I have hesitated to go to them for tv because of several reasons. Their menus aren't user friendly at all, there's no page up or down on the remotes, you can't have the time show continually on the box instead of the channel you're watching, but the biggest reason is that they don't have as many HD channels OR OnDemand shows as Comcast. I expect to eventually move over, but I'm waiting until it makes more sense although we would save money. My BF refuses to do so until Verizon "catches up" with Comcast.

I'm just sick of all of them, but he watches a lot of tv - cheaper than the movies - and I watch a fair amount.

am told. What ticks me off is that I asked before buying my new TV if I would need a box since I have cable. Comcast and the salesman at Target both told me no, that the reception will be the same. That Comcast will be broadcasting in digital but that they were doing--whatever--so us old analog folks would still have TV. I would have bought a digital TV if I suspected otherwise. There seems to be no straight story on this. In talking to Comcast yesterday, they told me they were starting the move to digital and that I would lose X number of channels unless I get the converter box. That makes me mad, I don't want a box and I sure don't want to lose MSNBC. They are taking that away first, along with some 8(I think) other channels. More to follow.

AND, no-one is telling us about rate increases. Ten to one that will be coming too.

I had billing issues with Comcast and the end result was my telling the supervisor to take my cable boxes and shove them up his $%^&*.