Comcast phone service, Venice, CA - phone service disconnected due to billing problems

# 9 for October 9, 2003

Complaints.com received the following on October 8, 2003:

From:

RE: Comcast phone service, Venice, CA - phone service disconnected due to billing problems

Sharon Omi

Venice, CA 90291

Comcast Customer Advocacy

900 N. Cahuenga Blvd.

Hollywood, CA 90038 cc: Formal Complaints, Comcast, California Public Utilities Commission, Better Business Bureau, www.complaints.com, Consumer Affairs To Whom it May Concern: I am appalled at the billing practices of Comcast. I received a bill on 9/19 for $145.08 covering usage from 8/19 - 10/19. On October 7th my phone was disconnected. This is the second disconnection I have had since switching to Comcast last October.

The first disconnect was due to gross discrepancies between the rates the salespeople had offered us and what we were billed at - even after “straightening out” the possibly false representations of the Comcast salesperson and literature, we were disconnected without warning as we were waiting for an amended bill. In twenty years of paying phone bills, I have never had a disconnect notice before Comcast. Every other phone company I have used has a grace period of two months (as do all other utilities). When I receive a bill on Sept 19th, I assume I have 30 days in which to pay my bill. I was also informed that a termination notice had been sent, which I did not receive - the second time this has happened. Further, the bill I received is for service from 9/19 - 10/19 - so how can it be “overdue” on October 7th? I have an excellent credit record and I will not continue to do business with your company. Your billing practices are overly stringent, misleading, and intentionally punitive. Your customer service representatives - in one case, a Joel #20614 - were smug and unhelpful with us (he told my husband that in order to speak to a supervisor, he would have to wait on hold for 15 minutes, since “Tuesdays are our disconnect days, and we’re very busy!”. Why bother to get into this multibillion dollar business if you are going to treat us, your customers, with such gross disrespect? We will be switching out of Comcast as soon as possible. Sharon Omi