Comcast

[Patri]

Any issues with Comcast VOIP phone service? I walk in the door and a Comcast guy is spread out at the kitchen table with my DH all ears, selling a package deal to add the phone service. We already have internet and cable.
I could care less and would never let a salesman in the door. Apparently a 30 day free trial. I'm sure the deal is always available, so in no rush, but DH may just sign up now. :annoyed:

 

[artringwald]

I was hesitant about switching to Comcast Voice, but we've had it for 6 months and love it. Three big advantages:

1) all domestic long distance calls are free
2) you can configure it so caller id shows up on both your computer screen and your TV
3) recently they added a feature to their voice mail so it will attempt to transcribe any voice message and email it to you (some of the emails are rather cryptic when the caller doesn't speak clearly)
4) when bundled with cable and internet, the cost was considerably less that paying a separate bill to the phone company.

Only down side I've seen so far is when the network went down (for about two hours), we also lost phone service. With cell phones for backup, it didn't really matter.

 

[Patri]

I had to leave the house before the Salesman and DH were done. Now he's out. I imagine he signed up for the free-for-a-month package, but what I learned in that short time is that in the second year the price goes up, so we don't save any money in the long term. Granted, we'll get more TV stations (I watch very little TV) and the computer will be faster (the speed now is just fine for me).
I told the salesman I was more mad at DH than him, because upgrading was not on our radar today, and just because he appeared at the door, now it is.

 

[Conan]

We have their combo of phone, Internet and TV. Of the three the phone is the most reliable (near 100%), and its performance is identical to our former landline.

The only drawback is if you're in an area prone to electric power outages, be aware that no power means no phone (our former landline was separately powered).

 

[pkyorkbeach]

Had comcast phone in CT it was TERRIBLE. Once we were without a phone for over one week close to two. Comcast did not care. Cancelled the phone and internet as soon as the contract was up. Even the Comcast workers would say yeah we do better with the TV sevice.

Right now I have AT&T for phone/internet but the cost has risen sharply. I am paying $90.00 for both. Now I am researching a new internet service.

 

[geekette]

long time Comcast hater here. to me, they are like RCI in their nickel and diming greed. this belief goes back to the monopolistic 70s and was re-affirmed in teh 80s. avoided them in the 90s.

flash forward and I have no tv nor (non-dialup) internet options but Comcast, so went triple play to get phone also.

I now like Comcast. Rarely any outage, good quality, love having free LD any time of day or night with no care as to # minutes. Internet speed is fast enuf. tv options continue to expand. my cost went up as expected after intro period but has not gone up since.

I had very much wanted UVerse but they just won't come to our neighborhood. I had thought I would switch immediately when UV was available, but now I would need an actual reason to leave CC.

guess I'm a convert.

 

[Lee B]

Just FYI, FWIW. Comcast offers digital telephone service that probably uses the same protocols as VoIP, but it goes over their own nationwide fiber. This ought to make their phone service even better than VoIP, which is very good.

I switched from ATT landline and DSL Internet over to Comcast for TV and Internet, then subscribed to VoIP services. They include Sipgate 1 and magicJack. Both are very cheap, but can break up one side of the conversation or both, if somebody in the house is downloading something big. The magicJack is a no-brainer for the not technically minded, whereas Sipgate is geeky.

After the six-month promotional fee lapses, I figure I'll cancel the TV and go back to over-air. I surely will miss The Daily Show and Colbert Report, though.

I agree to keeping a landline if power outages are frequent. Maybe you can reduce your landline subscription to the bare minimum for fallback, then take the Comcast service for daily usage. This would mean, though, that you will get a new number for one of the phone services.

 

[Patri]

Update. DH did sign up. Then I looked over the paperwork. First of all, his handwriting was so faint on our copies, I could not make out all the details of the contract. I did see an additional $7/month charge the salesman never mentioned. Also, the cancellation fee was $150, not $75 as he claimed (though if we kept deal, probably would not cancel). He said after the trial period passed we could call to get another fee waived. But then we would have no leverage, since we would be on the hook for the $150.
This deal was $3 different than what was offered online, but that also gave gift cards of $100 or $150, plus some fees waived. It would have taken some work to find out the best route, and I wasn't interested. So that DH wouldn't have to call the salesman in person, and get more spiel, he signed the contract rescission and we mailed it right off. He agreed with me that it wasn't presented accurately.
I hate sneakiness.