Comcast Tech Support Phone Number

**abisdabis** · 10-30-2009 10:59 AM

Is there a direct number to reach knowledgable tech support at Comcast? A buddy of mine is hooking up a receiver for his poarents and is getting "the channel will be available shortly' message. They are going from basic cable with no box to digital. The cable comes into the receiver then out to a vcr and then to the tv. Two times he called Comcast and they had him unplug the box for a few minutes and then told him to wait 45 minutes and everything should be ok. Both times same result. Any suggesitons?

**bicker** · 10-31-2009 08:25 AM

There is no short-cut around the standard operating procedures of the major service providers. If you establish a personal working relationship with a specific advanced tech, you may be able to ask that person for a direct number to reach them in the future, but that's exceedingly rare; you really need to establish with that person your own ability to do your own first-level support, and also need to make it clear that you won't abuse the offer. Even then, only a few techs I've dealt with at any mass-market service providers have ever been receptive to such a thing.

With regard to your buddy's problem. After the second instance of this, your buddy should have asked for a tech visit to diagnose the problem. Note, though, that the problem might actually be an inadequacy in your buddy's parents' wiring, and that in that case your buddy's parents would be liable for the cost of the support call.

**abisdabis** · 11-03-2009 08:29 AM

Originally Posted by bicker

There is no short-cut around the standard operating procedures of the major service providers. If you establish a personal working relationship with a specific advanced tech, you may be able to ask that person for a direct number to reach them in the future, but that's exceedingly rare; you really need to establish with that person your own ability to do your own first-level support, and also need to make it clear that you won't abuse the offer. Even then, only a few techs I've dealt with at any mass-market service providers have ever been receptive to such a thing.

With regard to your buddy's problem. After the second instance of this, your buddy should have asked for a tech visit to diagnose the problem. Note, though, that the problem might actually be an inadequacy in your buddy's parents' wiring, and that in that case your buddy's parents would be liable for the cost of the support call.

Thanks for the response. Turns out it was a powered splitter that was causing an issue with the box. The tech did not charge for the visit which was nice of him.

**Islandguy43** · 11-03-2009 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by bicker

Note, though, that the problem might actually be an inadequacy in your buddy's parents' wiring, and that in that case your buddy's parents would be liable for the cost of the support call.

That is when you tell the provider, to either fix their cable or you will have to switch over to one of the satellite providers.

**bicker** · 11-03-2009 01:40 PM

More and more often, they take a look at your account and see if you're subscribing to any of their more profitable services, or if you've refused several offers to upgrade already. If you're not already a highly-profitable customer, and you show no inclination towards regularly upgrading your service level, more and more service providers are learning that they're better off telling you, "Sayonara!" Not all customers are worth the cost that they impose, anymore.

**Fiachra** · 12-03-2009 11:28 AM

Comcast is the cable in my area. They were the worst to deal with. Their customer service just sucked in the capitol area of NH. Sucked I tell you. The person there suggested maybe I should go to satellite when I kept asking them to come take a look to see why I had 'tiling'. He would not send a tech to my newly built house as he was convinced that my house has been wired improperly.

When Comcast sent a guy (Sub-Contracted) to the pole to remove something a couple of days after I brought in all my boxes to the office, as I did indeed go to satellite, I went out to talk to him. He asked me why I left cable as he saw the dish on my newly built house. When I told him that I could not get anyone to come out to see why I had 'tiling', he said that it was the 'tap' up there where he was doing something. He claimed it had a 'leak'.

All they had to do was send somebody and they kept telling me everything looked fine and it must be my wiring in the house. I'll never go back now. They were right. No tiling at all now that I have satellite TV. My house wiring was done right after all by those we contracted to do the work when we built. Imagine that. They were competent. Not like Comcast.

**bicker** · 12-03-2009 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by Fiachra

Comcast is the cable in my area. They were the worst to deal with. Their customer service just sucked in the capitol area of NH. Sucked I tell you.

You want to hear suck-age? Here's an excerpt from a recent review I posted of my FiOS installation experience.

The customer service folks are reasonably helpful, once you get in touch with them (at least with regard to checking up on the installation order), but getting in touch with them is extremely problematic. On three separate occasions, both the business office telephone number and the FiOS customer service telephone number forwarded me to the "Our office is closed; please call back on the next business day" message, during Verizon business hours. Also, they sent the email asking me to confirm the order and installation appointment, or to call in to address problems, at 5:20AM on a company holiday, with my installation appointment scheduled for a time before their business office was supposed to be open again. Essentially, they said, "Call us before XXX," but they were not in their offices before XXX. A call left on the customer advocate's voice mail was not returned until after my installation was more than 3/4 completed.

I haven't experienced FiOS billing problems myself, yet, because I haven't received a bill from them yet, but there are forums where you can find very regular postings about FiOS billing catastrophes. It took a lot of pressure from my wife regarding some of the advantages of FiOS to overcome the very obvious and blatant disadvantages, specifically in the realm of customer service, as compared to Comcast, which has always been available for us 24/7, and has never inflicted us with a significant billing error.

The reality is that, on average, all the suppliers are the same in this regard. The service level receive is reflective of what the market is willing to provide sufficient profit motive for suppliers to provide.

**Fiachra** · 12-03-2009 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by bicker

You want to hear ...

Comcast has no land based competition such as FIOS. If they did they would only be second worse to that. Ah, lofty heights!

**bicker** · 12-03-2009 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by Fiachra

... land based competition ...

Now you're making up distinctions -- distinctions that the US Court of Appeals has spanked the FCC for trying to make. Are you saying your assertion is more valid than the assertion that the FCC was spanked for? or are you claiming primacy over the US Court of Appeals?

**Fiachra** · 12-03-2009 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by bicker

Now you're making up distinctions -- distinctions that the US Court of Appeals has spanked the FCC for trying to make. Are you saying your assertion is more valid than the assertion that the FCC was spanked for? or are you claiming primacy over the US Court of Appeals?

That certainly is a reach for an argument within this forum. One I'll not take part in. Good luck to you.