Comcast billing, lie, conflicting information Silver CIty, New Mexico
I moved to Silver City, NM in June, and ordered Comcast high-speed internet and cable. The first time I had a problem with them is when I signed up for automatic payments. It says that it takes 10-45 days (though that changes depending on who you are speaking to) to set up. I received a confirmation letter, but still watched my bill to make sure it was going to go through. My bill was due on the 10th, but by the 11th it hadn't yet billed. Worried that I was going to be charged a late charge, I paid the bill. A few days later the automatic payments went through. I was told it would take fifteen days to reverse the second charge, so I decided to just leave it. Because I didn't want to be charged for the next month by the automatic payments, I cancelled the automatic payments, which I then tried to set back up the following month. I received the confirmation e-mail on the 12th. First of all, I don't know why they would send you a confirmation e-mail saying that you are set up for automatic payments if they are not yet able to make the payment on time. I have used automatic payments for other cable companies that were able to deduct the billing amount immediately (if needed), but for whatever reason Comcast needs an entire month and a half to get it set up. Here is my first conversation with comast support:
Catherine_ > I set up auto-pay and I want to make sure it's going to go through, because I got the confirmation e-mail and it says beside my bill that I am on auto-pay, but the bill is due the tenth and today (the eleventh) I still have a balance.
Catherine_ > So I wanted to make sure it is going through, because the last time I assumed it hadn't and just paid by bill, it billed the next day (so I got billed twice).
Catherine_ > the bill*
Catherine_ > wasn't* Sorry, haha.
Mary Ann > Okay, I get it now, Catherine, I see here that you just want me to confirm to you if your auto bill pay account which you set in reflecting now on your account so that the dues on your bill will be now debited upon due date, is this correct?
Catherine_ > Yes
Mary Ann > May I now Catherine when did you set up your auto bill pay account?
Catherine_ > I set it up last month, and I received a confirmation e-mail on the 12th of September
Mary Ann > Okay, actually, the auto bill pay will take effect after 30-45 days, but no worries, I will check your account now Catherine.
Catherine_ > Okay.
Mary Ann > Catherine, before we go any further, I would just need to verify the information that you entered earlier. Please check and confirm if the following information is correct:
Mary Ann > Email Address (info)
First name Catherine
(info)
Catherine_ > You can change the e-mail to the comcast one Impaled_Dragoon@comcast.net
Catherine_ > I had it set for my yahoo e-mail, but for this I should probably have it set for the account one.
Catherine_ > But otherwise it is correct
Mary Ann > thanks Catherine.
Mary Ann > Catherine, please allow me to pull up your account information so that we can resolve it in the most efficient way possible. I will be verifying security information to protect your account privacy. May I also have your Comcast account number and the last 4 digits of your SSN.
Catherine_ > (info)
Catherine_ > (info)
Mary Ann > Thanks for that information.
Mary Ann > Catherine, I need to place you on hold while I pull up your account. This will take about one or two minutes. Would that be okay?
Catherine_ > Yep
Mary Ann > thanks Catherine.
Mary Ann > Catherine, I have pulled your account, please let me share with you one of features from Comcast, do you want to watch full TV shows and movies online? You can actually go to click http://www.fancast.com/?fss=fancast It's fun, entertaining, easy to access, and above all, it's free and is available to everyone 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Mary Ann > *
Mary Ann > Catherine, I see here that you now have an active auto bill pay for your Comcast account.
Mary Ann > the card type is Mastercard and I am sorry I can only view that information.
Catherine_ > So it will charge for this month's bill?
Mary Ann > and your debit date is on 11/4/2010
Mary Ann > yes Catherine, since it is now active.
Catherine_ > Okay. I'm just confused because it says on by bill that I still owe for last month (10/10/2010), but it hasn't billed yet.
Catherine_ > Or for this month.
Mary Ann > Catherine, i will check your ledger.
Mary Ann > Catherine, may I know if you are seeing this amount in your bill, $118.83?
Catherine_ > Yes
Catherine_ > $48.44 from this month 10/9 and $70.39 due 11/9
Mary Ann > Catherine, the reason why this happened is because Comcast billed you a month ahead.
Catherine_ > I'm wanting to make sure the $48.44 is going to be paid by the auto-pay before I get any late charges or negative marks on my account.
Catherine_ > Because it was due yesterday, and the auto-pay hasn't paid it yet.
Mary Ann > Catherine, I can confirmed you that amount will now be included on debiting on your account.
Mary Ann > Catherine, once your auto bill pay is in active status, whatever outstanding balance from your account will now be deducted to your bank account or card that you have set up in auto bill pay.
Catherine_ > All right. Thank you for confirming it. I just wanted to make sure.
Despite this, I was charged a late fee. I manually paid the bill via one-time payment and was just trying to get the late fee removed. 84979506301*****chat
id : 3c4*****-f761-4f61-aeba-348d905*****
Problem : Was told auto-pay would pay billl; it didn't, charged late fee. Want the late fee removed.
Catherine > Was told auto-pay would pay billl; it didn't, charged late fee. Want the late fee removed.
Alexis > Hello Catherine_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Alexis. Please give me one moment to review your information.
Catherine_ > Hello.
Alexis > My pleasure to have you on this chat. I always remain committed and focused to provide you quality customer service at my fullest effort. How are you today?
Catherine_ > All right, how are you?
Alexis > Good to know that! I am doing great, thank you.
Alexis > i understand that you have an issue with your auto payment, is this correct
Catherine_ > Yes
Alexis > No worries, I can definitely help you with this.
Alexis > For verification and security purposes, may I have the account holder's complete name,account number and service address please?
Catherine_ > I came on here to speak with somebody else a few days ago and they assured me that the auto-billing was set up and that this last months bill would be paid... It wasn't, and now I am being charged a late fee.
Catherine_ > (info)
Alexis > I am sorry to know that, Catherine. we will check on this, okay?
Alexis > Thank you for that information.
Catherine_ > Okay.
Alexis > Please give me a minute to check on this.
Alexis > While waiting, please allow me to take this opportunity to share with you one of the main features that you can get with Comcast which is our online site, Fancast.com. It offers full television episodes, full-length feature films, trailers and video clips to both Comcast subscribers and non-subscribers. I hope you will enjoy this feature with us!
Alexis > Thank you for patiently waiting, Catherine.
Catherine_ > No problem
Alexis > may i know when and where you signed up for the automatic payment
Catherine_ > I signed up for it in September online, and I received a confirmation e-mail on the 12th of September.
Alexis > I see. Catherine, the automatic payment actually takes effect 45 days after you have signed up for it.
Catherine_ > Online it says 10-45 days. It shouldn't send me a CONFIRMATION e-mail unless it is /going to bill./ I signed up for it back in August and it billed me TWICE because I paid it because of that 45-day period, and the auto-pay went through... I can't afford to pay TWICE the amount because the auto-pay doesn't work correctly.
Catherine_ > I turned off the auto-pay, I already paid this last months bill
Catherine_ > I just don't want the late fee because the auto-pay didn't work.
Alexis > Catherine, as you have stated, you signed up in September, correct/
Alexis > ?
Catherine_ > I would like you to remove the late fee due to Comcast's faulty billing system.
Catherine_ > I signed up the first time in August and was billed twice (because I paid it and then the auto-payment went through a few days afterward), so I canceled it and tried it again in Septemeber (as mentioned before, I received he confirmation e-mail on the 12th).
Catherine_ > But this time it didn't go through, even though another representative told me it would.
Alexis > catherine, I apologize but am not seeing any payment from your credit card on your account.
Catherine_ > Exactly. The auto-payment didn't work, even though I was told it would. I cacelled the auto-payment and just put in a payment for $65. I don't want to be charged a late fee because Comcast can't manage to pay their own bill on time.
Alexis > I understand that you just opened this account, correct?
Catherine_ > No.
Catherine_ > I've had this account for about six months.
Alexis > Lett me verify on this, Catherine.
Alexis > please bear with me.
Alexis > Thank you for waiting, Catherine.
Alexis > As i have checked, there is a pending payment of $65 on your account right now.
Alexis > May I know where you signed up for the automatic payment?
Catherine_ > Online
Catherine_ > On the website.
Alexis > may i know what website pleasE?
Catherine_ > The comcast.com website, in the billing section.
Catherine_ > Right beneath the bill there is a button that says "set up automatic payments."
Catherine_ > Are you there? (note: it had been well over five minutes since I received a reply.)
Alexis > Catherine, since you are an Internet customer, you will have to set up the automatic payment through http://customer.comcast.com
Alexis > What I will do is to make a one time adjustment for the late fee.
Catherine_ > I don't want to set up automatic payments. They don't work.
Catherine_ > Thank you.
Catherine_ > I'll just do one time payments from now on.
Alexis > If you would like to set up auto payment, please go to the link I have provided you with and use your Comcast email address and password to sign in.
Alexis > autopayments in comcast.com does not work for Comcast customers that have internet service, Catherine.
Catherine_ > I have internet and television. Why wouldn't the link on the billing page work?
Alexis > That is for Comcast customers that does not have Internet with Comcast.
Catherine_ > customer.comcast.com is what it redirects me to when I sign into my account. It's the same website.
Catherine_ > In any case...
Catherine_ > You'll be removing the late fee and all negative marks on my account? I don't want this to reflect poorly on my credit score.
Alexis > I will just remove the late fee, Catherine.
Alexis > please bear with me.
Catherine_ > All right.
Alexis > Thank you for waiting.
Alexis > i have already applied the adjustment on your account, Catherine.
Alexis > Just a recap: I have resolved your issue today by providing you an adjustment for the late fee on the account. Is there anything else I can help you with?
Catherine_ > That is all. I still see the late fee on my account. How long will that take to go through?
Alexis > It will not change on your online account. But in the system from our end, it will.
Alexis > Rest assured that it has been removed already, okay?
Catherine_ > So it will still be included in the bill?
Alexis > Just in your end.
Alexis > but not in our system./
Alexis > Just disregard the late fee, okay?
Catherine_ > All right.
Alexis > Wonderful.
So far (Oct 25th), it hasn't been removed. It's still in my bill and I haven't received a credit to my account.
I found it very strange that she didn't see that $65 payment until I mentioned it, and stranger still that they cannot update the online bill (all my billing is done online) to show the late fee removed. By the end of the conversation I was so annoyed I decided to just wait and see if I received a credit. If I find a negative mark on my credit report I will be incredibly upset.