Comcast alternatives in South Bay, CA?

[philb2]

We live in the South Bay, south of San Francisco. In this post https://hardforum.com/threads/why-switch-to-comcast-x1.2020376/#post-1045391243, I describe my utter frustration with Comcast support. So I swear we are going to find an alternative for a combinatiion of services including cable TV, Internet, phone. There is also home security, but I expect to find a different vendor for that. Since the house is already wired for cable, I don't want to switch to a fiber-based service.

Can fiber-base services use home coax cabling?

I think my only alternatives are AT&T or Verizon. Many, many years ago, I had Sonic ISDN, which was good, but ISDN is long gone. When I did a quick check, they seem be mostly an AT&T reseller, and you must use an AT&T modem. Foo on that. And there is no Cable TV servier.

So what do people think of AT&T or Verizon? Is Verizon my only real option? We already get AT&T cellular service, but we would also switch to Verizon if we could keep on current 4G iPhones. (Both have SIM cards.) I don't want to make some greedy company even richer, but I'm not sure I have a whole lot of options here if I want to escape from Comcast.

I have my own Arris cable modem, and I like it that way.

 

[SamirD]

Howdy neighbor to the south.

Fibre base can use coax as ethernet as you can use moca adapters to convert the cable to full speed ethernet. Almost any service can since it behaves just like regular ethernet.

Both att and verizon fibre services are pretty solid. I too remember ISDN. I still have an Ascend Pipline 50 somewhere, lol. Both do somewhat require their proprietary gateways (att more than verizon as I recall), but they both do have a decent bridge mode that will allow you to do what you want. The best part about fibre services is that they are generally symmetrical and have much lower latency.

One of the things to do is not worry about who has the phone service vs the Internet service as the savings aren't that extreme over the basic piecemeal services. Remember, the bundling of services is designed to lock you into a particular service provider because piecemeal is easier for you to be free. There might be a price to that freedom, but as the saying goes, freedom isn't free. (I know totally out of context but it fits and I'm sleepy, lol.)

 

[GotNoRice]

One thing you might consider is going with Comcast Business. Yes, it's still Comcast, but support is on a whole other level. You can use your existing Arris modem. I had Comcast Business for many years until recently and the times when I had an issue, not only did they NOT give me BS on the phone, they just sent a van out within ~30 minutes or so. As a bonus, there are no data caps on Comcast Business either. Of course, it's more expensive for the same speeds compared to Xfinity/residential Comcast. I'm not sure if they offer TV plans but you could just use Hulu or other similar services. Plenty of VoIP providers out there also.

And there is always Starlink.

 

[SamirD]

One thing you might consider is going with Comcast Business. Yes, it's still Comcast, but support is on a whole other level. You can use your existing Arris modem. I had Comcast Business for many years until recently and the times when I had an issue, not only did they NOT give me BS on the phone, they just sent a van out within ~30 minutes or so. As a bonus, there are no data caps on Comcast Business either. Of course, it's more expensive for the same speeds compared to Xfinity/residential Comcast. I'm not sure if they offer TV plans but you could just use Hulu or other similar services. Plenty of VoIP providers out there also.

And there is always Starlink.

Comcast Business definitely has a lot more of a 'no fuss' type of of service as I have that and residential and the business is definitely a higher tier when it comes to service. But that being said, it's no fibre with an sla, that's for sure, and that's fair considering the price is nearly the same as residential for the same service.

 

[philb2]

Comcast Business definitely has a lot more of a 'no fuss' type of of service as I have that and residential and the business is definitely a higher tier when it comes to service. But that being said, it's no fibre with an sla, that's for sure, and that's fair considering the price is nearly the same as residential for the same service.

For business service comparable to my 1 GB download plan, I would have to spend $30 every month for equipment I don't need. And I certainly don't need that $150 install charge, considering that as long as they can provision my current modem, there is nothing, nothing to install. If I want to go this route, I will have to negotiate on these prices. Anyone have any idea if negotation is even possible?

 

[AgrFan]

These prices are totally ridiculous for residential gigabit service. $350+ per month for two years? No thank you.

I pay < $200 per month for the Standard+ More triple play package. No contract. Modem rental included.
Performance Pro (300/10), Expanded Basic (w/free Peacock), Digital Voice

Please call Retentions and have them review your current package and pricing. This is how you play the game with them.

Maybe you can elaborate on the exact issues you are having with your Comcast services that is causing you to make all this fuss, enough that you feel it necessary to switch to another provider. Your internet service appears to be working properly given all the repeated posts in this forum. Your linked post mentions Outlook email and DVR storage concerns. Is there anything else?

And, before you ask the question ... I do not work for Comcast. Just trying to save you the hassle of switching providers. I've also been frustrated with Comcast technical support several times over the many years I've been a customer. I've discovered it's easier to work through the issues than switching. Verizon is the only alternative in my area. Hell would need to freeze over first.

 

[philb2]

OK guys. Here goes. Hey is my letter with private info removed. If anyone spots any piece of private info, please let me know and I'll replace this PDF.

So far the ONLY issue that has been fixed is the folder counts. I'll post a followup PDF tomorrow.

 

[AgrFan]

It appears you are having issues with Outlook 2013 and Comcast WebMail.

I did find this post from Apr 2022 where you indicate having Outlook syncing problems.
https://forums.slipstick.com/thread...vel-support-said-to-call-the-outlook-company/

Are you still getting Outlook sync error code 800CCC0E-0-0-560?

I believe you mention in your letter having sub folders in the Inbox. You may need to specify 'Inbox' as the Root folder path.
https://www.datarepairtools.com/blog/imap-synchronizing-folder-error-800ccc0e-0-0-560-in-outlook/

Here are the instructions for configuring Outlook 2013 for Comcast email. I'd double check your Outlook settings to make sure nothing has changed.
https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/configure-outlook-2013-email

I have a friend who had similar Outlook 2013 syncing problems with his Comcast email several years ago. He ended up calling Microsoft and they fixed it for him remotely. I vaguely remember him saying his syncing was all screwed up. He had some type of Microsoft extended support for all their products at the time.

Outlook 2013 is pretty old. Have you considered upgrading to a newer version?

Do the browser issues happen with Edge, Chrome and Firefox? Have you tried clearing cookies and cache? Are all the browsers up to date?

 

[philb2]

It appears you are having issues using Outlook 2013 with your Comcast email. I did find this post from Apr 2022 where you indicate having syncing problems.

https://forums.slipstick.com/thread...vel-support-said-to-call-the-outlook-company/

Geez. That was like a milliion years ago, before things really went to s---.
https://forums.slipstick.com/thread...vel-support-said-to-call-the-outlook-company/

Are you still getting Outlook sync error code 800CCC0E-0-0-560 on your Inbox?

No.

I believe you mention in your letter having sub folders in the Inbox. You may need to specify 'Inbox' as the Root folder path.
https://www.datarepairtools.com/blog/imap-synchronizing-folder-error-800ccc0e-0-0-560-in-outlook/

Here are the instructions for configuring Outlook 2013 for Comcast email. I'd double check your Outlook settings to make sure nothing has changed.
https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/configure-outlook-2013-email

I'm confident of that. I document all my Outlook settings.
https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/configure-outlook-2013-email

I have a friend who had similar Outlook 2013 syncing problems with his Comcast email several years ago. He ended up calling Microsoft and they fixed it for him remotely. I vaguely remember him saying his syncing was all screwed up. He had some type of Microsoft extended support for all their products.

I think I have done enough trouble-shooting to know that the problems are with the web server. Back in the day, I used to be a product manager for datacomms, including email and email gateways. I knew lots about IMAP. Don't overlook the fact that some of thes problems show up in my iPhone/iPad email. The difference is that iPhone/iPad email always show just unread messages.

At one time, I changed the Outlook view and my Inbox with over 1,000 messages show ALL those messages, even the ones that I tried to delete. Outlook showed them with a strikethrough on the subject. The only messages without the strikethrough were the most recent ones.

Outlook 2013 is pretty old. Have you considered upgrading to a newer version?

I could, but I would need to upgrade 3 and possibly 4 systems in my LAN. For my wife there would be a learning curve issue.

For me, when I was still consulting, of course I needed to upgrade, if only to keep up with clients' expectations. But I'm not consulting any longer, and II don't really see any features in Office 2019 for example, that my wife or I really need right now. Besides, I spend enough with Adobe and other photo software every month and all the useful PRO versions of utilities that make my systems life much easier.

Appreciate the thought behind your post.

 

[AgrFan]

I think I have done enough trouble-shooting to know that the problems are with the web server.

I would think more people would be screaming and there would be posts all over the forums if there were web server problems.

You may want to try posting your list of issues in the Comcast Community to see if anyone else has run into what you are experiencing. Your post may get noticed by a higher-level support person who is willing to troubleshoot the issues with you and/or escalate the issues to more technically experienced staff.

Make sure your computers have all Windows updates applied and all browsers are up-to-date. You wouldn't want to switch to another provider and the problems still exist. That would be a bummer.

 

[AgrFan]

At one time, I changed the Outlook view and my Inbox with over 1,000 messages show ALL those messages, even the ones that I tried to delete. Outlook showed them with a strikethrough on the subject. The only messages without the strikethrough were the most recent ones.

The emails showing with a strikethrough on the subject are deleted messages.
https://www.lifewire.com/hide-strikethrough-messages-outlook-1173669

You may need to purge the folders containing deleted messages to clean them up.
https://www.lifewire.com/purge-deleted-messages-from-imap-outlook-1173703

 

[SamirD]

For business service comparable to my 1 GB download plan, I would have to spend $30 every month for equipment I don't need. And I certainly don't need that $150 install charge, considering that as long as they can provision my current modem, there is nothing, nothing to install. If I want to go this route, I will have to negotiate on these prices. Anyone have any idea if negotation is even possible?

View attachment 488499

Not possible to negotiate business lines ime.

 

[SamirD]

And, before you ask the question ... I do not work for Comcast. Just trying to save you the hassle of switching providers. I've also been frustrated with Comcast technical support several times over the many years I've been a customer. I've discovered it's easier to work through the issues than switching.

This is a really important point--switching providers is a lot like moving homes--once you've moved it's hard to go back. If you do intend to switch providers, I usually will have them overlap for at least a few months. Sure, it's double the bill (and bandwidth), but you'll know after that time period exactly which one you need to keep.

 

[SamirD]

If the IMAP on the email server is messed up, there has to be some way to confirm it without using a local email client. Is there some sort of free online imap config checker? Basically, you're going to have to diagnose this right down to what needs to be fixed and then tell them the fix. I'd also send them a bill for the diagnosis.

 

[Vengance_01]

Look at TMobile or Verizon home 5g or even look at starlink in your area. Then just get a streaming TV service like YouTube TV.

 

[philb2]

OK guys. Here goes. Hey is my letter with private info removed. If anyone spots any piece of private info, please let me know and I'll replace this PDF.

So far the ONLY issue that has been fixed is the folder counts. I'll post a followup PDF tomorrow.

Here is a brief summary of my conversation on Friday with the Comcast Executive Office support agent.

I tried to call Customer Retention today, Sunday, but apparently their agents don't work on weekends. Makes you wonder.

 

[philb2]

OK, so I just joined the Comcast Community Forums and posted the list of my issues. I didn't see a way to upload a doc.

Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, but there were a LOT of posts about issues similar to mine. So the Executive Office support agent was bs'ing me when he said that other people were not having the same problems. I'm no guru, but I think my technical skills are better than this "support agent." But he definitely has better bs'ing skills than I do.

 

[SamirD]

OK, so I just joined the Comcast Community Forums and posted the list of my issues. I didn't see a way to upload a doc.

Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, but there were a LOT of posts about issues similar to mine. So the Executive Office support agent was bs'ing me when he said that other people were not having the same problems. I'm no guru, but I think my technical skills are better than this "support agent." But he definitely has better bs'ing skills than I do.

Be careful if that's the 'official' comcast forum. I brought up bugs in Sprint's billing system and a bunch of people also ganged up, and instead of fixing the issue, they banned me--how's that for customer service?

I think almost anyone on this forum has more technical skill than an L1 support agent at any ISP. They are typically barely above the guy on the street in terms of technical know how. Now, learning how to get someone off the phone thinking they have a resolution is an art in the call center world. When I worked at the LG national call center I saw it daily--until I showed them what real support looked like. I was promoted something like 30 steps in the corporate ladder to about 6 below the LG US support president. Too bad that didn't come with a proper pay bump, so I took my skills and left a few months after. What's funny is that a lot of the systems I said needed to be implemented that had a lot of resistance are full fledged and running today. I think even my co-worker that sat next to me is on that system which tells me I was dead-on with my evaluation--and 10 years ahead of the curve.

 

[philb2]

Be careful if that's the 'official' comcast forum. I brought up bugs in Sprint's billing system and a bunch of people also ganged up, and instead of fixing the issue, they banned me--how's that for customer service?

Can you say many good things about Sprint?

For grins, anyone know how Sprint got its name?

 

[Vengance_01]

Back when I had att U-verse th dslreports support forum was a god send to get stuff fixed. Mind you this was in late 2000 early 2010s...

 

[SamirD]

Can you say many good things about Sprint?

For grins, anyone know how Sprint got its name?

Well, I think the good thing I can say is that when t-mobile moved them to 5g they needed me to get new phones, but because we owned the phones they offered new iphones for free, no catch. It took some head shaking by people in a store to do what the online people said they would, but I walked out with 2x free phones.

I remember they were a long distance company back when MCI was around and 5 cent long distance was a big thing. But I can't recall any origin story that I remember.

 

[SamirD]

Back when I had att U-verse th dslreports support forum was a god send to get stuff fixed. Mind you this was in late 2000 early 2010s...

Oh, dslreports is still good at that in the isp specific forums. I remember that's how I got my knology crap fixed after exhausting every other avenue.

 

[philb2]

I remember they were a long distance company back when MCI was around and 5 cent long distance was a big thing. But I can't recall any origin story that I remember.

See this article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprin...fic_Communications_and_introduction_of_Sprint and go to the section

Southern Pacific Communications and introduction of Sprint​

Southern Pacific Railroad was trying to utilitze its assets beyond traditional railroad operations, which was an industry trend in the 1960s and 1970s. Like most railroad, SP owned its rights of way, which were wider than necessary just for the tracks. I believe that at some point, SP buried cables within the right of way. If you want to bury cables, you usually need to get the permission of property owners. Not so for the SP.

 

[SamirD]

See this article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprin...fic_Communications_and_introduction_of_Sprint and go to the section

Southern Pacific Communications and introduction of Sprint​

Southern Pacific Railroad was trying to utilitze its assets beyond traditional railroad operations, which was an industry trend in the 1960s and 1970s. Like most railroad, SP owned its rights of way, which were wider than necessary just for the tracks. I believe that at some point, SP buried cables within the right of way. If you want to bury cables, you usually need to get the permission of property owners. Not so for the SP.

That makes a lot of sense. I remember back when the cellular tower network was being built that land owners at certain 'triangulation points' would get 20 year leases for a tower that paid like $2k/mo. It was so big that companies were acting as middle men for the telecom companies and finding the land owners and setting up the contracts for a percent of the action. Then once the whole cell network was built, all this dried up. It started up a bit for 5g, but nothing like the heyday.