Broadband wars: Comcast offers free Dell netbook for new customers of HD Triple Play

With FIOS putting some pressure on the cable near-monopoly, Comcast is finally getting humbled and returning back down to earth with a new promotion, the Triple Play HD for $100, but with a twist. Customers who sign up for a two-year agreeemnt (so they can't bolt to FIOS), will also receive a brand new Dell netbook within 16 weeks of activating their services.

As usual, the deal has its share of fine-print and hidden fees which you must uncover like a brave Indiana Jones before diving into the deal.

The fineprint also mentions that in case they run out of Dell netbooks, they may substitute them with a "comparable model".

The deal is $100 per month for the first year and $110 per monthy for the second year and it includes Digital Cable with Free HD, Internet with Powerboost, and home-phone with unlimited nationwide calling and 12 popular features.

Installation and other fees are additional and are not disclosed on the mailer promotion.

Also not clear is whether the $100 price is in addition to a de-facto mandatory fee for basic cable. The fineprint seems to hint that basic cable is not included in the price.

This is a rather evil marketing scheme, since you can't have digital cable, without basic cable with the way Comcast has structured their evil plans.

Tricky marketing! Comcast never learns. FTC, BBB, class action, where are you?

Comments

[doc]

It's $100 but there is also a $3 rental of the box plus all the taxes that every phone/internet company puts on it. No charge for basic cable. I think once you get your bill there is a charge for the basic cable, but it all equals out to $100.

[Roy Schierbaum]

It's amazing how Comcast has all kinds of deals and rewards for NEW customers but no customer loyalty programs for those of us who have stuck with them thru thick & think for many years.

[deana]

i signed up for this promotion and have had nothing but trouble. first of all my service was on for one day and then i had no phone, internet, or cable, i called cust serv and they said it must be equipment problems.so they would send out a technician...in 3 days..so i just had no service the entire time. finally a technician came out to tell me somehow they disconnected my service on accident and just had to resend a signal..wow no one told me this over the phone(which was abbout a total of 6 calls). then i received my bil...now when i initially called to sign up the operator read me detailed info regarding the service and contract i was signing up for ..my bill said i had a triple play package for $129.99 a month not the $99..and a $75 instilation fee. i called them re this and the guy told me i didnt qualify for the $99 deal...and had no explanation.he was in fact very condascendingly rude.So, i called back and was told they just accidentally signed me up for the wrong package.and i was not enrolled to receive the free netbook.they did fix the problem, however i have yet to get any clear answers on how to find out when and how i get my netbook, they just said it takes up to 16 weeks.....blah!frustrating is the least of it!I am down right pist..and stuck in a 2 year contract with a company being ran by idiots!

[Ben]

Questions, people.
Never assume that all is well with any company. Every company wants/needs to profit in order to survive. Yes, I too, got a bit of the run around, but I am wiser now for it. I called with a slew of questions, they were answered, then I asked for these answers in writting, like via email, they told my to contact the company via email. I did this and got different answers. I then called again and explained my frustration, this guy layed it all out for me. Then I emailed agian, this time utilizing the proper key phrases. And got suitable answers. Before I even signed up, by pressing the issues, I new exactly how much all the various install charges were, that my bill after taxes and fees would be closer to $115 (not including install). The install tech were not the nicest (neanderthals), and i still had to call imediately after they left to set up my internet, there was NO WAY, that I was going to pay $60 for a tech to set there on the phone pushing buttons...
Moral of the story. Always assume you will be screwed, and always ask more questions than a five year old uber geek.
Don't feel like you are special, they just want your business/money. Remember the larger the institution the WORSE it will run. This applies to EVERYTHING.

[Trish]

Did anyone actually receive the netbook already from Comcast? Please share your experience. Thank you!

[Jonas]

It looks like a future CLASS ACTION SUIT vs. comcast for not honoring their free netbook offer.

[Jay]

I think comcast will be looking at a future CLASS ACTION SUIT for not honoring their free netbook promo.

[princess]

I LOVE comcast. They have GREAT customer service! Anytime I have any problem they have been on it immediately and rectified the situation.

[souad belkessa]

i love comcast,i have been with them for more than 5 years and they have the best service ever and the deal is perfect for me because i am paying for the other services anuways

[stephanie]

Total scam!!! After signing up for this promo in August and calling several times to ask for the status of the laptop, I was told it would take 1 to 2 months. Now that two months have past, Comcast has said we cannot get the laptop because we did not sign the contract. They never sent us a contract to sign!! Total scam to get us to sign up for this service.

[Kailash]

Its the same with us Deana. Got into a two year contract, and thought the netbook was a good deal. Now, after nearly 16 weeks, I call them to ask if the netbook is shipped and they tell me that they dont have any way of confirming that. It seems they are not responsible for sending netbooks, the internal promotions team is. I called them again after 2 days, and they tell me you were never on the netbook plan. 2 days and one more phone call later, I get to hear that my service was initiated on Aug 15th 2009, but I never signed the contract till Nov 5th, hence the netbook would take another 3 months to arrive (no guarantees). I dont believe these people can get away with such cheating. I am in a 2 year contract, but if I dont get an acceptable response by dec 10th, I will move to att or verizon. If they tell me about the contract, well then I will take it further.

[Bren]

Comcast is horrible. I, too, fell for this Netbook promo. They use any little excuse to drop you off the promo. BEWARE! Do not fall for their promises!

[Ken]

I signed up for the contract which "entitles" you to a Dell 10v netbook. The good and the bad- If you sign up online as I did, with the netbook in mind, you must take care to select the right plan. I live on the north shore of Massachusetts, just outside of Boston, and there was only one plan that offered the minipc, and it was not the $100.00 basic triple play----it was something like the triple play gold, and the cost was $129.00 for the first year and $139.00. After taxes, fees and such, the monthly payment for the first year rounds out to be appx $165.00/m: a far cry from $129.00---For me, this was okay because I wanted the extra channels and the extra broadband speed--it has been well worth it. As said, I signed up the first week of August, and I just recieved my confirmation letter for the netbook, and it is indeed a Dell 10v (looks like a pretty neat little system, and it as some pretty good reviews) One more thing---After I made all my choices, I requested online (chat) help to make sure I had done everything the way I was supposed to do, and I'm glad that I did, because there is a parallel program that offers all the same things (the channels, the broadband speed, the $129 year one, $139 year two) but without the contract and without the dell-----I will tell you, as far as service is concerned for me, has been excellent, and it far exceeds the service (treatment) I recieved at Verizon---just sayin' Good luck!

[Mike]

We signed up for this deal. Our bill averages $110.00 per month with the taxes and box rental fee. The digital doesn't work very well for us, off and on service. We usually just bypass the box and watch regualr cable, which works fine. The free on-demand movies are a nice addition. The first bill was a bit of a shock, over $250.00 which included prorated service for a partial month plus install fees. The internet has been great, and no complaints about phone service. The caller ID shows up on the TV and computer, which is also nice. Overall, I'm happy with the service and price.

[Mike]

Oh, and it does take awhile for the netbook to arrive, but it is real, and will come eventually (if you registered after your cable was activated, a clever loophole that many people probably overlooked and thus will not receive their netbooks).

[dumped_by_cc]

I dont know if comcast still has the netbook offer or not. If it has, DO NOT FACTOR the netbook into your decision making. Consider you are not getting it. I signed up for HD triple play back in Jun (or July?) 09 for two years.
1. They said that I will receive information on what to sign to be eligible for this netbook. That information came a month or so later. I went to that website and signed up. Waited for the netbook, which never came.
2. Then I called up comcast and they said, I should go to local office of comcast to find out what is happening. I went, and they said they would have no clue, because they are not involved in these rebates. And that I should really talk to cust. service.
3. Then I called up comcast again, they looked at my records and they said, I should wait for a month or more to be eligible. I waited.
4. Then I called up again after the time they gave me, and still no netbook. They said they off-sourced these rebates to a third party called check-my-rebates (or something like that). and they said I should check with them. I called them up, after 1hr on hold, they said I should wait for nov '09(or something like that). I waited, still no netbook.
5. I called comcast cust service, now they are saying that because, I payed my aug. bill late, they reset the clock and I should pay 4 months bill on time in a row to be eligible again, So I should wait for Feb'09 and check back again.
In summary, no netbook and every time you call, it is a different story. No one has any clue and/or they dont want you to have any clue about what is going on.
My friend signed up around the same time and he has not received his either. He gets thrown with different set of stories every time he calls.
Don't be sure you are going to get this netbook.

[Roy Klostermeyer]

I feel certain I will never see my netbook. I signed up in August for the full Triple Play and was promised a Netbook in 90 days. Still waitng. They gave me a web site www.checkmyrebate.com and an 800 number that connects you with frantic customer service reps who direct you back to the web site. I am paying $179/month (more than I was quoted and it is going up to $199/month for the second year.

EVERY call to Comcast gets a different excuse. They say we were late on the first payment and that totally negates the rebaate. We were not late. They couldn't tell us how much to send them because our account was a complete mess in their system. We were about $4.00 short so they turned off the On Demand service. They admitted it was their fault/problem but we were disqualified from the net book.

Trust me...I am going to get that netbook. I am not publishing a threat. It is just that I am retired and have the time to make trouble for Comcast. We were given a brand new car under California's Lemon Law, so a net book should be a piece of cake.

Once I find the proper person, I will be unceasing in my communications and file a claim in small claims court. Comcast, in their arrogance will not even show up. I will hire a Deputy Sherrif with the additional punitive damages and visit the local office and take my pick of their computers to satisfy the judgement.

Comcast is the most unethical organization I have ever engage in business. Their service techs are condescending and outright liars. After 30 years in telecom, networkng and IS technologies please don't lie to me. The don't send the junior guys out any more as my wife can even pick them apart on the front porch. Being wrong is one thing. Purposeful false hoods are another.

This whole idea of Rebates needs some control. Most people forget about them and never get them...a fact the business relies on. Comcast has demonstrated dishonesty in EVERY contact I have had with them.

The minute my contract is up, so does a dish.

RCK

[Roy Klostermeyer]

$100 a month? My bill is $179 for year one every month and $199 a month for the second year. I too had the resend the signal problem, and they never could get the DVR to reset. The girl tried SIX times. That was after I had to disconnect my system and read them the Serial or "M" number. It matched what they had on file. I will say they had a service tech out in a day. He got everything working, but can't explain how. He just blamed it on the original installer.

Here's a killer. One of the techs asked me not to call back about a problem for at least 30 days. He got a negative rating on his record if he or another tech was called in that 30 day window for the same problem. Yeah...my cable is out the next day and you want me to wait 30 days? Not on this planet.

Comcast, knowng they are the only dog in the fight, has a terrible attitude about the customer. If that netbook doesn't show soon and relieve some of the grief, I will find an alternative...Dish or Direct TV. I just can't take it.

R.C. Klostermeyer

[Tanya]

Does anyone have the actual contract/redemption form that needed to be signed. I want to know exactly what the fine print says. I may have been jipped out of the laptop but want to make sure before I make a deal of it.

Thank you

[Joe Smith]

don't want to get to detailed because comcast ended up making this right with me.

Day 1 sign up for comcast triple play online during enrollment they have a online q and a session via chat. I confirm that I'm signing up for said package and qualify for the free net book offer there responce was YES. at the end you have the option of having chat session emailed to you of course I said yes.

Day 30 through 120 I call 1 to 2 times a month following up all reps say it takes 4 billing cycles some look at account and say everythings ok some don't bother and just say four months...

Today Another follow up call I talk to a very nice rep and after being on hold for some time he comes back and tells me I signed up for the wrong plan and was not eligable for the free netbook. I ask for a supervisor because I didn't want to lay into him.

After being on hold for some time a supervisor comes on and says I am not eligable but he's going to credit me 299.99. I am ok with this resolution but knowing I took all required steps and follow up to insure I was going to recieve what was promised to me. And listning to everyone complain about this topic makes me pretty disgusted with comcast and feel they are not following proper procedures or any sort of ethics when it comes to this promotion. Sorry for the typos I'm typing on a small netbook that I had to purchase since I knew I would not recieve anything from them.