r/Eugene Oct 04 '13

Is Comcast the only cable/internet provider in Eugene?

I just moved to Eugene and went to Comcast to get cable and internet. After first telling me that I wouldn't need a tech to come over, it turns out that I did. They never showed up for the appointment to install my cable and when I called to complain they were very rude to me. I threatened to cancel my order and they immediately took me up on that and canceled my service. Having just moved here, I assumed that there was some competition and began looking into my options but haven't really found anything. Qwest seems to offer slower internet but the only tv they seem to have requires a year contract which I can't do. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Update: after sending Comcast an email I received a phone call the next day (Friday) around 4 PM from a man named Glenn. He apologized and promised to send a tech out the next day after noon. I was shopping at the time and couldn't take his contact info but he assured me that he'd call me Saturday to confirm that everything went smoothly. So I waited all day for someone to come or call and nothing. I just spent the last two hours talking to three different people about my situation and they all offered apologies but no solutions. I'm now supposed to be receiving an email or phone call tomorrow to schedule another tech appointment, hopefully for sometime next week. Next week being the start of my second week with a cable box and no cable.

3 Upvotes

6

u/Sabnitron Oct 04 '13

Comcast is the only option for cable television and internet. Their service is, unfortunately, fucking godawful at best.

Sorry, man.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 05 '13

I've gone with Clearwire and Netflix - I can't stand the thought of giving more money to Comcast after the terrible issues I had canceling them during a move.

(hey, just put your digital box in our dump bin at our office with no receipt or personal interaction, we'll credit you for it. - later..."we still show you haven't delivered your digital box to us.")

1

u/kookaburra1701 Oct 09 '13

So Clearwire works ok for streaming video? I've thought about switching to them, but I use Netflix/Amazon prime/Youtube for my mindless entertainment as well.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '13

Yeah it does - I've streamed hd from amazon prime no problem. Different neighborhoods have different reception qualities but the flats of Eugene generally have good reception

4

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '13

[deleted]

1

u/ApplesBananasRhinoc Oct 04 '13 edited Oct 04 '13

My biggest complaint with Directv was that they downgraded the HD antenna channels because "my box wasn't HD compatible". Because I wouldn't pay (and shouldn't have to pay) for an upgraded box. I only have the antenna channels right now and they work for me, I miss the on-demand stuff though But Comcast makes all the other cable companies I've evr had in my life (Cox, Time/Warner) look great in comparison.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 05 '13

What about Clearwire and Netflix?

3

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '13

Your TV options are comcast, dish, or directv. Your internet options are Comcast, CenturyLink and I think Verizon.

Out of all these options comcast is the best, sadly.

Your experience has been quite different than mine though, I've called Comcast several times on the phone and always found them polite and helpful. The installer was also punctual and quite nice. The service center, however, is a cesspool, don't go there if you don't have to.

I would suggest escalating this as you have received unacceptable service. I would email We_Can_Help@Comcast.com, from what I hear they respond to this email address within 24 hours and will help you much more than the normal service lines. I hope you took down names of the people you spoke to on the phone so you can give the escalation team their info and hopefully weed out the people who suck at their jobs.

3

u/nerdscallmegeek Oct 04 '13

Each cable customer has a sort of five star rating. The more stars a customer has, the more they want your business and are more likely to offer discounts and such. A customer who has a big cable package and has a long history of paying their bill in full and on time is likely to be a more valued customer than one with basic cable and is always late.

OP being a new customer, they must have been low on the star rating since they didn't have a chance to develop a history.

Comcast sucks. South park's new episode described them perfectly.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 05 '13

I've got Clear internet for $35/month. It's decent, depending on where you live. I'm quite content with clear and netflix, with exception of not seeing Duck Football.

2

u/-JuSt_My_LuCk Oct 04 '13

Thanks for the info and the email address. Hopefully I'll get a response. Otherwise I'll gladly pay more for directtv and centurylink internet to spite them.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '13 edited May 10 '20

[deleted]

1

u/Kerahcaz Oct 04 '13

It's cheaper in the long run though. If you want to be able to upload anything within your lifetime however, you'll need to get Comcast.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '13

Comcast is cheaper. Centurylink is $60/mo for 20mbit, Comcast is $20/mo for the first year then you call and complain and get the discount extended. Also, good luck getting anything above 7mbit in Eugene with CenturyLink.

http://www.comcastinfo.com/high_speed_internet.html

http://www.centurylink.com/common/popups/residential/pricing_details_popup.html

0

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '13

I was paying $56 a month for centurylink. That got me 12mb download and 768kb upload.

I now pay $60 a month for comcast. That gets me 50mb down and 6mb up, plus basic digital cable. I'd say it's well worth $4 more a month... Also whenever my $60 promo rate expires, I just call them up and ask them for it again and it takes about 30 seconds to get my rate back down.

3

u/Elephlump Oct 04 '13

I am afraid there is pretty much no competition that i know of for cable tv in this town without getting satellite. There is a little more competition for internet, but not a whole lot.

There is an extremely relevant new South Park episode about this very issue.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '13

Centurylink DSL did not require a contract when i had it for 2 months last year.

1

u/Moarbrains Oct 04 '13

I have had Centurylink and Comcast and haven't had many problems with either of them, aside from Centurylink's, god-awful bandwidth.

When I finally ditched them for the evil beast Comcast, they made some really good offers and I actually felt a little guilty for dumping them.