If your get this message on your computer screen when trying to connect to the internet, it is an unethical attempt to upgrade your equipment and/or service:
“XFINITY Internet®
We're sorry for the service interruption! While performing a service quality check, we were unable to identify the access point for your XFINITY Internet service. This informaiton is required to continue your service.
Fortunately, we can quickly return your internet service with a little help from you.
Click here to live chat with a representative [hyperlink].
The only information needed is your XFINITY Internet device information. If you don't know or can't locate it, our representative will help you.
We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to hearing from you soon. We'll have you back enjoying your XFINITY Internet service in minutes!”
That’s right folks Vladimir Putin must now be in charge of a strong arm marketing attempt by our beloved Comcast. Not only can they not spell “information” correctly, they intentionally disrupt your internet service to try to up sell you new equipment you likely don’t need. Here is why I know:
- 2 weeks preceding this internet service interruption, I had issues with my internet connection disconnecting for a few seconds or minutes then continuing. When calling customer service they determined I had an “end of life” (EOL) modem, which means its operation exceeded the anticipated life expectancy by the manufacturer or became obsolete due to an new protocol (i.e. docsis 3.0). “End of Life” does not mean your modem is destined to fail in the near future. Since the answers to my questions were not on the CSR (customer service rep) prepared script or training, we agreed to have a technician come out.
- The technician confirmed my assessment, that I had an intermittent router (not modem) issues but while there, removed an obsolete video filter at the box, resulting in my internet working much better and becoming more stable.
- When my internet was intentionally interrupted by Comcast, I chose to phone rather than have an online chat using the hyperlink mentioned above. Please note if Comcast were not able to “communicate [they use the term “identify”] the “access point” they would not be able to have a chat (proof communication service to Comcast was still online, yet internet was down).
- The CSR then explained I had an EOL modem and started to sell me another. I explained I had just been through this EOL sales pitch and explained my modem was working fine. I ask if they were going to terminate service (EOS) on docsis 2.0 modems and was told their service would not be changing for my existing modem, but that if my modem failed I would lose internet service – duh! Now the good part. Without asking for or verifying the information requested in the hyperlink – “Required information to access your account”: “Serial Number” and “CMAC Address,” she reset my modem (lights off, then back on) and surprise, internet service restored!
- After some Google digging I found an email address to “corporate customer service” articulated my complaint and to my surprise received a phone call (from, as always, an unidentifiable person). After she got out of the script mode we started communicating, but she made the following statements (close to verbatim) :
- “Comcast would never interrupt your service to get you to buy something”
- When looking at my customer history from her corporate records she, “could not see any interruption in service nor re-establishing service” on my date and time in question.
- When I assured her I did not make this up and explained many others were complaining on forums of the same issue and invited her to take a look, she replied: “I never read forums because they are just customer’s opinions.” Wow, I thought, how nice to be a monopoly.
- She indicated if I had a technician come out he could look at the history from my modem to verify my interruption and re-connection. Although I doubted this, to provide the veracity of my complaint to corporate, I agreed.
- 2 days later, the skillful technician came to the house and confirmed he had no access to such history records and the modem (unlike routers) did not capture history logs. We conjectured that because Comcast was connected for communication purposes perhaps “corporate log records” did not show the disruption of internet connections. The technician also stated his group did not have access to when a signal resetting the modem was sent (perhaps neither does corporate).
Someone, likely in marketing, is responsible for this underhanded tactic which either has the permission of corporate (the stuff class action suits are made of), or did it without permission and needs to be fired.