Comcast could have killed my husband tonight. I'm furious.

[DebJ]

If you know people with medical issues that means they MUST have
phone service for emergencies, and those people only have Comcast,
please pass this information on to them. It could save someone's life.


About an hour ago we experienced a total service outage: internet, TV, and phone.
Because my loving daughter provides me with a cell phone (I can't afford one),
I was able to call Comcast and inquire about the service outage.

After an extended wait on the phone, a Comcast rep advised that the service was
out due to SCHEDULED maintenance, and would be back on some time in the morning.
This was like at 1 am. I said, "WHAT time? 6 am? 10 am? She said that they had
no way of knowing, just that it would be 'fixed in the morning'.

Because of the late hour, it took a few minutes before what she said sunk in:
Comcast routinely schedules outages of our phone service for maintenance,
does not warn anyone that they will be without telephone service, and they can not determine
how long the service will be out when they do this. OMG.

At least the bums could give customers a heads up, so people in need could borrow
a cell phone or at least know they would not be able to reach 911 if needed.

Just a few weeks ago, I had to call an ambulance late at night for my husband, who suddenly
could not breathe properly, and has a medical history where this could be (will be?) a repeated need.
WHAT IF I WENT TO CALL 911 AND THE PHONE WAS OUT FOR 'PLANNED MAINTENANCE', FOR AN
UNDETERMINED AMOUNT OF TIME, AND I HAD NO IDEA WE WOULD NOT HAVE PHONE SERVICE
BECAUSE THEY DON'T EVEN LET YOU KNOW, and I didn't have access to another phone service?
Our Comcast service was actually out tonight for about 30-40 minutes. Yep, well long enough
for my husband to have died.

We live in Pennsylvania, land of more elderly than anything else, with needs to have access
to phone service in case of life and death emergencies. And I bet none of them with Comcast
Services is aware that their phone service will be unavailable for undetermined amounts of time,
that Comcast PLANS to take their service down, and that Comcast won't bother to let them know.
Of course, Comcast did this in the wee hours, because fewer customers should theoretically notice
during those hours. WELL GUESS WHEN MOST HEART ATTACKS OCCUR...IN THE WEE HOURS. Even a
20 minute outage of service could result in an unnecessary death.

No doubt this maintenance need is spelled out in microscopic print somewhere to avoid charges
of deception. But they certainly do not announce when the outages will happen, so you are
still screwed. Or dead.

I called Comcast back to complain about this lack of notice regarding SCHEDULED
maintenance outages and to state how dangerous this could be. The rep told me
every company has to do that. I said I had AT&T/Verizon for 38 years and they
never once cut my service for 'scheduled maintenance'. Never. He did not
dispute that.....but does Verizon now do this? If I switch to FIOS, is it the same
process as Comcast???

I was already steaming about Comcast's crappy service and ever-increasing prices.

Since I am currently seriously under-employed, I am online many hours a day. The internet
connection has been dropping repeatedly almost every single day.

The sound goes out in the middle of tv shows constantly...and I do mean constantly, every show, several times.
When you record a show and this happens, sometimes if you 're-wind'/back=up and then replay
you can access the sound....often you must attempt this 6-8 times to be succesful however. And
often, you just can't get the sound. Watching an hour long drama only to miss the climax of the
story because Comcast sound just screwed up AGAIN is infuriating, when this happens every day
every TV show. I have come to the point where the DVR isn't much use. Either I am able to sit
and watch the shows as they are broadcast, or I can't insure that I will get to enjoy them. And if
you are watching a current broadcast but pause the play so you can answer the phone or go to
the restroom....when you play again, the sound will go out. i mention this because if you are
watching the live broadcast at the moment the sound goes out, you can channel up and channel back
down to recover the sound, losing only a few seconds. But if you pause it for several minutes, you
will lose picture and sound for that several minutes if you channel up and down.

We have had to get a new DVR so many times in the past 4 years I have lost count...about once every
6 months....usually when we have had to record quite a few of our favorite shows, and then the DVR dies,
so we still don't get to see them. And we have new electrical wiring and a dedicated circuit breaker for
the relatively new tv and sound system; it isn't our end that is the problem. But of course, Comcast
has steadily increased the charges for the DVR.


A technician told me this is because Comcast was saving money by buying software
for the DVRs that does not really work with the old hardware...they didn't want to trash the contract
with the hardware maker. He said they are 'working on' getting software and hardware that will
sync better. Meanwhile (however long that is...years?? who knows...) screw the customer.
Cut service reliability, while simultaneously jacking up the rates.

I am hoping FIOS is available in our area. I will have to check it out ASAP. I just
can't stand this. And I think I need to write a letter to the editor in the local papers
so everyone will know that in an emergency, all they might get is no dial tone, at any
time, without warning, and without a breakdown.

[Tx4obama]

1. That is the problem with having everything tied to one cable company Also ...

There is only one cellphone in 'my house', and that phone goes to work each day with the other person that lives here.

I live in a very modern developed area only 10 miles west of downtown Houston, but the ELECTRICITY at this house goes around a half a dozen times per year when there are strong winds or a heavy rain storm.

Several years ago I put my foot down when it was mentioned that we should drop the land-line phone and go with Comcast for phone service.

I knew that was a bad idea because 'no electricity' means no cable service and even the land-line phones that use electricity do NOT work.

I keep an old-fashioned phone (that does not use batteries) in the cabinet that I can haul out and plug into the wall when the electric goes off - it's great to have to call the electric company to tell them that there is a problem and to have if there is a medical emergency. The one I had finally broke a few months ago I went to Walmart to purchase a new one - they had ONLY one type there out of the dozen or so ones they sell that worked without electricity - I was really surprised, the majority of the ones they carry need electricity to work.

In my opinion, everyone should have a land-line and an old fashioned phone for back-up.

[hobbit709]

7. Same here

I have a land line and DSL. ATT keeps bugging me to go U-Verse and bundle-I keep throwing their offers in the trash. I also have a VOIP phone that I use for all my long distance and it gives me a separate number. I use a Tracfone with no frills for cell-costs me about $100 a year.
A few years back, when IKE hit Houston, my friend who has a landline had no electricity for a week. EVERY time he picked up the wired phone he had dial tone. His cell phone was spotty, sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't-depending on if the nearest tower had power.

[NNN0LHI]

14. Rather than trying to make a voice call during times of intermittent cell service text instead

Once you send the text and if it doesn't go through immediately it will queue itself until it finds a good signal from a tower and then send it then.

Discovered this on 9/11. Couldn't make a voice call because all the cell sites were overloaded even here in the Midwest. But every text I sent eventually made it through whenever there was a small opening.

Don

[GoCubsGo]

19. Me, too.

I learned that lesson from an ice storm several years ago. The power went out for several days in some places. Everyone who had a corded phone had service the whole time. The rest had it until their cell phones ran out of juice. I have an old Trimline phone that I will keep until it dies. Then I'll go to Goodwill and get another. It has already outlived 4 cordless phones. My cell phone is a no-frills Net10 job that only gets used for emergencies, and an occasional long distance call, since I have racked up several hours of air time that I don't use.

We don't have U-Verse around here, but ATT keeps bugging me to get one of their cell phones. No thanks. A couple of the kids who worked with me last summer had ATT. Their coverage is horrible.

[Tx4obama]

26. I'm thinking about going back to WalMart to buy another old-fashioned phone ...

the last one I bought was priced at around $6.
I'm starting to think that maybe it would be a good thing to get an extra one before they stop making 'em

[Fawke Em]

25. AT&T provides a battery backup to its router.

Therefore, if you have an IPad or Tablet that can run on batteries for a bit, you can get online and use Skype or something to call out in emergencies.

I've never needed to call out during an emergency, but once our power was out for eight or more hours and we used our battery-powered devices for some entertainment when we weren't playing "Battleship."

[DebJ]

40. That was my same position for many years

but due to financial squeezes I had to take up the triple-play offer to save $40 a month.
It was necessary. But that special is ending very soon anyway, so hopefully I can go to FIOS
and continue to save. We also have only one cell phone.

[Ecumenist]

2. This is exactly why I don't believe in bundling... ALWAYS have a land line

You need one for your husband. Towers go down but as a rule, land lines stay up much more reliably.

[pacalo]

3. This is very helpful to know. Thanks for posting.

[Jim__]

4. Thanks for posting that. I will not be using COMCAST for my phone service. - n/t

[rdking647]

5. it wasnt comcast that could have killed your husband

it was your trying to save money.
a landline doesnt go down. cable does,as anyone who has it knows.
you only have a cell phone because your daughter gives you one and yet you can afford cable tv and internet + a DVR + a relatively new tv and sound system?

im sorry but if your husbands condition is such that a loss of phone service thru the cable is a real threat to his house maybe you should cut the DVR and get a landline.

im sorry but i really dont blame comcast in this case....

[Tx4obama]

8. On a side note, even land-lines can go down ... especially if a tree falls on the wire outside

it's a good idea to have a cell phone as a back up even if a land-line is in the home.
And have a neighbor that has a land line and/or cell phone that you can go to in case your cell phone goes dead.

We are all living in a new 'era', everyone just needs to be informed of what alternatives are available in an emergency situation in this new age of technology.

[gkhouston]

59. We switched away from landlines after two 4-day outages within four months.

No downed trees in/near our area and no explanation as to why our phone was out at all, much less for four days.

[customerserviceguy]

13. Yep, don't be too quick to abandon landlines

Internet phone service depends on having both cable (or fiber) AND electricity. If you're that dependent on a telephone, keep the landline as long as you can before the telcos abandon them entirely.

[MattBaggins]

22. And here comes the scold who knows other peoples exact financial situations

[Gormy Cuss]

35. No, it WAS Comcast.

They shut off the service for routine maintenance without regard to whether users needed lifeline support.

[DebJ]

44. My point is we did not know of this planned, scheduled outage of service.

Not a breakdown 'outage', but a planned, scheduled, regularly occuring downtime in phone service
of which we would not ever receive notification.

I could not decide to NOT get Comcast phone service because of this issue, because I was not
made aware that this was their policy. I still would not know except that I happened to be up
in the wee hours and online.

As I said, this never has been the case in my decades of phone service with Verizon; why would
I presume Comcast would do this?
My biggest gripe is that Comcast does not make customers clearly aware that this is how they operate,
so it is denying them opportunity to insure they have back up or to not sign up with them in the first place.
I find this deceptive and dangerous. And yes, THIS IS COMCAST'S CHOICE AND I WASN'T GIVEN INFO
TO REALIZE THAT. THEY ARE TO BLAME.

We are now locked into this service until our contract expires in the near future.

And by the way, we bought our equipment 3 years ago when my husband received a small inheritance
when his mother passed away. At the time, our one TV was 12 years old and malfunctioning. We used that cash
to replace the dying tv. We are NOT tech freaks who upgrade things in our life just to upgrade, nor fill
every room with gadgets. We have one tv. We only bought in 2009 because otherwise we would soon
have had no functioning tv. We have so little technology or anything of material value that when burglars
struck our home two years ago, all they took was a piggy bank with some old coins in it. We have one
computer that we also purchased with the inheritance. That's it. We won't buy again until forced to do so,
hopefully not for another decade.

So please don't perceive us as people who choose to go into debt to keep up the pace and have lots of toys.
We aren't that type. When forced to replace a tv or computer, every 12 years or so, we buy the best technology
we can afford to do, with cash, so that we can extend the time longer when newer technologies might force
us to upgrade. It was pragmatism, not being excessive.

We are both teachers and did not know that right after we bought the TV, furloughs would begin and
just keep increasing over the next two years, making my prospects for employment nil, while still
owing college costs.
2009, we bought the tv. 2010, furloughs began.
2011, another 1 in 4 teaching jobs cut (at which point we went with triple-play just to save
$40 a month, along with other cuts we made). And now, my husband has been told he may have 4 or
5 paychecks and then the school can't pay him or any teachers at all. But he will still 'have a job'
and therefore not be entitled to unemployment, isn't that a sweet deal?

No doubt we wil 'give up' the DVR when the contract expires; just hoping that isn't part of losing the roof over our heads as well.

[ileus]

64. my landline died while my DSL part kept working.

for 6 months this year our landline was dead while the same line still provided broadband internet service.

Landlines do go down....



All companies schedule PM and upgrade outages for everything... Redundancy is a good thing.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

6. Is there any cheap pre-paid or no-plan cell service?

Something with no monthly charge, but maybe a flat usage rate or a pre-paid arrangement? It could be a good backup for emergencies. AT&T can and does fail, just not as often as Comcast. I think it's the squirrels.

FIOS, I'll have to look into that. It might be a better deal than Comcast. But, still, a backup communication plan is a good idea.

[DebJ]

47. Yep you are right about that. Thanks.

[alphafemale]

9. Any cell phone with a charge can still call 9-1-1 even if not activated.

Land lines in many areas will allow that too.

Plug any phone into a outlet.

If you get a dial tone you can access 9-1-1 and the local phone company to turn on service.

[MADem]

10. I pay too much for service, but I have cable from one company, phone from another, and internet from

a third. I know I'd save a "bundle" if I bundled, but I just don't want to do it. I would never buy phone service from a cable company--they're too unreliable.

[TexasProgresive]

11. Welcome to the land of unregulated utilities

Those that believe that government doesn't work have made it so. The PUC in the 70s would have levied a hefty fine for an outage of that length.

[liberal N proud]

12. Unfortunatly those are the risks with VOIP

But it is much cheaper than bing shackled by the land line.

We use Vonage and the only problems we have had is with Time Warners service, they keep calling trying to sell us their VOIP. I keep telling them, that I put up with enough of their terrible service, I wouldn't want any more and that I am happy with Vonage.

We also keep a couple of cell phones (pre-paid) for the outage times.

The only time there is a problem, as you have found is when there is an emergency

[tsuki]

15. I don't know how much you pay for the bundle. My friend paid $167.00 a month for

cable bundle, and around $80.00 for cell. When her husband died, she could no longer afford the expense.

She was a member of AARP, so we had her turn her cells in and get one from AARP for about $20.00. We put up a booster antenna so she could get ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, This, CW, MyNetwork and 4 PBS channels. We bundled her phone and DSL line for, they say, $55.00, but with taxes probably closer to $68.00. then we added Roku and she pays $8.63 for Netflix, but she gets all the radio channels, Pandora, FS, Al Jazeera English, RT, I don't know, she has a whole bunch of freebies.

If we lose DSL, we usually have phone. During a hurricane, if we lose power, we grab the princess phone out of the cupboard and have phone. If we lose phone, we have a cell that does not text, or internet.

I hope this helps.

[DebJ]

48. Thanks a lot! Appreciate it.

[tsuki]

58. See if your area has a buycott group. They can help you. nt

[ananda]

16. Go with Consumer Cellular.

Cheap plans, good service.

[Klukie]

17. File a complaint with the FCC

You can do it online.

[aptal]

43. They FCC doesn't regulate Cable

[Klukie]

75. Yes they do

http://www.fcc.gov/guides/cable-television-where-file-complaints-regarding-cable-service

[aptal]

79. Please read before you post...

There is three things the FCC regulates on cable and they really don't regulate that very much.

Programming carried on the system. With the exception of rules that require cable systems to carry certain local broadcast stations, cable systems decide which programming services to carry. Therefore, you should contact your cable system if it has dropped a particular channel.
Carriage of FM and AM radio stations.
Charges for pay-per-view or pay-per-channel programming. The rates charged for this type of programming are not regulated.
If you are not satisfied with your cable company's response, contact your local franchising authority.

So basically nothing...

Questions or complaints handled by your franchising authority include:

Which is everything... if you would have read.

[Klukie]

80. My hubby complained to the FCC about service..or lack of service I should say (reliability issues)

Within 48 hours of that complaint our cable provider was calling to kiss rear and we ended up recieving a better rate for our troubles. You can complain to the FCC and it will elicit a response. BTW...I thought you originally said that the FCC didn't regulate cable? I don't know... maybe I misunderstood your first post because of my poor reading skills

[aptal]

82. Again... for the slow...

The FCC does not regulate cable like it does FM, AM, and OTA signals and does not take complaints regarding service. Maybe he called your local authority?

How can I file a complaint against my cable company?
Complaints about rates or service should be directed to your local franchise authority. A franchising authority is the local municipal, county or other government organization that regulates certain aspects of the cable television industry at the state or local level. The name of the franchising authority may be on the front or back of your cable bill. If this information is not on your bill, contact your cable company or your local town or city hall.

From: http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/faqs-television-and-cable

So I am clear... and you can easily look this info up on the above site. The FCC regulates very little when it comes to cable. They handle some Billing, some customer services, and some signal leakage issues.

[Klukie]

86. Again...for those who refuse to believe it... he complained to the FCC and they responded.

[aptal]

87. Again...

Ok well he got lucky. Maybe the issue was signal? That or Customer service is the only things they actually have anything to do with.

[Stuart G]

18. K and R...nt

[tjwash]

20. Any real phone service would fail subscribers over to a second cluster node to do PMs

And it would be invisible. But...you have comcast instead. They suck, and are pretty much a joke in the telecom world.

[MadrasT]

53. Yep.

I can't believe they don't have this in place.

[LiberalFighter]

21. That happened to my parents about 2 years ago around November.

But it was with Charter Cable. No phone, no tv, no internet. I was there when it happened. Don't know if that was the only time it happened. But definitely not good for it to happen. They said it was an outage. One of the main reasons I don't want my phone bundled with my internet.

I have a special phone that is landline but if power goes out it is useless. But, I have another phone that does not require direct power supply that is my backup.

[jeff47]

23. You don't need a phone plan to call 911

That landline is still connected to your house. Plug a phone into it and you will still get a dial tone. You can use it to call 911 and 611 (customer service, so you can ask them to reconnect the line).

Similarly, all cell phones can call 911 whether or not you have a plan. So you can buy a $10 used phone off ebay, and keep it charged for use in emergencies.

[DebJ]

49. Really? Wow! That is great news. I do have an old plug in phone

and will definitely try this next time.

[alphafemale]

69. Yeah. I posted same above.

Just be sure you have a dial tone. It works in most parts on the country but not all.

[sammytko]

24. ATT has 5 and 10 dollar a month senior/disabled services

You could probably then afford to get DSL through them.

And yes, like others suggested - cell phones can be used to call 911 without being activated and a corded phone will still work if there is no power. The voltage on the line comes from the phone company, not your regular house power.

[Zalatix]

36. That's okay, I gave the OP a REC to balance your desired unrec. :)

[Zalatix]

45. Everything, eh? Hyperbole much?

[Zalatix]

70. "about" everything? HYPERBOLE much? And what if I don't step away from the keyboard?

Whatcha gonna do, FLAME me? Oh I'm so worried now. Can you see me biting my fingernails?

[NeedleCast]

28. So Wait

Your daughter provides you with a cell phone because you cant afford one, but you can afford a package entertainment bundle that includes cable TV, cable internet and DVR services? You can't afford a cell phone but don't seem to have a problem paying for a bundle that - according to you - Comcast keeps jacking up the price of service on?

Here's an idea. If your husband is at higher risk of a cardiac event, maybe quit paying for a bunch of luxuries and you know, get a dedicated land line which would cost you less than you probably pay for your DVR alone on a monthly basis. Or you could get a cheap cell phone of your own and buy a minimum service package and leave the cell phone charged but off, using it only for emergencies.

Or you could just go on blaming Comcast for a problem you created (which is, I'll assume, what you plan to do).

[renate]

34. I beg to differ

For people who spend a lot of time at home (I don't know the OP's particular situation, so I'm just guessing, but if her husband has medical issues it's not unlikely), paying for Internet service and a cable package makes a lot more sense than a cell phone. Her daughter may be paying for the cell phone because it matters to the daughter, not to her parents.

The OP only just now found out that Comcast's phone service is unreliable, so it seems kind of mean to be criticizing her for having "a bunch of luxuries" instead of a land line.

[jeff47]

51. There's this other tidbit

My wife an I have a family plan from AT&T for our cell phones.

To add my MIL to our plan costs a whopping $5/mo.

[DebJ]

55. A few things:

Comcast's bundle reduced our expenses; land-line $80 a month, Comcast, $40

My problem with Comcast is that they do not tell consumers in advance that they regularly
take out phone service for extended periods for non-breakdown situations, neither before
you sign up, nor when the outages are actually going to occur.

I am concerned for ALL the residents here in Pa, not just myself.

What bunch of luxuries? Our house was broken into 2 years ago and they couldn't
find anything worth taking except an old piggy bank. We have one tv, and one
computer, that we paid for with cash when my husband's mother died three years ago.
We were replacing a 12 year old TV that was no longer functioning properly, and
a 10 year old computer doing the same. And we hope to not need to replace either
for another 10-12 years.

When we signed up in 2009 (though not for phone) I had a full-time temporary job
that was supposed to go permanent after a year, as a newly certified teacher with student loans.
Then the furloughs started in 2010, and that job and many others were cut. I work day to day
sub work when I can get it; there are now fewer teachers for whom to sub: 1 in 4 jobs
were cut in 2011, and now the entire school system might close its doors in a manner of weeks,
and hubby works there. In 2011, we switched to the bundle to cut costs,
unaware of Comcast's scheduled outage policy.

Other luxuries: two vacations in 8 years...wow, that week in Boston was outrageously
ridiculous and irresponsible. We do not go out anywhere except to a friends house for dinner,
or three times a year to movies using a gift card we get at Christmas. My husband works,
I work the few days of subbing I can find and look for better work (not easy at 56), we
pay our bills, watch politics and go to bed. That's it. Sometimes we go to the library.
We do not drink or party, or as I said, go anywhere at all, except to the back porch in
nice weather. Just old quiet farts trying to survive and do some political volunteer work
to stop all this madness. And pay for our big mistake: me going to college to be a teacher,
to be re-trained so I could work because the physical disabilities caused by my previous
profession prevent me from earning an income that way now. High rollers, that's us!

PS: the DVR is $15 a month and will be going away either when: 1) our contract expires
shortly or 2)my husband's school district stops paying him in a few weeks because they
have no money for payroll.

[Zalatix]

71. Indeed, the point is most certainly this

My problem with Comcast is that they do not tell consumers in advance that they regularly
take out phone service for extended periods for non-breakdown situations, neither before
you sign up, nor when the outages are actually going to occur.

I agree 100%.

[Dreamer Tatum]

76. I reviewed my Comcast agreement, and guess what...

...it's the LAW that they inform you that emergency services are not available
when your overall services go down. Which is why you sign a disclaimer when you
set services up.

If you have a person at home with iffy health, invest in a way to contact the outside world,
and stop blaming other people for "almost kiling" your husband. Looks like you almost killed him
trying to maximize your entertainment options for minimum expense.

[D Crane]

88. Dear Comcast Employee #__________

Here is how it happens:
You have Comcast Internet and basic cable.
The price goes up.
You call to cancel.
They offer you a large discount to bundle.
You say we have health problems . . .is it reliable?
Comcast; from a script: As reliable as your current phone; you see your new modem will have a battery backup.

I have been dealing with this for 2-years. It will end; starting in Seattle.
I have dozens of hours of recorded lies from Comcast ready to put on YouTube.

[snooper2]

29. Internet Based VoIP services have different rules and regulations, You should read the fine print

In the service contract you accepted...

Also, you should look at any redundancy features available with the service such as alternate numbers or call continuity.

Lastly, having been in telecom all my life, the only customers that get proactive notifications (talking business customers here not residential) are usually at least a 10M or DS3 service or above. Unless you are a "special account ".

I've never heard of any provider giving proactive notification of maintenance windows to residential customers. As easy as it might seem to do to the layperson, it's actually not. And of course you always do the time/system investment vs. return

[NCTraveler]

30. Headline Should Read....

I Am Making Decisions As A Consumer That Will Risk My Husbands Life.

[DebJ]

56. can't make decisions with no information provided byComcast ahead of time to make them

[Patiod]

31. Verizon is just as bad

My parents had it (in SE PA) and they switched to Comcast because of the number of outages. We have a Comcast bundle, and haven't had any problems.

[dembotoz]

32. a couple of things

land lines are the most dependable service---period9
any phone service delivered over the internet is suspect to power outage problems.
comcast, uverse, fios, skype whatever-if you can not send an email you prob can not make a call.

it is a good idea due to your situation to have emergency diverisfication--meaning 2 differenct technologies--and you have that...cell and comcast.

It would be a good idea to notify comcast and request that due to your situaltion, you want to be notified BEFORE any schedule maintainance that would take down the system--they should comply--they do not like lawsuits either

check with your land line provider and see if they have a program where you can get a no feature phone service to be used in emergencies--i think att has one--and it is fairly inexpensive.

as for those who would say you must not be that broke if you can afford cable--my 91 year old mother is independent but somewhat house bound Cable tv is her main source for not going nuts...and if she can avoid going nuts it helps me avoid going nuts. When my mother was growing up she lived in the city--friends and relatives were close by--she moved to the burbs about 40 years ago and it just is not the same. And they call this progress....

[FarCenter]

33. The FCC used to require the phone companies to report outages

Every time a switching center was out for more than some number of minutes it was reported. Also reported were smaller outages when they met a threshold of some number of lines for some number of minutes.

Of course, that was when we had regulated telecommunications utilities.

Now it is buyer beware, but I don't think there is any way a buyer can find out objective data about service availability statistics for the various companies.

These days, even if you have wire coming into your house, it doesn't mean that there is wire all the way to the central office. Many lines come from the nearest equipment vault which is powered off commercial power with battery backup, similar to the arrangements for cell towers.

[Cleita]

37. This is one reason I maintain a land line that I ordinarily don't need

besides my cell phone. It's because it's more reliable in emergencies. The last time we had an earthquake, the land lines were the only thing still working and we did have a couple of small emergencies due to the earthquake that we were able to communicate to others for help.

[jeff47]

52. You don't need to

FCC requires phone companies to connect 911 calls, even if the land line isn't on an active account. So leave the land-line phone plugged in but cancel your service. You'll still have a dial tone, and still be able to call 911.

[Cleita]

74. Thank you. That's good to know. n/t

[ecstatic]

38. Get a basic land line with no frills. Should cost about 18/month

Cell phones and voip phones may not be as reliable during an emergency in the home. If you weren't around and your husband needed to call but couldn't speak clearly, the 911 operator would know his location and send help. I don't have a land line anymore, but I would if I had major medical issues.

[Hatchling]

39. If you don't subscribe to long distance it can be cheaper.

On my landline I have no services like call waiting etc. There's a low income/medical discount. and I canceled long distance services as well. Service costs me $6.95 amonth with ATT. I have my pay as you go cell thst I use for the very few long distance calls I must make and for emergencies when I am away from home. That is $10 a month.

[jeff47]

54. You don't have to subscribe to anything, including local service

FCC requires phone companies to collect 911 calls, whether or not there's an active account associated with that line.

[Hatchling]

77. Thats true.

But for a small price you wil have a phone that more likely to be available to make local calls When there is a power outage.

We had a large power outage here in S. Calif. recently, and very few cell phones worked and after a day the batteries on those that did ran down with no way to charge. But my landline was able to connect to others that also had landlines and thus assure each other that we were okay.

[One_Life_To_Give]

41. The old "Bell System" is probably a better choice

The old phone system pre-breakup was built to be reliable. You might loose electricity, but the phones always seemed to have power. Today we see phone services interested in what the law says they must provide for minimum backup of a few hours. When it used to be a concern to make sure the phones could stay up for days in an emergency. True todays systems are cheaper. But you never had to worry about dropping a Western Electric phone on the floor.

[DebJ]

57. as long as you didn't drop it on your foot, LOL

those old phones were really heavy!

[PatSeg]

46. Frequent scheduled maintenance outages?

That is insane. I've had Comcast for over a year in New Hampshire and we have never had a scheduled maintenance outage. Before that I had AT&T Internet/phone and never experienced a scheduled maintenance either.

I've had issues with Comcast, but nothing like what you are experiencing. I don't blame you for being upset. That is inexcusable.

Like someone else mentioned, any charged cell phone can call 911 in an emergency without service.

[nadinbrzezinski]

50. And this is why we still have a land line

Last edited Fri Feb 3, 2012, 04:10 PM - Edit history (1)

It does not matter how attractive time Warner make is sound. Most people with only Internet based phones (not only Comcast) know this.

My mistake.

[Snake Alchemist]

61. Having only VOIP when you need an emergency line is a BIG NO-NO.

That's like depending on a CB radio.

[Dreamer Tatum]

62. When I signed up for my Comcast, I had to acknowledge that possibility.

And, likely, so did you.

Funny also how in a post about an alleged life-and-death matter, you also complain about the sound and picture.

[Warren Stupidity]

63. the regulated land line service providers were (and perhaps still are) required to provide

continuous service at their core facilities (the switches that routed calls) and to repair last mile outages within hours. Our fabulous deregulated kleptocratic oligarchy has abandoned the public interest in favor of short term profits to line the pockets of a vastly small elite.

[ileus]

65. what if the ambulance broke down on the way? still comcasts fault?

[RebelOne]

66. I have Comcast and have experienced several outages.

Since my phone, Internet and TV all go out at the same time, I do not have any way to communicate. So finally, I just got a cell phone that I can use to contact Comcast to find out what the problem is. I really do not need a cell phone except for emergencies.

[tawadi]

67. Remember Jay Leno's joke about Comcast?

It was something like "When your cable company can afford to buy an island you know there is a problem."

[B2G]

68. So what's your plan once you know about all scheduled outages?

Do you plan to schedule your medical emergencies accordingly?

I don't understand this thread.

[Snake Alchemist]

72. The Winner. nt

[BOHICA12]

73. Any problem after today is on YOU!

Comcast would not have killed your husband - his medical issues would have killed him. Get a cheap disposable and keep the cards up to date.

[behold a pale horse]

78. Why don't you just get a landline? And why pay for Comcast or any cable?

Eff the boob tube!

[zorahopkins]

81. Nationalize Comcast

I HATE Comcast.

I hate Comcast for many reasons -- including the indifference to real people's real human needs that you point out.

I hate Comcast because they are a HUGE corporation....The tallest building in Philadelphia is the Comcast Tower.

I am of the opinion that Comcast should be nationalized.

There is NO reason why a huge corporation should have the kind of power over our lives that Comcast has.

[cleanhippie]

83. I'm sorry, but Comcast is not the problem here.

You have enough money to purchase a monthly contract with Comcast for TV/Internet/Phone that costs well over $100. Yet you cannot afford a $20 pre-paid cell phone to keep in a drawer for emergencies?


From my POV, Comcast is not the problem here, it's the priorities you have set for your families budget.

[cyberpj]

84. re: "but does Verizon now do this? If I switch to FIOS, is it the same?" YES. AND THEY TRICKED ME

INTO USING THEIR FIOS OVER INTERNET FOR PHONE SERVICE even tho' I refused to drop my FIOS account for a landline that went, instead, over the fiber optics in the ground.

After more than a year of being 'off contract' with them and refusing offers to get a better price by re-signing for a new bundle package the sent me a message via my DVR one morning that one of my favorite channels would no longer be carried over the 'tier' of broadcast channels I had been on for years. The message said I had to call and select another broadcast package if I still wanted that channel.

When I called, they switched me into a new bundle on contract withough my agreement. All I wanted to do was change the TV portion; not our phone or Internet. They didn't TELL ME they were changing our phone service, I only noticed it when I made a call and had to dial our area code before any number I called - local or not!

When I called back to get off contract they did that after I told 4 different people we might be moving and I never asked to be put on a new contract - but SAID THEY COULD NOT PUT ME BACK ON PHONE OVER FIBER because they were phasing out that service and weren't offering it anymore.

AND NOW THE WORST PART OF ALL!!!!!!!
IT WAS NEVER TRUE THAT THE CHANNEL WAS NO LONGER OFFERRED ON THE TIER OF SERVICE I HAD BECAUSE MY NEIGHBOR HAS THE SAME TIER AND STILL GETS THAT CHANNEL - I VERIFIED IT BY CHECKING THE NAME OF THE PACKAGE ON HER BILL!!!

It was all a scam by Verizon to:
- get me to re-up for a new 2-year contract
AND
- get me off the landline and onto their voice over IP instead.

COMCAST vs. FIOS - they're equally as bad if you ask me regarding expenses and customer service but we have had better luck with FIOS broadcast quality and internet speeds.

THIS, is exactly why we USED TO HAVE MONOPOLY LAWS -- so that there could be unlimited competition for utilities services like these.

My husband has been checking into the cost of satellite for our TV service but I had that once with a previous roommate and it was always being affected by minor weathe problems.

So, hey, Welcome to the Corporate States of America. Enjoy your stay.

[TacoD]

85. Customer service reps routinely lie and call unplanned outages "scheduled maintenance."

This is a well known trick of the CSR trade.