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First, a comment on DSL. I don't know how far from the CO you are, but in many areas 3mb DSL is now standard. Cable is not much faster because of the shared line issue. My DSL was rock solid, requiring a rest of the modem only twice in three years. Otherwise it never went down. Ever.
Back to Comcast. First, you need to understnad the repair process, then you need to understand the signal issues.
This is their formal procedure for repair: You call in with a problem. They send a "tech". This tech is a contractor and he's the cheapest guy they can get for the job. All he knows how to do is to change connectors. He's not allowed to do anything with the line to your house. He will change all the connectors (and the set top box if it's a TV problem) and leave, regardless of the real problem.
You call and complain again. They will send another tech. This one will be slightly skilled. But no very. He will check what the other guy did, maybe change another connector or splitter, and measure general signal levels. He will tell you that the signal levels are a little low but OK. He will also leave after telling you everything is OK.
You call and complain again. You're a little peeved. THis time the will send a tech supervisor. He actually has some knowledge. He will accurately measure the signal levels. He may observe that your line from the street is bad and have it replaced (he will need to call a lineman to do that usually). However, he will also note the signal level problems. He will tell you that "it's an upstream problem" and "they may need more amplifiers on the line" but the odds of him being able to get a change made on the lines are very low.
After all this work and three wasted days with Comcast "techs", you will still have a lowe signal level. It will be better, but still low. The reason is that Comcast keeps splitting off the signal along their lines and runs it out to the absolute minimum. They avoid putting more amplifiers on the line because they cost tima and money. They will tell you that it can't be line problems because "your neighbors would be reporting problems" (a brilliant way to test a street line... why put a silly old meter on it and actuallly measure when you can just count on some Comcast tech to accidentally notice that a few people in the some undetermined local area have complained over some undetermined period)
Lastly, you should not have to pay for any of their work. This is their problem. Refuse to pay. If they balk, call them up and argue with the customer service supervisor over the phone. Tell them you know they always have crappy signal problems and that they need to fix it.
Oh... and look into DSL. The phone company is usually a worse buracracy with off shore support, but the tech quality is better and the line quality is usually very stable.
posted by 98.110.150...
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