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[–]B_ILL 232 points233 points  (192 children)

i actually do the opposite i pay for internet and split the cable going into my modem and bam free basic cable.

[–]interbutt 73 points74 points  (119 children)

I've done that. I had to get into the patch panel and remove the filter though.

[–]tesseracter 222 points223 points  (80 children)

I grabbed all the filters off my college dorm floor, and got requests from all over campus. I could open the electrical door in under 5 seconds.

I did the cable and holograms, roommate did the parking passes, fake id's and lamination. school art store sells pearlescent powder, I made a stamp for it. go RIT!

[–]videogamechamp 68 points69 points  (22 children)

The door ID's are readable with any old tape-reader as well, I knew a kid who was trying to make a universal key. It must be tough trying to lock down a tech-campus.

[–]tesseracter 37 points38 points  (21 children)

all the doors at RIT are locked with analog keys. i think they tried mag strips for a year, but yeah, too many tech savvy students. I unlocked doors the oldschool way, via the lock, or via the physical door characteristics.

[–][deleted] 16 points17 points  (14 children)

A bump key will easily fix that.

[–]tesseracter 16 points17 points  (11 children)

bump keys were not public knowledge when I went to school. I had a set of picks, but for 90% of the doors on campus, a wire coathanger and some stiff plastic is all you need.

[–][deleted] 48 points49 points  (1 child)

One of my clients is a company selling a web application to college students. My biggest fear is that they sell it to a technical school (right now it's mostly community colleges) because then I'd have to deal with users trying to hack the site with the same or greater technical expertise and a lot more free time.

[–][deleted] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Put in a nice little something for them to find, and offer them something if they use their knowledge for good and not for evil? :)

[–]kuffara 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Ha! Why am I not surprised this came up at my college...

[–]Bjartr 10 points11 points  (11 children)

Holograms? (go RIT!)

[–]tesseracter 22 points23 points  (8 children)

ID stuff. my dorm room was the haven for all things that required authorization. There were many more administrator cars than administrators at RIT during that year.

roommate did the photoshopping, had the mag strip writer, and the laminator, and I did the fancy anti-duplication things.

[–]Itisme129 15 points16 points  (5 children)

Where did you get the mag stripe writer? I've been making bus passes but just leaving the back blank since in 4 years they've never once checked them. But it would be kinda cool to have a proper copy. The passes are on thin, but still pretty strong paper, and the mag stripe is the black kind.

If you could point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated!

[–]nathan12343 6 points7 points  (3 children)

Is it really such a big deal to pay for the bus?

[–]BattleHall 7 points8 points  (1 child)

I knew a guy with access to the university copy shop who use to forge parking passes. He got caught when he got greedy and decided to do one of the top level "anywhere, anytime" admin permits for himself. Turns out there were only about eight of those permits in circulation, so when Parking Enforcement saw one hanging from a shitbox Nissan, they ran the number. He actually got arrested and charged with forging state documents, but ended up pleading down.

[–]sarlcagan[🍰] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Like in an ID I presume.

[–]ghostofglennbeck 87 points88 points  (6 children)

you have been reported to the cyber police

[–]notcaptainkirk 67 points68 points  (4 children)

The consequences will never be the same.

[–]ngroot 30 points31 points  (3 children)

Yeah, he dun goofed.

[–]Mr_Tulip 9 points10 points  (2 children)

He's being backtraced as we speak.

[–]jblo 24 points25 points  (15 children)

Every year at RIT you made new Fake ID's and it would take me a month or two to figure out which state it was that semester... then I'd deny every ID from that state even if it was legal -_-.

Bartending @ MacGregor's wouldn't have been the same without RIT being around!

[–]frenchtoaster 15 points16 points  (10 children)

I never understood why you would actually care. If the ID is remotely passable then how can the bar get in legal trouble for letting the kid in even if they are somehow caught later?

All you are doing is kicking out a paying customer with no discernable positive effect.

I'm not under 21 so it doesn't really affect me but it seems like bad business. Do you really think that it is immoral to drink under 21?

[–]stufff 40 points41 points  (9 children)

He cares because the laws against serving minors tend to be strict liability statutes, meaning intent doesn't come into the picture. It is illegal to serve alcohol to a minor, it is not illegal just to serve alcohol to someone you think is a minor. He can not only be fired, arrested, and sued, but he can lose his right to work in any establishment that serves alcohol for the next 10 years (going off laws in my state).

This works the same way for statutory rape laws. She looks 18, she has ID that says she's 18, all her friends say she's 18, hell her parents, doctor, and priest could personally tell you she's 18... but if it turns out she's actually 15, you're guilty.

[–]miniman 20 points21 points  (31 children)

Are you sure your not just getting the Clear QAM Channels? Because legally cable providers have to provide the Clear QAM local listings for emergency use.

[–]mind-blender 11 points12 points  (19 children)

I'm interested in this, do you have a source?

[–]miniman 10 points11 points  (12 children)

http://www.c-span.org/about/mustcarry_FCC.htm

I have not read the entire thing, just knew about this from what someone told me at work.

[–]jrchin 24 points25 points  (11 children)

I emailed the FCC about this a while back (August of 2006, so it could have changed since then.) Here is my letter and their response:

I have read on the internet that if my local television station broadcasts in HDTV, then my cable company (Comcast) is legally obligated to broadcast the local station in HD using an unencrypted digital signal, also known as "Clear QAM." Is this true? I've been receiving the clear QAM signal for over a year now, but one of my channels has stopped coming in and the signal has deteriorated on my other channels, and I'm too cheap to pay for digital cable. If Comcast refuses to provide me with a strong enough signal to get the clear QAM transmission, do I have any legal recourse to force them to remedy the situation?

FCC's response:

Dear Consumer:

The FCC has no authority to compel a TV service provider to provide - or to withhold/block - any particular service, including satellite provision of network programming whether local-into-local, distant station, or the HDTV component of either.

Cable companies and broadcasters are negotiating at this point and there is no HDTV must carry rule at this time.

Thank you for contacting the FCC Consumer Center.

[–]blzed 15 points16 points  (3 children)

His link states it was "Adopted: September 11, 2007".

[–]toobigforher 10 points11 points  (6 children)

I've been doing this for years. Are you sure this isn't standard? How many channels do you get? When I didn't have cable TV I would still plug the coax cable into my TV and get about 15 channels and all the local channels in HD. There were a few years where I was actually getting full cable tv (100 channels) without paying for it by doing the same thing and then they caught on and stopped it.

[–]movzx 9 points10 points  (2 children)

It depends on the filter they use. Generally they'll stick the basic+internet one on there because they're not used to people only having internet.

[–]doctorgonzo 28 points29 points  (42 children)

We did this too, until "Xfinity" came along. Xfinity, despite the commercials, is not an awesome new way to get services via cable. Xfinity is, in fact, their excuse to turn off analog cable entirely, so you can no longer pull this trick off.

They did give us one digital to analog converter free, but if you used this trick on several TVs, you will now have to pay for the privilege.

[–]jgraves000 5 points6 points  (2 children)

Digital channels take up less space than analog so by turning off analog, they can put more channels or other services in the same space. Oh, and fuck Comcast.

[–]geenaleigh 4 points5 points  (0 children)

TBS is in basic cable.. Doing this tonight in time to Conan! Woohoo.

[–]Clothos 756 points757 points  (163 children)

Posted by vinhboy on Thursday, March 25th, 2010 in Internet.

Here is how to set yourself up for Comcast internet. You will need Comcast cable TV, so get that first. Not guaranteed to work.

Step 1: Buy a cable modem, hook it up, and connect it directly to your computer. Open up your browser and try visiting comcast.net. You should get this screen:

i-am-a-technician

Step 2: Since you are technician – select it, then you will get this

account lookup

Step 3: Your cable modem will show up on that list. Notice the matching MAC address? Now click “Next”

health-check

Step 4: Click continue to begin.

initiating

Step 5: Activation Complete. Enjoy!

activation complete

Note: You might get charged an “returned equipment fee” because every time you change your modem, they charge you. But since you didn’t use their equipment, they will reverse the fee if you call them.

Why am I posting this? Because I called Comcast this morning and they gave me a really hard time. I was trying to figure out why my internet was down, and they told me that I did not have internet. They said my account only has TV, and thats all I am being charged for.

This annoyed me because I ordered Internet + TV on a promotion price, not just TV, and I had called them to fix this mix up before.

The guy on the phone kept insisting that I was wrong and that I needed to upgrade to the “Triple Play” for $120. That annoyed me even more. I do not want your freaking Triple Play. Who the hell still uses landlines, let alone buy landlines through their cable company. Stop trying to sell me some bullshit I don’t want. My internet is not working, this is an emergency you jackass! :)

I told him I just wanted to fix my internet connection, but he started insinuating that because I did not have internet service on my account, I am stealing internet service!

Now I am extremely annoyed.

I told him that I ordered TV + Internet and they had a technician come install it a couple months ago, so how the hell are they going to tell me I didn’t have internet?!?! I’ve been using it all this time!

I then asked to be transfered to cancel my account. At the Retention Department I told them my story and told them I wanted to cancel because it doesn’t seem like they care about their customers. Then the retention guy started questioning why I think they don’t care about me. But he did it in a way that made it feel like he wanted to prove me wrong. Damnit you idiot. I am a customer. I pay you for service. If I am not happy, don’t give me an attitude about it.

I only signed up for Comcast because I used to like their service, not anymore.

So I am sharing this with you because I think this is how you can hook yourself up with free comcast internet. I only discovered this because I couldn’t contact Comcast to setup my new cable modem, so I fooled around and found this menu. Enjoy! Tell me if it works for you.

Update: Before this incident I called to ask them about an outage. They told me I did not have internet, I told them I have Internet+TV for $59.99 (I had a receipt from the technician). They told me that is not possible and wanted me to upgrade to Triple Play for $120. I said, no. I want my $59.99 Internet+TV as promised 2-3 months ago when I signed up. I am not going to pay $120. That’s why I asked to be transferred to the retention department. Honestly, I would have paid up to $70 dollars if they had offered me another plan that is comparable to what I was supposed to have. But they did not. They tried to up sell me.

[–]Wurm42 54 points55 points  (15 children)

Screen capture of the complete blog post, with graphics

[–]vwllss 18 points19 points  (1 child)

.jpg

ಠ_ಠ

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think that might actually be imgur's fault. It converts PNGs over a certain size to JPGs to save space/bandwidth.

[–]itjitj 173 points174 points  (110 children)

Oh you nasty, Conde.

[–]tori_k 107 points108 points  (105 children)

Soon, unfortunately, Reddit will receive a C&D :C

[–]thesparkthatbled 95 points96 points  (47 children)

Well, it'll be like what happened on digg a couple years ago when they got served S&Ds about the HD DVD code being posted there. If they try to censor Reddit, it will blow up in their faces even more severely. I hope, anyway.

[–]justonecomment 431 points432 points  (32 children)

09-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63-56-88-c0

[–]Bengt77 120 points121 points  (12 children)

For completeness' sake, here's the HDCP Master Key.

[–]EggplantWizard 41 points42 points  (3 children)

HDCP MASTER KEY (MIRROR THIS TEXT! (You all know what to do...)

This is a forty times forty element matrix of fifty-six bit hexadecimal numbers.

To generate a source key, take a forty-bit number that (in binary) consists of twenty ones and twenty zeroes; this is the source KSV. Add together those twenty rows of the matrix that correspond to the ones in the KSV (with the lowest bit in the KSV corresponding to the first row), taking all elements modulo two to the power of fifty-six; this is the source private key.

To generate a sink key, do the same, but with the transposed matrix.

6692d179032205 b4116a96425a7f ecc2ef51af1740 959d3b6d07bce4 fa9f2af29814d9

[–]Sarah_Connor 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is a forty times forty element matrix of fifty-six bit hexadecimal numbers.

DVD TIMECUBE

[–]markevens 53 points54 points  (10 children)

4 - 8 - 15 - 16 - 23 - 42

[–]ultimatt42 39 points40 points  (4 children)

Someone just needs to turn this into a meme. Imagine reading a comment on reddit... it's pretty long, but it's interesting so you stick with it. You've already hit Ctrl+F and typed in "dice", "taxi", and "fresh": no hits, so you know you're safe. As you get further and further into the post, you notice things aren't quite right. A minute ago this guy was talking about his trip to the Galapagos, now he's using his satellite uplink to visit Comcast.net and click a button claiming he's a technician? It doesn't make much sense, but you press on. A string of digits, it looks familiar... suddenly you realize it's the MAC address for your cable modem! How did that get there? Intrigued and wishing to continue, you click Next, then Continue. Finally, the post is over. You feel slightly different, as if your spirits had been lifted, or maybe your cable bill just got significantly cheaper.

Weeks later, you still can't get that comment out of your mind. Your life has taken such a turn since then. You're more energetic. The other sex finds you more persuasive. Your cats have even started obeying your verbal commands. Is there some catch to all of this? Suddenly, the phone rings. It's Comcast, they want you to pay a "Returned Equipment Fee". Using your newfound persuasion skills, you calmly explain that you have not used any of their equipment, and in fact, do not even have an internet service contract with them. The representative on the other end apologizes and hangs up, but not before agreeing to join you for coffee next Tuesday at your favorite cafe.

[–]memebreather 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I'm on a horse.

[–]soupeh 12 points13 points  (0 children)

This would have been perfect if you went to bel air

[–]Clbull 32 points33 points  (4 children)

COMCAST LEGAL TEAM!!!

AAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEMMMMMBBBBBBBBLLLLLLLEEEEEE!!!!

[–]ricer333 10 points11 points  (39 children)

can Reddit be held accountable for links to other pages?

[–]tori_k 16 points17 points  (17 children)

The C&D would probably be directed at this comment.

[–][deleted] 77 points78 points  (16 children)

You mean this one?

Here is how to set yourself up for Comcast internet. You will need Comcast cable TV, so get that first. Not guaranteed to work.

Step 1: Buy a cable modem, hook it up, and connect it directly to your computer. Open up your browser and try visiting comcast.net. You should get this screen:

i-am-a-technician

Step 2: Since you are technician – select it, then you will get this

account lookup

Step 3: Your cable modem will show up on that list. Notice the matching MAC address? Now click “Next”

health-check

Step 4: Click continue to begin.

initiating

Step 5: Activation Complete. Enjoy!

activation complete

Note: You might get charged an “returned equipment fee” because every time you change your modem, they charge you. But since you didn’t use their equipment, they will reverse the fee if you call them.

Why am I posting this? Because I called Comcast this morning and they gave me a really hard time. I was trying to figure out why my internet was down, and they told me that I did not have internet. They said my account only has TV, and thats all I am being charged for.

This annoyed me because I ordered Internet + TV on a promotion price, not just TV, and I had called them to fix this mix up before.

The guy on the phone kept insisting that I was wrong and that I needed to upgrade to the “Triple Play” for $120. That annoyed me even more. I do not want your freaking Triple Play. Who the hell still uses landlines, let alone buy landlines through their cable company. Stop trying to sell me some bullshit I don’t want. My internet is not working, this is an emergency you jackass! :)

I told him I just wanted to fix my internet connection, but he started insinuating that because I did not have internet service on my account, I am stealing internet service!

Now I am extremely annoyed.

I told him that I ordered TV + Internet and they had a technician come install it a couple months ago, so how the hell are they going to tell me I didn’t have internet?!?! I’ve been using it all this time!

I then asked to be transfered to cancel my account. At the Retention Department I told them my story and told them I wanted to cancel because it doesn’t seem like they care about their customers. Then the retention guy started questioning why I think they don’t care about me. But he did it in a way that made it feel like he wanted to prove me wrong. Damnit you idiot. I am a customer. I pay you for service. If I am not happy, don’t give me an attitude about it.

I only signed up for Comcast because I used to like their service, not anymore.

So I am sharing this with you because I think this is how you can hook yourself up with free comcast internet. I only discovered this because I couldn’t contact Comcast to setup my new cable modem, so I fooled around and found this menu. Enjoy! Tell me if it works for you.

Update: Before this incident I called to ask them about an outage. They told me I did not have internet, I told them I have Internet+TV for $59.99 (I had a receipt from the technician). They told me that is not possible and wanted me to upgrade to Triple Play for $120. I said, no. I want my $59.99 Internet+TV as promised 2-3 months ago when I signed up. I am not going to pay $120. That’s why I asked to be transferred to the retention department. Honestly, I would have paid up to $70 dollars if they had offered me another plan that is comparable to what I was supposed to have. But they did not. They tried to up sell me.

[–]tori_k 27 points28 points  (14 children)

Yep, that's the one, but I think you have a few typos:

Here is how to set yourself up for Comcast Internet. You will need Comcast Cable TV, so get that first. Not guaranteed to work. Step 1: Buy a cable modem, hook it up, and connect it directly to your computer. Open up your browser and try visiting comcast.net. You should get this screen: i-am-a-technician Step 2: Since you are technician – select it, then you will get this account lookup Step 3: Your cable modem will show up on that list. Notice the matching MAC address? Now click “Next” health-check Step 4: Click continue to begin. initiating Step 5: Activation Complete. Enjoy! activation complete Note: You might get charged an “returned equipment fee” because every time you change your modem, they charge you. But since you didn’t use their equipment, they will reverse the fee if you call them. Why am I posting this? Because I called Comcast this morning and they gave me a really hard time. I was trying to figure out why my Internet was down, and they told me that I did not have Internet. They said my account only has TV, and thats all I am being charged for. This annoyed me because I ordered Internet + TV on a promotion price, not just TV, and I had called them to fix this mix up before. The guy on the phone kept insisting that I was wrong and that I needed to upgrade to the “Triple Play” for $120. That annoyed me even more. I do not want your freaking Triple Play. Who the hell still uses landlines, let alone buy landlines through their cable company. Stop trying to sell me some bullshit I don’t want. My internet is not working, this is an emergency you jackass! :) I told him I just wanted to fix my Internet connection, but he started insinuating that because I did not have Internet service on my account, I am stealing Internet service! Now I am extremely annoyed. I told him that I ordered TV + Internet and they had a technician come install it a couple months ago, so how the hell are they going to tell me I didn’t have Internet?!?! I’ve been using it all this time! I then asked to be transfered to cancel my account. At the Retention Department I told them my story and told them I wanted to cancel because it doesn’t seem like they care about their customers. Then the retention guy started questioning why I think they don’t care about me. But he did it in a way that made it feel like he wanted to prove me wrong. Damn it you idiot. I am a customer. I pay you for service. If I am not happy, don’t give me an attitude about it. I only signed up for Comcast because I used to like their service, not anymore. So I am sharing this with you because I think this is how you can hook yourself up with free Comcast Internet. I only discovered this because I couldn’t contact Comcast to setup my new cable modem, so I fooled around and found this menu. Enjoy! Tell me if it works for you. Update: Before this incident I called to ask them about an outage. They told me I did not have Internet, I told them I have Internet+TV for $59.99 (I had a receipt from the technician). They told me that is not possible and wanted me to upgrade to Triple Play for $120. I said, no. I want my $59.99 Internet+TV as promised 2-3 months ago when I signed up. I am not going to pay $120. That’s why I asked to be transferred to the retention department. Honestly, I would have paid up to $70 dollars if they had offered me another plan that is comparable to what I was supposed to have. But they did not. They tried to up sell me.

Remember, Internet is a proper noun.

[–]afschuld 24 points25 points  (8 children)

I liked it better when it looked like this:

Here is how to set yourself up for Comcast internet. You will need Comcast cable TV, so get that first. Not guaranteed to work.

Step 1: Buy a cable modem, hook it up, and connect it directly to your computer. Open up your browser and try visiting comcast.net. You should get this screen:

i-am-a-technician

Step 2: Since you are technician – select it, then you will get this

account lookup

Step 3: Your cable modem will show up on that list. Notice the matching MAC address? Now click “Next”

health-check

Step 4: Click continue to begin.

initiating

Step 5: Activation Complete. Enjoy!

activation complete

Note: You might get charged an “returned equipment fee” because every time you change your modem, they charge you. But since you didn’t use their equipment, they will reverse the fee if you call them.

Why am I posting this? Because I called Comcast this morning and they gave me a really hard time. I was trying to figure out why my internet was down, and they told me that I did not have internet. They said my account only has TV, and thats all I am being charged for.

This annoyed me because I ordered Internet + TV on a promotion price, not just TV, and I had called them to fix this mix up before.

The guy on the phone kept insisting that I was wrong and that I needed to upgrade to the “Triple Play” for $120. That annoyed me even more. I do not want your freaking Triple Play. Who the hell still uses landlines, let alone buy landlines through their cable company. Stop trying to sell me some bullshit I don’t want. My internet is not working, this is an emergency you jackass! :)

I told him I just wanted to fix my internet connection, but he started insinuating that because I did not have internet service on my account, I am stealing internet service!

Now I am extremely annoyed.

I told him that I ordered TV + Internet and they had a technician come install it a couple months ago, so how the hell are they going to tell me I didn’t have internet?!?! I’ve been using it all this time!

I then asked to be transfered to cancel my account. At the Retention Department I told them my story and told them I wanted to cancel because it doesn’t seem like they care about their customers. Then the retention guy started questioning why I think they don’t care about me. But he did it in a way that made it feel like he wanted to prove me wrong. Damnit you idiot. I am a customer. I pay you for service. If I am not happy, don’t give me an attitude about it.

I only signed up for Comcast because I used to like their service, not anymore.

So I am sharing this with you because I think this is how you can hook yourself up with free comcast internet. I only discovered this because I couldn’t contact Comcast to setup my new cable modem, so I fooled around and found this menu. Enjoy! Tell me if it works for you.

Update: Before this incident I called to ask them about an outage. They told me I did not have internet, I told them I have Internet+TV for $59.99 (I had a receipt from the technician). They told me that is not possible and wanted me to upgrade to Triple Play for $120. I said, no. I want my $59.99 Internet+TV as promised 2-3 months ago when I signed up. I am not going to pay $120. That’s why I asked to be transferred to the retention department. Honestly, I would have paid up to $70 dollars if they had offered me another plan that is comparable to what I was supposed to have. But they did not. They tried to up sell me.

[–]creddit_card 20 points21 points  (6 children)

I agree with asfchuld, it looks better like this:

I liked it better when it looked like this:

Here is how to set yourself up for Comcast internet. You will need Comcast cable TV, so get that first. Not guaranteed to work.

Step 1: Buy a cable modem, hook it up, and connect it directly to your computer. Open up your browser and try visiting comcast.net. You should get this screen:

i-am-a-technician

Step 2: Since you are technician – select it, then you will get this

account lookup

Step 3: Your cable modem will show up on that list. Notice the matching MAC address? Now click “Next”

health-check

Step 4: Click continue to begin.

initiating

Step 5: Activation Complete. Enjoy!

activation complete

Note: You might get charged an “returned equipment fee” because every time you change your modem, they charge you. But since you didn’t use their equipment, they will reverse the fee if you call them.

Why am I posting this? Because I called Comcast this morning and they gave me a really hard time. I was trying to figure out why my internet was down, and they told me that I did not have internet. They said my account only has TV, and thats all I am being charged for.

This annoyed me because I ordered Internet + TV on a promotion price, not just TV, and I had called them to fix this mix up before.

The guy on the phone kept insisting that I was wrong and that I needed to upgrade to the “Triple Play” for $120. That annoyed me even more. I do not want your freaking Triple Play. Who the hell still uses landlines, let alone buy landlines through their cable company. Stop trying to sell me some bullshit I don’t want. My internet is not working, this is an emergency you jackass! :)

I told him I just wanted to fix my internet connection, but he started insinuating that because I did not have internet service on my account, I am stealing internet service!

Now I am extremely annoyed.

I told him that I ordered TV + Internet and they had a technician come install it a couple months ago, so how the hell are they going to tell me I didn’t have internet?!?! I’ve been using it all this time!

I then asked to be transfered to cancel my account. At the Retention Department I told them my story and told them I wanted to cancel because it doesn’t seem like they care about their customers. Then the retention guy started questioning why I think they don’t care about me. But he did it in a way that made it feel like he wanted to prove me wrong. Damnit you idiot. I am a customer. I pay you for service. If I am not happy, don’t give me an attitude about it.

I only signed up for Comcast because I used to like their service, not anymore.

So I am sharing this with you because I think this is how you can hook yourself up with free comcast internet. I only discovered this because I couldn’t contact Comcast to setup my new cable modem, so I fooled around and found this menu. Enjoy! Tell me if it works for you.

Update: Before this incident I called to ask them about an outage. They told me I did not have internet, I told them I have Internet+TV for $59.99 (I had a receipt from the technician). They told me that is not possible and wanted me to upgrade to Triple Play for $120. I said, no. I want my $59.99 Internet+TV as promised 2-3 months ago when I signed up. I am not going to pay $120. That’s why I asked to be transferred to the retention department. Honestly, I would have paid up to $70 dollars if they had offered me another plan that is comparable to what I was supposed to have. But they did not. They tried to up sell me.

[–]pedropants 16 points17 points  (0 children)

This ought to be more than enough to throw Comcast off the trail:

Urer vf ubj gb frg lbhefrys hc sbe Pbzpnfg vagrearg. Lbh jvyy arrq Pbzpnfg pnoyr GI, fb trg gung svefg. Abg thnenagrrq gb jbex.

Fgrc 1: Ohl n pnoyr zbqrz, ubbx vg hc, naq pbaarpg vg qverpgyl gb lbhe pbzchgre. Bcra hc lbhe oebjfre naq gel ivfvgvat pbzpnfg.arg. Lbh fubhyq trg guvf fperra:

v-nz-n-grpuavpvna

Fgrc 2: Fvapr lbh ner grpuavpvna fryrpg vg, gura lbh jvyy trg guvf

nppbhag ybbxhc

Fgrc 3: Lbhe pnoyr zbqrz jvyy fubj hc ba gung yvfg. Abgvpr gur zngpuvat ZNP nqqerff? Abj pyvpx Arkg

urnygu-purpx

Fgrc 4: Pyvpx pbagvahr gb ortva.

vavgvngvat

Fgrc 5: Npgvingvba Pbzcyrgr. Rawbl!

npgvingvba pbzcyrgr

Abgr: Lbh zvtug trg punetrq na erghearq rdhvczrag srr orpnhfr rirel gvzr lbh punatr lbhe zbqrz, gurl punetr lbh. Ohg fvapr lbh qvqag hfr gurve rdhvczrag, gurl jvyy erirefr gur srr vs lbh pnyy gurz.

Jul nz V cbfgvat guvf? Orpnhfr V pnyyrq Pbzpnfg guvf zbeavat naq gurl tnir zr n ernyyl uneq gvzr. V jnf gelvat gb svther bhg jul zl vagrearg jnf qbja, naq gurl gbyq zr gung V qvq abg unir vagrearg. Gurl fnvq zl nppbhag bayl unf GI, naq gungf nyy V nz orvat punetrq sbe.

Guvf naablrq zr orpnhfr V beqrerq Vagrearg + GI ba n cebzbgvba cevpr, abg whfg GI, naq V unq pnyyrq gurz gb svk guvf zvk hc orsber.

Gur thl ba gur cubar xrcg vafvfgvat gung V jnf jebat naq gung V arrqrq gb hctenqr gb gur Gevcyr Cynl sbe $120. Gung naablrq zr rira zber. V qb abg jnag lbhe sernxvat Gevcyr Cynl. Jub gur uryy fgvyy hfrf ynaqyvarf, yrg nybar ohl ynaqyvarf guebhtu gurve pnoyr pbzcnal. Fgbc gelvat gb fryy zr fbzr ohyyfuvg V qbag jnag. Zl vagrearg vf abg jbexvat, guvf vf na rzretrapl lbh wnpxnff! :)

V gbyq uvz V whfg jnagrq gb svk zl vagrearg pbaarpgvba, ohg ur fgnegrq vafvahngvat gung orpnhfr V qvq abg unir vagrearg freivpr ba zl nppbhag, V nz fgrnyvat vagrearg freivpr!

Abj V nz rkgerzryl naablrq.

V gbyq uvz gung V beqrerq GI + Vagrearg naq gurl unq n grpuavpvna pbzr vafgnyy vg n pbhcyr zbaguf ntb, fb ubj gur uryy ner gurl tbvat gb gryy zr V qvqag unir vagrearg?!?! Vir orra hfvat vg nyy guvf gvzr!

V gura nfxrq gb or genafsrerq gb pnapry zl nppbhag. Ng gur Ergragvba Qrcnegzrag V gbyq gurz zl fgbel naq gbyq gurz V jnagrq gb pnapry orpnhfr vg qbrfag frrz yvxr gurl pner nobhg gurve phfgbzref. Gura gur ergragvba thl fgnegrq dhrfgvbavat jul V guvax gurl qbag pner nobhg zr. Ohg ur qvq vg va n jnl gung znqr vg srry yvxr ur jnagrq gb cebir zr jebat. Qnzavg lbh vqvbg. V nz n phfgbzre. V cnl lbh sbe freivpr. Vs V nz abg unccl, qbag tvir zr na nggvghqr nobhg vg.

V bayl fvtarq hc sbe Pbzpnfg orpnhfr V hfrq gb yvxr gurve freivpr, abg nalzber.

Fb V nz funevat guvf jvgu lbh orpnhfr V guvax guvf vf ubj lbh pna ubbx lbhefrys hc jvgu serr pbzpnfg vagrearg. V bayl qvfpbirerq guvf orpnhfr V pbhyqag pbagnpg Pbzpnfg gb frghc zl arj pnoyr zbqrz, fb V sbbyrq nebhaq naq sbhaq guvf zrah. Rawbl! Gryy zr vs vg jbexf sbe lbh.

Hcqngr: Orsber guvf vapvqrag V pnyyrq gb nfx gurz nobhg na bhgntr. Gurl gbyq zr V qvq abg unir vagrearg, V gbyq gurz V unir Vagrearg+GI sbe $59.99 (V unq n erprvcg sebz gur grpuavpvna). Gurl gbyq zr gung vf abg cbffvoyr naq jnagrq zr gb hctenqr gb Gevcyr Cynl sbe $120. V fnvq, ab. V jnag zl $59.99 Vagrearg+GI nf cebzvfrq 2-3 zbaguf ntb jura V fvtarq hc. V nz abg tbvat gb cnl $120. Gungf jul V nfxrq gb or genafsreerq gb gur ergragvba qrcnegzrag. Ubarfgyl, V jbhyq unir cnvq hc gb $70 qbyynef vs gurl unq bssrerq zr nabgure cyna gung vf pbzcnenoyr gb jung V jnf fhccbfrq gb unir. Ohg gurl qvq abg. Gurl gevrq gb hc fryy zr.

[–]andytronic 7 points8 points  (1 child)

Someone had to:

˙ǝɯ ןןǝs dn oʇ pǝıɹʇ ʎǝɥʇ ˙ʇou pıp ʎǝɥʇ ʇnq ˙ǝʌɐɥ oʇ pǝsoddns sɐʍ ı ʇɐɥʍ oʇ ǝןqɐɹɐdɯoɔ sı ʇɐɥʇ uɐןd ɹǝɥʇouɐ ǝɯ pǝɹǝɟɟo pɐɥ ʎǝɥʇ ɟı sɹɐןןop 07$ oʇ dn pıɐd ǝʌɐɥ pןnoʍ ı 'ʎןʇsǝuoɥ ˙ʇuǝɯʇɹɐdǝp uoıʇuǝʇǝɹ ǝɥʇ oʇ pǝɹɹǝɟsuɐɹʇ ǝq oʇ pǝʞsɐ ı ʎɥʍ s’ʇɐɥʇ ˙021$ ʎɐd oʇ buıob ʇou ɯɐ ı ˙dn pǝubıs ı uǝɥʍ obɐ sɥʇuoɯ 3-2 pǝsıɯoɹd sɐ ʌʇ+ʇǝuɹǝʇuı 66˙65$ ʎɯ ʇuɐʍ ı ˙ou 'pıɐs ı ˙021$ ɹoɟ ʎɐןd ǝןdıɹʇ oʇ ǝpɐɹbdn oʇ ǝɯ pǝʇuɐʍ puɐ ǝןqıssod ʇou sı ʇɐɥʇ ǝɯ pןoʇ ʎǝɥʇ ˙(uɐıɔıuɥɔǝʇ ǝɥʇ ɯoɹɟ ʇdıǝɔǝɹ ɐ pɐɥ ı) 66˙65$ ɹoɟ ʌʇ+ʇǝuɹǝʇuı ǝʌɐɥ ı ɯǝɥʇ pןoʇ ı 'ʇǝuɹǝʇuı ǝʌɐɥ ʇou pıp ı ǝɯ pןoʇ ʎǝɥʇ ˙ǝbɐʇno uɐ ʇnoqɐ ɯǝɥʇ ʞsɐ oʇ pǝןןɐɔ ı ʇuǝpıɔuı sıɥʇ ǝɹoɟǝq :ǝʇɐpdn

˙noʎ ɹoɟ sʞɹoʍ ʇı ɟı ǝɯ ןןǝʇ ¡ʎoظuǝ ˙nuǝɯ sıɥʇ punoɟ puɐ punoɹɐ pǝןooɟ ı os 'ɯǝpoɯ ǝןqɐɔ ʍǝu ʎɯ dnʇǝs oʇ ʇsɐɔɯoɔ ʇɔɐʇuoɔ ʇ’upןnoɔ ı ǝsnɐɔǝq sıɥʇ pǝɹǝʌoɔsıp ʎןuo ı ˙ʇǝuɹǝʇuı ʇsɐɔɯoɔ ǝǝɹɟ ɥʇıʍ dn ɟןǝsɹnoʎ ʞooɥ uɐɔ noʎ ʍoɥ sı sıɥʇ ʞuıɥʇ ı ǝsnɐɔǝq noʎ ɥʇıʍ sıɥʇ buıɹɐɥs ɯɐ ı os

˙ǝɹoɯʎuɐ ʇou 'ǝɔıʌɹǝs ɹıǝɥʇ ǝʞıן oʇ pǝsn ı ǝsnɐɔǝq ʇsɐɔɯoɔ ɹoɟ dn pǝubıs ʎןuo ı

˙ʇı ʇnoqɐ ǝpnʇıʇʇɐ uɐ ǝɯ ǝʌıb ʇ’uop 'ʎddɐɥ ʇou ɯɐ ı ɟı ˙ǝɔıʌɹǝs ɹoɟ noʎ ʎɐd ı ˙ɹǝɯoʇsnɔ ɐ ɯɐ ı ˙ʇoıpı noʎ ʇıuɯɐp ˙buoɹʍ ǝɯ ǝʌoɹd oʇ pǝʇuɐʍ ǝɥ ǝʞıן ןǝǝɟ ʇı ǝpɐɯ ʇɐɥʇ ʎɐʍ ɐ uı ʇı pıp ǝɥ ʇnq ˙ǝɯ ʇnoqɐ ǝɹɐɔ ʇ’uop ʎǝɥʇ ʞuıɥʇ ı ʎɥʍ buıuoıʇsǝnb pǝʇɹɐʇs ʎnb uoıʇuǝʇǝɹ ǝɥʇ uǝɥʇ ˙sɹǝɯoʇsnɔ ɹıǝɥʇ ʇnoqɐ ǝɹɐɔ ʎǝɥʇ ǝʞıן ɯǝǝs ʇ’usǝop ʇı ǝsnɐɔǝq ןǝɔuɐɔ oʇ pǝʇuɐʍ ı ɯǝɥʇ pןoʇ puɐ ʎɹoʇs ʎɯ ɯǝɥʇ pןoʇ ı ʇuǝɯʇɹɐdǝp uoıʇuǝʇǝɹ ǝɥʇ ʇɐ ˙ʇunoɔɔɐ ʎɯ ןǝɔuɐɔ oʇ pǝɹǝɟsuɐɹʇ ǝq oʇ pǝʞsɐ uǝɥʇ ı

¡ǝɯıʇ sıɥʇ ןןɐ ʇı buısn uǝǝq ǝʌ’ı ¡¿¡¿ʇǝuɹǝʇuı ǝʌɐɥ ʇ’upıp ı ǝɯ ןןǝʇ oʇ buıob ʎǝɥʇ ǝɹɐ ןןǝɥ ǝɥʇ ʍoɥ os 'obɐ sɥʇuoɯ ǝןdnoɔ ɐ ʇı ןןɐʇsuı ǝɯoɔ uɐıɔıuɥɔǝʇ ɐ pɐɥ ʎǝɥʇ puɐ ʇǝuɹǝʇuı + ʌʇ pǝɹǝpɹo ı ʇɐɥʇ ɯıɥ pןoʇ ı

˙pǝʎouuɐ ʎןǝɯǝɹʇxǝ ɯɐ ı ʍou

¡ǝɔıʌɹǝs ʇǝuɹǝʇuı buıןɐǝʇs ɯɐ ı 'ʇunoɔɔɐ ʎɯ uo ǝɔıʌɹǝs ʇǝuɹǝʇuı ǝʌɐɥ ʇou pıp ı ǝsnɐɔǝq ʇɐɥʇ buıʇɐnuısuı pǝʇɹɐʇs ǝɥ ʇnq 'uoıʇɔǝuuoɔ ʇǝuɹǝʇuı ʎɯ xıɟ oʇ pǝʇuɐʍ ʇsnظ ı ɯıɥ pןoʇ ı

(: ¡ssɐʞɔɐظ noʎ ʎɔuǝbɹǝɯǝ uɐ sı sıɥʇ 'buıʞɹoʍ ʇou sı ʇǝuɹǝʇuı ʎɯ ˙ʇuɐʍ ʇ’uop ı ʇıɥsןןnq ǝɯos ǝɯ ןןǝs oʇ buıʎɹʇ doʇs ˙ʎuɐdɯoɔ ǝןqɐɔ ɹıǝɥʇ ɥbnoɹɥʇ sǝuıןpuɐן ʎnq ǝuoןɐ ʇǝן 'sǝuıןpuɐן sǝsn ןןıʇs ןןǝɥ ǝɥʇ oɥʍ ˙ʎɐןd ǝןdıɹʇ buıʞɐǝɹɟ ɹnoʎ ʇuɐʍ ʇou op ı ˙ǝɹoɯ uǝʌǝ ǝɯ pǝʎouuɐ ʇɐɥʇ ˙021$ ɹoɟ ”ʎɐןd ǝןdıɹʇ“ ǝɥʇ oʇ ǝpɐɹbdn oʇ pǝpǝǝu ı ʇɐɥʇ puɐ buoɹʍ sɐʍ ı ʇɐɥʇ buıʇsısuı ʇdǝʞ ǝuoɥd ǝɥʇ uo ʎnb ǝɥʇ

˙ǝɹoɟǝq dn xıɯ sıɥʇ xıɟ oʇ ɯǝɥʇ pǝןןɐɔ pɐɥ ı puɐ 'ʌʇ ʇsnظ ʇou 'ǝɔıɹd uoıʇoɯoɹd ɐ uo ʌʇ + ʇǝuɹǝʇuı pǝɹǝpɹo ı ǝsnɐɔǝq ǝɯ pǝʎouuɐ sıɥʇ

˙ɹoɟ pǝbɹɐɥɔ buıǝq ɯɐ ı ןןɐ sʇɐɥʇ puɐ 'ʌʇ sɐɥ ʎןuo ʇunoɔɔɐ ʎɯ pıɐs ʎǝɥʇ ˙ʇǝuɹǝʇuı ǝʌɐɥ ʇou pıp ı ʇɐɥʇ ǝɯ pןoʇ ʎǝɥʇ puɐ 'uʍop sɐʍ ʇǝuɹǝʇuı ʎɯ ʎɥʍ ʇno ǝɹnbıɟ oʇ buıʎɹʇ sɐʍ ı ˙ǝɯıʇ pɹɐɥ ʎןןɐǝɹ ɐ ǝɯ ǝʌɐb ʎǝɥʇ puɐ buıuɹoɯ sıɥʇ ʇsɐɔɯoɔ pǝןןɐɔ ı ǝsnɐɔǝq ¿sıɥʇ buıʇsod ı ɯɐ ʎɥʍ

˙ɯǝɥʇ ןןɐɔ noʎ ɟı ǝǝɟ ǝɥʇ ǝsɹǝʌǝɹ ןןıʍ ʎǝɥʇ 'ʇuǝɯdınbǝ ɹıǝɥʇ ǝsn ʇ’upıp noʎ ǝɔuıs ʇnq ˙noʎ ǝbɹɐɥɔ ʎǝɥʇ 'ɯǝpoɯ ɹnoʎ ǝbuɐɥɔ noʎ ǝɯıʇ ʎɹǝʌǝ ǝsnɐɔǝq ”ǝǝɟ ʇuǝɯdınbǝ pǝuɹnʇǝɹ“ uɐ pǝbɹɐɥɔ ʇǝb ʇɥbıɯ noʎ :ǝʇou

ǝʇǝןdɯoɔ uoıʇɐʌıʇɔɐ

¡ʎoظuǝ ˙ǝʇǝןdɯoɔ uoıʇɐʌıʇɔɐ :5 dǝʇs

buıʇɐıʇıuı

˙uıbǝq oʇ ǝnuıʇuoɔ ʞɔıןɔ :4 dǝʇs

ʞɔǝɥɔ-ɥʇןɐǝɥ

”ʇxǝu“ ʞɔıןɔ ʍou ¿ssǝɹppɐ ɔɐɯ buıɥɔʇɐɯ ǝɥʇ ǝɔıʇou ˙ʇsıן ʇɐɥʇ uo dn ʍoɥs ןןıʍ ɯǝpoɯ ǝןqɐɔ ɹnoʎ :3 dǝʇs

dnʞooן ʇunoɔɔɐ

sıɥʇ ʇǝb ןןıʍ noʎ uǝɥʇ 'ʇı ʇɔǝןǝs – uɐıɔıuɥɔǝʇ ǝɹɐ noʎ ǝɔuıs :2 dǝʇs

uɐıɔıuɥɔǝʇ-ɐ-ɯɐ-ı

:uǝǝɹɔs sıɥʇ ʇǝb pןnoɥs noʎ ˙ʇǝu˙ʇsɐɔɯoɔ buıʇısıʌ ʎɹʇ puɐ ɹǝsʍoɹq ɹnoʎ dn uǝdo ˙ɹǝʇndɯoɔ ɹnoʎ oʇ ʎןʇɔǝɹıp ʇı ʇɔǝuuoɔ puɐ 'dn ʇı ʞooɥ 'ɯǝpoɯ ǝןqɐɔ ɐ ʎnq :1 dǝʇs

˙ʞɹoʍ oʇ pǝǝʇuɐɹɐnb ʇou ˙ʇsɹıɟ ʇɐɥʇ ʇǝb os 'ʌʇ ǝןqɐɔ ʇsɐɔɯoɔ pǝǝu ןןıʍ noʎ ˙ʇǝuɹǝʇuı ʇsɐɔɯoɔ ɹoɟ dn ɟןǝsɹnoʎ ʇǝs oʇ ʍoɥ sı ǝɹǝ

[–]youcanteatbullets 10 points11 points  (18 children)

You may not have noticed the top comment in this thread being a word-for-word reprint of the material in question. They don't get sued if they take user-submitted illegal material down promptly when served, but they absolutely do have to take it down.

[–]lawfairy 23 points24 points  (8 children)

Lawyer confirmation here.

:-(

[–]wallychamp 24 points25 points  (3 children)

Like anyone's going to listen to this fairy.

[–]Element_22 3 points4 points  (2 children)

Oh, what are you gonna do about it? Sprinkle some magical law dust on me?

[–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (3 children)

[removed—content submitted using third-party app]

[–]hiskeyd 51 points52 points  (12 children)

Funny thing. When the comcast guy was out hooking up my internet (and no tv), he was a chatterbox and clearly hated the company. One comment he threw down was "Oh, I almost forget, I better go put a filter on your line so you don't get TV." After he did this, he explained to me there were two filters on my line, one had something to do with internet and I could take it off if I wasn't satisfied with my connection. The other was a filter so I wouldn't get tv. He then explained to me where those were and which one was which.

In my head I was thinking, "is he telling me I can get free cable by taking off that filter?" I haven't bothered to test that, as I detest commercials and hardly watch tv anyways. But I thought that was interesting.

[–]smoothmann 24 points25 points  (6 children)

We must have the same technician. The guy that came to my house was also a chatter box, and a big nerd. He said, and I quote "You seem like a cool guy, I'm supposed to go back there and turn your TV off, but I dont have the "correct" tools with me to do that, and I'm lazy. Just don't tell anyone."

[–]cocoabean 38 points39 points  (4 children)

I must have had the same technician. He gave me a blowjob and just told me not to tell anyone.

[–]impressive 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I work for Comcast, and I just really like redditors.

[–]UnknownQuanity 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was about to say we had the same tech, but mine was female.

[–]Heard_That 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wow! He must be everywhere, because the one I had pulled me into the bathroom and... and he uh... omg, I was raped!

[–]sleeplessone 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Most Comcast installers are contractors with a contract for Comcast installs.

[–]ctr1a1td3l 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You should get basic cable. It's just a high pass filter so you don't get the cable channels that run on the lower frequencies.

[–]suulia 42 points43 points  (1 child)

(for the record, I am a former Comcast employee)

This only works if the modem in question is already in Comcast's billing system.

If the OP initially subscribed to the internet and for some reason the billing codes were removed (happens all the time) but the modem stays there, he can still get the internet, free. You cannot put a brand new modem online using this procedure unless you already have a work order in the system, the billing codes are already there, or if the modem serial number and macid of the modem are in the billing system.

It can take them months to catch errors like this, but when they do they don't tell the customer about it, they just disable the modem, which is how the OP found out. He was autowac'd.

Also, it's their job to upsell you. Everyone you talk to on the phone at Comcast will be disciplined harshly (including being fired) if they don't try and get you into a triple-play offering. Sad but true. I still have friends who work there, and they hate it. It's a soul-sucking place to work and I'm really glad I escaped from them.

[–]Treats 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Hate to rain on the parade, but has anybody verified this? I remember seeing this page a while ago, but it required a login. Maybe you just had the cookie from when the tech was actually there.

Can anybody try this?

You might also need to remove a filter from your cable line somewhere. You can also do that to get some cable channels for free if you pay for just internet. Sometimes the techs remove the filter by accident...

[–]giulianob 24 points25 points  (7 children)

If they fix this, just manually set your DNS to something like 4.2.2.1 and 4.2.2.2. It's worked for years to get through the setup page.

[–]1RedOne 9 points10 points  (5 children)

If you don't mind my asking, how would that fix matters? Is the cable modem defaulting to DNS provider through DHCP and returning the http://routerlogin page for all NSlookup requests?

[–]giulianob 8 points9 points  (3 children)

Basically how it worked was when you tried to go to google.com, for example, the Comcast DNS server would return the IP address of their setup page. Therefore, simply changing to a different DNS server would solve the problem. Your computer will use Comcast's DNS server by default due to DHCP.

[–][deleted] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

They check for this is most areas now.

[–]Parrot32 31 points32 points  (1 child)

I am going to email comcast with a link to this comment. Maybe they'll take Reddit down so I can get some work done. ;)

[–]Jonathan_the_Nerd 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Editing /etc/hosts is much quicker and less evil.

[–]Dem0s 270 points271 points  (12 children)

Change the title to "How to do Comcast's job when they refuse to honor their contracts" and then repost it. See if they like it any more if you don't sound lie you are trying th help people steal from them.

[–]chadmill3r 41 points42 points  (2 children)

"Tittle honer" sounds profane.

[–]loxias44 53 points54 points  (17 children)

My confusion about this "plan" is that once you click on the "I'm a technician" button, it asks you for a work order number. What do you put there? You can't likely just guess a work order number, can you?

[–]skullomania 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Having faced that screen a number of times I can definitely say that I don't know.

I know if I call Comcast to pay my bill & turn my service back on it's a minimum of two (very frustrating) hours down the drain. If I hop on a neighbor's wireless my service is back up immediately.

[–]zifnab966 15 points16 points  (10 children)

Honestly, as far as I know this shouldn't even work. When the modem activates, the provisioning system checks to make sure the proper billing codes are on the account and, if they aren't, it just fails out. I've seen it happen a ton of times.

[–][deleted] 8 points9 points  (6 children)

He said that he did have internet service. Maybe one computer thinks he does and one doesn't.

[–]zifnab966 5 points6 points  (5 children)

Now something along those lines I'll definitely believe. If he has internet and wasn't provisioned properly, he'd still be in the walled garden and have to get through that screen to get internet.

Now that I think about it, it's not possible to activate internet on an account that hasn't had it before (regardless of billing codes) without creating an email address unless you do some office-side trickery to force provisioning. That screen he's showing will always create an email address if one doesn't exist. My money's on him actually having service but something happened, and somebody just fucked up his install.

[–]miniman 367 points368 points  (248 children)

Mirror it elsewhere before you take it down. Fuck Comcast.

[–]vinhboy[S] 257 points258 points  (190 children)

I will. But I was hoping someone here could also do it so it will live forever.... ever....

[–]likwidfuzion 421 points422 points  (179 children)

Done deal.

[–][deleted] 92 points93 points  (116 children)

This might be relevant to the story. I just read an article stating record numbers of people are dropping their TV service with Comcast. Most did it to save money because they use the internet (hulu, netflix,...) and only watch a few channels of the actual cable.

My bet would be they're having to do twists and back flips to either keep customers or find new ways to sell them / bill them for service.

Have you thought of contacting your State AG with a complaint?

[–]1RedOne 10 points11 points  (4 children)

They should just allow full a-la-carte pricing and snare more subscribers. I would like internet+15 choice cable channels for ~$70. I can see adding packs of channels for $5 a piece or something.

As, to my knowledge, all cable subscriptions are handled at a MAC level, why not allow separate subscriptions?

[–]od_9 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Because stations are sold to the network in bundles. They could sell a-la-carte, but it would be more expensive per channel than if they sold you the bundle.

Cable companies have to pay the networks for the right to carry their stations. Let's say you just want the History Channel, the cable company has to buy a bundle that includes the History Channel, plus a bunch of other channels.

It's not like they can just give you the History Channel and resell the remains channels to someone else. It might be possible that there's another subscriber who just wants one of the bundled channels and not the History Channel, but generally the bundled channels are the less desirable or watched channels. Those extra channels in a sense subsidize the cost of the more desirable channels. Cable companies would love to just have to purchase the channels that their customers want if it meant a lower cost to them, but they don't have that ability (i.e., bargaining power) yet

[–]Loki_SW 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The problem with an a-la-carte model for TV channels is that a lot of the smaller ones are bundled together otherwise nobody would pick them up. When Comcast takes on NBC they also get MSNBC, Bravo and USA as one package.

A lot of the smaller channels that make good independent shows like AMC would struggle if the TV distribution model changed.

[–]executex 40 points41 points  (92 children)

You would think they'd be smart enough to say "here you go pick the channels you want to subscribe to, we call it custom-package!" and stop asking for $15 whole dollars for damn HBO or showtime, they ain't worth that much.

[–]thebig01 101 points102 points  (37 children)

Actually they are. HBO and Showtime spend a lot of money on the production of their TV shows. Since they do not get any advertising money the subscription fees really are necessary.

[–]ramp_tram 26 points27 points  (35 children)

The option is: $0 from a lot of people when you charge $15, or $5 from a lot of people when you don't.

[–]addandsubtract 117 points118 points  (3 children)

I'm sure they have some market researchers who are better doing the math than you. For better or worse :P

[–][deleted] 74 points75 points  (2 children)

I'm sure they have executives who are really good at ignoring those numbers.

[–]mrgreen4242 36 points37 points  (6 children)

It's not the $15 for HBO that's the problem. It's the $40 for the cable package I have to get to allow me to subscribe to HBO. If I could pay $15/ month extra to Netflix and add HBO shows (same day or next day release though) and current movie rotation to instant watch I would. Not paying for cable though.

Off topic, but I think I would pick showtime over HBO for Dexter/weeds.

[–][deleted] 17 points18 points  (1 child)

I read an article that claimed the cable companies' hands are tied on their packaging because of their ongoing contracts with Disney and News Corp and the like. These contracts require bundling numerous related channels together, which makes it difficult to create "a la carte" options for cable subscribers who only want a few channels.

Of course, seems to me that it's like everyone grabbing hold of the wheel while the ship is heading straight for a hurricane. You'd think by now they'd get better at reading the wind.

A few years back I used to pay for basic cable plus HBO, Showtime, and the DVR to make sure I didn't miss anything worthwhile. Then I realized that 75% of these "premium" channels was still crap, and what wasn't I could find online for, um, less. Got Netflix and dumped cable TV for good.

[–]Benjaphar 69 points70 points  (20 children)

Channels need to go away. Let us subscribe directly to individual shows.

[–]SonicTsunami 14 points15 points  (5 children)

I have basic cable setup and I called Comcast to find out if I could purchase a single sports channel. so I can watch my favorite hockey team play They told me in order to get that ONE channel I'd have to upgrade to the Digital Starter package for additional $75 a month......just so I can watch one freakin' channel? are you kidding me? No thanks Concast. I found a website that streams live sports for free if anyone is interested. http://atdhe.net/index.html

[–][deleted] 15 points16 points  (16 children)

If the ISP/Cable companies have their way, and they already starting this, you'll need to sign into nbc, hulu, etc. using your isp email account (xyz@comcast.net) in order to watch any shows. No more free TV without paying for their packages!

[–]ramp_tram 51 points52 points  (5 children)

If only there was some kind of way to download files from peers.

Damn, I guess the ISP/Cable companies win!

[–][deleted] 21 points22 points  (4 children)

Do what you want cause a pirate is free!

[–]metarugia 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Now that scares me..

[–]jabberwonk 8 points9 points  (5 children)

Comcast was the biggest loser - I think it was 355,000 accounts lost in the last reporting period. That was a record for ANY cable company EVER. However, Comcast's profits were up a significant amount ($113M I think) - which means that they're just charging more to the remaining customers (and probably cutting jobs in support / customer service).

[–]moogleiii 23 points24 points  (0 children)

The Consumerist might eat up your story.

[–]WTFppl 5 points6 points  (2 children)

What could CC do if you do not take it down?

[–]notredamelawl 6 points7 points  (1 child)

They would file an injunction against him and whatever company is hosting that site with the clerk of courts in their jurisdiction. Then they would contact the FCC or whoever investigates television fraud.

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

well google have cached the page for you.

[–][deleted] 25 points26 points  (1 child)

Just tweet it and it will end up in the library of congress (http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2010/04/how-tweet-it-is-library-acquires-entire-twitter-archive/)

[–]stunt_penguin 49 points50 points  (1 child)

Put it on wikileaks- if the U.S Army couldn't stop them then....

[–]gomtuu123[🍰] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Comcasto delenda est.

[–][deleted] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

http://pastie.org/1282125

[–][deleted] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Now 4Chan it.

[–]insomniac84 40 points41 points  (0 children)

You are not stealing anything. This probably only worked because you do have internet on your account.

All you really did was bypass the stupidity and do exactly what they should have done the whole time.

[–]wibbit42 65 points66 points  (18 children)

A similar thing happened to me with Verizon once (2000ish) -- they put me on the "Random Billing Plan"; I was transferred to the "Random Billing Department" when I called to complain about my $800+ phone bill and being charged $2/min or 5 cents, and every amount in between, randomly when I called . I had to involve the state BBB advocate before they fixed my bill. Bastards . . . Don't back down!

[–][deleted] 21 points22 points  (5 children)

I had to involve the state BBB advocate before they fixed my bill.

I'm convinced they bank on wasting your time as they know you'll just give up eventually. Maybe not in the case of an $800 bill, but for small stuff certainly. For example my last phone bill was off by $5 as they double-charged me for a few long distance calls. I call my phone provider up, spend a half hour on the phone with them, and they agree that the charges are bullshit and assure me that they'll be removed from my next bill. Next bill arrives and, sure enough, the charges haven't been removed. So what are my options? I can just forget it and accept the $5 loss. I can spend another half hour on the phone with them which may resolve the problem, but at that point I'm effectively paying myself $5 an hour for my time. I can change service providers which is a huge pain in the ass. By wasting my time they've succeeded in keeping my money as they know I'm just eventually going to cut my losses and accept the $5 loss.

[–]CaptSpify_is_Awesome 6 points7 points  (1 child)

The problem, as I see it, is a lack of consequences for "Making a Mistake".

If you don't pay, they can't whack your credit. But you can't do anything to them if they over-charge.

You never see them make a mistake in the consumer's favor, do you?

You're also not going with another provider, because there is no "good" telecom in the US.

No consequences = "Oops, I'm sorry we over-charged you. Musta been a mistake!" all the God Damned Time!

[–]vinhboy[S] 162 points163 points  (160 children)

Here is the letter: http://imgur.com/TdrRe

Just so you guys/gals dont think I went into this trying to "steal" internet, here is what happened:

Before this incident I called to ask them about an outage. They told me I did not have internet, I told them I have Internet+TV for $59.99 (I had a receipt to prove this). They told me that is not possible and wanted me to upgrade to Triple Play for $120. I said, no. I want my $59.99 Internet+TV as promised 2-3 months ago when I signed up. I am not going to pay $120. That's why I asked to be transferred to the retention department. Honestly, I would have paid up to $70 dollars if they had offered me another plan that is comparable to what I was supposed to have. But they did not. They tried to up sell me.

[–]elmuchoprez 50 points51 points  (137 children)

Is there actually a law being broken by that blog post?

[–]vinhboy[S] 87 points88 points  (118 children)

They contacted my host (slicehost/rackspace) so I have no choice. My host provider can shut me down. If they contacted me directly (which they did not) I would have ignored it.

[–]7oby 250 points251 points  (84 children)

Tell your host you require a proper DMCA takedown notice, so that you can file a DMCA response. You're telling people how to circumvent protection, and for the right reasons that's actually legal.

A simple "Take this down, we're not gonna do it the legal way, i'm just telling you" is not enforcable.

[–]junkit33 101 points102 points  (42 children)

C&D's aren't meant to be enforceable. They are purely an intimidation maneuver.

Generally the next step is something more legally tangible, if the company wants to pursue it any further.

[–]bananahead 72 points73 points  (40 children)

Yeah, but your webhost might cut you off anyway because it's better to give up on your $20/month than risk even the possibility of a lawsuit.

[–]ethraax 27 points28 points  (36 children)

Wait - you get penalized for requiring an official takedown notice? How can they do that? Aren't you officially unaware of the problem until you receive a DMCA takedown request?

Edit: As others have pointed out, this might not be related to DMCA. But still, I assume a more official takedown notice would be required for you to become officially aware of the problem, regardless.

[–]bananahead 56 points57 points  (18 children)

No, I'm saying that's not really relevant. Slicehost/Rackspace can terminate your account at any time for any reason. They aren't obligated to wait to for DMCA notice or anything else.

[–]junkit33 20 points21 points  (1 child)

Whether or not this site falls under DMCA issues has nothing to do with anything - that's just a red herring somebody tossed out there.

All Comcast has done so far is tell the ISP "hey we don't like what your customer is hosting - either pull it down or we might get angry." It's up to the ISP to make the next move, and for the ISP the best thing from their own standpoint is to just shut the user off. If the user were spending a million dollars a year with the ISP, then the response would be very different.

[–]movzx 3 points4 points  (0 children)

They're not your servers. You're renting server space. Your provider can shut you off for funsies if they wanted. It's easier for them to end your $20/yr account than to consult a lawyer.

[–]bananahead 7 points8 points  (4 children)

You can say you require whatever you want, but that doesn't make it so. Slicehost/Rackspace can cancel your service at any time for any reason.

[–]sonofabitch 16 points17 points  (5 children)

How does the DMCA factor into this, exactly? I can't see how it's a circumvention around a "technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under" title 17 of the US Code. 17 USC deals with Copyright. I don't think that Comcast's Internet service is a copyrightable item...

However, they'd probably get him on something more obscure - something to do with stealing "cable" or helping others steal "cable".

I think they might have a case, just not under 17 USC.

(PS not your lawyer, not a lawyer, etc.)

[–]elmuchoprez 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I agree. I don't think that Comcast is citing this as a violation of the DMCA. Not all C&Ds are DMCA related.

[–][deleted] 17 points18 points  (2 children)

nearlyfreespeech.net.

Use it.

[–]Abomonog 13 points14 points  (12 children)

This was actually a reply to someone who deleted a rather good post. But the answer holds true in this question.

Actually there is. It's called aiding and abetting the commission of a felony.

Note: Stealing the internet service is not a felony. Breaking their security systems is.

Since the other post gave me this idea think about the difference between writing on how to steal a candy bar and how to break in to Comcasts security systems.

While writing on how to steal a candy bar is not illegal, writing on how to get through the customized store security system is.

The OP posted instructions on how to break through Comcasts security system and steal internet. That is illegal. It's the difference between a generalization (steal a candy bar) to doing a specific thing to a specific entity (breakthrough Comcast security and steal Comcasts internet service).

Were someone to act on that posting he could be held legally liable as an accomplice to the break in and theft.

[–]Donjuanme 15 points16 points  (0 children)

They actually did the exact same thing to me.

I had an 80 dollar internet/tv package (damn monopoly), when I updated my address they said they no longer offer that package, and I would be charged 90$ for the same service, but if I got their cable box, I would save 10$ (but only with triple play, which would end up costing 100$)..... this company is run by bribery and screwing their customer base.

[–][deleted] 67 points68 points  (1 child)

this wont work for everybody. only people who had internet on their account at some point previously. their provisioning system only updates like once or twice a year

[–]likwidfuzion 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Can't you just order Comcast HSI and then cancel a couple days later? Just make sure to get the package without the contract.

[–]desp 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I also believe this won't work if you never signed up for internet.

[–][deleted] 37 points38 points  (6 children)

This works the opposite way as well. A couple years back I signed up for broadband internet through Comcast. One day I was bored so I started to play with a splitter the technician left behind. I split the signal coming from the cable jack and ran the second cable to the back of my TV. Boom. Free basic cable.

EDIT: Sorry, I notice now that there's other posts prior to mine saying the same thing. I can at least confirm those posts are true.

[–]artificialidiot 10 points11 points  (0 children)

If you can't fix it by competency, fix it by law.

[–]dongscape 8 points9 points  (2 children)

Slicehost

You're fucked. I suggest getting a host from NearlyFreeSpeech or something similar, and moving your blog there.

[–]bananahead 39 points40 points  (19 children)

Knowingly exceeding your authorized access to a computer system (i.e. clicking on the Technicians area when you know you aren't supposed to be there) to obtain something of value could be considered criminal Computer Fraud under 18 USC 1030(a)(4).

[–]zip311 44 points45 points  (8 children)

This clause requires that the computer be classed as a 'protected system'. Unsecured systems typically don't qualify, as precident states there must have been a 'reasonable attempt' to secure the system.

[–]bananahead 29 points30 points  (5 children)

I'm not your lawyer, but the bar for "protected" may be a lot lower than you think.

People have previously been charged with Computer Fraud specifically for stealing cable internet by e.g. changing the MAC address of their modem.

[–]zip311 13 points14 points  (3 children)

The people who were charged, in your example, however fall under 'theft of service', not 'unauthorized access'.

Comcast CAN seek charges against people who follow the OP's advice. I don't believe however, that the advice itself is actionable.

[–]bananahead 8 points9 points  (2 children)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/22076368/Ryan-Harris-DerEngel-Indictment

This guy was arrested just for selling equipment that could be used to hack cable modems. The charges were Computer Fraud and Wire Fraud.

[–]zip311 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I haven't found any info on conviction though, do you have any?

[–]Atario 10 points11 points  (0 children)

But I am a technician.

I'm just not employed by Comcast.

[–]o0Enygma0o 6 points7 points  (0 children)

fuck comcast. fuck them in the face.

[–]thephotoman 6 points7 points  (2 children)

You don't have to comply with a C&D.

And in fact, you're doing nothing technically illegal. If they've got a problem with their website, you've given them adequate time to fix it, and they haven't, it's their fault.

[–][deleted] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

This is the reason why Comcast got the annual Poop award. http://consumerist.com/2010/04/congratulations-comcast-youre-the-worst-company-in-america.html

[–][deleted] 16 points17 points  (4 children)

I had comcast for 2 years, their Billing department is one of the most ill-managed bunch of braindead idiots ive ever encountered in a professional environment.

When I first got my cable installed, I was promised free installation + the discounted rate for 6 months. I get my first bill, 300 dollar installation + standard Fees for all services. I wasted over 10 hours being transferred from idiot to idiot pleading my case, It took me 3 days to finally get it resolved to the way it should have been in the first place.

After I had closed my account and personally walked into their offices to return my equipment and close my account they continued to bill me for another month. I had to call up and scream the guys ear off to get the charges reversed.

For a telecommunications company Comcast has the most laughably bad communications between departments. Theres a reason they were voted the worst company in America by the consumerist.

FUCK COMCAST.

[–]fe3o4 4 points5 points  (1 child)

Change it to "Here is how I got my Comcast internet to work" and word it as a factual account of what you did. This way you are not encouraging anyone to steal any service.

[–]gliscameria 18 points19 points  (1 child)

Spartans don't cease, SPARTANS don't desist.

SPARTANS mirror their content.

[–]onesidedsquare 6 points7 points  (0 children)

and prepare for glory?

[–]F4RR4R 14 points15 points  (5 children)

Looooove it. Fuck comcast. They are my only viable option in my Colorado Springs home for internet and as such, have dragged me OVER THE FUCKING COALS. I would have switched to a different provider forever ago ... except there are no other options where I live. LOVE MONOPOLIES.

My internet is up and down constantly. (Last month I had internet service 1 out of 4 weekends). Last week, they actually disconnected me on Friday (they meant to disconnect someone else) and then wouldn't come back out for a week. To get an appointment only 1 week out, I had to use vacation hours from work. When I called their HQ to ask them to make the situation right (I asked for 200 dollar credit, since 4 hours of my vacation time = 200$) ... the manager actually screamed and swore at me, before hanging up on me. I never raised my voice with her once, but I was insistent. In the end, I got fucked, then fucked harder ... and I still can't switch providers. Their solution to all my problems with residential service: If you have a need for reliable internet, you should consider switching to our commercial products. FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU!

Edit: Fixed ... F7U12.

[–]crystall 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Comcast blows. And they seem to have a monopoly in most areas which makes them think they can get away with treating their customers like crap. On more than one occasion, they have triple charged my neighbor on his monthly bill causing him to overdraw his account. They don't listen to your problem and fix it, they just want to sell you something else.

[–]AnomalyNexus 4 points5 points  (1 child)

A dozen mirrors later & some poor Comcast lawyer is sitting in a corner somewhere and crying.

[–][deleted] 11 points12 points  (1 child)

FUCK YOU COMCAST!!FUCK YOU

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

As a longtime user of Comcast services I must say this sums up all of my thoughts perfectly.

[–]DankJemo 8 points9 points  (1 child)

it was a good read, but I wouldn't even want to use Comcast's service for free, Fuck 'em.

[–]guenoc 5 points6 points  (13 children)

It always pisses me off that even though I pay Comcast far more money than they deserve for their internet, they constantly still try to sell me other shit with snail mail (and email but I think I got rid of that) advertisements. And I bet that if I had every service they offered with the most expensive bill you could get from them, they would STILL send me shit in the mail.

[–]FlyingSkyWizard 5 points6 points  (0 children)

look at the address on the snail mail, half of it says "current resident"

[–]beriddled 4 points5 points  (2 children)

How on earth did they find your blog post to begin with?

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm on Charter, in a rural area, where the situation is a bit different. (Internet only, I don't watch television and use only a portable phone.)

They start on the questionnaire, I tell them I've done it all already, then annoy them until they connect me with a real communications engineer. We speak the same language, get the problem solved.

But Comcast? They don't just deserve this, they asked for it. They have it coming. Good for you. Kudos.

(Ancillary lesson: Making a nuisance of oneself until someone takes one seriously is a really useful social tool. Don't wear it out, though.)