Why I Left Comcast for Verizon

It is not surprising to see the report that Steve Burke at Comcast has acknowledged that the telcos (such as Verizon's FiOS) are making some inroads on their customer base. I am a long time Comcast subscriber who switched to FiOS in February. I am also one of many in my township that have switched, a lot more than I would have expected. Why? The reasons are
numerous.

First is price. Comcast was getting too expensive. I was able to increase my broadband speed and add a number of HD channels (with FiOS) and still save about $25 a month. The second and almost as important was the improvement in the quality of my picture both in regards to standard definition channels where there was a noticable improvement as well as an improvement in even the HD channels. As an example, I was shocked to see how much better Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia looked on FiOS compared to Comcast. Now that was a shocker.

Third, pure arrogance on the part of Comcast. Frankly, they thought they could increase rates substantially every year with impunity due in part to the lack of DBS competition in the Philadelphia market due to the lack of CSN Philadelphia on DBS. When the FiOS deal with our township was struck, I called Comcast a few times over two months to see if I could get a better deal. Despite the fact that I said I was contemplating switching to FiOS, they would not move an inch. The response was you will be back soon. Once FiOS ws up and running, off I went.

After I called to terminate Comcast, all of a sudden the deals were being offered. Too late.

Fourth, HDNet. For some reason that completely escapes me, Comcast refuses to add HDNet and HDNet Movies. I have them on my limited DIRECTV subscription and love them, although I was not happy with the PQ on those channels due to Directv's "HD Lite". On FiOS they look FANTASTIC. After nearly 8 months of FiOS, I am not surprised that Comcast is losing customers. The new deals they are constantly offering me. Deals on the triple play and then a "double play" with triple play rates. I almost next expect them to pay me to use their service.

Is FiOS perfect? No. They have been having some growing pains. Their roll out of new HD is way too slow. While it would be nice if they added some HD VOD, I don't miss it. It would be nice if they would add the software to stream HD content from the DVR to any HD box in the house. However, I have learned to be patient. Providing me with excellent PQ makes it a lot
easier to be patient!

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