Comcast Cable Bait & Switch Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I signed a contract six weeks ago (12-11-09) to upgrade from our "Basic" to the "Digital Preferred" channel lineup Comcast detailed in an attachment to their November bill. When I called to order the upgrade, I was told by a Comcast sales staffer that a number of the listed channels had been dropped in the intervening weeks, but agreed to the remaining offered channels anyway. Comcast mailed me an undated letter about a week ago claiming that "a recent audit of our system shows that...you have been receiving channels that are not compatible with your level of service." The letter reads that I will lose channels 101-607 on February 4, 2010, unless I upgrade for $40 for six months, then $76.94/month thereafter, which is a complete violation of the channel lineup they offered and the rate I agreed to pay in our agreement 12-11-09.

I called to complain, and a Comcast Retention Dept. supervisor named Gloria informed me that Comcast had no choice but to send me this letter requiring this abrupt change in terms because the Federal Communications Commission controls the channels Comcast offers and therefore there is nothing they can do. She explained that FCC has changed their boundaries and therefore I am unable to get the 60 channels that were agreed to from my previous conversation with Comcast sales staffer Margo on 12-9-2009. Gloria said that I have to agree to the escalated charges in the letter or drop down to the service I had prior to 12-11-09.  The claim that the FCC sets prices and content for a cable operators customers is so ridiculous that it doesnt even pass the straight-face test, so I filed complaints with both the FCC and Federal Trade Commission.