Is Comcast Guilty of False Advertising?

A letter that Winthropite.com received from Lee, a Winthropite, alleges that Comcast is guilty of false advertising. The letter, as follows:

Why is it that Comcast is able to get away with false advertising?  They are currently advertising, because of enhancements to its digital broadcasting, one free digital box and up to two digital adapters at no additional cost.

This a false statement.

I recently went to a Comcast office to pick up my new digital equipment and a week later received my bill that had a charge for one digital box ($1.70) and another charge for the remote control to operate the box ($ .25).  I grant you, it may not seem like that much money, but for a senior citizen on a fixed income, every dollar counts.

I filed a complaint with (the) MA Dept. of Telecommunications and Cable and was later contacted by the Comcast executive offices. They first explained that because I had upgraded to another tier that I was not eligible for the free box. I have a friend that had the same service and did not upgrade her service; she was also charged. They refused to talk to me about her charges. They also claimed that the letter only went to those households that did not currently have a box, another falsehood. I have another friend that did already have a box and she got the same letter. They will tell you anything just to get you off the phone.

Their letter states that if you don’t get this equipment, you will no longer receive channels 24-69, even though you are paying for them. They also claim that this has nothing to do with the Government conversion to a digital broadcast.

This is an underhanded way for Comcast to find out how many sets are wired into their network (many homes are pre-wired for additional TV outlets) and charge you for each outlet by forcing you to get equipment for each TV.

The telephone companies, in the past, charged for each extension, until the FCC put a stop to it. Why can’t they do the same for cable companies?

If you live in Winthrop and have had a similar experience, please email winthropite@gmail.com.