For the last year or so, I’ve been paying $16 a month for the most basic cable television option from Comcast, the only cable option in my area. Every once in a while, I check to see if there are any specials being offered.
After entering my address on the Concast website, I was provided with some options, including the following. Click on the image for the full screen shot.
The other cable package prices were reasonable, but this premium option seemed to be discounted to $0 per month. I was tempted, so I called Comcast’s customer service.
The representative entered my information on the website and came across the same information, but he verified that the price was in fact an error. He mentioned that if I were to order it, the price would be “corrected” on my first bill, at $110 per month.
I suppose I could have signed up for the $0 deal online, saved proof of the mistakenly priced offer, and made a big commotion once I had been charged the correct amount, but I don’t see a big chance of that succeeding.
Updated February 6, 2012 and originally published December 5, 2006. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to the RSS feed or receive daily emails. Follow @flexo on Twitter and visit our Facebook page for more updates.
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Luke Landes founded Consumerism Commentary in 2003 and has been building online communities since 1990. Luke, also known as Flexo, has contributed to PC World Magazine, US News, Forbes, and other publications. 
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I loath Comcast. I have had many problems with them in the past, across several states. They have not honored “specials” for me in the past and I have had a bill “correction”. They never honored their mistakes and their customer service was bad. They are the only cable provider in my area as well… So I bought a dish and haven’t looked back.
Right now I’m wrestling with Comcast and they have me in a headlock. I had to twist their arm to discontinue my cable, but when you don’t have cable your internet shoots up to $57 a month. I’m moving soon and will have the option of the triple play, I’m trying to figure out the best and most cost efficient route to go – with sun rocket and optimum online, verizon all competing I want to lock in a good deal.
You should have tried signing up for it. It had a good potential for a “sensational” story series :) ..later you could also file a class action saying the company misleads consumers on pricing information…that could have gotten you lifetime of free Comcast in settlement :)
Golb: I considered it, but I think calling first ruined my chances. The CSR did say it was an error, and I claimed they can’t advertise incorrect rates, but I can’t sign up knowing they acknowledged the error and told me it would be “corrected” on the bill.
It is still listed as $0 on the website.
I have my cable and Internet through Comcast. When I signed up, there was some special, and about 5 months later, my prices shot up. I called and managed to negotiate a bill lower than what I was originally paying. It’s still not cheap (and my Internet has a tendency to flicker every now and then), but I appreciated the customer service.