Billing

[RyanLMehta]

I'd like some help or advice on how to settle an old charge that I've just recently found out about. I'm currently in the process of applying for a loan for my first house. This is supposed to be an exciting time for my wife and myself; instead, I find out that I have a 2 year old charge for a "converter" that I am told I didn't return.

I'm currently a Comcast subscriber in IL, but 2 years ago while living in VA as a Comcast subscriber I moved to an apartment that didn't carry Comcast. I had to cancel service and return my equipment. I pay all my bills online and never missed a payment and brought my equipment in as told. I was not told that I was missing any equipment when I dropped it off and they assured me that I had returned everything and was entirely up to date on my payments.

A year later, I moved back to IL and have been a Comcast customer ever since with relatively few complaints. This morning, after submitting for a pre-approval for a mortgage, I found out about a $52 charge that has lowered my Credit Score by 100 points and causing my interest rate to increase dramatically. I called Comcast billing and was told I am completely up to date. I asked about any old accounts and was transferred to a new rep. The rep checked all IL accounts under my name and found nothing. I told him it could be in VA so was transferred to a VA billing rep.

This rep had to search for nearly an hour using my SS#, previous address, and phone number to find my old account. He found the $52 charge for a "converter" that was not returned. I was not told by the Comcast employees at the drop off location, I was never called (same phone number on VA account as IL accounts), I was never mailed ANYTHING (had forwarded all mail), and was not notified by any means at all about this charge. Given all of the opportunities, Comcast did NOT make a good faith effort to contact me about the charge.

In the coming few weeks I will be applying for a mortgage and absolutely can't afford for a ridiculous $52 charge for something I'm sure I returned or else should have been notified at some point in the past 2 years to impact me for the next 30 years!

I can see this being a messy process without full support from Comcast billing to remove this charge from my Credit Score.

Crossing my fingers,

Ryan

[reasd]

Hello,

Though it’s not clear this is primarily a customer to customer forum

To get help, you can drop a note to Comcast corporate customer service (we_can_help@cable.comcast.com).

For the quickest response, please include:
Your full name;
Service address;
Phone number & an alternate number if possible;
Account number;
A link to your post

[reasd]

Hello,

Though it’s not clear this is primarily a customer to customer forum

To get help, you can drop a note to Comcast corporate customer service (we_can_help@cable.comcast.com).

For the quickest response, please include:
Your full name;
Service address;
Phone number & an alternate number if possible;
Account number;
A link to your post

[sofijax]

Hello,

I was a mortgage processor in Virginia and ran credit reports all day long.  My colleagues and I always said we would never sign up for Comcast service as this company, almost exclusively, appeared as derogatory credit on almost everyone's credit report.  It was my job to clear up these adverse lines with Comcast and the credit reporting agencies, and spent hours doing so for each client.  I heard stories all day long of disputes with Comcast (rarely Verizon or any other ISP service) of over billing, charging for services not received, changing plan rates outside the contract agreement, unhonored promotional pricing, etc.  It seems Comcast reports derogatory information at the drop of a hat, yet are unable provide explanations to their customers and are unable or unwilling to adjust thier reporting to the credit agencies, even if it was entirely their error. 

That said, if Comcast can provide you a written statement that you do not owe them, you can ask your lender to either tell you which credit reporting agency is reporting this derogatory line (they usually pull a tri-merge from Experian, TransUnion, Equifax) and you can send the information to have that line removed from your credit.  Additionally, you may also challenge that information with the credit reporting agency.  If Comcast cannot substantiate the claim within 30 days, it must be removed from your credit report.  This is all tedious, but worth doing.  I've seen Comcast derogatories as old as 8 years sitting on reports and lenders taking them into account when pricing your loan.

Good luck.