September 15, 2006
Same Old Comcast with NHL Center Ice
Thanks to reader Jeff Z. for passing along this link from the Consumerist about Comcast and their seeming inability to sign up anyone for the NHL Center Ice package:
I sit on the phone for about 15 minutes with a really nice guy - he did an obviously scripted upsell for Comcast's phone service, when I told him that I was thinking of getting rid of my existing landline, he said, "Yeah, a lot of people are doing that." And that was the end of it...told me that he couldn't get cable in his area (a strange, but honest admission for a person trying to sell me on something). I realize after a minute that he has found the page, found all the legal disclaimers, read them to me (they inform you of blackouts and such so you don't call and demand a refund) and then proceeds to learn that there is no way to sign up for it.
Jeff also passes along word that Comcast said that they couldn't sign him up for NHL Center Ice either, but that once Time Warner cable took over his local system, they ought to be able to sign him up.
So is the NHL's television partner of choice really unable to offer the league's PPV package? The good news for hockey fans is probably no. The bad news is that the stories I've passed along here comport nicely with my experience with Comcast.
Part of me hates to complain, as Comcast has done some nice things over at OLN/Versus for the game of hockey. Unfortunately, Comcast's front line customer service is so poor, that when I first tried to sign up for NHL Center Ice, my experiece was exactly that of the guy who passed his story over to The Consumerist.
What you have to do is simple: Call, and keep calling until you find somebody to sign you up for the package. They offer it all right, they just haven't bothered to educate their own customer service personnel in order for them to sell it.
Annoying? Yes. But if you've chosen Comcast as your cable provider, you really don't have a choice now do you?
Even worse, during the lockout, Comcast automatically charged all NHL Center Ice subscribers to renew their packages (something I'm sure every other NHL PPV partner did as well), even though both they and the league knew damn well that there was going to be a lockout.
How in the world you justify charging for a product you don't intend to provide is beyond me. But somehow, Comcast and the NHL managed to go ahead and do it anyway.
To add insult to injury, Comcast actually charged me twice for the season that never was, and then took almost a full year before they refunded my money. It was that, among other reasons, that led me to cancel Comcast as my cable/Internet provider and sign on with DirecTV and Verizon Fios.
So if you're willing to call Comcast and keep calling until they sell you NHL Center Ice, be my guest. Then again, if you asked me, it's far easier to cancel their service and sign up with DirecTV. With them, it took me all of five minutes to subscribe.
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Don't get me started. A most recent interview with the Comcast COO gave me some information I did not want to hear. No HD for Center Ice on Comcast this year.
They need to get with the program in a hurry. I can't wait for Fios!
http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/hockey/comments/comcast_hd/
Posted by:
at September 15, 2006 09:04 PM
Paul, Center Ice has to offer HD in order for Comcast to carry it. I haven't seen any cable or satellite company with any sports package in HD and there's no mention of HD on the Center Ice website.
Frankly, with the bandwidth restrictions there are now, I can't see HD coming that soon for the packages unless it's at a very high cost.
For now, people will have to do with local HD offerings and HD Net broadcasts.
Also, don't hold your breath for Fios, they didn't offer OLN or Center Ice last season and I haven't seen anything saying they would for this upcoming season.
Eric, I once pre-ordered (there was a special) the Center Ice package from Time Warner, I believe in 03-04. I had major issues with my cable, they reset it all and charged me twice. Despite sending over the bills they sent me (as though they didn't have those on record), I only received half a refund. Being in the middle of Manhattan I have no option but Time Warner or to get a handful of channels over rabbit ears. Needless to say, I don't order the package early now.
Posted by:
at September 15, 2006 09:50 PM
Get in the center of the action with NHL CENTER ICE
Did you see over 1,100 NHL games last season?
Our NHL CENTER ICE subscribers did. That's over 40 fast, powerful and aggressive games each week, including some available in high definition! Plus, select games from the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
NHL CENTER ICE subscribers received added bonuses like the World Junior Championships, the AHL All-Star Game, the ECHL All-Star Game and many more great games and programs.
That's more NHL action than anyone gets, anywhere!
http://www.nhl.com/nhlhq/centerice/index.html
Posted by:
at September 16, 2006 11:51 AM
I'm no defender of Comcast (indeed, far from it), but this was not my experience so far this upcoming season at all.
In the past, yeah, getting Center Ice through Comcast was an adventure. But I didn't get charged for renewal in the lockout year (and I've been a subscriber ever since Comcast started OFFERING the package), and when I called earlier this week, the dude looked it up, said "Oh, yeah, we are taking orders for that now", and then proceeded to tell me that according to my account I'd been autorenewed since I got it last year. He then confirmed that I was signed up to be charged in installments, like I've always done it, and that I was good to go.
Now, whether that means it will actually be ACTIVATED on Opening Night, based on past experience, is still about a 50/50 shot, and I'll be at the game in San Jose that night so I won't know until I get back to Seattle the following Sunday, but so far I have not run into any of the hurdles that I've come across in the past.
Posted by:
at September 16, 2006 05:23 PM
DirectTV did NOT charge, me at least, for Center Ice during the lockout year. In fact, it sent a, rather nice, form letter informing me that Direct TV would NOT be automatically charging me due to the lockout and that it would only charge me if the lockout was resolved.
Posted by:
at September 18, 2006 12:59 PM
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