Does Xfinity Deserve All the Hate?

It was the best of ISPs, it was the worst of ISPs; it was the fastest, no, the slowest; it was the biggest in the country, but maybe the smallest in our hearts. Today, it’s the Tale of Two Xfinities, and we’re going to try to figure out how an Internet Service Provider can be so wonderful to so many people, and so infuriating to others. And if you’re having a rough time with Xfinity, I’m going to give you my ideas on what you might do about it.

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Read our FULL Xfinity reviews here:

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About Xfinity:
- One of the biggest ISPs out there.
- Scored a 61 on the ACSI Satisfaction Report. Puts it in the middle of the pack. The entire industry struggles, as we all know. But when we see Verizon Fios posting a score of 70, we know that it is possible to improve.

So, how does a score get brought down to 61?

First, let’s talk about what Xfinity advertises, as far as speeds and prices. Xfinity offers speeds from 15 Mbps to a whopping 2 Gbps (this will depend on your area). Most of us will probably see speed offerings up to 100 or 250 Mbps. But do you get what you pay for? Well, according to the FCC … yes. And then some. As for price, first, you have to know your region: East, Central, West, because the pricing varies between regions. Regardless, you’ll pay anywhere from about $30/mo for the starter plan, up to $70/mo for gigabit internet. ($300/mo for that two-gig plan, if that’s what you’re into). In my opinion that pricing ain’t bad. Of course, the advertised prices are what you’ll pay for the first year or two of a contract, and it may go up after that, so make sure you check the fine print before you get too excited. If you feel like bundling with TV, Phone (do you still have one of those?), or Home Security you can save even more.

So for a reasonable price you’re getting good to great speeds, and even better than that (if the FCC is to be believed).

So why all the hate?...two reasons.

- (1) Customer service. It’s hard to measure customer service results scientifically, but at least anecdotally, Xfinity’s reputation is … not great. They’ve invested a LOT of money in improving it, which is great, but it hasn’t really budged that ACSI score I mentioned.Honestly, not much we can do about that. As a former customer service agent (not for Xfinity), I’d just say: be patient, be firm, and try to avoid having to call in the first place.

- (2) Internet Speed. Whenever we talk about Xfinity, this is actually the complaint that I hear the most: that you’re not getting the speeds you signed up for.

Luckily, this is something you may be able to do something about. Here are some ways to optimize your internet speed. It seems obvious to avoid high-traffic hours, especially during evenings, you may see slow-down if you’re using cable, no way around that. But if you’re consistently too slow, there may be other reasons for it...

- Double-check your modem compatibility. Remember the speed that Xfinity is delivering is to your Modem. That modem has to be rated to handle whatever speed you’re paying for.

- Next up is your router, if you’re using a separate one. I upgraded my Xfinity-provided rental router to a newer version of the Xfinity-provided rental router, and I saw an immediate jump in speed. (Would have been nice if Xfinity had let me know I was using an old one, but I figured it out anyway.) So like your modem, check your router.

- Most of us are using wifi. That’s another thing that can slow speeds down. Wifi is good enough now that if you’re RIGHT NEXT to the router, you won’t see much difference between that and being plugged in. But if you’re a few rooms over, or on a different floor, then that signal will degrade, and you’ll slow way down. A wifi extender will help with this, or a wifi mesh system; especially if you can wire that mesh system together.

And wouldn’t you know it, I did ANOTHER video on this subject!

While sometimes Xfinity might be to blame for delivering slower speeds… they’re not, and there might be something we can do to up our speeds. And now I look forward to everyone calling me an Xfinity shill in the comments. Bring it on.

CONCLUSION: Xfinity is … well, pretty good at what they do, and they’re the biggest and baddest for a reason. If you’re thinking about choosing Xfinity, I think it’s not a bad choice. It’s not an accident that they rank highly

[tedboggs]

Those appeared to be promotional prices. No guarantees you'll keep that price in the long run.

[heru-deshet]

I was fed up with comcast continually raising prices, eliminating channels so I would have to buy an additional tier to get the old channels and other unnecessary fees and charges with slow internet.I was also tired of interrupted service and having to deal with a repetitive, barely English speaking agent in India that could only help me half the time. I went with Verizon after almost 30 years with comcast and glad I did.

[spence]

What's wrong with Xfinity...

*Data caps

*Automated voice systems then being transferred to someone in india

*The internet goes out everytime it rains, snows and even sometimes on a nice day....

[shanearmfield]

It would be nice when you call Customer Service that the agent could speak better English. The India call centers leave much to be desired.

[zedstep]

Xfinity disconnected 4 fucking times while watching this video

[Ahroo]

15 disconnects while trying to game today with a couple up to 45 min to an hour of no internet. I've lost up to a 16k poker tournament as chip leader with nothing left to do but stomp the final table with 95% of the chips when Comcast internet went out costing me not only that big first payout but many others discouraging a bright fake internet will not do when money is involved. This includes depending on Comcast for a business, professional gaming, and anything E-commerce. If your business relies on the internet how can they let that infrastructure drop out 15 freaking times a day? I'm reading all over where Comcast oversold nodes and Tallahassee is getting very bad service! It's absolutely bullshit I'm stuck inside on the phone with a machine 7 times doing resets today from 11 am to 8 pm and this has been going on for years. I have to get away from this company asap.

[LLLMYOB]

the advice regarding xfinity’s horrendous customer service is: “try not to call in the first place?” Ok well that clears things up. Get rid of xfinity.

[lh]

their goddamn chat bots and useless phone menu are so FUCKING aggravating. I've spent 3 hours on what could have been a 5 minute call

[turnerbrewer]

Comcast is gouging customers with the 1TB data cap and overage fees. Comcast does enforce the data cap where they face competition. I hate Comcast because I hate being nickled and dimed to death. The Xfinity Tv picture quality is overly compressed and looks terrible when compared to OTT providers.
The picture quality of Youtube Tv is far superior to Comcast/Xfinity.

[TheDarkstorm]

I had the 150 mbps with Xfinity and was getting 170ish so I had no complaints with that. It was their constant price hikes and not wanting to offer me just internet that caused me to switch.

[jasonk]

Honestly. The biggest thing that drives the hate. Is not having a choice. I don’t know where the people live that did this video. But I only have one choice. Comcast. DSL is not available. And where it does. it sucks. So in my market. They can pretty much raise the price whenever the want.

[austin_shock]

Xfinity internet is awful. It always cuts out. The Xfinity Flex Box also logs out of apps every 3 days for no reason. A terrible corporation that should be punished...

[BillSlowey]

Not sure where you got the 1GB plan for $70. I pay Xfinity $75 per month for 60MB. Worse is upload speed of 5MB.

[JeffsRCClips]

I got my first High Speed internet connection in 1995 (PacBell DSL at 6mps). Blazing fast at the time, a snail by todays standards. The great thing about it was that it ALWAYS worked. I've had xfinity/comcast since I moved back to Colorado 9 years ago. I have spent literally HUNDREDS of hours in that time, rebooting my modem(s). My morning routine every day is to get up, brew some coffee, turn on the news and get on the PC to see what's new in the world and then get pissed off because the internet drops multiple multiple times between 6am and 9am EVERY SINGLE MORNING. I can't stand the thought of calling for service and going through the same routine I've done with the xfinity service rep dozens and dozens. There is more BS involved with service than actual service. Can't tell you how many times I've heard "Sir, we are going to take steps right now to insure this NEVER happens again. It's a lie! Then they try to convince you that the problem could quite likely be with the modem/router I use and the try to upgrade me to the xfinity gateway. I've had this problem with three different modems... The first was a comcast supplied(rented) modem, the second was an X-finity branded modem I purchased, and the third is another x-finity modem/router I bough several months back to upgrade to the 5g wifi. More BS in my opinion. Then I am told I have no choice but to wait for a technician to check my inside wiring. So I have disassembled a 300 pound corner desk three times in nine years so the tech tell me there is no problem and it's a tight connection. THANKS! I already knew that! Then the tech goes outside and works on the xfinity side of the problem, fixes it and it works fantastic for the next several months and then the ride starts all over again. This may in fact be the FASTEST connection I have ever had but that is negated by it being the MOST UNDEPENDABLE INTERNET I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. I have literaly invested HUNDREDS OF HOURS of my own time over the years for the privilage of paying for the service that is causing all of this work. I know posting here will do me little good but at least I didn't have to listen to sales pitches and total BS to do it.

[joemurdoch]

My issue with xfinity is that the price of my service went up 30% in a little over a year, and that is not even accounting for the bundle rate that dropped off. If I include that, then it went up 48%. Contracted customer service and all they could do was offer a plan that had fewer channels, a lot less storage space, for just slightly less than the increase that I am paying now.

[DYBenson]

I work for Xfinity:
I cannot control prices
I cannot control promotion availability
You wanna speak to a person? Ask
You wanna speak to an American? Ask

[andyrips]

Making me pay the $90 fee cause it’s been three years since someone in my room used Xfinity. Like wtf I didn’t choose this room. The army gave me a code and said this is your room. I think it’s pretty messed up to make me pay for it when I could get moved to a different room at any given time and who knows have to pay the fee again in that room. Probably be 2 min tops and be like it’s all good and $90 down the drain. And it ain’t like I can just switch to a room that supposedly all ready to go for self install. Shouldn’t even be a fee like that on a military installation.

[jasonmontoya]

$9.95 from XFINITY with their essentials. You guys missed it.

[georgecurtis]

Xfinity cannot fix my tv dropout service. They talk the talk but cant walk the walk. So looking to change.

[stephenphelan]

Yes, the answer is yes. From their shoddy customer service, to their mysteriously added fees, to their limits on on demand content when watching outside home wifi, to their overlord threats if you download something they dont approve of. Yes they deserve all the hate I can up chuck your way. Thanks for the Xfinity fanboy one lopsided waste of my time.