If you have Comcast as a cable service provider, then you may eventually decide to switch to a different provider.
Whether this is due to an increase in the price of your bill or a great offer from a competing company, the prospect of a different cable provider can be very alluring.
However, the actuality of changing providers is intimidating, especially considering how difficult Comcast is going to make it for you to cancel your service.
Canceling Your Comcast Service
Step 1: Select your new service provider, set up an installation time, and get your new service installed.
If you’re like me, then you are probably willing to pay for an overlapping day if it means that you won’t be without Internet or television.
However, you could always pack up and return your stuff before the new service is installed to ensure that you aren’t double paying for service.
Note that you could encounter a situation where the new installation encounters a snag and they need to return at a later date to complete the installation.
Step 2: Go to the Comcast Service Center Locator, then find the nearest location using your zip code or address.
Step 3: Unplug all of your Comcast equipment and pack it into a box.
This includes your set-top boxes, your modem, your remote controls and all of the power cables for those devices. If you have a router that Comcast owns, pack that up, too.
Step 4: Drive to the Comcast service center, wait in line, then tell the agent that you want to cancel your service.
Some agents will try and get you to transfer your service, but most will simply do it without a fuss. If you get a particularly aggressive agent, just hold your ground.
***If you are under contract with Comcast, you are going to have to pay a prorated early termination fee (ETF) to cancel your contract.
At the time of this article, the maximum ETF is $175. However, if you are switching to a cheaper service, you will likely make this back in a couple of months.
If you accept the inevitability of this ETF, then this process is almost painless. The agent is probably going to try and use the ETF as a means to keep you as a customer, so be prepared to say “No, I don’t mind paying the ETF.”
Step 5: Sign the equipment return receipt, get a copy of the receipt, and verify with the agent that your service has been canceled.
If you are due any kind of refund, it will be mailed to you 30 days after the service is disconnected.
Conclusion
Many companies make it difficult to cancel services, and cable providers have long been among the worst to deal with.
But if you use these steps to ensure that you return your equipment to Comcast and get proof of it, then it can resolve one of the biggest problems during the process of switching.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.