In my experience, Comcast has one thing that Netflix doesn't: customers that hate them.
1. Comcast is expensive. My rates have nearly doubled, but I haven't seen any change in my service or their offerings.
2. Comcast wants you to install their hardware because they "switched to digital." Fine, but I don't need or want another appliance between me and my TV. I already have several (Wii, Xbox, etc).
3. Charging you extra to see HD. Here's a tip: if I can see HD versions of the stations that I'm already paying for just by running the tuning auto-scan, then I feel ripped off. Esp. because old 4:3 format looks terrible on my wide screen.
I agree with your sentiment that Comcast has only themselves to blame. They're trying to squeeze more and more money out of their consumers and offering little in response. Which is why I dropped them like a hot rock and got netflix and hulu accounts.
That's what blows my mind. There are very few good business reasons for Comcast to be in the position they're in. "Customers hate them" is a symptom of the underlying disease: chronic-head-up-the-ass. They have the technology and relationships to make huge headway on every one of the items you complained about. The only problem not directly addressable by technology is price, but I think there's a solution to that as well.
Apple does very well selling hardware (at a premium) that is typically 6-8 months (often more) behind the rest of the market. When they upgrade their lineup, prices typically don't change much, but the hardware is upgraded. How do they get away with this? Because they have something consumers want. They provide a great experience.
What's the lesson? Consumers will pay what you ask, and they won't complain (much), provided you give them what they want. Use your technology for good! Provide awesome services that consumers want, and no, running down a check list saying, "But we have streaming movies 'On Demand™'" isn't what we want. We want an experience that makes us happy we bought your service. Get with it!
1. Comcast is expensive. My rates have nearly doubled, but I haven't seen any change in my service or their offerings.
2. Comcast wants you to install their hardware because they "switched to digital." Fine, but I don't need or want another appliance between me and my TV. I already have several (Wii, Xbox, etc).
3. Charging you extra to see HD. Here's a tip: if I can see HD versions of the stations that I'm already paying for just by running the tuning auto-scan, then I feel ripped off. Esp. because old 4:3 format looks terrible on my wide screen.
I agree with your sentiment that Comcast has only themselves to blame. They're trying to squeeze more and more money out of their consumers and offering little in response. Which is why I dropped them like a hot rock and got netflix and hulu accounts.