I saw this bit on Ghacks via consumerist:
http://consumerist.c...l-me-on-a-new-modem/BB knows that sometimes customers can indeed be left out in the cold by using old tech — just ask all those people who had to scramble for digital antennas and cable boxes when that changeover happened — so he called Comcast to ask exactly what he was missing out on with his old modem. He says the support rep would only tell him that he wasn’t enjoying the full benefits of the upgraded modem, but failed to provide any real technical info about what this meant.
“Now they’ve moved to more aggressive measures to try to get me to upgrade,” writes BB. “The other day as I was browsing the web on my phone, on my home WiFi, I got a pop-up notice while browsing on wired.com.” (see screenshot above)
In big red letters, the notice alerts BB that there is some “Action Needed” on his service.
It reads:
“Our records indicate that the cable modem, which you currently use for your XFINITY Internet service, may not be able to receive the full range of our speeds. To ensure you’re receiving the full benefits of your XFINITY Internet service, please replace your cable modem.”
“This feels like a step too far,” writes BB. “It just feels invasive in a way I’m not comfortable with.”
A Comcast exec we talked to argued that this is not an attempt to upsell the customer on a new modem, and instead characterized the alert as an educational tool to let the customer know that their device may be nearing the end of its life cycle. They explained that while an older modem may work, it may also no longer be receiving necessary, regular software updates and bug fixes.
I've been getting the same alerts. The only difference between him and me is that my modem IS new, and it IS on their list of modems. In fact, it's on the TOP of their list.
But still I get notifications.
