Saturday, August 11, 2007

Comcast wants its customers to agree to arbitration in lieu of litigation and is requiring customers to take affirmative steps to opt out of its new policy or they will lose the right to sue [Business, July 31].

Even as Comcast prepares to "upgrade" customers from analog to digital service, it has let its level of service slide steadily down. Most serious is the issue of programming options. C-SPAN2 used to cover Senate floor proceedings gavel to gavel. Like many others, I tuned in on the night of the Senate debate on the U.S. war in Iraq and discovered not the Senate debate, but sports! And the T.V. Guide channel, which used to help navigate a mostly worthless array of a hundred or more channels, has been eliminated for those who have analog.

If you try to complain to Comcast, whether via phone or its Web site, you get an automated series of choices -- all of which relate to billing, or to installing or terminating service. There appears to be no way to contact a human being to complain about the programming choices. If one tries really hard, one may be put in touch with a low-level technician, who will offer you a "free box" to upgrade to digital.

Comcast has breached its implied contract with its customers. Of course it is afraid of litigation.

DEBORAH A. VOLLMER

Chevy Chase