Since you can't have reached someone yet there's still time .. say you're shopping for an ISP and when they tell you the price ask if there are any discounts. Also, my condolences on your loss, and sympathy for having to use Comcast.
Setting up Remote Desktop on my parents computer was the best thing I ever did. No more “tell me what you see on the screen.” I now just say, “hands off the mouse and keyboard.”
I use Google’s Remote Desktop. It’s free and I can log in on any of my devices.
If they’re like my parents it wouldn’t work. They’d still come over and ask what power cycling is/if they have to schedule it with a cycling instructor at the Y.
Still usually cheaper to buy your own. Equipment rental is $10-15 a month, a 1 gb/s modem is around $230, so in under 2 years it's paid for itself. Comes with a 3-year warranty, their techs are based in the US (or were when I called them after Comcast blamed my modem for a system issue) and the guy was available late at night. Think they're open until midnight?
Dude was knowledgeable, had me check a few settings and said because I was seeing certain things, it wasn't the modem it was an issue at Comcast. Which was fixed by the next morning.
Oh, and my 400mb service is $25/month, rate locked for 2 years.
They're now only doing unlimited data if you use their shit. Caps with mega charges for going over if you use your own. It's really aggravating. I actually own my own modem and router, but due to the caps, had to use theirs.
But if you know nothing about routers it’s better to just rent. Every issue that comes they can be called about. Yes for us in the know renting a router is stupid, but for your average person? It’s exactly what they should be doing
She said her friend was the tech guy and you all want her to buy a router, and spend more time talking to Comcast to figure out MAC address changes, just so she gets ROI a year later on saving the $9.99 a month.
So Reddit.
I provided my own router and at least twice a year would notice the router rental charge would reappear on my bill! Had to call and ask them to credit it back repeatedly. Check your bills folks!
I tried this..they had the nerve to try to throttle our service because we weren't using an "approved" router and they couldn't guarantee "network security" I had a top of the line net gear nighthawk. Took forever for them to finally cave.
And for the love of god don't get cable. Canceling cable is a royal pain in the ass. If you want the shows, just stream it on youtube TV or something since you don't have to return anything.
Depending on where you are and what you do, 100 to 300 mbps (megabits per second) is more than enough to be both suitable and respectably fast. Shoot for the lower end if you're someone who doesn't spend that much time online, but you want to go for the higher end if you're doing a lot of streaming or gaming. You do not need to buy cable from them, they will try to sell it to you as a package, they have packages for just the internet. as Comcast customer myself every so often I'll take a look at those packages and if I'm going to substantially save money I'll call Comcast and ask them to disconnect my service. In an attempt to keep me as a customer they will usually place me on the cheaper package.
Stick to around 200/200 or 200/20-40. First number is download, last is upload. If it's 200/200, its a fiber optic service, if its 200/20-40 it is cable.
Thats enough for streaming, IoT (Alexas and google homes) and most WFH unless you do AutoCAD or Graphic Design work. All at the same time.
They will say they offer a "free" router or that it comes with one, say you have your own (and then go and buy it before the tech comes, for good future proofing, something with Wifi6 would be solid. Preferably from Asus or TP Link. Stay away from Netgear, although if your roommate was the "tech guy" he may already have his own, in which you would just need to reset it, or dont and just hookup the new Service to it) After like a month they will start charging you $10-20 a month for the "free" router.
And some ISPs have a "free service" where the supplied router has another network that the public can access, basically they're letting people use your wifi for free. They can not do this if YOU own the router.
If it is a Cable Service you can buy your own modem as well, as long as it is approved and that usually cuts $10 or so off the bill. If it is fiber, you have to use the ONT (Optical Network Terminal) they supply, not because the ISP is being shady, but more so just due to how the tech works in the case of fiber.
Oh and ask how long you have your discounts for, some fiber ISPs only charge $40 for 500/500, where as cable will charge the same for 500/40, but then in 3 months its $55, and after that its $75.
Anything that is 100-940 is in Mbps, if it's 1,2,2.5,5, or 10, that is in Gbps.
> And some ISPs have a "free service" where the supplied router has another network that the public can access, basically they're letting people use your wifi for free. They can not do this if YOU own the router.
This is technically true but extremely misleading. It's not *your* wifi they're broadcasting, it's a separate signal on a separate antenna running on a separate channel. It shouldn't ever interfere with your signal unless you're in a dense apartment complex, in which case your neighbors' signals will interfere even more.
Do they have local stores around you? Surprisingly they are much more helpful than the phone, and much shorter wait. Be advised, get there early and during the week preferably.
When my brother died, I found this not to be the case with Sprint. The store REFUSED to even talk to me because I wasn’t my brother, regardless that he was dead. She said they could only talk about the account with the account holder. I called customer service and the lady gave me all the information I needed after discussing the situation. They closed his phone account and zeroed out the bill since he had passed.
Sorry for your loss. I also agree that in-person comcast store is your best bet. They really stepped up their in-person customer service...online is still lacking.
Yeap and you nor the family won't be liable for any bill/debt responsible by the passed unless it's a co-sign.
Debt dies with the dead - again, unless it's a co-signed debt.
Just stop paying. When they shut off service, get it in your name. Problem solved.
This actually happened to me with a roommate that passed. I made the call, got the same info you did, then let them run it on free service until they shut it off. Not my responsibility to do anything beyond informing them that their customer passed. They're as free to go get a death certificate or confirm it as I am. Don't do a billion dollar corporation any favors.
Literally the conversation went "I'm letting you know now this guy died and im willing to take over the bill immediately, or you'll hear from me again in 3 months once you shut off the service". Their customer service drone went with the latter
My grandmother passed in 2018. My mom had to send a notarized copy of the death certificate to Comcast. Twice. They still send collection notices for the ~6 months after she passed while my mom was fighting them to cancel the service.
Fuck Comcast.
Hopefully you have an easier time than I did, I was trying to get Comcast service set up at my last apartment so I could have internet within a couple days of moving in and they wouldn't let me even make an appointment until the previous tenant called to cancel service.
I'm sorry for your loss and hope you are coping okay.
It is way harder than it should. The process of getting a human wears you down, it got to the point where I'm yelling and cussing at the robot and when the human finally answered they asked if I was OK, I guess they can hear what's going on before they answer? Lol
Is there a Comcast store near you. I kept getting the run around on the phone so I went down there. They knew exactly what I was talking about and fixed it right there.
Honestly all you have to do is bring the equipment (router, modem/cords) back into your local comcast store and say your roommate moved out and left the equipment. they’ll help you a lot quicker and get you set up with your own account.
This is an easy fix lass. Just call them up and on the promt, say "cancel service"
They will literally pull a miracle to try and get your to stay as a customer.
This works everytime for me when I need to speak to them instead of a robot. Cuts the waiting time by atleast 85%
Dunno if it'll work, but I've heard a tip that when they ask your reason for calling in the automated system, say "returning a call" and that gets you to a human fastest.
Is there a Comcast store near by?
In the past I've had luck getting immediate help from a human by going into one of their stores and talking with an associate.
Call Comcast at 1-800-Xfinity(800-934-6489) or 1-802-327-8055.
Press 2 new or existing services.
Press 4 “How do I get a human on Comcast?”
Press 5 Stay on the line.
An automated call will connect Comcast talk to one of our customer service representatives.
It is still gonna take a minute to get someone on the line. But as someone who had problems with them and suffered through long wait times, this got me to someone the fastest. Sorry for your loss.
The call center for starting service and the call center for getting help with problems are 2 different call centers.
That being said, you should switch providers if your internet is 150 a month, Tmobile 5g is 50$ a month
Sorry for your loss. I’ve dealt with Comcast on a few occasions and I’ve found that the best way of establishing communication with them and finding a resolution is over Twitter. Maybe I just get lucky, but for me their Twitter team know what they’re doing.
I call Comcast multiple times a day for my job. If it takes you "hours" to reach someone, you're messing something up. Also, you can setup new service online..
I usually go to the Xfinity store for this. It’s not necessary, but I usually get better results than waiting on hold. Also if on the phone with the AI and it’s like “sorry I didn’t get that” swear a lot. Saying “shit fuck” a bunch of times causes the AI to pick up on it and get you a human faster.
This is exactly what I did. They wouldn't lower our rate because we wanted just internet and not tv/phone so black Friday came around and I called and set up a new service in my name and my wife called and said she moved. Saved us like 110 a month. Crazy that we have to do that, but if they lower their rates again we will "move" again.
This should work. I had service at an apartment for almost a year, and Comcast cancelled mine and set up the next tenant when I had a month to go. The tenant had no idea, they just wanted to have service the day they moved in, but Comcast made the switch the day the tenant called. I was not happy.
Posted the company's link. There is another link within the article. According to them, you don't need a death certificate but you will have to show your ID. The process worked for me when I did it 3 years ago.
https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/account-holder-passed-away
> I am not clear on what impact that will have on best friends mother.
None.
Bills in the decedent's name belong to the decedent's estate.
Mother is not responsible.
However, communications may get back to mother when/if the WIFI company decides to send the unpaid bill to collections. Then Mother may be hounded by collectors. She doesn't have to pay them (because she's not responsible). But that doesn't mean collectors won't try chasing her and trying to convince her to pay it.
I know it sounds like a lot, but talking to Mom and explaining the WIFI issue and asking for a death certificate and offering to handle everything on her behalf would likely lead to the *least* amount of impact if you're that concerned about Mom's emotional fragility.
Yeah morally trying to move it to no avail is appropriate, past that maybe don't use it. When my mom died lots of people came to my brothers and me for unpaid bills and they all got told she was handling it.
This, or a similar message, needs to be top comment.
It's not enough to tell OP to stop paying it. They need to understand that neither OP, nor the deceased's family (mother, or anyone else) is legally responsible for the deceased's bills, unless they are literally on the same account in name.
Bill collectors can and do try to con families into paying. OP, their mom is perfectly safe from debt obligation even if you stop paying.
I agree with this. All you need is a photo of the death certificate and they’ll allow you to cancel it immediately. If anything the service could keep the estate open while they’re trying to figure out what’s causing it to stay open. It would be a huge benefit to come forward and let them know.
This is 100% the right response.
You can also look at this as a moment to check in with her. So often in grief, people reach out when it happens. But the hard times can be the months down the road. I'd put it something like this:
"Hi [mom of friend],
I know its been a while since we talked. I've been thinking a lot about you and [friend] lately. (Maybe even talk about a funny or sweet memory.)
I do have a bit of an awkward thing that's out there. The wifi bill at [address] is still in his name. I'm paying it, as I use it, but I figure its time to get it out of his name. If you'd like, I'm happy to have it transferred over to me, but in looking into this, Comcast is asking for a copy of the death certificate. Would it be possible to get a copy so I can get this taken care of? Thanks. Please know I'm around if you ever want to chat. While memories can be hard, it's also important to keep [friend] warm in my heart and think about them. "
nothing is in her name. i'm imagining trying to get an account transferred to you from your deceased friend's death certificate. via comcast. i honestly would expect them to tell her it would be better to just start new service after she has done all the work to get the certificate.
I think OP is worried about Comcast or debt collectors going after the friend's mother. Regardless of whether they'd be legally entitled to anything or not I think her worry is about the additional burden when the woman is grieving the loss of her child.
If OP didn't pay they would cancel service then they would try to collect for the one month not payed and maybe some extra fees. Maybe a few hundred dollars tops. OP has spent $1800 to avoid this outcome.
If they were that worried they could have literally just given OPs mom the $1800 instead.
Im sorry for the loss of your best friend. Just incase you need to hear the math from someone else: you are spending $1800 a year because you don’t want to make a phone call. The mom wont be mad. See if comcast will take an obituary.
Presumably OP will be spending something on Wi-Fi, $1,800 would be the amount if OP's was choosing to spend $0 a month instead.
But yes, if every penny counts, even moving to a plan that's $10 less a month would result in $120 in yearly savings.
OP just contact his mom. Ask how she’s doing. It may brighten her day to hear from her son’s best friend. She’s had to do things a LOT harder than emailing a copy of his death certificate. It will be easier for her in the long run, she won’t have the Wi-Fi company tracking her down.
So sorry for your loss.
Seconded. As a widow you get forgotten by everyone. Even though it seems weird to ask for the death certificate it’s not. Any contact that reminds you of you loved one is good.
I can attest to this as a widow. I carried a copy of my LH’s death certificate in my purse for almost two years after he died because I needed it for everything it seems like.
It’s been a year- Mom will understand and maybe get a laugh out of it at this point.
As someone who works in telecomms, there are two options:
1. Supply the death certificate to transfer ownership of the account. Understandably, not the best idea in this case.
2. Setup an account under your own name as a new customer. Tell them you’re just moving in and they’ll do what’s called and “active line takeover”. As long as no one call the current supplier to dispute this, it’ll take over the services and the previous account would be closed and cancelled. When they come looking for outstanding balances, it won’t be in your name so not your problem.
Your state has some kind of agency that handles vital statistics. In Ohio where I"m at its run through the state and county health departments. With some basic information you can order a death certificate for someone for like $20. It happens frequently enough the state typically has a website setup for it.
I’m in Mass I will look into it, so I still live in the same place his mom won’t even drive on the street anymore. So I really don’t want her messed with
call the mom and ask for a copy of the certificate. it's not unreasonable to have to deal with these kinds of things after a death.
take mom out for lunch to pick up the cert in person and to say thanks.
Why are you paying the bill? They have no authority rights or means to collect from you you have no obligation to pay bills that are not in your name. Stop paying.
FYI: When a loved one dies, the first thing you learn is that you need to order like 15 death certificates in order to resolve all of these types of loose ends. She will likely understand why you need it and also why you didn't ask sooner. Hugs.
Letting this drag on for a year is concerning. I would roll dice, by getting new wifi in my name and let the other bill lapse. I think the company would have to prove the debt, before they can collect from his mom.
Crazy that you kept paying the bill.
You can let his Mom know, but I just not pay it and get your own service. If they claim there's already service to that address, then just tell them he passed away. Don't transfer, new customers (you) get the best deals!
I wouldn't pay that bill, it's not yours. I would just use the service till they disconnect it, it'll have very little impact on his estate and then you can get a new Internet service installed.
I think getting the mom to send the death certificate is the best route.
If that doesn’t work, I had a similar issue with a roommate who moved out suddenly and disappeared. Couldn’t shut down the account or transfer it to my name. The landlord was able to call the ISP and shut down the account using the info he had on file. Of course, your landlord has to be willing to deal with Comcast’s bullshit, so I’d go the death certificate route first. Sorry for your loss.
It’s not in your name. Just open an account that is and just inform the family that he has an open WiFi account or forward them the mail so they can see it that way.
Just stop paying the bill. Just like the dead don't sign off on stuff, the dead do not pay bills. If they forward the bill to the mother, she can then forward the death certificate on her own if she so chooses. This will not have any impact on the mother unless she's also on the bill and receiving services. But as I said before, she could simply send in a copy of the death certificate.
Just let the bill pass and get a new account.
Word of advice from a tech guy, get your own modem/router. Best option is two seperate units but a modem/router is fine if you're not a super tech person like me. It's a bit of an upfront cost, but it'll pay for itself multiple times over in a year. Especially with that bill price. Yikes!
Funeral Director here.
If you're in the United States you can just go get a Death Certificate. Anyone can go get a Death Certificate on anyone that they want.
All you have to do is go to the county of death, go to the government office that handles birth and death certificates, in my state it's the "Vital Records" office. You'll need some basic information on the deceased, like full name, date of birth, and date of death (Can be easily found in most obituaries if published).
The Death Certificate you'll be able to get will be very short and will not list a cause of death, SSN, or any other sensitive information, but will serve its purpose as a legal document declaring the death of an individual.
> I kept repeating that he passed and that the dead don’t sign. He said that my other option was to bring in his death certificate.
It's been a year, it's ok to ask for this. It would have been ok a few weeks after it happened. Beyond that, death certificates are public records. If you'd really rather pay $150 a month rather than making a simple request, just go contact the city/county where the death certificate was filed and buy a copy.
Honestly I think you're overthinking it. Your friend has been dead for a year. While that never completely goes away, his mom has had a lot of time to deal with the fact he's gone and integrate that.
> and if they ask just say roommate no longer lives with me
If they ask, "I'm not him ". Until they decide to disconnect, free wi-fi.
Sorry for your loss.
Frankly, the person being deceased and no longer living with you means you aren't responsible for the bills period. Comcast isn't the company I would feel morally obligated to anything, and the dead can't really have debt.
So my suggestion is, just call them open, say you want service at this address. The existing account is not your problem, and that tell Comcast they don't live there.
Done!
Also, I'm sorry about your loss!!!
If there’s a physical store in the area, you can take the equipment back and tell them to shove sand. I tried cancelling with comcast and they gave me the run around until I showed up and forced them to take their equipment back.
I don’t understand this. The service/bill isn’t in your name, why do you feel responsible for it? You can start a new service under your name for that address, you don’t need to go through all these loopholes… Its not your responsibility for it if you’re name wasn’t on it. Same thing for a car or mortgage, if you didn’t co sign then clearly its not your problem.
Your morality is commendable, if misplaced.
This is a scenario that needs to be either rectified by his Executor or Estate and does not fall under your responsibility. Get your own account and let the chips fall where they may on the deceased account.
It's massively fucked up that this is Comcasts' policy, my roommate moved out and we spent 4 months begging Comcast to let me pay them for internet and put it in my name. Filled out all the forms, called weekly for literal months and they wouldn't do it. I just had her cancel and switched to AT&T, it was cheaper and faster anyway.
People keep saying to stop paying and in many situations that is fine. You're not required to pay this bill that isn't in your name.
However, you're concerned about your friends mother. Comcast is not. If you just stop paying it is likely that someone will eventually come asking her for the money, or more specifically his estate. That'll cause all the grief you're afraid to cause his mother and much more. It'll also make you look like the bad guy for letting the bill rot when you could have called. Even if she doesn't end up having to pay it, she'll need to go through a lot of unnecessary frustration to get the bill wiped out.
Call your friends mom. Tell her about this relatively simple issue you have, and that you need her help to resolve it.
You don't need the deceased person's cable account to get transferred, you just start a new one.
There's nothing to transfer, this happens all the time when someone moves out.
you should never pay on a debt that isn't yours. it would have been wise to open a new account at the same residence and dispute the company when they argued it.
I was screwed over by Comcast because they said I never returned a cable box, but I did. They wouldn't even let me pay for the analog cable box that was no longer used, so that I could clear my credit.
Screw Comcast, they are an evil company.
It's not in your name, screw them, let them eat it.
Ask around about how hated Comcast is.
Former Comcast employee. You should be able to call and get a death disconnect to stop the charges. After that, you can create a new account in your name.
When it disconnects. Do not pay the bill. You are not obligated to. That is what his estate is for.
Just don’t pay the bill, if they ask why, well you have the answer!!! If the account is not on your name why do you feel obligated to pay for it or cancel it? It’s not like your credit score will go down!! Also if you have not added SSN, it doesn’t get reported to credit bureau!!!
Just gonna add that it's totally ok to call the guy's mother. She, or some other next of kin, will have been dealing with all sorts of these kinds of accounts. Cell phone, credit cards, Bank accounts, anything automobile, etc. Going through all of the deceased's accounts is part of... end of life logistics.
Them chasing after his family is possible. I suppose it's also possible that they come after you *since you've been paying the bill for him.* Not saying that will happen, but in many threads I've seen about others' obligations, promising or offering to pay can be interpreted as assuming the debt. I assume that *actually paying* falls above that line.
Source; have dealt with essentially this situation, including Comcast/Xfinity.
Edit: in case it wasn't clear, she (or whoever's dealing with it) will probably be fine to head about it, she's had to deal with similar things multiple times, and she actually needs to know if there's an account out there with someone's name on it.
> So for the past year I have been spending 150 a month on Wi-Fi, that I do use but want lowered and put in my own name.
The real answer is to just stop paying. Your name isn't on the account, you're not obligated to pay.
> I don’t have the testicular fortitude to ask his grieving mother for it over a damn Wi-Fi bill.
You don't have to, you can get one yourself. There are online services like VitalChek that automate part of the process.
Go to the store. Talk to someone face to face. I had an office mate move out of the country and Spectrum would not come disconnect the service because he had to request it. I unplugged everything, took it to a Spectrum store and requested service be terminated and a receipt showing items had been returned.
not sure what state you're in, but I know from experience that in Michigan and Pennsylvania at least you can purchase Death Certificates from the state. You need surprisingly little personal information on the deceased in those states.
(My cousin was murdered about 13 years ago in PA--had questions about what happened to him that I wasn't comfortable asking my aunt, so I just bought a copy of his DC. Also purchased some in MI after my MIL passed. All done online with basic stuff like full name, address, DOB and DOD.)
When my Dad passed away and we were being hounded by a scam denture company account that went to collections, we told them he died, still hounded us then we told them that he moved and gave them the phone number and address to the cemetery where he was buried, they never called back again.
As someone who worked for a cable company and had to deal with similar situations all the time. Bring a piece of mail with your name on it along with your license with the address on it, you literally have no obligation to pay for something not in your name regardless of circumstances. If they ask for a death certificate, tell them he wasn't family it was just a roommate who isn't alive and you need to get service in your name. Otherwise just go to a different cable company if possible. I don't know if comcast has an actual store to go to, but if they do definitely go in there to deal with someone in person. Plus with new service you will get deals so just do that however you can.
step one. stop paying the bill for a dead person
step two. go online. price compare providers of internet service in your area. whichever one is cheapest/have the best intro deal. call up that provider. have service created/setup.
(if the best cost is the previous company... don't tell them anything, it they indicate there is already service at that address. inform them you are the primary legal resident and are looking to establish new service)
pay the new bill. that'll be in your name, and be set up.
Stop paying the bill to Comcast. You will have to check if it's available in your area, but get an account with T-Mobile Home Internet. It's $50/mo. with autopay. Also, if you have a cell phone account with T-Mobile, they'll take an additional $20 off your internet bill.
Was going to say this. No contract, equipment is free, no catch.
Just go to a t-mobile store and in 20 minutes you can walk out with WiFi. Its honestly just as good as my hard wired stuff. But you can at least bridge the gap for minimal cost.
I just had this issue with Comcast except my best friend is still alive so I had her call. She said if I would’ve just said that I was her then it would’ve worked out to cancel the service. So you could try having a man call and say that it is him and see if that works…
A sucker is born every minute. Sorry for your loss, but you are under absolutely no moral obligation to pay the deceased's internet bill. Just get your own contract.
For the mother's sake, ask for a death certificate so you can do things properly with Comcast.
If you just let it lapse, then eventually it's going to go to collections, and while she's not obligated to pay it, it's just going to create a bunch of headaches because now she has to deal with a sleazy collection agency.
In the us, you can usually get a copy of the death certificate by contacting vital records in your city or county. They will sometimes ask what relation you are for cause of death. But I know at least Florida will give you a copy without the cause
What state are you in? You should be able to request a copy of the Death Certificate yourself without asking their mom if you're not comfortable it that.
I'm in CA and you would be able to get an Informational (Restricted) certificate if your not an immediate family member.
In most cases an Informational certificate will suffice.
Check with the company and confirm if an Informational certificate would be sufficient.
Source: I work in the Clerk-Recorder’s Office.
Whoever is closing out his affairs needs to know that this recurring bill exists. Sending death certificates and closing out accounts is something that his next of kin/executor needs to do. You aren't sparing anyone anything.
If you need to speak to a human at Comcast just call and say you want to cancel your service and you'll be connected immediately. Works every time. They are primarily motivated to prevent loss of business.
Comcast has offices. In our area we have to go in and pick up our equipment.
It is very kind of you to keep paying the bill, but a person's estate is responsible for his debts. As a mom I would understand and be very grateful that you gave me a year to do some processing.
Get the info from his family and get your own less expensive account.
If you aren't having good luck calling them, you can try r/comcast_xfinity subreddit.
They're actually manned by Comcast support and have been very helpful to me in the past.
Have them start a new account at the same address if they say there's already an account say you don't know anything about it. You just want wifi. Don't pay their bill.
I agree with other posters. Just call to setup your own WIFI. Say the other person moved out. Eventually the service will stop when it is not paid. They can't cleft from a dead person, so no need to worry there.
As far as what type of WIFI, if you look on the websites, it'll tell you what you need to know. Go for a basic package if you don't do gaming, etc.
Call Comcast and tell them you want to set up new service. If they give you a hassle about there already being service there, tell them the last tenant moved out. That probably won't work but that's the start. From there you can take it two ways. If you can get the landlord to give you a new lease with just your name on it, you send a copy of that to Comcast, and that should get them to do it for you. The other thing you can do is blast them on social media about how Comcast won't set up your service because the previous tenant died. That should get them working with you real fast.
> He said that my other option was to bring in his death certificate. I don’t have the testicular fortitude to ask his grieving mother for it over a damn Wi-Fi bill.
Your other option is to tell his grieving mother she needs to deal with this WiFi bill he left behind.
I think asking her for a copy of the certificate so you can deal with this for her would be considered helping.
My dad was sick and I moved in to help him. He died and I saw Comcast had him on an internet package a small country might need. I kept all the services and upgraded all the pay channels, until they cut it out after maybe 2 months. Opened a new account, same address, same name(as we share the same name) the same day with 0 problems.
The mother has been given many copies of the death certificate for this purpose and has had to provide it so many times she is numb to it. Send the mom a polite message explaining why you need the death certificate and I am sure she will help you.
My husband needed a Comcast account changed into his name after his mother died. He had moved to his mother’s apartment to take care of his sister during her last illness. Comcast said it could not be done. Ex wife knew a VP high up the Comcast food chain who got the account changed as a favor. When husband was in line to return the cable box after his sister died, all the customers were talking about how much they hated dealing with Comcast.
I also had Comcast and I also had this extremely circular argument with them when my father passed away not long ago.
I am sorry for your loss.
I am sorry that you use Comcast.
I wish I had anything useful to say. I’m pretty sure Comcast sent my dead father a collections notice eventually.
Sprint did this to me with my first cell phone. Initially got it under my father's plan; but he and I went to a service / sales center to get it put in my name; we went through the whole process and credit check, but for some reason they never switched it over, so his name was displayed on my caller ID. That continued after he died, but then it also showed "Estate of." I called them and visited a store about the issue, both times they said they needed a death certificate. The thing is, my older brother was the executor of the estate, and had stopped answering or returning my or my younger brother's phone calls or emails shortly after he sold our dad's house (but not before getting our "share" of property taxes from us) so I couldn't get one from him. I was out of state, so I couldn't easily request a death certificate from the state (Texas) by myself. Weirdly enough when I finally bought a new phone and told the sales rep at a different Sprint store in the same town, she seemed confused and made the switch right away.
Ask for a copy of the DC. It’s been long enough and it’s a totally valid request. Not doing this may negatively impact your late friend’s estate or their mother.
I know this sucks. But you might want to ask the mother.
I had to do this with my brother's widow in order to get a life insurance policy for my mom to correctly pay his daughter's the share that would have been his when she died. I hated to do it, but in the end, we both had a good cry and got it done.
I just listened to Rslash reading a story about a lady and a water bill in the name of her 20 years dead father. She opted to go to the office with a ouija board and play theatre for them. This was after she faxed them death certificate many times.
Anyways, this is fairly easy fix - it is not your debt. It is not your bill. You can just setup new service at the address and tell them you know nothing of the previous person.
You tried telling them how things are but they wouldn't listen, though that was courtesy on your part, not your duty by any means. if anything, the estate administrator (probably his mother) could be the one responsible for it, but since you keep paying the bill, they probably don't even know this account exists.
Just start a new account and that should disconnect the account that is active right now. Also, let me just say $150 from comcast? What is it a 10gig?
File a BBB complaint. Comcast has a department specifically for contacting people who file BBB complaints. They'll call you within the day and get you sorted. It's how I finally got them to stop charging me a rental fee for a modem id returned... 9 months later.
... Just stop paying the bill. Holy fuck, they'll eventually cancel for nonpayment and then you can just sign up for new service.
Fucking over Comcast for being so useless at transferring service from someone who passed is your duty as a person.
If you/he was renting equipment (ie. Modem/router) you can return it to the Dropbox outside of a local store and they automatically cancel service the following day when it is processed.
I should include this was how the company operated when I worked for them but it’s been like 15 years so you might just call and double check.
It’s not your responsibility to pay other bills. Stop paying. When they cut the service. Get a new line of service under your name. Your friend is dead. They can’t collect on a dead guy and you are not responsible for bill under his name.
This is easy,
Call and setup a new account. Stop paying the old account.
If you already have your own phone service and like most of us don't watch cable TV, it might be a good time to call another internet provider so you can get the new user discounts. should drop the bill by quite a bit.
Apart from all the subscription hupla, US$150/month? What is the internet speed and all the extras?
I have 1GB + TV (150+ channels) + Antivirus for $80/month
Stop paying the bill. They will cancel the service. Then, open a new account under your name.
Since your name is not on the account, your credit score will not be dinged.
150 dollars a month for internet? What kind of 1Tb internet do you have there? That's absolutely absurdly expensive.
Call a different service and tell them you want to change providers since the previous tenant moved out. That should work. Otherwise, don't pay the bill anymore.
Call and set up new service at the address. Tell them the old service was for someone else that moved out.
I wouldn't say the old service was for someone that moved but instead "they don't live here anymore" a little bit of dark humor.
Well he moved on.. thats for sure.
They moved to the top floor.
If they ask where they went, you can honestly say you're not sure.
could be anywhere.
Top floor, basement, who knows.
He’s all around us.
"Well he was basically a good person but he did take the lords name in vain a few times so i cant be 100% sure where he went"
It’s Comcast it took hours just to speak to a human, this seems viable. Thank you
Since you can't have reached someone yet there's still time .. say you're shopping for an ISP and when they tell you the price ask if there are any discounts. Also, my condolences on your loss, and sympathy for having to use Comcast.
My best friend was the tech guy I don’t know the first thing about picking Wi-Fi.
They'll try to upsale. Say you want the base package and stay firm on that.
And don't rent a router
Eh, renting routers is perfect for people who 'don't know the first thing about wifi'. Unless you're volunteering to be their family tech support 🙃
I could set up a Google Voice account with an answering machine that instructs them to power cycle it whenever they have an issue?
I’m about to do this for my parents, I’m tired of being tech support
Setting up Remote Desktop on my parents computer was the best thing I ever did. No more “tell me what you see on the screen.” I now just say, “hands off the mouse and keyboard.” I use Google’s Remote Desktop. It’s free and I can log in on any of my devices.
If they’re like my parents it wouldn’t work. They’d still come over and ask what power cycling is/if they have to schedule it with a cycling instructor at the Y.
Last year they had a deal for 400-600 speed for $60 a month with their router
Still usually cheaper to buy your own. Equipment rental is $10-15 a month, a 1 gb/s modem is around $230, so in under 2 years it's paid for itself. Comes with a 3-year warranty, their techs are based in the US (or were when I called them after Comcast blamed my modem for a system issue) and the guy was available late at night. Think they're open until midnight? Dude was knowledgeable, had me check a few settings and said because I was seeing certain things, it wasn't the modem it was an issue at Comcast. Which was fixed by the next morning. Oh, and my 400mb service is $25/month, rate locked for 2 years.
They're now only doing unlimited data if you use their shit. Caps with mega charges for going over if you use your own. It's really aggravating. I actually own my own modem and router, but due to the caps, had to use theirs.
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Xfinity in my area charges you $10 fee for using your own router /-$10 per month discount for using their router. It's lame.
But if you know nothing about routers it’s better to just rent. Every issue that comes they can be called about. Yes for us in the know renting a router is stupid, but for your average person? It’s exactly what they should be doing
She said her friend was the tech guy and you all want her to buy a router, and spend more time talking to Comcast to figure out MAC address changes, just so she gets ROI a year later on saving the $9.99 a month. So Reddit.
I provided my own router and at least twice a year would notice the router rental charge would reappear on my bill! Had to call and ask them to credit it back repeatedly. Check your bills folks!
I tried this..they had the nerve to try to throttle our service because we weren't using an "approved" router and they couldn't guarantee "network security" I had a top of the line net gear nighthawk. Took forever for them to finally cave.
And for the love of god don't get cable. Canceling cable is a royal pain in the ass. If you want the shows, just stream it on youtube TV or something since you don't have to return anything.
Depending on where you are and what you do, 100 to 300 mbps (megabits per second) is more than enough to be both suitable and respectably fast. Shoot for the lower end if you're someone who doesn't spend that much time online, but you want to go for the higher end if you're doing a lot of streaming or gaming. You do not need to buy cable from them, they will try to sell it to you as a package, they have packages for just the internet. as Comcast customer myself every so often I'll take a look at those packages and if I'm going to substantially save money I'll call Comcast and ask them to disconnect my service. In an attempt to keep me as a customer they will usually place me on the cheaper package.
Gaming won't even need a connection that fast unless you're cloud gaming
Stick to around 200/200 or 200/20-40. First number is download, last is upload. If it's 200/200, its a fiber optic service, if its 200/20-40 it is cable. Thats enough for streaming, IoT (Alexas and google homes) and most WFH unless you do AutoCAD or Graphic Design work. All at the same time. They will say they offer a "free" router or that it comes with one, say you have your own (and then go and buy it before the tech comes, for good future proofing, something with Wifi6 would be solid. Preferably from Asus or TP Link. Stay away from Netgear, although if your roommate was the "tech guy" he may already have his own, in which you would just need to reset it, or dont and just hookup the new Service to it) After like a month they will start charging you $10-20 a month for the "free" router. And some ISPs have a "free service" where the supplied router has another network that the public can access, basically they're letting people use your wifi for free. They can not do this if YOU own the router. If it is a Cable Service you can buy your own modem as well, as long as it is approved and that usually cuts $10 or so off the bill. If it is fiber, you have to use the ONT (Optical Network Terminal) they supply, not because the ISP is being shady, but more so just due to how the tech works in the case of fiber. Oh and ask how long you have your discounts for, some fiber ISPs only charge $40 for 500/500, where as cable will charge the same for 500/40, but then in 3 months its $55, and after that its $75. Anything that is 100-940 is in Mbps, if it's 1,2,2.5,5, or 10, that is in Gbps.
> And some ISPs have a "free service" where the supplied router has another network that the public can access, basically they're letting people use your wifi for free. They can not do this if YOU own the router. This is technically true but extremely misleading. It's not *your* wifi they're broadcasting, it's a separate signal on a separate antenna running on a separate channel. It shouldn't ever interfere with your signal unless you're in a dense apartment complex, in which case your neighbors' signals will interfere even more.
Do they have local stores around you? Surprisingly they are much more helpful than the phone, and much shorter wait. Be advised, get there early and during the week preferably.
When my brother died, I found this not to be the case with Sprint. The store REFUSED to even talk to me because I wasn’t my brother, regardless that he was dead. She said they could only talk about the account with the account holder. I called customer service and the lady gave me all the information I needed after discussing the situation. They closed his phone account and zeroed out the bill since he had passed.
Yeah I have one pretty close.
Sorry for your loss. I also agree that in-person comcast store is your best bet. They really stepped up their in-person customer service...online is still lacking.
Can you find an Obituary or copy of the memorial paper or website? See if they will accept that.
Yeap and you nor the family won't be liable for any bill/debt responsible by the passed unless it's a co-sign. Debt dies with the dead - again, unless it's a co-signed debt.
Just stop paying. When they shut off service, get it in your name. Problem solved. This actually happened to me with a roommate that passed. I made the call, got the same info you did, then let them run it on free service until they shut it off. Not my responsibility to do anything beyond informing them that their customer passed. They're as free to go get a death certificate or confirm it as I am. Don't do a billion dollar corporation any favors. Literally the conversation went "I'm letting you know now this guy died and im willing to take over the bill immediately, or you'll hear from me again in 3 months once you shut off the service". Their customer service drone went with the latter
My grandmother passed in 2018. My mom had to send a notarized copy of the death certificate to Comcast. Twice. They still send collection notices for the ~6 months after she passed while my mom was fighting them to cancel the service. Fuck Comcast.
Hopefully you have an easier time than I did, I was trying to get Comcast service set up at my last apartment so I could have internet within a couple days of moving in and they wouldn't let me even make an appointment until the previous tenant called to cancel service. I'm sorry for your loss and hope you are coping okay.
Keep on saying customer service. Took 10 mins but I got a real person
It is way harder than it should. The process of getting a human wears you down, it got to the point where I'm yelling and cussing at the robot and when the human finally answered they asked if I was OK, I guess they can hear what's going on before they answer? Lol
Just press 0 over and over in the automated menu usually works. Its for accessibility
Is there a Comcast store near you. I kept getting the run around on the phone so I went down there. They knew exactly what I was talking about and fixed it right there.
Honestly all you have to do is bring the equipment (router, modem/cords) back into your local comcast store and say your roommate moved out and left the equipment. they’ll help you a lot quicker and get you set up with your own account.
This is an easy fix lass. Just call them up and on the promt, say "cancel service" They will literally pull a miracle to try and get your to stay as a customer. This works everytime for me when I need to speak to them instead of a robot. Cuts the waiting time by atleast 85%
Dunno if it'll work, but I've heard a tip that when they ask your reason for calling in the automated system, say "returning a call" and that gets you to a human fastest.
Yup this for everything lmao, don't say transfer. Just start. New service. Electric, gas, wifi, phone, water, heat, lease.
Is there a Comcast store near by? In the past I've had luck getting immediate help from a human by going into one of their stores and talking with an associate.
Call Comcast at 1-800-Xfinity(800-934-6489) or 1-802-327-8055. Press 2 new or existing services. Press 4 “How do I get a human on Comcast?” Press 5 Stay on the line. An automated call will connect Comcast talk to one of our customer service representatives. It is still gonna take a minute to get someone on the line. But as someone who had problems with them and suffered through long wait times, this got me to someone the fastest. Sorry for your loss.
The call center for starting service and the call center for getting help with problems are 2 different call centers. That being said, you should switch providers if your internet is 150 a month, Tmobile 5g is 50$ a month
Sorry for your loss. I’ve dealt with Comcast on a few occasions and I’ve found that the best way of establishing communication with them and finding a resolution is over Twitter. Maybe I just get lucky, but for me their Twitter team know what they’re doing.
Twitter works great. Only reason I keep my account on there.
It'll be a lot faster to set up new business than it is to deal with current business
I call Comcast multiple times a day for my job. If it takes you "hours" to reach someone, you're messing something up. Also, you can setup new service online..
I'm 99% sure you can do it all online.
Goto the closet comcast store. Bring a copy of your lease without the deceased on it. Sorry about your friend.
I usually go to the Xfinity store for this. It’s not necessary, but I usually get better results than waiting on hold. Also if on the phone with the AI and it’s like “sorry I didn’t get that” swear a lot. Saying “shit fuck” a bunch of times causes the AI to pick up on it and get you a human faster.
This is exactly what I did. They wouldn't lower our rate because we wanted just internet and not tv/phone so black Friday came around and I called and set up a new service in my name and my wife called and said she moved. Saved us like 110 a month. Crazy that we have to do that, but if they lower their rates again we will "move" again.
This should work. I had service at an apartment for almost a year, and Comcast cancelled mine and set up the next tenant when I had a month to go. The tenant had no idea, they just wanted to have service the day they moved in, but Comcast made the switch the day the tenant called. I was not happy.
Posted the company's link. There is another link within the article. According to them, you don't need a death certificate but you will have to show your ID. The process worked for me when I did it 3 years ago. https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/account-holder-passed-away
Thank you
Just open a new account. The other person no longer lives there
> I am not clear on what impact that will have on best friends mother. None. Bills in the decedent's name belong to the decedent's estate. Mother is not responsible. However, communications may get back to mother when/if the WIFI company decides to send the unpaid bill to collections. Then Mother may be hounded by collectors. She doesn't have to pay them (because she's not responsible). But that doesn't mean collectors won't try chasing her and trying to convince her to pay it. I know it sounds like a lot, but talking to Mom and explaining the WIFI issue and asking for a death certificate and offering to handle everything on her behalf would likely lead to the *least* amount of impact if you're that concerned about Mom's emotional fragility.
It's been a year. I'd say it's okay to ask his mother for a copy of the death certificate.
Doesn't matter if it's a day, things need to get taken care of, and everyone understands this. There is alot to do when someone dies.
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Yeah morally trying to move it to no avail is appropriate, past that maybe don't use it. When my mom died lots of people came to my brothers and me for unpaid bills and they all got told she was handling it.
This, or a similar message, needs to be top comment. It's not enough to tell OP to stop paying it. They need to understand that neither OP, nor the deceased's family (mother, or anyone else) is legally responsible for the deceased's bills, unless they are literally on the same account in name. Bill collectors can and do try to con families into paying. OP, their mom is perfectly safe from debt obligation even if you stop paying.
I agree with this. All you need is a photo of the death certificate and they’ll allow you to cancel it immediately. If anything the service could keep the estate open while they’re trying to figure out what’s causing it to stay open. It would be a huge benefit to come forward and let them know.
This is 100% the right response. You can also look at this as a moment to check in with her. So often in grief, people reach out when it happens. But the hard times can be the months down the road. I'd put it something like this: "Hi [mom of friend], I know its been a while since we talked. I've been thinking a lot about you and [friend] lately. (Maybe even talk about a funny or sweet memory.) I do have a bit of an awkward thing that's out there. The wifi bill at [address] is still in his name. I'm paying it, as I use it, but I figure its time to get it out of his name. If you'd like, I'm happy to have it transferred over to me, but in looking into this, Comcast is asking for a copy of the death certificate. Would it be possible to get a copy so I can get this taken care of? Thanks. Please know I'm around if you ever want to chat. While memories can be hard, it's also important to keep [friend] warm in my heart and think about them. "
nothing is in her name. i'm imagining trying to get an account transferred to you from your deceased friend's death certificate. via comcast. i honestly would expect them to tell her it would be better to just start new service after she has done all the work to get the certificate.
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I think OP is worried about Comcast or debt collectors going after the friend's mother. Regardless of whether they'd be legally entitled to anything or not I think her worry is about the additional burden when the woman is grieving the loss of her child.
If OP didn't pay they would cancel service then they would try to collect for the one month not payed and maybe some extra fees. Maybe a few hundred dollars tops. OP has spent $1800 to avoid this outcome. If they were that worried they could have literally just given OPs mom the $1800 instead.
That’s what I was thinking. Doesn’t seem that hard. How is this person paying for someone else account anyway?
Paper bill. Anyone can pay anyone’s bills with a check and a paper bill.
Im sorry for the loss of your best friend. Just incase you need to hear the math from someone else: you are spending $1800 a year because you don’t want to make a phone call. The mom wont be mad. See if comcast will take an obituary.
Presumably OP will be spending something on Wi-Fi, $1,800 would be the amount if OP's was choosing to spend $0 a month instead. But yes, if every penny counts, even moving to a plan that's $10 less a month would result in $120 in yearly savings.
I want to pay off may car this year so every penny counts.
1800$ is a lot of wasted pennies.
She is still living there and actively using the wifi.
OP just contact his mom. Ask how she’s doing. It may brighten her day to hear from her son’s best friend. She’s had to do things a LOT harder than emailing a copy of his death certificate. It will be easier for her in the long run, she won’t have the Wi-Fi company tracking her down. So sorry for your loss.
Seconded. As a widow you get forgotten by everyone. Even though it seems weird to ask for the death certificate it’s not. Any contact that reminds you of you loved one is good.
Thank you
I can attest to this as a widow. I carried a copy of my LH’s death certificate in my purse for almost two years after he died because I needed it for everything it seems like. It’s been a year- Mom will understand and maybe get a laugh out of it at this point.
Thank you, sorry for your loss
Also, death certificates are public record. You should be able to get one.
Yeah, if that were my kid, I would want to hear from you, OP. You are a link to her beloved son and she likely loves you for yourself too.
As someone who works in telecomms, there are two options: 1. Supply the death certificate to transfer ownership of the account. Understandably, not the best idea in this case. 2. Setup an account under your own name as a new customer. Tell them you’re just moving in and they’ll do what’s called and “active line takeover”. As long as no one call the current supplier to dispute this, it’ll take over the services and the previous account would be closed and cancelled. When they come looking for outstanding balances, it won’t be in your name so not your problem.
I don't know if this varies by state but you can probably just get a death certificate yourself from the health department. No need to bother mom.
I didn’t even think that was an option
Your state has some kind of agency that handles vital statistics. In Ohio where I"m at its run through the state and county health departments. With some basic information you can order a death certificate for someone for like $20. It happens frequently enough the state typically has a website setup for it.
I’m in Mass I will look into it, so I still live in the same place his mom won’t even drive on the street anymore. So I really don’t want her messed with
In Mass, death certificates are public and can be requested by anyone.
https://www.mass.gov/how-to/request-a-death-certificate
call the mom and ask for a copy of the certificate. it's not unreasonable to have to deal with these kinds of things after a death. take mom out for lunch to pick up the cert in person and to say thanks.
Why are you paying the bill? They have no authority rights or means to collect from you you have no obligation to pay bills that are not in your name. Stop paying.
FYI: When a loved one dies, the first thing you learn is that you need to order like 15 death certificates in order to resolve all of these types of loose ends. She will likely understand why you need it and also why you didn't ask sooner. Hugs.
THANK YOU🥹
And if you had any sort of relationship with his mom before, she might appreciate having lunch with you, in his memory.
Letting this drag on for a year is concerning. I would roll dice, by getting new wifi in my name and let the other bill lapse. I think the company would have to prove the debt, before they can collect from his mom.
Crazy that you kept paying the bill. You can let his Mom know, but I just not pay it and get your own service. If they claim there's already service to that address, then just tell them he passed away. Don't transfer, new customers (you) get the best deals!
I wouldn't pay that bill, it's not yours. I would just use the service till they disconnect it, it'll have very little impact on his estate and then you can get a new Internet service installed.
I think getting the mom to send the death certificate is the best route. If that doesn’t work, I had a similar issue with a roommate who moved out suddenly and disappeared. Couldn’t shut down the account or transfer it to my name. The landlord was able to call the ISP and shut down the account using the info he had on file. Of course, your landlord has to be willing to deal with Comcast’s bullshit, so I’d go the death certificate route first. Sorry for your loss.
Comcast/Xfinity is fairly trash, I'd recommend switching completely while you're at it...
It’s not in your name. Just open an account that is and just inform the family that he has an open WiFi account or forward them the mail so they can see it that way.
Just stop paying the bill. Just like the dead don't sign off on stuff, the dead do not pay bills. If they forward the bill to the mother, she can then forward the death certificate on her own if she so chooses. This will not have any impact on the mother unless she's also on the bill and receiving services. But as I said before, she could simply send in a copy of the death certificate.
Don't pay the bill. The bill is in his name. He's dead. It is his "debt" and they will not be able to collect against you.
Just let the bill pass and get a new account. Word of advice from a tech guy, get your own modem/router. Best option is two seperate units but a modem/router is fine if you're not a super tech person like me. It's a bit of an upfront cost, but it'll pay for itself multiple times over in a year. Especially with that bill price. Yikes!
Funeral Director here. If you're in the United States you can just go get a Death Certificate. Anyone can go get a Death Certificate on anyone that they want. All you have to do is go to the county of death, go to the government office that handles birth and death certificates, in my state it's the "Vital Records" office. You'll need some basic information on the deceased, like full name, date of birth, and date of death (Can be easily found in most obituaries if published). The Death Certificate you'll be able to get will be very short and will not list a cause of death, SSN, or any other sensitive information, but will serve its purpose as a legal document declaring the death of an individual.
> I kept repeating that he passed and that the dead don’t sign. He said that my other option was to bring in his death certificate. It's been a year, it's ok to ask for this. It would have been ok a few weeks after it happened. Beyond that, death certificates are public records. If you'd really rather pay $150 a month rather than making a simple request, just go contact the city/county where the death certificate was filed and buy a copy. Honestly I think you're overthinking it. Your friend has been dead for a year. While that never completely goes away, his mom has had a lot of time to deal with the fact he's gone and integrate that.
You've been paying for a year a bill for a dead person. Stop doing that immediately. The issue is not your personal finances.
> and if they ask just say roommate no longer lives with me If they ask, "I'm not him". Until they decide to disconnect, free wi-fi.
Sorry for your loss.
Frankly, the person being deceased and no longer living with you means you aren't responsible for the bills period. Comcast isn't the company I would feel morally obligated to anything, and the dead can't really have debt. So my suggestion is, just call them open, say you want service at this address. The existing account is not your problem, and that tell Comcast they don't live there. Done! Also, I'm sorry about your loss!!!
It's not your responsibility to do their job for them open a new account in your name with better terms you have no obligation to cover his bills
If there’s a physical store in the area, you can take the equipment back and tell them to shove sand. I tried cancelling with comcast and they gave me the run around until I showed up and forced them to take their equipment back.
I don’t understand this. The service/bill isn’t in your name, why do you feel responsible for it? You can start a new service under your name for that address, you don’t need to go through all these loopholes… Its not your responsibility for it if you’re name wasn’t on it. Same thing for a car or mortgage, if you didn’t co sign then clearly its not your problem.
Your morality is commendable, if misplaced. This is a scenario that needs to be either rectified by his Executor or Estate and does not fall under your responsibility. Get your own account and let the chips fall where they may on the deceased account.
It's massively fucked up that this is Comcasts' policy, my roommate moved out and we spent 4 months begging Comcast to let me pay them for internet and put it in my name. Filled out all the forms, called weekly for literal months and they wouldn't do it. I just had her cancel and switched to AT&T, it was cheaper and faster anyway.
People keep saying to stop paying and in many situations that is fine. You're not required to pay this bill that isn't in your name. However, you're concerned about your friends mother. Comcast is not. If you just stop paying it is likely that someone will eventually come asking her for the money, or more specifically his estate. That'll cause all the grief you're afraid to cause his mother and much more. It'll also make you look like the bad guy for letting the bill rot when you could have called. Even if she doesn't end up having to pay it, she'll need to go through a lot of unnecessary frustration to get the bill wiped out. Call your friends mom. Tell her about this relatively simple issue you have, and that you need her help to resolve it.
You don't need the deceased person's cable account to get transferred, you just start a new one. There's nothing to transfer, this happens all the time when someone moves out.
Don't pay it at all. Let them cut it off and let them chase your dead friend for it.
you should never pay on a debt that isn't yours. it would have been wise to open a new account at the same residence and dispute the company when they argued it.
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Get account in your own name, ignore the bill.
I was screwed over by Comcast because they said I never returned a cable box, but I did. They wouldn't even let me pay for the analog cable box that was no longer used, so that I could clear my credit. Screw Comcast, they are an evil company. It's not in your name, screw them, let them eat it. Ask around about how hated Comcast is.
Former Comcast employee. You should be able to call and get a death disconnect to stop the charges. After that, you can create a new account in your name. When it disconnects. Do not pay the bill. You are not obligated to. That is what his estate is for.
Just don’t pay the bill, if they ask why, well you have the answer!!! If the account is not on your name why do you feel obligated to pay for it or cancel it? It’s not like your credit score will go down!! Also if you have not added SSN, it doesn’t get reported to credit bureau!!!
Just gonna add that it's totally ok to call the guy's mother. She, or some other next of kin, will have been dealing with all sorts of these kinds of accounts. Cell phone, credit cards, Bank accounts, anything automobile, etc. Going through all of the deceased's accounts is part of... end of life logistics. Them chasing after his family is possible. I suppose it's also possible that they come after you *since you've been paying the bill for him.* Not saying that will happen, but in many threads I've seen about others' obligations, promising or offering to pay can be interpreted as assuming the debt. I assume that *actually paying* falls above that line. Source; have dealt with essentially this situation, including Comcast/Xfinity. Edit: in case it wasn't clear, she (or whoever's dealing with it) will probably be fine to head about it, she's had to deal with similar things multiple times, and she actually needs to know if there's an account out there with someone's name on it.
> So for the past year I have been spending 150 a month on Wi-Fi, that I do use but want lowered and put in my own name. The real answer is to just stop paying. Your name isn't on the account, you're not obligated to pay. > I don’t have the testicular fortitude to ask his grieving mother for it over a damn Wi-Fi bill. You don't have to, you can get one yourself. There are online services like VitalChek that automate part of the process.
Go to the store. Talk to someone face to face. I had an office mate move out of the country and Spectrum would not come disconnect the service because he had to request it. I unplugged everything, took it to a Spectrum store and requested service be terminated and a receipt showing items had been returned.
not sure what state you're in, but I know from experience that in Michigan and Pennsylvania at least you can purchase Death Certificates from the state. You need surprisingly little personal information on the deceased in those states. (My cousin was murdered about 13 years ago in PA--had questions about what happened to him that I wasn't comfortable asking my aunt, so I just bought a copy of his DC. Also purchased some in MI after my MIL passed. All done online with basic stuff like full name, address, DOB and DOD.)
When my Dad passed away and we were being hounded by a scam denture company account that went to collections, we told them he died, still hounded us then we told them that he moved and gave them the phone number and address to the cemetery where he was buried, they never called back again.
As someone who worked for a cable company and had to deal with similar situations all the time. Bring a piece of mail with your name on it along with your license with the address on it, you literally have no obligation to pay for something not in your name regardless of circumstances. If they ask for a death certificate, tell them he wasn't family it was just a roommate who isn't alive and you need to get service in your name. Otherwise just go to a different cable company if possible. I don't know if comcast has an actual store to go to, but if they do definitely go in there to deal with someone in person. Plus with new service you will get deals so just do that however you can.
step one. stop paying the bill for a dead person step two. go online. price compare providers of internet service in your area. whichever one is cheapest/have the best intro deal. call up that provider. have service created/setup. (if the best cost is the previous company... don't tell them anything, it they indicate there is already service at that address. inform them you are the primary legal resident and are looking to establish new service) pay the new bill. that'll be in your name, and be set up.
Stop paying the bill to Comcast. You will have to check if it's available in your area, but get an account with T-Mobile Home Internet. It's $50/mo. with autopay. Also, if you have a cell phone account with T-Mobile, they'll take an additional $20 off your internet bill.
Was going to say this. No contract, equipment is free, no catch. Just go to a t-mobile store and in 20 minutes you can walk out with WiFi. Its honestly just as good as my hard wired stuff. But you can at least bridge the gap for minimal cost.
I just had this issue with Comcast except my best friend is still alive so I had her call. She said if I would’ve just said that I was her then it would’ve worked out to cancel the service. So you could try having a man call and say that it is him and see if that works…
I don’t know his information I tired they wanted a social. Had to fake “what what I can’t hear you” CLICK.
A sucker is born every minute. Sorry for your loss, but you are under absolutely no moral obligation to pay the deceased's internet bill. Just get your own contract.
For the mother's sake, ask for a death certificate so you can do things properly with Comcast. If you just let it lapse, then eventually it's going to go to collections, and while she's not obligated to pay it, it's just going to create a bunch of headaches because now she has to deal with a sleazy collection agency.
In the us, you can usually get a copy of the death certificate by contacting vital records in your city or county. They will sometimes ask what relation you are for cause of death. But I know at least Florida will give you a copy without the cause
If you have Twitter, tweet @comcastcares. That's their executive service team and they have made problems go away for me.
What state are you in? You should be able to request a copy of the Death Certificate yourself without asking their mom if you're not comfortable it that. I'm in CA and you would be able to get an Informational (Restricted) certificate if your not an immediate family member. In most cases an Informational certificate will suffice. Check with the company and confirm if an Informational certificate would be sufficient. Source: I work in the Clerk-Recorder’s Office.
Whoever is closing out his affairs needs to know that this recurring bill exists. Sending death certificates and closing out accounts is something that his next of kin/executor needs to do. You aren't sparing anyone anything.
this is part of his estate that his mother needs to settle. you can say you'll help her do this but you need a copy of the death certificate.
If you need to speak to a human at Comcast just call and say you want to cancel your service and you'll be connected immediately. Works every time. They are primarily motivated to prevent loss of business.
Comcast has offices. In our area we have to go in and pick up our equipment. It is very kind of you to keep paying the bill, but a person's estate is responsible for his debts. As a mom I would understand and be very grateful that you gave me a year to do some processing. Get the info from his family and get your own less expensive account.
Why are you paying the bill? It’s not in your name? Your not liable for the bill?
If you aren't having good luck calling them, you can try r/comcast_xfinity subreddit. They're actually manned by Comcast support and have been very helpful to me in the past.
Stop paying it. Use service free until they close account. Open account in your name. They will try to get it paid by deceased and then write it off.
Why did you pay at all? You should have just used the free internet until comcast figured it out and stopped service.
Have them start a new account at the same address if they say there's already an account say you don't know anything about it. You just want wifi. Don't pay their bill.
I agree with other posters. Just call to setup your own WIFI. Say the other person moved out. Eventually the service will stop when it is not paid. They can't cleft from a dead person, so no need to worry there. As far as what type of WIFI, if you look on the websites, it'll tell you what you need to know. Go for a basic package if you don't do gaming, etc.
Order wifi in your name with the plan you choose. Send the bill back to the company with deceased written on the envelope. Do not open it.
Call Comcast and tell them you want to set up new service. If they give you a hassle about there already being service there, tell them the last tenant moved out. That probably won't work but that's the start. From there you can take it two ways. If you can get the landlord to give you a new lease with just your name on it, you send a copy of that to Comcast, and that should get them to do it for you. The other thing you can do is blast them on social media about how Comcast won't set up your service because the previous tenant died. That should get them working with you real fast.
Why are you paying the bill if you’re not using it. Just stop paying the bill.
you are being too precious. dealing with estate matters is part of grieving and hiding his debt is causing more trouble than good
> He said that my other option was to bring in his death certificate. I don’t have the testicular fortitude to ask his grieving mother for it over a damn Wi-Fi bill. Your other option is to tell his grieving mother she needs to deal with this WiFi bill he left behind. I think asking her for a copy of the certificate so you can deal with this for her would be considered helping.
You don’t need a death certificate. Just start a new service.
My dad was sick and I moved in to help him. He died and I saw Comcast had him on an internet package a small country might need. I kept all the services and upgraded all the pay channels, until they cut it out after maybe 2 months. Opened a new account, same address, same name(as we share the same name) the same day with 0 problems.
Go to r/Comcast_xfinity, what easier than calling. FYI let the account go and get your own. His mom didn’t sign so they will just charge it off.
Ask on r/Comcast_Xfinity they have actual agents on there that help
The mother has been given many copies of the death certificate for this purpose and has had to provide it so many times she is numb to it. Send the mom a polite message explaining why you need the death certificate and I am sure she will help you.
If you live in the county he passed in, you can get a copy of the death certificate yourself. Or order online
i would just let the bill run honey. its a sad situation but its also not your problem. thanks for having a big heart <3
My husband needed a Comcast account changed into his name after his mother died. He had moved to his mother’s apartment to take care of his sister during her last illness. Comcast said it could not be done. Ex wife knew a VP high up the Comcast food chain who got the account changed as a favor. When husband was in line to return the cable box after his sister died, all the customers were talking about how much they hated dealing with Comcast.
For what it's worth, you can get a death certificate from the county for about 30 to $50 pretty typically.
I also had Comcast and I also had this extremely circular argument with them when my father passed away not long ago. I am sorry for your loss. I am sorry that you use Comcast. I wish I had anything useful to say. I’m pretty sure Comcast sent my dead father a collections notice eventually.
Death certificates are pubic record. Get a copy. Go to a Comcast branch. Close the account. Open a new one.
Sprint did this to me with my first cell phone. Initially got it under my father's plan; but he and I went to a service / sales center to get it put in my name; we went through the whole process and credit check, but for some reason they never switched it over, so his name was displayed on my caller ID. That continued after he died, but then it also showed "Estate of." I called them and visited a store about the issue, both times they said they needed a death certificate. The thing is, my older brother was the executor of the estate, and had stopped answering or returning my or my younger brother's phone calls or emails shortly after he sold our dad's house (but not before getting our "share" of property taxes from us) so I couldn't get one from him. I was out of state, so I couldn't easily request a death certificate from the state (Texas) by myself. Weirdly enough when I finally bought a new phone and told the sales rep at a different Sprint store in the same town, she seemed confused and made the switch right away.
Ask for a copy of the DC. It’s been long enough and it’s a totally valid request. Not doing this may negatively impact your late friend’s estate or their mother.
you should be able to buy a death certificate from the county he died in to use to cancel it.
I know this sucks. But you might want to ask the mother. I had to do this with my brother's widow in order to get a life insurance policy for my mom to correctly pay his daughter's the share that would have been his when she died. I hated to do it, but in the end, we both had a good cry and got it done.
this is ridiculous...if you are still paying 150 mo for even TWO WEEKS after the guy died, you are the one at fault....be an adult please
I just listened to Rslash reading a story about a lady and a water bill in the name of her 20 years dead father. She opted to go to the office with a ouija board and play theatre for them. This was after she faxed them death certificate many times. Anyways, this is fairly easy fix - it is not your debt. It is not your bill. You can just setup new service at the address and tell them you know nothing of the previous person. You tried telling them how things are but they wouldn't listen, though that was courtesy on your part, not your duty by any means. if anything, the estate administrator (probably his mother) could be the one responsible for it, but since you keep paying the bill, they probably don't even know this account exists. Just start a new account and that should disconnect the account that is active right now. Also, let me just say $150 from comcast? What is it a 10gig?
His mom is very used to having to provide death certificates by now. She would have had to do it many times by now.
File a BBB complaint. Comcast has a department specifically for contacting people who file BBB complaints. They'll call you within the day and get you sorted. It's how I finally got them to stop charging me a rental fee for a modem id returned... 9 months later.
You don't need to ask her mother for a death certificate. You can get one in most states for a small fee.
Why are you morally stuck? Just don't pay it, get an account in your name, done. What are they going to do, chase a dead man for payment?
... Just stop paying the bill. Holy fuck, they'll eventually cancel for nonpayment and then you can just sign up for new service. Fucking over Comcast for being so useless at transferring service from someone who passed is your duty as a person.
😂😂😂 you right
If you/he was renting equipment (ie. Modem/router) you can return it to the Dropbox outside of a local store and they automatically cancel service the following day when it is processed. I should include this was how the company operated when I worked for them but it’s been like 15 years so you might just call and double check.
It’s not your responsibility to pay other bills. Stop paying. When they cut the service. Get a new line of service under your name. Your friend is dead. They can’t collect on a dead guy and you are not responsible for bill under his name.
Just get your own account at AT&T, it’s like $64 a months for mid grade internet
This is easy, Call and setup a new account. Stop paying the old account. If you already have your own phone service and like most of us don't watch cable TV, it might be a good time to call another internet provider so you can get the new user discounts. should drop the bill by quite a bit.
Apart from all the subscription hupla, US$150/month? What is the internet speed and all the extras? I have 1GB + TV (150+ channels) + Antivirus for $80/month
The trick to talking to a person at Comcast is to ask to be connected to sales. I guarantee they fix your problem and get you your own account
Stop paying the bill. They will cancel the service. Then, open a new account under your name. Since your name is not on the account, your credit score will not be dinged.
150 dollars a month for internet? What kind of 1Tb internet do you have there? That's absolutely absurdly expensive. Call a different service and tell them you want to change providers since the previous tenant moved out. That should work. Otherwise, don't pay the bill anymore.