If you own stock in Comcast, you might want to sell.  I’m not a financial guru, but I have a phenomenal gift for sensing when a corporate culture has gone toxic.  Typically, organizations don’t survive long absent a dramatic course correction.  I also have a phenomenal gift for spotting trouble on the horizon when it is just a tiny speck.  Years before the bubbles burst, I knew the dot.com business model and the insanity in the real estate market could not be sustained.

It isn’t rocket science.  It’s just common sense.

Since 1999, I have been one of Comcast’s most loyal customers.  However, a year ago, I sensed a subtle shift in their corporate culture.  In retrospect, it was probably because their tech savvy customers had discovered streaming and were bailing out in droves.  I’d never heard of Roku until a few months ago, but I bought myself one for Christmas.  I’m done with Comcast’s bait and switch tactics and propensity to forget the terms of the deals they offer customers.

With about $10/month to Netflix and a $79/year Amazon Prime account, who the hell needs Comcast?  I’m doing a “Yippee Skippy” dance that Amazon Prime + Kindle = ability to read 500 titles for free + probably ends the wait list at the library for best-selling books.  And, I get free shipping.  Wa-hoo!

Comcast appears to be running scared now.  Their customer service representatives will smugly inform you that it doesn’t matter how you try to cut or bundle your services, it will cost customers at least $140/month.  Don’t like it?  They’ll arrogantly tell you that you are free to explore your options with their competitors.  In other words, “f*** you!”

Well, Comcast, I am exploring my options.  When loyal old ladies like me hit the door, your business model is in deep do-do.  So, if you own Comcast stock or work there, my suggestion is that you might want to bail before the ship sinks.

I’d love to hear what’s working for my readers.  This old girl is ready to amp up her tech game.

See also:
Why the Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger Is Even Worse Than You Think by Brian Barrett, Gizmodo, 2/13/14
Thanks Comcast, I Was Worried Prices Might Go Down by Matt Novak on Gizmodo, 2/13/14 [on Tweet about Comcast exec’s quote: “We’re certainly not promising that customer bills will go down or increase less rapidly.” Comcast EVP David Cohen on TW Cable deal.]

Barons of Broadband, by Paul Krugman, New York Times, 2/16/14 [op-ed]