As a residential customer, you were lucky to have access to broadband from one service provider. Now, with a few different companies can choose which provider they want to use. Comcast and Verizon are two of the largest providers, which now Comcast offers services like Xfinity and Verizon use a product called FiOS. These companies both offer bundles that provide television programming, internet access and residential telephone services, the more services you purchase the better discount they will give. If you take a glance at both service providers they pretty much look the same, even though each company At first glance, both services may seem pretty much the same, even though each company advertises its advantages as significantly better than the other’s. Of these two companies, which one really offers the better deal for cable customers?
Comcast has been a fixture in the cable market for a long time. With recent mergers and acquisitions, they now offer service in 39 states and the District of Columbia. Comcast uses traditional cable technology for Internet, voice, and high-definition digital television service, yet the company has recently undergone a major re-branding by changing the name of its service to Xfinity. Xfinity is the same “Triple Play” service the company used to offer (http://www.moneycrashers.com/comcast-xfinity-vs-verizon-fios/).
• Television- The basic television package in their Triple Play bundle comes with more than 80 channels, including CNN, ESPN, and MTV. Outside of the Triple Play package, Comcast’s television service normally sells for $29.95 for the first six months and $49.95 for the following 18 months with a two-year contract (http://www.moneycrashers.com/comcast-xfinity-vs-verizon-fios/).
• Internet- Triple Play includes Comcast’s “Performance” tier of Internet service, which they advertise as “up to 15Mbps,” which is certainly fast enough for conventional residential service. Outside of the Triple Play package, this service starts at $29.95 a month for the first six months and costs $34.95 per month after that (http://www.moneycrashers.com/comcast-xfinity-vs-verizon-fios/).
• Telephone- The standard bundle includes their “Unlimited Voice” package, which includes free calls within the United States and Canada, voicemail, and most telephone feature options like caller ID, call waiting, and three-way calling. This service requires a broadband Internet connection, and the price for both will vary based on your location. Currently, Comcast is advertising $19.95 for the first six months (http://www.moneycrashers.com/comcast-xfinity-vs-verizon-fios/).
• Customer Service- Comcast has some bad marks when it comes to their overall customer service reputation. In fact, they often exemplify many of the negative stereotypes associated with cable companies. They’re often unable to keep scheduled appointments, and they have long waits for customer service on the phone. That service leaves customers with an unsatisfactory result. However, Comcast offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which may make you more comfortable at least giving them a chance. Comcast has also been known to have outages and spotty service in some areas of the country, so do some research to make sure it is reliable in you are (http://www.moneycrashers.com/comcast-xfinity-vs-verizon-fios/).
• Bundled Pricing-Comcast advertises its Triple Play program with its introductory rate of $99 per month for the first year. The price goes up to $129 per month after that. They also offer incentives for new customers in the form of prepaid Visa cards with a value between $100 and $250. Depending on your local area, you may also have access to other promotions, like free premium channels for a limited time. You’ll have to sign a two-year contract, and other packages are available with more television channels and faster Internet access speeds. Keep in mind that pricing will vary by area, so be sure to check the pricing and promotional discounts that are specific to your city or town (http://www.moneycrashers.com/comcast-xfinity-vs-verizon-fios/).
Whereas FiOS is a relatively new fiber optics communication network from Verizon. Fiber optic technology has been the backbone of the Internet for a long time, but residential customers have only had a chance to use it for a few years. Verizon has been slowly rolling out this service, but it is not available in all areas yet (http://www.moneycrashers.com/comcast-xfinity-vs-verizon-fios/).
• Television- Verizon offers more than 195 channels in their basic services as well as an On Demand library of thousands of individual programs and 47 music-only channels. This plan by itself costs $64.95, with more channels offered for higher priced plans (http://www.moneycrashers.com/comcast-xfinity-vs-verizon-fios/).
• Internet Verizon advertises its service as 15/5 Mbps, which means that downloads can occur at speeds up to 15 Mbps, while uploads run at only 5 Mbps. As a residential user, you shouldn’t notice much of a problem with the slower upload speeds. On its own, this plan costs $49.95 per month (http://www.moneycrashers.com/comcast-xfinity-vs-verizon-fios/)..
• Telephone- FiOS includes digital home telephone service with unlimited local and nationwide calling. Like Comcast’s service, Verizon includes most telephone features as well as calls to Canada at no additional cost. The voice service relies on a FiOS Internet connection and is not available by itself. A bundle including phone and Internet is $69.99 per month, $20 more than Internet service on its own (http://www.moneycrashers.com/comcast-xfinity-vs-verizon-fios/).
• Customer Service- So far, Verizon customers seem to really enjoy this product. The FiOS service has received glowing reviews from industry analysts and trade publications. In fact, Consumer Reports recently gave its top score to Verizon FiOS for its television and Internet services. FiOs is listed as the best option for any area where service is available. Only AT&T’s U-verse service received a similar rating. Still, plenty of people report some difficult installation experiences with this new type of connection (http://www.moneycrashers.com/comcast-xfinity-vs-verizon-fios/).
• Bundled Pricing- The basic FiOS bundle is also referred to as a Triple Play package. It includes television, Internet, and telephone service. It undercuts Comcast’s Xfinity offer by starting at an introductory rate of $79.99 per month. This price is only valid for the first year of service, but you don’t have to sign a contract, so you’re not obligated to the more expensive second year. Premium channels and more features are available for a higher price. As always, make sure you research the pricing and promotional offers in your area, because specific pricing will vary depending on where you live (http://www.moneycrashers.com/comcast-xfinity-vs-verizon-fios/).
We conducted a survey and we compared Xfinity and FiOS based on these six key factors: telephone, cable TV, Internet, customer service, overall service satisfaction, and bundled pricing. We surveyed 30 respondents and the results were very foreseeable. Fifty percent of our respondents live in the city; forty-three percent of our respondents live in the suburban area and only seven percent live in a rural area (See fig. 1). In our survey we asked the respondents how many people lived in their home. The majority of the respondents lived with only one other person. Thirty percent of the respondents live alone. Twenty-three percent of the respondents live with two other people, and only three percent live with four or more people (See fig 2). We then asked the respondents which land line phone service do you have in your home? The thirty respondent’s results were that fifteen out of thirty respondents use Comcast Xfinity. Only eight of the thirty respondents use Verizon FiOS. The remaining seven respondents either use another telephone service provider or they don’t use a land line phone service in their homes. After that question, question four states; What Cable TV service provider do you have in your home? The thirty respondents to this question was that sixty-three percent of the respondents Comcast Xfinity, twenty-seven percent use Verizon FiOS, and the remaining ten percent either use satellite or they have the basic cable box. Question five asks the respondents what internet service provider you have in your home. The results from question five were as follows; nineteen out of thirty respondents use Comcast Xfinity, eight of thirty use Verizon FiOS, and three out of thirty either use another internet service provider or they don’t have internet service at all (See fig3). With the results we received from the surveys we came to the conclusion that majority of our respondents live in the city, with at least one other person, and they have Comcast Xfinity as their service provider. We also concluded that some of the respondents that live in suburban areas they have Verizon FiOS.
In the next series of questions we asked the respondents to rate the customer service pertaining to the phone service, cable TV service, and Internet services. Ten out of the thirty respondents think that their customer service with their telephone service is excellent, thirty percent of the respondents think it is good, five out of thirty don’t think that the customer service is good or bad, seven percent of the respondents think the customer service is poor, and thirteen of the respondents either have another phone service or they don’t have a telephone in their homes. We then evaluated the customer service for their cable service and only three out of thirty respondents think that their customer service for their cable service is excellent, forty percent of the respondents think that their customer service is good, eight out of thirty respondents don’t think that the customer service is good or bad, seventeen percent think that their customer service for their cable service is poor, one respondent either has satellite or a basic cable box, and three percent think that their customer service is very poor. Next was rate the customer service of your internet service. Thirty-three percent think that their customer service for their internet service is excellent; fourteen out of thirty think their customer service is good, four respondents don’t think that their service is good or bad, 1 respondent think that their service poor, and one respondent think that their customer service is very poor. With this information we can conclude that both Comcast and Verizon are doing their jobs when it comes to customer service. The majority of our respondents think that their customer service is good (See Fig 4).
The next series of questions we asked the respondents how satisfied they are with their telephone, cable, and internet service. Two respondents are highly satisfied with their phone service; fifty-three percent say that they are satisfied with their phone service; seven respondents are neither satisfied nor unsatisfied with their phone service; one respondent is unsatisfied with their phone service, and four out of thirty respondents either have another phone service or they don’t have a phone service at all. When asked about their satisfaction with their cable service six respondents are highly satisfied with their cable service; fifty-three percent are satisfied with their cable service; six of the respondents are neither satisfied nor unsatisfied; seven percent of the respondents are unsatisfied with their cable service. We then asked about their satisfaction with their internet service and eight respondents say that they are highly satisfied with their internet service; while fifty-seven percent say that they are satisfied with their internet service; and only five respondents say that they are neither satisfied nor unsatisfied with their internet service. With these result on their satisfaction with their services, we can conclude that overall the respondents are satisfied with all three of the services they have with either Comcast Xfinity and/or Verizon FiOS (See Fig. 5).
The next series of questions have to do with the pricing of the services. We asked the respondents if they have all three services combined on one bill and how much do they pay monthly. Nine percent of the respondents pay $50-$100 a month for all services combined; six respondents pay $100-$150 a month for all services combined; twenty-seven percent of the respondents; twenty-three percent of the respondents pay $150-$200 monthly; six of our respondents pay $200-$250 monthly with all three services combined; and three respondents pay $250-$300 monthly for all services combined (See fig. 6). If the respondents did not pay all three combined, we asked which combination of services do you have and six respondents said that they pay for cable and internet monthly. Three of the respondents pay $100-$150 a month for these two services combined; and the other three pay $150-$200 a month (See fig. 7). Then the last two respondents have their phone and internet services combined and they pay $100-$150 monthly (See fig. 8). Majority of the respondents pay reasonable prices a month for their services combined, whether they have all the service or just two.
In conclusion, our results show that most of the consumers from our survey are satisfied with their cable, phone, and internet services. Comcast and Verizon offer competitive packages and services, and even more competitive guarantees which may contribute to the survey results. Comcast promises to always be on time within appointment windows or they will credit the customer $20 or give a free premium channel for 3 months. They offer this same compensation if they don't resolve routine issues in one visit. In addition, Comcast has several options available for customer questions and concerns via telephone, live chat on the web, and email. Verizon itself claims to be the highest rated in value, overall quality and customer loyalty with their "100 % fiber optics right to your door". They, like Comcast, offer 24 hour tech support. However their tech support will guide customers through how to access Facebook on their TV or pull pictures from their PC to view them on their TV. While clearly Verizon has the technological edge, Comcast guarantees to continually offer the best and most video choices. Both companies have many quality services to offer and strive to contend for the majority of consumers. Over fifty percent of our survey participants pay for at least services on one bill which adds convenience and furthermore enhances customer satisfaction. However, even though the promise of commitment and excellence of these cable giants seem to satisfy the needs and desires of their customers, according to our survey, both companies have room for improvement.

Appendixes

Figure 1 Figure 2

Which services do you have in your home? Phone Service Cable Service Internet Service
Comcast Xfinity 15 19 19
Verizon FiOS 8 8 8
Neither 7 3 3
Figure 3

Rate the customer service of your service provider. Phone
Service Cable Service Internet Service Very Poor 0 1 1
Poor 2 5 1
Neutral 5 8 4
Good 9 12 14
Excellent 10 3 10
N/A 4 1 0
Figure 4

How satisfied are you with your services? Phone Service Cable Service Internet Service
Highly Satisfied 2 6 8
Satisfied 16 16 17
Neither Satisfied/Unsatisfied 7 6 5
Unsatisfied 1 2 0
Highly Unsatisfied 0 0 0
N/A 4 0 0
Figure 5 Figure 6

Figure 7 Figure 8

References
1. Steele, Jason. "Comcast xfinity vs. Verizon fios review ." Money crasher. August 17, 2011. Sparkle charge media, Web. . .