Comcast is near the top of almost every list of most-hated companies. The company is legendary for price gouging and rotten customer service. Last summer, a recorded Comcast customer service call went viral when a “retention specialist” badgered a couple when they tried to cancel their Comcast subscription. The customer in that case happened to be an AOL vice president. (At one time, AOL had issues like this too, but eventually cleaned up their act.)
I have my own issues with Comcast, even though I’ve never been a customer of theirs; they’ve sent me more than 1,000 pieces of junk mail over the years (this is no exaggeration) and, when that didn’t get my attention, sent salesmen knocking on my door several times, who ignored the “No Soliciting” sign and refused to go away even though I told them we don’t own a TV. (I prefer books.)
But I digress. Today another Comcast horror story is going viral. Last week, retired St. Paul, Minnesota, truck driver Jimmy Ware’s house (which he inherited from his parents, and which wasn’t insured) went up in flames after a downed power line ignited nearby brush. With his house burned to the ground, and his TV a melted blob, Comcast refused to cancel his service. When he said, okay, then repair the damaged cable — they refused. It didn’t make sense, they said, to repair a cable to a house that was no longer there. When the company finally backed off and agreed to cancel Ware’s service, it blamed its service rep for “mishandling” the situation.
I’m not saying Comcast is a lousy company. I’m not saying you should never do business with them. I’m not even suggesting you should stamp “Refused” on their junk mail and drop it in a mailbox so they have to pay return postage on it. All of this is up to you. 
The only thing I’m saying here is that I object to the Postal Service’s policy of giving junk mailers almost-free delivery service while charging ordinary citizens like you and me half a buck to mail a bill payment or personal letter. I’m tired of subsidizing the likes of Comcast, bank card issuers, hucksters promoting financial seminars and/or burial plans, and their ilk.
Photos: Remains of Jimmy Ware’s house; bales of junk mail (a fire hazard?) at recycling plant
Story sources: AOL News and Twincities.com