This IS a legitimate Comcast offer, but is hampered by some horrible internal setup and communication of this offer. It seems like it is being done by a crack (or maybe crack-smoking) squad of commando promotions people within Comcast, and the front line sales and support employees know very little about what is going on. Below is my story and how it was resolved.
I got an initial call from this (347)329-3194 number and was offered a year of free no-obligation Showtime for being an HBO subscriber. Sounded good, but alarm bells rang when they wanted to confirm my details after having called me. I in turn called 1800COMCAST to ask if it was a legitimate deal, and the support rep looked into it and said that it was, but in her position she could not follow through on that offer. She suggested contacting the (347) group back directly, which I tried a few times but never got through, so I forgot about it for a few days.
Five days later I got another call from that number (a woman this time), and at that point accepted the offer. They stated some of my basic account info (last name if I recall) and asked me to confirm my mailing address, and also asked for an email address I believe. Activation of the channel was to take about a day or so, but after a few days still no Showtime.
I then called back 1800COMCAST and was transferred through 6 different people, and it was obvious that none of them knew the facts about this offer internally. After being disconnected, I finally called back and reached Tyler in support who checked with his manager and Sales managers, who were able to confirm the offer and find the internal documentation (codes or whatever they need to enter) on it.
My guess is that Comcast is doing these promotions because another round of fare increases just came out. I got a letter in the mail with quite a few changes (read increases) to a variety of their offerings, so I think they're trying to counteract that with a round of promotions. But their follow-through on the offer, internal communication, and issue resolution, plus the way in which the offer originates (with what is nearly a cold call) seems to be leading many people to believe it's a scam.
They call me every day between 3pm and 9 pm and I never answer. (because I've seen on sites it is some bull comcast 'promotion'). I'm wondering if I answer and tell them to stop calling if that would even work....
thank you. I was convinced it was a scam based on everything I read and the strange verification questions, but I could not figure out exactly what they were trying to gain. After reading this, I checked my cable again and my Cinemax did turn on, so it was an actually offer from Comcast. It was well over a week before it went active. It appears these calls are from Comcast, but being conducted by a very suspect group they are using to conduct them.
347-329-4675 Call received on my cell phone, no message left so I called back from a land line. The gentleman I spoke with was actually very polite and he said I reached Consumer Protection Bureau. After giving them my name and zip code (nothing more, not even cell #) he said they had received a letter just that morning related to a "Sweepstakes" I had applied for with my signature and won second place in the amount of $525,000 - however they needed me to provide some information in order to release the money. I told him this was false because I never apply for any sweepstakes and asked for them to remove my info he said "ok whatever you want" and hung up.