Comcast’s data reporting system appears to be suffering from a glitch, in some cases showing that customers are using twice as much as data as they’re actually consuming.
A number complaints about this problem have popped up on Reddit and other ISP message boards, and Comcast has confirmed the problem with Cord Cutters News. One user on Reddit noted that Comcast was showing that they had hit the data limit for the past three months, despite taking steps to minimize their usage. Another said they’ve been told they’ve used 1.1TB of data, and 6TB the previous month.
The primary fear from such inaccurate information is whether this will affect a customer’s bill. If the data usage exceeds the 1.2TB (or 1,200GB) cap that Comcast employs on many plans, a subscriber could see a charge of up to $100 on their monthly bill. The system overestimating data consumption by double could easily push some customers past that cap.
But Comcast spokesman Joel Shadle said that the glitch is only appearing on public-facing systems like the Xfinity app, and that this wouldn’t affect anyone’s bill. He said Comcast is working on the problem, but didn’t provide a timeline for when it would get fixed. Update: Comcast confirmed that the problem has been fixed.
“We’re very sorry if it’s caused inconvenience or confusion,” he said.
Comcast charges $10 per 50GB over the cap, but offers one free allotment of 50GB every 12 months. But, according to Shadle, the information that feeds into the billing system is accurate, so customers won’t be overcharged.
This isn’t the first time consumers have complained about inaccurate data usage reporting, with complaints have cropped up a few times over the last few years.
If you have a problem with your data reporting and it’s affecting your bills, you can contact Comcast by calling 1-888-565-4329.