Comcast Self-Install Kits Let Subs Connect Without Truck Roll

Comcast, looking to boost customer satisfaction as well as eliminate the cost of a cable technician visit, is offering customers self-installation kits designed to let them hook up cable TV, voice and broadband all by themselves.

The Xfinity self-installation kits can be ordered online at Comcast.com or by phone at 1-800-COMCAST, for a $9.95 shipping and handling charge. That's compared with the MSO's average installation fee of $50 to $60 (varying by market).

Not all subscribers are eligible for the self-install kit. According to Comcast, customers will require a professional installation if the residence isn't pre-wired for cable or if they have systems that will be monitored through their digital home phone service, such as home alarms or health-monitoring systems.

The kits are available in all markets, covering single-, double- and triple-play bundles. Comcast said the self-install options are available across its full portfolio of set-tops, DVRs, digital terminal adapters, cable modems and embedded multimedia terminal adapters, which vary depending on market.

The self-install kits "give customers the ability to install their services anytime and at their convenience, without having to even call us," Comcast Cable senior vice president of customer operations Rick Germano said in announcing them. "Making the self-installation experience better and easier is one of several investments to improve the service and support we offer our customers."

Each component of the kit is packaged with step-by-step instructions printed on the inside of the box lids with color-coded pieces of equipment and cables arranged in an accessory tray. Once the equipment is connected, customers can activate their services online at www.comcast.com/activate.

In addition to online and phone ordering, Comcast said the kits will also soon be available at local service centers for pickup and are packaged in "an easy-to-carry, reusable tote bag."

Comcast enlisted San Francisco-based industrial-design firm Frog Design to help revamp its new self-installation kits. The Frog Design team reviewed Comcast's existing kits and developed several concepts that were shared and tested with customers for feedback.