By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – @tvanswerman

TV Answer Man, I tried to continue my Peacock subscription with Xfinity but it wouldn’t let me. They cut us off yesterday but then they made it impossible to subscribe at the discount rate! What is happening with this?!! — Mary, Bowie, Maryland.

Mary, Comcast’s attempt yesterday (June 26) to eliminate free Peacock for all subscribers was an unmitigated disaster. And that might be putting it nicely.

The cable operator on Monday did end its free subscription perk to Peacock’s $4.99 monthly Premium plan as part of its Xfinity video and Internet packages. (The streaming service had been free on Xfinity since it launched in July 2020.)

And in the weeks leading up to the cutoff, Comcast informed subscribers that they would continue getting Peacock for free if they were 1 GIG Internet plan customers or Diamond or Platinum members of the cable operator’s Rewards program. Other subscribers could sign up to continue watching Peacock at a discounted rate of $2.99 a month for 12 months, Comcast said.

But as the old saying goes, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

Countless Xfinity subscribers took to social media yesterday to complain that they couldn’t redeem Peacock through Rewards or subscribe at the discounted rate.

“I’m not seeing @peacock in my @Xfinity Rewards. Although it’s no longer included free as part of my cable as of today, it’s supposed to be available today as a reward. I’m a (Diamond) member,” tweeted @odedonrealitytv.  member.

“As a Xfinity Diamond Rewards member, how do I redeem my reward to continue to receive Peacock for free? I received an email stating that starting today June 26th, I’d be able to redeem my diamond reward for free Peacock … but unfortunately the reward is nowhere to be found. Help,” wrote @philasportzphan.

“Considering that Peacock and Comcast/Xfinity are all owned by the same corporation, this process did not have to be the mess it is,” added @Elisasdavis. “Please do NOT tell people to call Xfinity Customer Support! They are backed up and are not helpful at all–they can’t be helpful because the system is not working to get people transitioned.”

“No idea what is going on here. I had Peacock premium thru Xfinity. It was turned off today. I have gigabit internet and platinum customer which means get 2 years of peacock premium. On phone for 3 hours, xfinity cannot figure out how to link to my account,” tweeted @richard_lordi.

One obvious issue is that the Xfinity Rewards page does not include a Peacock redemption link, or even mention that Peacock is part of the Rewards program. In addition, many subscribers say links to subscribe to the $2.99 Peacock don’t work and that customer service representatives don’t know how to sign people up. Other Xfinity customers say they couldn’t log in to Peacock.

As of this morning, the debacle continues with complaints still piling up on Twitter and other social media forums.

Comcast’s customer service reps say they are working on the issues. But I would advise Xfinity customers who have been trying to redeem free Peacock or subscribe to the discounted streaming plan to wait until later today before trying again. It’s clear this morning that Comcast wasn’t ready for this transition, and still isn’t ready.

For your reference, here’s a link to the Xfinity Rewards page. And if you’re having trouble signing in to your Xfinity account to subscribe to Peacock for $2.99 a month, here’s a page that could help.

The TV Answer Man will continue to monitor this situation and report back here if we get more information that could assist.

Until then, happy viewing and stay safe!

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Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman