Comcast promises better service, adding Wi-Fi hot spots

Comcast said Thursday that it is trying to improve its customer experience and will add new services this year in the Twin Cities.

"We have listened to what our customers are saying," said Jeff Freyer, the company's regional vice president. "We know we have work to do to improve the customer experience, and we're on a mission to do it."

The company promised to roll out simpler billing statements, allow customers to track their technician once he or she is 30 minutes away and give customers $20 off their next bill if a technician does not arrive on time. The firm is in the process of hiring 400 people in the Twin Cities for phone and online customer service.

Competition for cable and Internet customers has ramped up in the Twin Cities in recent years. CenturyLink is sending salespeople on door-to-door missions in parts of the metro, and US Internet is slowly expanding its network across south Minneapolis.

Comcast, which posted an $8.2 billion profit in 2015, said it plans to spend $15 million to make its fiber-optic network for businesses available in parts of Bloomington, Blaine, Brooklyn Park, Eden Prairie and downtown Minneapolis.

The firm also will install more than 1,400 new Wi-Fi hot spots at parks, stores and transit stops in the metro area before the end of the year, the company said.

Adam Belz • 612-673-4405 Twitter: @adambelz