It was touch and go there for a little while, but the project manager who specializes in customer retention (which is where my account ended up when I called Comcast’s corporate offices) was a very solid ally. We had a team of Comcast folks out here for two days straight upgrading the cable infrastructure outside of the building, and finally this afternoon signal levels (while not perfect by a long shot) were finally in tolerable range.
Oh, and I found out what happened to the contractor who supposedly came out here last week but never called or knocked on the door. Apparently Comcast has been having some problems with their contracted installers simply running away from job sites. What likely happened is that he saw this house from the comfort of his truck, saw “new installation” on the work order (because this apartment has never had cable before), and hit the gas pedal without looking back.
So as of a few hours ago my 3-week period of having no internet access has come to an end. To make up for it, Comcast also refunded the $100+ of install fees, and are giving me at least one month of free service. The real bonus here is that I finally have access to the internet again and can get caught up on everything in my own backlog.