Comcast will expand its Amherst office at 160 Old Farm Road on Route 9 to accommodate any additional business there.
AP file photo – Comcast is closing its Bradford Street office in Northampton.NORTHAMPTON – Comcast customers who have struggled to find the company’s Bradford Street office will soon have to trek to Amherst for personal service. Or, like a growing number of customers, they can get more tech savvy.
Comcast will close the Bradford Street service center on June 24 and expand its Amherst office at 160 Old Farm Road on Route 9 to accommodate any additional business there. Age and location of the Bradford Street building were among the factors prompting the move, according to Teri A. Anderson, Northampton’s Community and Economic Development Coordinator.
“The building is in bad shape,” she said, “and it’s so far off the beaten path that it’s hard for customers to find.”
Laura A. Brubaker, Comcast’s Director of Public Relations, said an even more significant reason is that fewer and fewer customers are seeking person-to-person service.
“More than ever, customers are choosing to interact with us and access and pay for our products and services in ways that are more convenient for them, including over the phone and online, mailed payments, self-installation kits and professional technician visits,” she said. “This move reflects their overwhelming preference.”
Brubaker also noted that Comcast will continue to operate customers service centers in Springfield, Westfield and Greenfield.
The company offers telephone and cable television services as well as Internet service.
Customers use the Bradford Street office mainly to pay bills, but with rising gas prices, the cost of driving there exceeds the cost of a postage stamp. Customers can also pay their bills for no additional cost on the Internet.