Community Chat

[CelticCrafter]

Our one year price guarantee with Optimum/Cablevision/Altice (whatever it is they are calling themselves this month) was up this month and the increase was $50 a month.

I called them and told them if they didn't do something we were going back to Fios.  They reduced the bill to $5 LESS than what it had been before the increase.

[Spurt]

@Jordan2 

It's funny I have a couple of friends that have Spectrum and all they do is complain about their high prices and BAD customer service.   Well my sister also has Spectrum, I had read that they were NOT going to re-negotiate contracts anymore....what the price is...is what it is...  My sister got her renewal bill and it had gone way up....So she called and got her bill reduced by a significiant amount .....  I asked how she did it and her reply was DON'T HANG UP, STAY ON THE PHONE WITH CSR AND YA GOTTA KNOW HOW TO WHINE  

[Spurt]

I am so LUCKY & BLESSED....an independent cable company contacted the HOA & COA in our neighborhood and came to an agreement to do business in our subdivision and it was the BEST THING THAT HAPPENED.....Their motto is we will BEAT Time Warner/Spectrum (they started while Spectrum was still Time Warner) and promised to provide EXCELLENT customer service...And they have delivered and exceeded expectations....I pay $154 a month for their PREMIER Service with the extra ULTRA SPORTS TIER.......Their CS is excellent too.....Oh they did go up in price but it was $4 for my sports tier, but its worth it~!!!.....

If I cut the cord It would have cost me $80 just for internet alone without bundling .And that doesnt cover what Id have to pay for phone, and then the separate charges for the streaming services...

[gardenman]

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@Spurt wrote:

@Jordan2 

It's funny I have a couple of friends that have Spectrum and all they do is complain about their high prices and BAD customer service.   Well my sister also has Spectrum, I had read that they were NOT going to re-negotiate contracts anymore....what the price is...is what it is...  My sister got her renewal bill and it had gone way up....So she called and got her bill reduced by a significiant amount .....  I asked how she did it and her reply was DON'T HANG UP, STAY ON THE PHONE WITH CSR AND YA GOTTA KNOW HOW TO WHINE  

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Most companies have a "Saves" or "Retention" department that can offer better deals, but getting to them often requires you saying you're going to disconnect. If you say you're going to disconnect and they call your bluff, you can find yourself disconnected with few good options. I gave Comcast two chances to keep me, once on the phone and once in person at a Comcast store and both times they insisted the deal on the table was the best they could offer. When I called back to cancel my service after the FIOS had been installed they then insisted they could have beaten the offer I had from Verizon. As I pointed out to them, I'd given them two chances and they said they couldn't, so I moved on. It's good to have options.

More ISP options are coming in the very near future. The low Earth orbit satellites are being deployed with many more planned. They should offer low-cost Internet at good speeds. New hard-wired services are starting to pop back up again. When I first went online many years ago there was a plethora of providers. Most melted away. Now some are starting to come back and there's more and more competition. Companies like Comcast and AT&T are losing subscribers at a high rate. They're starting to experiment with letting other companies buy space on their service to provide Internet access.  Some companies are now stringing their own new cables for service in communities. The new 5G service could revolutionize everything if it lives up to expectations. In a few more years, everything we're doing now will seem like a distant memory.

[willdob3]

@Jordan2 

Just dump the cable! Do some research and decide which services offer what you want.

You will LOVE steaming! I’ve been streaming so many years that I’m not sure how long it has been. I’d never go back to the old way. 

[CelticCrafter]

@Spurt by the time you cut the cord, get internet service, phone service and start adding streaming services, the small savings isn't worth it to us.

[Spurt]

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@CelticCrafter wrote:

@Spurt by the time you cut the cord, get internet service, phone service and start adding streaming services, the small savings isn't worth it to us.

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@CelticCrafter 

You are so right...people need to take a close look before they cut the cord ....AND read the reviews of the streaming services...some arent so great....

[Spurt]

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@gardenman wrote:

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@gardenman 

Supposedly Spectrum did away with their "Retention Department"......

First of all, AT&T made a HUGE mistake buying OUTDATED Direct TV....and dont you think with all those upgrades in technology to 5G and improvements in delivery of services that this will also come with price INCREASES (somebody has to pay for the upgrades in technology)......Also, I think where people actually SAVE by cutting the cord is because streamers dont get charged all the fees and broadcast surcharges tacked on by municipalities and states ..

However, I read this is in the process of changing......more than half the states have expanded their sales tax bases to include video streaming services, such as in Washington and Pennsylvania in the form of an “amusement tax” (except for download entertainment content which is exempt since its considered a purchase.) Other states/cities have gone to worse options, with Chicago leading the way. The city levies a 9 percent “amusement tax” on streaming services.

So pretty soon streaming will cost as much as cable....the only other option would be to stick with channels that are broadcast with a good ole antenna....funny how things seem to come around full circle .....

And look at all the new streaming options with their own price tags....Disney TV, ESPN Plus, Apple TV  etc etc....The cost of watching entertainment will continue to go up in price.......

[Jordan2]

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@shoekitty wrote:

Did you talk to them on the phone?  How did you do that?  I can't ever get them on the phone in under 20 mins

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@shoekitty , hi, are you addressing me? The first time I called I got a message they were very busy with calls, they weren’t taking anymore at that time. I then called a couple of hours later and got through, for all the good that it did me. The CS rep was kind of rude to me, their customer service is the worst. It makes me wonder why their phones are so busy, could it be people who are unhappy with their service and bill? I would love to speak to someone higher up, but you never get them on the line. Spectrum doesn’t care about their customers.

[Sooner]

What I least understand about this issue is why aren't people all over the FCC about this issue--andI'm talking the blame lies on all of us for taking it.

It has been a huge economic issue for at least 20 years and affects every one.