Update: Cablevision responds.
Cablevision is lying to customers by claiming that the FCC will require all subscribers to upgrade to digital cable boxes in 2009. Digital cable boxes cost $6.50 per month, plus an extra $10.95 for digital service. Cablevision recently sent a letter to all boxless subscribers threatening to cut several channels unless they forked out a bundle of extra cash for digital service. When one of our family member called for an explanation, Cablevision shirked responsibility and placed the blame squarely on some crazy new FCC mandate. We called shenanigans and decided to call back and record our chats with several customer service representatives. Inside, the recordings of Cablevision lies and the FCC’s flaccid response.
Before we get to the recordings, let’s look at Cablevision’s fairly innocuous letter:
Here’s the deal: Cablevision—not the FCC—has decided to move several channels to their digital tier. To keep receiving the channels, customer will need to upgrade to digital service with a digital box. Customers who don’t pony up for the service lose the channels.
40 million American families don’t use a digital cable box. Assuming all cable companies use Cablevision’s rates, operators stand to pick up an extra $698,000,000 per month by convincing all 40 million families to shell out an extra $17.45 for digital service. That small piece of change is worth more than the yearly GDP of several small nations.
Cablevision is well within its bounds to charge whatever it wants for service. They can tell us we need a cable box, and that service will now cost $300 per month. That’s a freedom afforded by the market. What they can’t do is cowardly hide behind the FCC and blame their money-grubbing on the government. Let’s listen as they try to do just that:
We spoke with four representatives, each of whom blamed the FCC for forcing us to upgrade to digital cable. We asked one representative how this information was conveyed to the CSRs, and she explained that Cablevision had specifically trained them to point to the FCC.
Let’s be perfectly clear: the FCC decision has absolutely nothing to do with the channels Cablevision is taking away, nor does it require anyone to upgrade to a digital cable box.
Don’t believe us? Let’s see if we can find someone to refute Cablevision…. Maybe Cablevision is up to the task?
Looks like they know the truth after all. The transition to digital television will have no affect on Cablevision’s service.
We spoke with two representative at the FCC who claim that several cable companies have engaged in similar deceitful and fraudulent actions. According to the representatives, the Commission is powerless to take action. One even defended the cable companies, saying:
“Most of [the cable companies] are blaming it on the FCC. It’s easier for us to take it. We have broad shoulders, you know? We’re the ones who have to explain it to all the consumers anyway when they find the 800 number and then they start calling and asking us: “why is my cable company doing this to me? I want to file a complaint.”
Unfortunately, there are no mandates for good customer service. I wish there was! I would really like there for to be a mandate that says: “I’m sorry, but people on the phone at my cable company have to be nice to me and they have to tell me the truth.” I wish there was, but there’s not.
A mandate for good customer service couldn’t be enforced by the 82nd-airborne, but lying? Regulated companies should not be allowed to lie to their customers.
Thankfully, the bespectacled bossman helming the FCC takes a different view. Chairman Kevin Martin recently slammed retailers for lying about the digital transition, dishing out several million dollars worth of fines to Sears, Best Buy and Walmart. Why can cable companies lie, but not retailers?
We know that Chairman Martin is a good guy who likes consumers. Let’s go back and listen to the sweet consumer-protecting swan song he sung so graciously in our defense last year:
If the cable companies had their way, you, your mother and father, or your next door neighbor could go to sleep one night after watching their favorite channel and wake up the next morning to a dark fuzzy screen. This is because the cable operators believe that it is appropriate for them to choose which stations analog cable customers should be able watch. It is not acceptable as a policy matter or as a legal matter.
Kevvy was announcing that cable companies would be required to carry broadcast channels (CBS, NBC, ABC, etc…) until 2012, and not Travel Planet or RAI, which Cablevision is preparing to yank. The Chairman did, however, explicitly endorse our right to enjoy cable service without a box, and Cablevision’s right to require us to rent one:
…the Commission is not forcing consumers to purchase or lease a set top box to continue watching their favorite channels. This decision lies in the hands of the cable company. They can avoid the need for new boxes bychoosing to downconvert the digital signal into analog at their headend. This downconversion would permit analog cable subscribers to continue watching broadcast television just as they do today without disruption.
This isn’t the first time Cablevision has used the DTV transition to beat customers like cash-spewing pinatas. The cable giant was previously caught sending letters to prospective customers telling them that TV would disappear in 2009 unless they started paying $240 per year, despite the availability of $20 converter boxes that will keep the Price Is Right up and running.
Cablevision is clearly engaged in a pattern of deception and fraud. The FCC has a responsibility to investigate and admonish Cablevision for their abusive conduct. Predatory upseling simply cannot be tolerated in a responsibly regulated marketplace.
PREVIOUSLY: Cablevision Uses Digital TV Transition To Upsell Basic Cable
Sears, Best Buy, Wal-Mart And Others Fined For Not Warning Consumers About Analog Obsolescence
FCC Takes Action To Prevent Cable Companies From Dropping Digital Broadcast Networks From Analog Cable
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@AustinTXProgrammer: Does your cable company put the channels you want on SDV? If not, go with a CableCard TiVo.
@johnarlington: Last I checked you can’t get Discovery, Animal Planet, TLC, Science Channel, History, History International, and Sci-Fi via antenna in either SD or HD.
The only channels that I like that I can get OTA are PBS and CBS.
@CrackerJaX: Sorry this is slightly off the main topic, but you opened the door. Why the HELL would you need to watch HBO or anything else but POSSIBLY the news while you’re on the clock at your local-government office? I think the problem there is not with your local cable franchise but with your feeling that it’s okay to watch HBO while you’re being paid to work for the government.
I dropped my Cablevision around 1990ish when the raised the monthly basic rate from $10 to $13 and I’ve never looked back. Call me a Luddite for having only rabbit ears since then but just imagine how much money has remained in my pocket! I figure it’s at least $4k and probably a lot more.)
@GearheadGeek: A fair question. I work at a fire station where we’ll be there for between 24 and 48 hours straight. We’re responsible for station upkeep, making sure all equipment is stocked and ready to go, and such. So sometimes when all the station duties are done we need some entertainment.
I personally don’t use the TVs much. I watch Hulu for my TV, which is why this change doesn’t affect me.
@CrackerJaX: Ah… valid exception. My partner is a paramedic and worked for a rural service before he started med school… some of the stations were slow enough that they got LOTS of TV time in a shift. I never think of the station as a “government office” though, since no one hates firemen and paramedics like they do “city hall.” I was thinking of more “office” sorts of government facilities.
If the goal is to free up bandwidth by eliminating analog channels, then wouldn’t we expect to see a decrease in the cable bill?
If cable companies offered more service for less money, I bet they would see a huge increase in the uptake of digital cable.
If this were perceived as a net benefit to the customer (plus the chance to upsell them with 100s more channels in the future, faster internet, etc), people would jump on it.
Why charge extra for something that is making the company’s work easier and more profitable?
It would be like banks charging to use the ATM….oh wait…
Not for nothing but by asking a rep details questions will get you nowhere ask to speak to a manager. The reps are called into a meeting and given little information and then a what if list : ( what if the customer questions this ____ Respond by saying ___ ) and that’s it. A call center manager on the other hand is the one you should speak to not even a supervisor could help you on that one. And please don’t not get the cable card until the make it a two way cable card. You will see more tech then a dispatcher trust me.
@majortom1981:
Not all the reps tell the customers that not only that If a customer has an old Sony box (which Cablevision has discontinued its contract with them) they can have a free install and one box for free for 1 year If you have a Sony box and it gives you just ask for a new SA box Most reps dont read the kdb
@Concerned_Citizen: You have to vote on issue liek this in your town hall meeting Things like it cable customers get a free box or prepaid postage for returning a reomte is up to you to vote A town in NJ now charges tax on the cablvision phone service
It doesn’t bother me that Cablevision is going all-digital: everyone’s doing it, fine. I’m a bit annoyed that the FCC did not require all new television equipment to be sold digital-ready several years ago… whatever.
It’s that to continue service without losing channels, subscribers are having to pay a minimum of $17.45 a month, probably $30, $40, or more. The near-$7 rental charge for the boxes? Rediculous! Customers will have paid it off after just a few months. Switching to a new service plan is even more silly, because the whole point of the digital transition is that DIGITAL CABLE IS NO LONGER A SPECIAL SERVICE, and shouldn’t cost extra!
Verizon, for instance, is going all-digital with existing plans and the converter boxes are totally free. Regardless of your opinion of Verizon, that’s not a bad model for switching your subscriber base over.
At this point i’m pulling my fuggin hair out.
The older boxes do not conform to the DTV 2009 Mandate..
So but that in your conspiracy theory and smoke it.. By the way this process has been going on for years to get people with older boxes or with sets that don’t have a digitial converter the correct gear so that on feb 2009 everything does’n't literally go dark.
I though the consumerist were techies.
Guess not.
@AustinTXProgrammer: They have tons of HD channels sitting on stand by /voom Since everyone does not like hd karaoke they have to figure out what channels to put up Best bet is to call the company and ask them to flag/place notes on your account and code it under hot topic that way when they run the reports it will be picked up and they ( cablevision ) will look to see what you called about
@Pro-Pain:
What money is that, exactly?
@Isabelle15:
The company didn’t lie. The sales representative either didn’t know what they were talking about, or was trying to sell them something to make a bit more money in commission.
I work for cablevision. They’re calling this the Cablevision Digital Migration (Bandwidth Reclamation). They admit that it is a cablevision initiative that is NOT imposed by the FCC. It is an effort to remove duplicated analog feeds of channels they offer in digital.
They just don’t want the same thing playing on 2 different channels.
This was sent out in an email to EVERY employee of cablevision. Whether they choose to read it, and whether everyone understands it, well that’s not in my hands.
@blowjustinup wrote, “The company didn’t lie. ” Wrong.
The company did lie. It lied to the poor CSRs who are their faces to the customers, in order that the CSRs would unintentionally lie to Family Cable customers calling in response to the notice. The CSR I just spoke to had the same false information, and I sympathetically told her so. I do not want cable boxes, being very happy with TiVo (including having just upgraded my kids’ TiVo to handle hundreds of hours after recently signing up for Family Cable in the first place), and Cablevision should be honest to both customers and CSRs about what’s really going on. {ProfJonathan}
Morris County,NJ residents have had a history of being lied to by Cablevision. Cablevision has historically taken channels away (but not lower the bill from those lost channels). Oh sure Morris County has “allowed” Verizon to come in to give Cablevision “competition” but I say REALLY ram it Cablevision…open the cable market in Morris (and anywhere else Cablevision is) to ALL cable companies with the provision, provide BETTER channels and service for less than Cablevision does. My mom who lives in Essex County has Comcast, so do most of my relatives and they laugh at Cablevision when Mr. Dolan has these “brain farts” he calls ideas about “better service”.
They don’t go through this with Comcast…EVER. Hey Cablevision/IO…still think you’re The Best…YOU AIN’T. How do you spell relief…Cablevision contract: T-E-R-M-I-N-A-T-E-D.
JerseyJerry1701
Any technicians/engineers know if the blue screens reading: “An iO Digital Cable Box is now required to view this channel.” are consuming the same bandwidth as would the regularly scheduled analog broadcast?
If these blue screens are being used to force us away from analog, then this is crazy and probably ILLEGAL and definatly crooked. I doubt that these blue screens being broadcast are reclaiming any bandwidth. Maybe some audio bandwidth? but definatly not the video.
I am tempted to fire up my spectrum analyzer and check these bastards…
Cablevision or “Cable Crap” is the absolute worst cable company in the entire history oF telecommunications, bar none…
I work For Time Warner Cable overseeing sales activity in our primary company payment center in New York City and I sadly reFerred many cable subscribers to Cablevision when they were not in our service Foot print thinking they were just like us… what a mistake!
Cablevision’s internet is great, give the devil its due because Optimum Online is great and the 15 mbps they give subs is awesome… Optimum Voice sucks and the core service Optimum Video is just horrible! I actually watch less TV now that I pay For it then I did when I had courtesy For Free, which just goes to show that Cable Crap’s channel lineup is terrible or that I am an idiot For paying For this crap!
I recently moved to New Jersey where my cable services provider is Cable Crap and I was pretty happy because I thought they were similar to Time Warner.. boy, was I wrong!
Cable Crap has lied to me, insulted me and my intelligence, and ripped me oFF on pricing/promotions. They are just a terrible company. Regarding the young lady who posted above claiming she works For Cablevision, I know two Cablevision employees and they outright admit the company lies to customers all the time regarding billing, promotions, etc… so you have clearly been drinking the company kool-aid too long to know whats right and wrong. Cablevision does not even trust their customer service reps to do anything, they are simply there are gloriFied receptionists and transFer the calls to sales or whatever other department Cablevision trusts to do their credits and rectiFications. IF you look at the way Cablevision handles business dissagreemtns with Best Buy, Time Warner Cable, ABC, and other companies, the way they lie and treat customers is their corporate culture so I believe most CSRs who are teling subs that they require a digital converter to obtain programming in 2009 due to the digital transition really believe that to be the truth as Cablevision more than likely trains them to say that and believe that to be the truth, scumbags!
The digital transition has nothing to do with subs being required to obtain a digital converter. The reason cable companies want it to happen is to conserve bandwidth, carry more channels to increase revenue For the company, and to bundle customers onto triple and quad play packages. Any company claiming that you need a cable converter or worst yet a digital converter is Full oF crap (Cable Crap) because only over the air broadcast (non-cable or non-satellite customers) users will be TV-less in 2009 but everyone else will be ok to go no matter what channel package or converter they have or utilize…
Figgy
both of these cablevision representatives are dumb and have no idea what they are talking about, I am a sales rep for cablevision, and they are moving analog channels to digital to clear up bandwith so we can add more channels. For every 1 analog channel that goes digital, it clears up space to add 4 more channels. So if you can multiply if 10 analog channels go digital then you got 40 more channels in your cable package. This transition has nothing at all to do with what the FCC is doing next February. Cablevision is the only company that gives out 1 free box, having tv is a luxury, if you want it you have to pay for it, if not then put a big antenna on your roof and enjoy channels 2-13. Later stupid.
This is what just happened to me. I have 4 televisions and one box. Of course the TV with the box gets all the channels in my package. My other TV’s got a nice range of channel. Last week my box would not work. I called Cablevision and they said I needed a new box. Yesterday a new box was installed and now I have lost many favorite channels for the TV’s without boxes. The problem to me is how this was handled. I received no warning. I am definitely looking for another service. Michael
Mfer’s we just got the slicing of the channels today in NJ. I was contemplating jumping to FIOS but needed a box for every tv so cable was the cheapest bet, but now thats no longer the case.