Puzzle time, from Reader Adrian!

I’m one of the lucky few in this country that has access to multiple cable providers- Comcast & RCN. When my 6 month promo rate period ended at Comcast, I happily switched to RCN for my TV & internet needs.

When I joined RCN, I was quoted a monthly total of $42 for internet & digital cable (w/ all premium channels except HBO)…and that’s exactly what my bill has
been. And yet…there’s something weird and stupid on my monthly bills. Let’s see if you can spot it:

5MBPS INTERNET SERVICE@$17.50
CABLE MODEM RENTAL @$5.00
LIMITED CABLE SERVICE@$7.50
EXPANDED BASIC CABLE @$15.00
Total Bundle Price $45.00

CUSTOMERPROVIDEDMODEM $3.00 CREDIT
DIGITAL CONVERTERRENTAL$0.00
NEW DIGITAL VISION $0.00
Total Additional Services Charged $3.00 CREDIT

Solution after the jump!

That’s right…I own my modem, and I get a $3 credit for that…but the modem rental cost is $5. So even though I’m not renting a modem, I’m effectively paying $2 a month for modem rental. Not a big deal, especially since they never quoted me a total other than $42…but it’s still stupid. I’ve been meaning
to call RCN and tell them so, but I’m not sure I want to fight through phone prompts and customer service reps just to tell them that hey, you should probably
make the customer provided modem credit equal to the modem rental cost.

Anyway, thought this might be somewhat amusing and/or inspire a “Stupid Moments In Billing History” feature on the Consumerist.

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