Yeah, cable television isn’t a necessity, and it isn’t cheap. But according to a new poll by our friends over at Coupon Cabin, most American households pay up anyway, even if they acknowledge that cable is kind of a waste of money. [More]
cable
Comcast Offers Broadband So Fast, The Promotional Price Ends 6 Months Early
By 3.19.13
Where are six months and twelve months basically the same thing? At Comcast, of course. The cable company/ISP/overlords of all media want to show us all that they have a poor grasp on math. We can laugh it up all we want, but the joke’s really on reader Bubbicito. It doesn’t matter how confusing he finds the deals in Kabletown, because he doesn’t have any other choices for high-speed broadband. He can still vent at Consumerist, though. [More]
Cable Company Caps Data Usage, Tells Customers They Should Watch On-Demand Movies Instead Of Netflix
By 2.5.13
A number of cable companies and Internet service providers have soft data usage caps of around 250 GB, where customers who cross that threshold repeatedly will receive warnings. Some are more strict, like the small cable provider in Pennsylvania who charges $1/GB over that 250 GB limit, and who wants you to cut back on the Netflix. [More]
HBO Exec Says There’s Maybe Kinda Some Hope For Standalone Broadband Offering
By 1.25.13
For those TV viewers who perhaps only want cable service when their favorite shows are on, say Game of Thrones or if you’re struggling with the meaning of city life in your mid-20s, Girls, it kind of stinks to buy an entire cable package. So if HBO does end up cutting the cord and offering a standalone broadband service, plenty of customers will have reason to celebrate. [More]
Charter Ends Twitter And Facebook Customer Support
By 12.6.12
People who are unable to get help from Charter’s regular customer service have always had another, social media-riffic option: contacting the dedicated Facebook and Twitter representatives. We’ve heard pretty good things about Team Twitter over at Charter, which is why we’re very sad to hear that they’re killing off the helpful accounts and re-assigning all of the team members. [More]
Cable Industry Claims Next Generation Of Set-Top Boxes Won’t Use More Electricity Than Refrigerators
By 12.6.12
Billions of dollars are spent every year providing power to the nation’s cable boxes, much of it consumed when the boxes aren’t being actively used. A group of 15 cable companies and box manufacturers have agreed to changes that will — eventually — save around $1.5 billion each year in electric bills, but some say it’s all just a lot of hot air. [More]
Bright House Customer Now Has His Football In Glorious HD
By 11.9.12
A few months ago, we shared with you the story of Tim, a Bright House cable customer who signed up for the company’s most basic package because the company’s website created the appearance that high-definition channels were part of it. After we published Craig’s story, the person at Bright House whose job it is to fund unhappy customers venting on the Internet and make them happy again contacted us, wanting to help Tim. This person agreed that the online listings were confusing, and upgraded Tim’s cable at no cost. [More]
Time Warner Cable Tells Customers “Oh, By The Way, You Now Have A Monthly Modem Rental Fee”
By 10.3.12
Time Warner Cable is irking an awful lot of customers, who recently opened their mail to find out that they are now going to be assessed a $3.95 monthly fee for renting the modem that is already in their home. [More]
Cable Companies Should Be Worrying About Kids Who Have No Plans For Ever Getting Cable
By 8.3.12
For many adults between the ages of 20 to 45, cable TV was a staple of everyday life — and something that a lot of us automatically purchased for our homes when it came time to make nests of our own. But for the younger folks who have no memory of a world without widespread access to broadband Internet, cable could be looking more and more like a relic of an older world. [More]
My Parents’ Time Warner Cable Installation Will Cost Either $3,000 Or $40
By 6.22.12
Taylor’s parents can get service from Time Warner Cable. Or maybe they can’t. Or maybe they can. Just calling up TWC the old-fashioned way eventually got her a response that it would cost $3,000 to extend the lines 500 feet to her parents’ house. Unfortunate, so she looked into other options…until typing in her parents’ address on a Time Warner ad, installing Time Warner Cable would be possible for $2,960.00 less than quoted. But a web form is one thing, and dealing with actual techs is another. No one at TWC seems to have any idea what Taylor should do now. [More]
DOJ Reportedly Investigating Cable Companies For Squashing Online Competition
By 6.13.12
The Justice Department is reportedly engaged in an anti-trust investigation into many areas where the cable TV industry might be acting inappropriately to try and quell competition from online video. Many consumers want to pick and choose what they watch, using services like Hulu and Netflix, whereas cable companies would like them to continue to pay for bundles of TV channels, even some they might not watch. [More]
Study: Cable Bills Could Reach $200/Month By 2020
By 4.11.12
Right now, the average monthly cable bill — not including any bundled phone or internet services — is around $86. But industry analysts say the non-stop slap fights between cable companies and content providers is only going to send that price soaring in the years to come. [More]
Court Rules That Pay TV's Nasty Habit Of Bundling Channels Is Legal
By 4.2.12
Pay TV companies make bundles by bundling channels together in subscription packages, forcing customers to pay inflated fees for packages that are stuffed with channels they don’t care about. The U.S. Court of Appeals could have done subscribers a solid by forcing cable and satellite companies to change their modus operandi, but it ruled that there’s nothing illegal about the exploitative practice, upholding a judgment in a lower court. [More]
Report: Pay TV Giants Won't Carry Netflix Service
By 3.12.12
After last week’s rather stomach-turning news broke that Netflix was trying to get in bed with cable companies rather than compete with them by offering its streaming service in the manner of a premium channel, now there’s a report that pay TV companies aren’t biting. [More]
Report: Netflix Wants To Piggyback On Cable Services
By 3.7.12
If reported deals between Netflix and cable giants go through, the company’s streaming service will be offered as a bonus to cable packages. Netflix is said to be negotiating with several cable companies to add its service as a possible premium on-demand option. [More]
Cox Now Offering Bargain Cable Service For $35
By 1.25.12
In an apparent effort to woo new customers who only want the most basic of cable service and retain some current subscribers who are thinking of cutting the cable cord, Cox Communications has become the latest cable provider to jump on the low-price bandwagon, rolling out its $35/month TV Economy offering. [More]
From FiOS, To Cablevision, To Hell, And Back Again
By 11.11.11
Oliver tried to two-time FiOS after he got burned on a bad install. But Cablevision didn’t treat him right either, reneging on its promise to pricematch his old bill. Now he’s back again trying to rekindle a relationship with FiOS but they’re still up to their old ways and not giving him the tender loving he deserves. [More]
Comcast Keeps Sending Same Guy Who Couldn't Fix Switch
By 10.26.11
If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, then you have to worry about the mental health of Comcast. They keep sending the same technician out to fix Brian’s switch, even though the tech doesn’t have the parts or competence to repair it. [More]
