About cable and other TV services

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

So, we all know RCN has turned off their analog signal. (They got my neighborhood today.) I phoned up RCN and asked them to disconnect my service. I thought I might share some information on our alternatives.


I was paying about $65/month for standard cable from RCN. I don't remember what their "basic" cable price was.

Comcast doesn't seem to want to divulge their pricing on their web site. They offer a promotional price for roughly equivalent service to what I had (except with box) for about $40/month, but it says that's only for 6 months and then you get charged their regular price, whatever that is. Their lowest package starts at a promotional price of about $30/month, and again, they don't divulge what you'll be paying after 6 months. A comcast guy just stopped by my house to offer me a special of about $90/month for cable, phone, and internet, with no contract. I'm guessing that's also only for 6 months, I forgot to ask.

Dish Network offers roughly equivalent service for about $33/month. Their cheapest package starts at about $20/month. If I understand correctly, with them you don't have to buy the equipment (dish and box) and if you get the basic equipment they don't charge extra for it. They usually have some kind of promotional deal about installation charges.

DirecTV has packages from about $30/month up, but like Comcast, those are promotional prices - after 12 months you'll be paying more. (But hey, 12 months beats 6 months, and I'm sure most providers will raise their prices in a year anyway.) DirecTV requires you to own your own equipment, but they'll apparently give you some equipment for free, depending on what you want.

I'm not going to get any of these right now. I'm going to take the money I was spending on cable and use it for legal downloads of TV shows. You can purchase downloads of popular shows from iTunes and Amazon Unbox, as well as getting free shows for streaming viewing on Hulu, Joost, and I understand a few shows are now being put on Youtube too. If you, like me, only watched a few shows anyway, these alternatives may actually get you what you want for less money. I'm going to give it a try, anyway.

Comments

Re: RCN discount on cancelation

[jamiesquared.livejournal.com]

I called to cancel last year and I got them to take $50 off my bill. This year I called and said how Comcast sent me some flyers in the mail and I wanted to see if they could compete...they took another $40 off!

Calling to ask for discounts with cable providers is always a win situation.

Re: RCN discount on cancelation

[ron_newman]

I find it bizarre that these services are priced by haggling rather than fixed rates. Imagine if your electric service worked this way.

Re: RCN discount on cancelation

[jamiesquared.livejournal.com]

I remember reading about it in Consumer Reports last year...thats when I called to "cancel" and it worked quite well in my favor. Apparently threatening to go to a competing cable provider is one of the biggest price wars you can start. I wish a lot of other services worked this way.

Re: RCN discount on cancelation

[ron_newman]

but it effectively gives lower prices to people with certain personality types (those inclined to haggle, or at least tolerant of haggling). I don't know how socially fair that is.

Re: RCN discount on cancelation

[shana-lyons.livejournal.com]

Is RCN morally required to be socially fair? I'd argue no. I feel like they're entitled to charge what the market will bear. And, if they want to extend discounts to retain customers, that seems like a fairly standard business practice to me.

Re: RCN discount on cancelation

[ron_newman]

I see your point, but they are also a regulated public utility, which needed permits from the city to dig up streets and string wires.

Re: RCN discount on cancelation

[shana-lyons.livejournal.com]

True, but here in Somerville, they're not a monopoly public utility, so we benefit a bit from market pricing, which is what this is. I think that's important. If they were a monopoly, I'm sure my rate would be higher because I wouldn't be able to play RCN and Comcast off each other. I say bring in a third company so the rates go down more.

Viva la price wars!

Re: RCN discount on cancelation

[ron_newman]

I'd like to see Verizon enter the Somerville market too, but the city is right to insist that it (like Comcast and RCN) serve the entire city and not cherry-pick the richest precincts. Verizon should also commit to carrying the city and public-access channels (16 and 3).

Re: RCN discount on cancelation

[studeronomy.livejournal.com]

I think I'm going to recruit jamiesquared to call RCN, pretend to be me, and threaten to cancel. Hell, if anyone wants to help me out with this, I'll give them 10% of whatever I save! I don't have the personality to haggle, but if it saves me money, I can pay someone else to have it for me!

Re: RCN discount on cancelation

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Jamies may be able to get a bit of money on the side by offering that kind of services! :)

Re: RCN discount on cancelation

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Well, when you go to a hotel, do you get those tempting goodies in the minibar? If you are an idiot you do. So, hotels are unfair as idiots end up paying more. Companies can keep overall low prices by charging a subset of customers (the clueless or the shy, whatever) more.