![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-327386-100x100.png\")
When I tried that with DirectTv, they told me that they did not have access to some of my information (I had called previously) and that I had to call. I now have Dish. The cable company in my area is a little locally owned thing and they are woefully behind on their technology.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-465667-100x100.png\")
@thelushie: I've had the same experience with Comcast. When I was asking about a special promotional rate, the chat agent informed me that I had to call to get any discounts applied to my account.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-780166-100x100.png\")
I tried the same thing with Charter Communications and they told me they couldn't make any of those changes over chat and that I had to call.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-355460-100x100.png\")
@aka_mich: Yep, that sounds about right. The people on chat seem more responsive, albeit slow typists, than their tied to a telephone counterparts. Even the guys on Twitter manage to get things done in a few series of 140 character (or less) Tweets.
I find threatening to cancel and comparing apples to apples when asking for a lower price works. I was \"blessed\" with service issues early on as well so I tend to throw that around as I negotiate pricing as well.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/css/images/default.gif\")
@aka_mich: That has been my experience as well -- Charter simply won't deal over chat, you have to call.
I called my local cable company this past June and told them I wanted to cancel cable. They asked if they could lower the price, would I consider keeping it? I really wasn't interested in keeping it because I needed to cut expenses, but I figured what the heck and said sure, what can you do for me. They said they could lower my bill from $110 a month to an amazing $99. Wow, eleven whole dollars! How can they afford to offer deals like that?
I canceled and haven't regretted it for a second.
@redskull: you MUST ask to talk to the retention team...other teams can't offer you squat. Retention team knocked mine down from $132 to $89
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-539206-100x100.png\")
@Whtthfgg: Agreed. Our promo rate ended this month so I called Directv yesterday and asked to be transferred to Customer Retention. Within three minutes, Directv knocked $20 off our bill for the next 12 months--with no change in services. I probably could have haggled for more, but this brought us back to our previous rate (maybe a few dollars lower), so I was content.
@azsumrg1rl: I just did the same thing; only my haul was a bit better.
$20 off for 12 months.
Free HD-DVR upgrade from a STD receiver.
Free HBO/SHOW for 6 months.
@redskull: Directv did the same thing to us. We called and asked for a rate reduction and told them we were thinking of switching, they offered us a whopping $6.00 month off. I can't wait for football season to be over so I can cancel! I also can't wait for football season to be over in general...
@puddinhead: @dvdchris: Those channels are the only reason we have cable. Personally I'd love to drop it, but the guys in the house watch it.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-114986-100x100.png\")
I just called Comcast around the first of the month. I got my bill reduced by $25/month for a whole year. It all just depends on who you get.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-446358-100x100.png\")
What's with the condescending rudeness permeating through this site? Yesterday this site claimed that parents would rather get drunk than spend a half an hour talking to their kids. Today you imply that anyone who wants to watch TV is an idiot because, apparently, all the programing cable and satellite have to offer is nothing more than \"mind numbing\" crap.
Do you want people to read this site? Your plan to alienate everyone is bound to fail. If you don't like TV, put it on your blog. Let's keep this site devoted to consumer issues. Not on your rude and subjective opinions we care nothing about.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-16563-100x100.png\")
@GMFish: Welcome to the internets!
Allow me to introduce a word that permeates much of it, especially on the better, more entertaining blogs:
Snark:( noun)
1) Combination of \"snide\" and \"remark\".
2) Sarcastic comment(s).
Ex: \"Other would-be Bright Young People, Lytton Strachey snarked, seemed to have \"just a few feathers where brains should be.\"
Also snarky (adj.) and snarkily (adv.)
And, some free advice: if you can't laugh at yourself, you'll find life cold, short and not worth living.
(If this is too much for you to bear and you contemplate suicide, can you send me your unused booze first? KTHXBYE!)
@Trai_Dep: Sarcasm is the weakest form of writing as it does not require the author to take a firm position on a subject.
@vastrightwing: Keep arguing that the medium defines the quality of the content. Everybody who attempts to make this point is wrong and only trying to appear intelligent or holier-than-thou.
@Trai_Dep: I argue that sarcasm is the weakest form of writing since it does not require the writer to take a debatable stance on the subject.
Also, still laughing at all the people who believe that the medium defines the work and the irony that these people probably believe themselves intellectually superior while maintaining such a ridiculous belief.
@GMFish: I can understand both sides of the fence here with your concern. In general, the way I feel is that if you want people to both read and understand what you are trying to express to them then you should be trying to cater to as much of your audience as possible.
I felt that the purpose behind this article was intended to try and help the public save money on cable and/or satellite television. However, some of the author's personal opinions on the quality/value of television in general seeped into the article which resulted in being distracting from its actual purpose for some. In general, that is a bad idea and it is unnecessary if you are trying to get a lot of people's attention and understanding regardless if one thinks that some people are just being too sensitive. You will never please everyone and will always offend someone, but there are good practices to minimize such things which did not occur in this case. Maybe FMF cares about that. Maybe not.
@GMFish:
Your post is dead-on. Unfortunately, this site (and the internet in general really) is filled with bitter people that attempt to make themselves feel superior by lecturing other people on some topic unrelated to the post or the idea of a consumer blog. (See any Walmart related post) It's really unfortunate, as I'm sure it scares away people who could actually make a worthwhile, on-topic contribution to the discussion.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-222420-100x100.png\")
@GMFish: I agree: paying for cable/satellite is a total waste of my time and money. Better to spend both somewhere else. Yes, TV amounts to nothing more than mind numbing crap. Or as some else put it, \"Opium for the masses.\"
@GMFish: I love it when people post what I'm thinking so I don't have to. I would say over the past two weeks I haven't appreciated the tone that articles on Consumerist have taken lately. Perhaps its just how the written word comes across rather than how it would have been conveyed by someone speaking the lines. I try to do that first before I get overly upset at something I read online. It doesn't always work.
I do get most of the humor found on this site and the articles presented. At times, it is a bit over the top and I don't always agree with the resentment towards Wal-Mart.
@GMFish: Have you been around long? Condescending rudeness is part of the Consumerist's shtick. Sure they offer great consumer advice, but they're trying to do it in a modern humorous manner. You can do that on the internet, you know. Honestly, you can get the same info at other sites, but can you get the attitude?
\"People can get a hamburger anywhere. They come to Chotchkies for the atmosphere and the attitude.\" Office Space
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-112580-100x100.png\")
@GMFish: The vast majority of what's on cable IS mind numbing crap. Take an honest look at it. Other than maybe 4 channels like NatGeo, History and Discovery, the vast majority of channels are corporate consumer brainwashing.
@dvdchris: Ahahahaha poor victim aging hippie! DEM COMPANIES TRYING TO GET YOUR MONIES!
Here's a tip: the medium does not define the quality of the content.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-537475-100x100.png\")
@dvdchris: Reality TV is mind numbing crap (except for Top Chef). Then you get dramas and sitcoms, the minority of which are actually good. I've been enjoying my scripted TV shows, thankyouverymuch.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-373342-100x100.png\")
@pecan 3.14159265: If you like Top Chef, you'll love the Next Iron Chef. The caliber of talent is far superior, and there is plenty of drama. and the challenges are INSANE. I love it (especially compared to this season's top chef snoozefest).
@chauncy that billups: I've got a ton of TV already, so I don't know if I can add yet another show to my already-packed TiVo schedule. I'm always tempted though, because Alton Brown rocks.
@squinko - has 50 followers, what more do I need?!: You mean Iron Chef America or the Japanese Iron Chef, which I find to be very bizarre. Maybe it's the fact that I like Iron Chef America a ton and think any episode with Mario Batali is worth watching repeatedly.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-545239-100x100.png\")
@pecan 3.14159265: Japanese Iron Chef of course. That is the only true Iron Chef. I mean, how can anyone compare to Chen Kinichi? He was the man. And adorable as hell when he won too.
@vastrightwing: Marx wasn't talking about television programming when he wrote that.
@chauncy that billups: I can't watch any Iron Chef that isn't the \"real\" Iron Chef. It's just not the same...
@dvdchris: \"The vast majority of what's on cable IS mind numbing crap\"
Who cares. If FMF wants to create a post about how cable and satellite TV is worthless crap, he/she/it is perfectly free to do that. However, this posting was about saving money. His opinion about the quality of the service and his implied opinions about those who want the service only detracted from the purpose of the posting.
To put it another way, anyone who's interested in saving money on cable or satellite TV would be turned off by the tone of this posting. And anyone who dislikes cable and satellite TV would not be interested and would not read it in the first place. So why post it? To piss off readers apparently.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-382298-100x100.png\")
@GMFish: Free Money Finance is a Bible-totin' blogger who thinks he's morally superior to everyone else. You should've read him desperately trying to defend Sarah Palin during the campaign last year. It was really sad.
I called Comcast in April to cut my triple play (~$110 per month) to just Internet. The woman said it would be $60 for just Internet, and I told her that I might have to switch to DSL. She put me on hold for a few minutes and came back with a $30 offer. I took it.
How would an outsourced contractor have more leeway in cutting deals than the employees? If anything, I think it would be the other way around.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-890779-100x100.png\")
@TCama: $30? I pay $20 a month for Internet from Comcast and $25 a month for 100 channels. Its pretty good, too.
@TCama:
I'm thinking both sets of employees have the power to give you the same deal. But, the comcast employees are rewarded more for getting consumers to stick to as close as the base rate as possible. Whereas it doesn't mean that much to the outsourced employee.
Direct TV is in a battle with VS right now. If you have them, call them up and complain that you are not getting hockey...they'll give you some sort of deal most likely.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-88249-100x100.png\")
I had several issues with Charter in the FIRST month I had them, so I called and canceled and set up an appointment with another cable company in the area. Charter offered me 10 meg internet and 120 some channels with all that jazz for $65. (Was previously paying $75 for 5-meg and like 80 channels).
In the end I still canceled because it was impossible to be on the internet for more than 5 minutes without a disconnection. I had 3 techs come out and say the entire building is having the problem, our signal is unstable, they're working on it. When I continued to call [India] tech support, I was told it was absolutely not a problem with Charter. He told me his tools said it was my network card (lol? I have a router hooked up). Obviously, problem not fixed. When I got off the phone with him he somehow had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to upgrade my 5-meg connection to a 10-meg for only an extra $15/month! 10 minutes later when I called back to retention, the CSR somehow had a magical tool that could check signal levels and prove my theory. Weird.
I've actually found (with Comcast anyway) that those guys who sit in Walmarts and whatnot hawking cable are able to get you the best deals. They are sitting right in front of your face so it's a bit harder for them to lie to you. I got one of them to give me free HBO for a while, and a cheaper price on HBO with my DVR for 6 months, etc.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-557689-100x100.png\")
@morganlh85: I found the opposite - while the folks at walmart/sears/etc had better up front promos like $100 amazon gift cards or rebates, their starting rates for service were much higher - in the range of $20-25 a month higher. Don't pay more just to get a promo cause you'll probably end up paying for your own promo in higher costs!
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-347523-100x100.png\")
This is why I can not wait to move next year. Verizon is so much better and resonable than comcraptic and they are my only choice at the moment. I should just see if I can get a Jersey law firm to hire me now.
I got a $36/mo deal with Showtime from Comcast over the online chat. I think that Showtime discount expires in six months, but that's okay because Dexter will be over.
And there's absolutely nothing wrong with numbing your mind every now and then. To think otherwise is a bit snobby and uptight, wouldn't you agree?
Not everything people do has to be an exercise in deep intellect, you know.
There always has been some intermixing with the pro-consumer crowd and the \"kill your TV\" bunch - you know, the people that think if something's on TV, it's garbage, but if the same thing is printed on paper, it's esteemed literature.
Curiously, several stories from the Bible probably wouldn't be able to be aired in prime time if made into a TV show. Oh, crazy America! :)
@Tightlines: What exactly do the free money finance blogger's religious beliefs have to do with Consumerist's blanket generalization (which was obviously a joke) about America's tv habits? GMFish is too sensitive, and you're too judgmental. In other words, par for the course in the comments section.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-48051-100x100.png\")
If you really want to save money, just cut the thing off.
If you want TV, watch the shows on Hulu.
If you want movies, get a Netflix account.
We have a computer plugged into the TV, and watch the shows on that.
@Dwight K. Schrute: Well, a stadium, but that's outrageously expensive and what's the fun in holding binoculars to your face the whole time?
I'm a FIOS subscriber and my 1 year is up for renewal next month. I called up Time Warner (whom I left a year ago) to see what deals they would offer me to get me back. Long story short, they offered me a $100/month bundle and a free DVR for 3 months, but a slower internet (with usage caps) than Verizon gives me now.
I called Verizon and when all was said & done I'll be keeping the same programming I have now with MUCH faster speeds/reliability for almost $10 LESS than my current package - and a 2 year lock on the bundle pricing.
It's always best to call and see what they're willing to offer and bounce competitors off each other - this applies to ALL companies, IMO.
@Goatweed: I would gladly pay more than I pay right now if I could get FiOS. I wanted to cry when my apartment complex said they didn't have FiOS access.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-804913-100x100.png\")
@pecan 3.14159265: We found a great deal on an apartment and boyfriend almost backed out of the deal b/c no Fios internet (Fios TV sucks, imho).
Now that we're looking around again, and especially for the few houses we're looking at, Fios is a requirement :P
@pecan 3.14159265: You're somewhere in NoVa, right? For Arlington at least, I think that things have been approved, but it won't be finished for four years or so.
@TCama: Yeah, I just checked Verizon's Virginia website, and we're not even on the list of sites where fiber optics are being laid down. It's sad.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-258324-100x100.png\")
@pecan 3.14159265: Thank you for the reminder...OMG OMG OMG my street is finally on the construction list! I guess those (premature) orange marks on the ground really meant something after all!
Now starting the \"Kick Comcast to the curb\" countdown clock...
Come December I have to talk Comcast into keeping my $29.99/month deal going since my six months are up. Anyone have any luck doing this in the past?
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-349596-100x100.png\")
I wanted to take Directv up on their online offer of Starz/Showtime, 3 months at $12.99/month. When I clicked their option, they said it wasn't COMPATIBLE with our current package. We were locked in at a $54.99/month price, discontinued package. We had to upgrade our package to the $60.99/month in order to get the deal.
w.t.f.
I did it only because our contract is up in November. I'll cancel them and go to Dish if they can't offer me something better than almost $80 a month for basic TV.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-926607-100x100.png\")
@GMFish: Are you also similarly enraged by the Hulu advertisements that talk about turning your brain into mush that is consumed by voracious celebrities?
Although the reaction to yesterday's post was ridiculous, it was understandable to a certain extent (I guess). This here, you're reading it with your angry glasses still on.
From my experience, the online chat support people barely comprehends English (I think their outsourced). I wouldn't trust them to even look at my account, let alone make changes in it. I put chat support way below phone support on the ability to help customers.
I have a 2-year contract with Comcast that's set to expire next week after which my rates will jump about $100 a month. I'm hoping to get my contract extended somehow.
My current deal w/Comcast is $99.99/month for 2 years for Channels 1-101, DVR, HBO for 6 months, Unlimited local and long dist Phone, and Internet
@chauncy that billups: Like I said, his religious beliefs make him feel morally superior to others. \"I don't watch television, therefore everyone else who does is a brain dead zombie.\" You should've read his blog during election season. It was atrocious.
@Tightlines: I didn't read it during election season, but I'm not sure his religion has anything to do with this post in particular. Even if he had said that TV was offensive, tainting the minds of children with its sex, drugs, violence, etc. it wouldn't be an assertion based on religion. I know a lot of people who aren't religious at all and think a lot of TV is crass.
My point is, I think you're reading into the statement too much, and that it's possible that you're just clouded by distaste for his religious principles.
@Tightlines: The dude from Bible Money Matters isn't the one that wrote the blurb that made GMFish all butthurt, though. BTW, GMFish, if you're getting all bent out of shape over this post, you should probably try another blog.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-53233-100x100.png\")
I signed up for UVerse for a few months ago and I tried the chat trick. I got a considerably better deal than I could have if I had just gone ahead and signed up.
$350 cash back, no HD fees for a year, HBO, Showtime, Starz free for a year.
The trick is to call them and ask what to do, if you're nice - you'll get someone like I did that's willing to tell you. Here's the deal with Cablevision (from the rep I spoke with):
Verizon has a website that you can go to to check your install status. Cable checks that site to see if you are REALLY cancelling or if you are just saying that to get a better offer. If you are set to get Verizon and they verify that, you are considered a \"new\" customer and they can give you a better rate - something they don't get anything for doing if you are a \"current\" customer.
It's all about manipulating the stats.
I've just been trying the antenna/netflix/hulu route, but the wife has been complaining more frequently about being behind on shows and missing cable channels like HGTV and Food Network. *sigh*
@pot_roast: I think you can get HGTV and Food Network on Hulu and/or through Playon (or other streaming video server) can't you? I know we did this for quite a while. Only reason we signed up for cable though is because the wife wasn't as enthused about the hulu/netflix/media server route as I was. She wanted to just surf live TV. Sigh.
@moneymatters: Food Network has a lot of programming, though, so if you're not into the endless amounts of Food Network Challenge shows, Hulu is useless because they have clips of other shows, but not full episodes.
@pot_roast: We've been going that route for a while, too, but the damn antenna is a problem. We have a lot of trees here, and the signal is ALWAYS cutting out. With analog, that wasn't so much of a problem - you'd just have a little static - but with digital it means watching. a. show. like. this. because. the. signal. stops. completely. every. time. the. wind. blows. It's enough to make me lose my mind.
The horribly ironic thing is, I just want PBS so that my kid can watch Sesame Street! I should not have to pay for cable to get goddamn PBS! But full episodes of SS aren't available anywhere online and our digital antenna reception is a mess, so cable is our last best option. Argh.
I'm the one who wrote the article, and all I have to say is - your mileage may vary - as far as using the chat. I was told by quite a few people that going through the chat would be my best bet, and after trying to get a deal through phone, resellers and through the website - it was in fact the best deal i was able to get.
For everyone else, i suggest doing the same thing - research to find out what the best deals others are getting are, and then contact the company through all their contact points - and don't say yes until you get the deal that you want. It may be on the chat or on the phone - but usually you can find a good deal.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-1059799-100x100.png\")
You want the best deal? How about a friggin' ANTENNA?
Every time I see an article like this, the free over-the-air option is never mentioned.
Yes, I know some people can't get good reception. And you can't get decent sports anymore. But for most, it's a valid option.
Can't see all the latest cable shows? Boo hoo. We're talking about saving money. It's all about sacrifice. And really, is missing a TV show really a sacrifice?
I pulled the plug 15 years ago. Just at the rate I was paying at the time ($30/month), I've saved $5400.
@cameronl: I wrote the article from the viewpoint, \"IF you're going to sign up for cable, try this\". I advocate using free options as well. Get free over the air HDTV, use hulu and other free streaming services, etc.
I wrote about free ways to get cable tv shows in another consumerist article:
How To Cut The Cable/Satellite Cord And Remain A Couch Potato
@moneymatters: Guess I should have read the original article...
I of course was referring to The Consumerist article... (I'm back pedaling as fast as I can...)
TWC isn't willing to do enough for us to stay with them. I called them before to say \"alright, I'm redoing our budget and considering cancelling. Work with me.\", because my husband has, until this past week, been unwilling to give up cable. They did enough to placate *me* temporarily, but he has finally acquiesced, and right now, they'd have to be giving us our current internet speed, phone service, and slightly downgraded cable, with DVR \"rental\" for ~$60/mo for us to stay. Something tells me that won't happen.
I can't wait to tell those twats where to stick it when I call to cancel phone and cable, and hopefully, internet.
Prepaid phone to keep the number he's had for years and years, a slower, but non-TWC internet (probably/hopefully), and hulu, OTA HD, and itunes for TV \"needs\".
@WillB: OK, now you've made this statement about the \"medium defining the content\" three times without once explaining it, but still contend everyone else is wrong?
You complain about the horrible wrongness of snark and sarcasm, but your own cryptic comments and \"everyone else is wrong!\" statements don't lend themselves to the substantive debate you claim to be searching for. Talk about holier=than-thou, dude.
@veg-o-matic: Is a book inherently a superior format for all communication or entertainment? How about a television? How about a computer screen?
It's so obvious that there really isn't much more to say in regards to that specific argument.
@WillB: You misunderstand me.
I understand what the phrase means, but you made zero effort to explain why it was that
a) others were making the arguments you attributed to them (no one explicitly did), and
b) why your \"argument\" (which was really just a statement plopped in the middle of a thread) was in any way superior.
If you're going to whine about how snark on the intertubes just isn't up to your standards of argumentation, then the reasonable thing to do is to at least put some effort towards rectifying that from your side.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-301614-100x100.png\")
With Comcast, I have a bundled package of high speed internet and home phone for about $60/month. I use an antenna for TV.
Apparently this was a promo that was supposed to only last a year. When the rate went up last month, I simply called them and said \"Is there anything we can do about this? Are there any promotions out there for the same price?\" And there were for some reason! The lesson is it doesn't hurt to simply ask for a lower rate. Just be nice and make the CSR feel like you're both working together.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-498964-100x100.png\")
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-1114821-100x100.png\")
When I used the chat agents (when signing up for Comcast) all they did was refuse to cut me a deal and screw up my installation appointment.
@sammy_b: That's a bummer. I guess the moral of the story is - try all contact points - phone, web and chat - and see which one will give you the best deal in your area because YMMV.
@sammy_b: Same here. They totally screwed up my appointment. But Calling Comcast got me installation free for both my internet and my cable installations. Also they forgot to bring the second cable box, but they sent it via mail without complaint. I have been fairly impressed with their \"make it right\" attitude lately
@sammy_b: After two or three similar experiences, I became convinced all Comcast chat agents were really named Eliza.