Moving from cable to fiber optic provider....

[B.D.F.]

Same old story: happy enough with the cable company and service (COX) but could not get good pricing because I was already a customer. Verison Fios of course was making it extremely attractive to change to their service because I was NOT a customer (it ain't my world, I just live here but current marketing rewards customers with no history and punishes those long term, loyal customers). Finally got a small incentive from COX when the charged me an additional $25 for NOT BEING LATE paying the bill. What happened is the credit card company issued a new card / number but of course we forgot to update the automatic payment schedule with COX; when they tried to charge the card (old number), it bounced. Once notified, we gave them the new number in less than 24 hours, and they billed us before the invoice was late but still charge a 25$ 'return' fee (returned what? electrons?). OK, so off to Verizon....

Initial installation went well but primary TV picture was poor (not awful but 1) not of good quality and inconsistent between different channels). Technicians (two- one the first day and another one the second day) chased down the problem logically and finally found it: the TV box was bad which was unknown until it was swapped with another one. Service is now quite good on all three items: TV, 'Net and 'Phone. Color me a happy customer.

Of course, in two years the price will probably jump quite a bit because I am no longer a new customer. But at the same time, I should be eligible for the great deals COX offers to 'new' customers so I may swap back at that time. Like I said, it is not my world, I just live here- if having to swap services is what is required to get a 30% reduction in price, I can conform to that....

Brian

[Rhino]

My daughter bounces between Direct TV, Dish and cable every couple of years to get the new customer pricing. Kind of a pain but she claims she saves a LOT of money doing this.

[B.D.F.]

A sign of the times: most companies that have a large number of customers keep the existing customers through inertia (most of us are content to let things lie as long as they are not horrible). Attracting the new customers is done through pricing- cheaper is more attractive. But inertia trumps pricing the great majority of the time so the smart financial move is to charge your existing customers more and give the lower and more attractive pricing only to new customers. Once the new customers have been with a company for a year or two, pretty much the usual time frame for cable services contracts, the inertia sets in.

I will not take on an e-mail or anything else personal with Verizon, or any carrier in the future. I will maintain the ability to 'jump ship' and take advantage of the 'new customer' pricing by actually becoming a new customer.... again and again if needed.

The next corporate target in my sights is insurance, all of it. Again, they offer the best rates to the new customer so bouncing between two or three insurance companies is probably the least expensive way to do business.

It is a new financial model for old people like me- my kids do not hesitate for one second to skip to a new service, company or anything else. It is the older people who suffer from consumer inertia (I think I just invented that term).

Brian

My daughter bounces between Direct TV, Dish and cable every couple of years to get the new customer pricing. Kind of a pain but she claims she saves a LOT of money doing this.

[Rhino]

Consumer inertia...  That describes lazy people like me to a "T". I can save $20/month? But I have to spend a day at home waiting for some install person and learn the new remote and such? No thanks.

[MrPepsi]

$20?
What if you could save $100 per month for 6-month introductory pricing.
But what if you had to swap out all of your cable and home internet equipment?

I pay $225 for internet, cable and home phone.
granted internet is high speed with static IPs, and cable includes three cable boxes, one being a DVR and HD.

[B.D.F.]

Yeah, my savings will be substantial too- about $70 / month and a few relatively minor advantages (faster 'Net, integrated phone, moving from Vonage, Caller ID on the TVs, etc.). Plus one of the things they threw in was a handful of movie channels at no cost; this is a benefit but I would not have purchased the movie channels either so they are not worth the value they assign to them, at least not to me. So I think that is substantial: $850 / year or so over a contract lasting 2 years.

That price seems high Brent; maybe it is the part of the country we are in that makes the difference? My package is for 2 TV's (HD w/ DVR), voice line and 50/50 'Net connection and is $145, estimated. I did purchase some things outright so the first three months' bills will be closer to $175 or so.

Some of these utility type bills creep too- when I dumped my land line some years ago, it had crept up to nearly $100 / month. Now some of that was absolutely 'semi- fraudulent', IMO, third party charges for things like digital voice mail that picked up any incoming calls on the 20th ring, took the message and text-ed it to my e-mail. While the monthly charge was something like $15 for that service, neither one of us meant to or remember signing up for it and of course it was never actually used.

Brian

$20?
What if you could save $100 per month for 6-month introductory pricing.
But what if you had to swap out all of your cable and home internet equipment?

I pay $225 for internet, cable and home phone.
granted internet is high speed with static IPs, and cable includes three cable boxes, one being a DVR and HD.

[MrPepsi]

Agreed, living in San Francisco does not help as a matter of fact, and creep is certainly part of it.
I was way under $150 when I signed up around 5 years ago.
However I have been very impressed with the features with uVerse TV.

[B.D.F.]

Exactly except it often is far more than $20 / month and it always goes on and on and on. I have been a customer of COX cable in various forms but continuously for 30 years or so. If the bill is too high by even $20 over that time, it really does turn into a substantial amount.

You are right about the new remote though- I think the new ones that came with Fios will control my garage doors, make coffee and spay or neuter any pets I may get in the future (and maybe in the past too- maybe that is what the reverse button is for?). Lots 'o buttons. But I use a Harmony programmable remote anyway so the new cable box will get incorporated into that.... and it is done with a pretty slick, on- line app. and so is pretty easy.

Brian

Consumer inertia...  That describes lazy people like me to a "T". I can save $20/month? But I have to spend a day at home waiting for some install person and learn the new remote and such? No thanks.

[B.D.F.]

Well, at least you have the most important part- you like the service. I was happy with the service Cox provided too- we'll see how Fios turns out in a few months. If you folks never hear from me again, it might be because the fiber optic cable stopped opticing. 

Brian

Agreed, living in San Francisco does not help as a matter of fact, and creep is certainly part of it.
I was way under $150 when I signed up around 5 years ago.
However I have been very impressed with the features with uVerse TV.

[MAN OF BLUES]

had Dish network in Va, started out affordable, and actually was the only option where we lived, to watch TV at all.. internet wasn't offered, and Phone was Verizon.. it all started out at about $60/mo dish, $45/mo phone, and $15 / month Net zero dialup.  We subscribed to Sunday Ticket to get Browns football also, which ran $79/year/season first round... 10 years later when moving, we were at $170 dish, they tried to pry $350 for Sunday ticket...i told them forget it...,  $150/mo phone (paying a penalty because we used Cells for L/D use) Net zero $20/mo, 2 Netzero Cell phones $40/mo each, and a Netzero Aircard for my laptop $40/mo.

so, in Ohio, we got Time Warner Cable... phone, internet, tv, tivo, all for $89/mo.. super.... they still offer it for "new subscribers"..
Now, 3 years later, we're paying $250+ now.... I'm being pressed to go the same route, keeping the Cable internet @ $19/mo, dumpin the rest, and doing a Magic Jack for phone, plus our cell's, and back to DISH... ( there is already 2 dishes on the roof now...) and I have my old receiver box from Va, sitting here still, and another brand new dish in a box.

both our contracts on Verizon Cellphones are up, so I can change those again now, and get brand new phones from someone else... and save about $100/mo to boot.  but we know it won't last...so .....here we go again.

[B.D.F.]

So after running with Fios for a week, I called to cancel COX. Got the usual and expected dismissive attitude coupled with 'we can surely do something to keep you....'. I listened to the whole proposal and told the rep. (honestly) what I was getting and how much I was paying and to my surprise, they admitted outright that they could not meet that level. And that does not even include the $400 debit card that Verizon included to sign me up.

I did get a nice surprise from COX though- they extend the operation of any e-mail addresses they hold for 65 days after termination which I think is a nice courtesy to extend to <previous> customers.

Initial impression is good overall. Performance is excellent and while the installation took a few tries to get it right, mostly because they shipped me a bad TV box initially and were reluctant to replace it, overall, I find it to be a good service. My only remaining problem is that the caller ID does not display the name though it does display the calling number. I have called Verizon about this but so far, their tech. support is a little..... lax. :-)

Brian

[just gone]

My only remaining problem is that the caller ID does not display the name though it does display the calling number.

I got tired of slow internet (especially when it rains) so we finally switched (about 5 months back) from DSL (copper wire, no fiber in my neighborhood yet  )to cable for internet and majicJack for phone service. Big savings overall and still considerable savings after the first year incentives go away. The speeds are outrageous fast compared to DSL. My current upload speed is 4X faster than my old download speed. magicJack doesn't provide anymore info on caller ID than the number and it doesn't change time stamps from Daylight savings to standard time so some drawbacks for sure, but we are saving about 50% of what we were paying. The superior internet over the mediocre phone service is a trade we can live with.

[twowheeladdict]

You are lucky to have a choice. 

I am posting from my work phone.  No hardline internet providers where I live.  The satellite angle is too low for good reception, and 4G on the phone is hit and miss.

[Outback_Jon]

You are lucky to have a choice. 

I am posting from my work phone.  No hardline internet providers where I live.  The satellite angle is too low for good reception, and 4G on the phone is hit and miss.

Well, thank you for making me feel better about my crappy Verizon DSL service.     Cable ends 1/2 mile down the road and so far they won't extend it.  Verizon won't run fiber - the tech told me their excuse is "Trees don't need fiber." - He lives out here too, and is sympathetic with my desire for a decent connection.

[B.D.F.]

It was years before fiber optic was available here. Probably been here for, maybe, 6 years now and yep, I am lucky to have two competitors, both offering really quite good services overall IMO. A lot of people do not like the cable company or the video supplier but so far, all have given me what was expected and have been 'close enough' on the speeds they claim to supply.

I live in suburbia and most things are available..... except natural gas (Easy Boys! Not that kind!). No gas line in the street and it is not looking like it will ever be put in the street. Funny thing is there is a gas line at both streets that are at the end of my street, which is only about 1/2 mile long.

Brian

You are lucky to have a choice. 

I am posting from my work phone.  No hardline internet providers where I live.  The satellite angle is too low for good reception, and 4G on the phone is hit and miss.

[just gone]

No gas line in the street and it is not looking like it will ever be put in the street.

Just as well, otherwise what would you do with all that wood. (easy girls, he's taken)

[B.D.F.]

I would start off with the clothes dryer (electric now). Then move on to a condensing boiler. I desperately need a new boiler anyway and will buy one later this year but it will have to be an oil boiler 'cause..... no gas in the street. Then depending on the boiler, domestic hot water fired with gas- either in the boiler, outside the boiler but still fired by the boiler (al la BoilerMate as a separate zone) or finally as a tank- type hot water heater (using one now but again, electric). The new oil boiler is going to require a new Class- A chimney also and therefore a lot of work and money to install a boiler fired with a fuel I really do not want.

Oh, if only I had gas, the things I could do with it....

I would continue to burn firewood for the main heat supply but as things are right now, the boiler is shut down due to its horrific efficiency.... so all heat comes from wood only and while absolutely do-able and it easily keeps the house much more comfortable than most people I know who use fossil fuel, it is very demanding to feed and maintain the woodstove 24/7 for about 7 months of the year.

As far as the 'taken' thing, maybe not so much. Andrea seems to be willing to part with me for a surprisingly low sum, at least it was surprising to me. I believe the exact words were something like 'You want him? Take him.'.   And it was our anniversary just a couple of days ago: 5 years of wedded bliss..... spread across 32 years of marriage.  (two times)

Brian

Just as well, otherwise what would you do with all that wood. (easy girls, he's taken)