The Observation Deck

OK so I’ve been paying about $96 a month for cable TV and Internet from Cox Cable. I’d have to check but I think it has gone up slowly but steadily over the years. That is, until I received the most recent bill for $146. That’s an instant 52% increase. I’ve got their basic Internet, which is about 15Mbps, and about 80 channels. Nothing extravagant and no other services.

Of course I called Cox to find out what is going on. The lady put me on hold for a bit, then explained that “my promotional rate ran out.” Well I’ve lived in Lakewood since 1985 and been a Cox customer more or less the whole time (less about one year when I stopped fighting with my then-young children about the TV, I just stopped cable service). Obviously I’m years past the end of any alleged promotional rate and I explained that to her. After some hemming and hawing she offered me a $25 one-year discount. So that’s $121 a month for only a year. Woo-hoo!

I then called AT&T. They don’t offer U-Verse at my address yet (despite what movearoo.com says about Lakewood in general). They do offer the Direct TV / DSL bundle, but that would be disruptive and a definite downgrade. Though much cheaper no doubt.

Does anybody have any ideas what I should try next? I do use AT&T landline service, which I have certainly considered dropping altogether. I’m not dying to break out an antenna and go back to broadcast channels unless the savings is really substantial. I am certainly willing to consider Netflix and am already on Amazon Prime, but I’m not a big movie-watcher and would rather stick with “traditional” content, more or less.

I think it’s pretty clear that Cox is taking advantage of me, or at least trying to. I’m sure they are well aware that my traditional cable options are nonexistent. Are there others of you, particularly those without the U-Verse option, who are having the same experience?

Thanks for your input….

If you're not a fan of live sports, you might consider joining the growing number of "cord cutters" that have ditched cable.
These people generally subscribe to some combination of Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime to get their shows.

You lose the 24 hour news networks, although you can still get news from their websites.
The main drawback is the lack of sports.
Massive TV rights fees for the numerous leagues and teams have been the major driver of cable/satellite fees over the past 20 years. Thankfully we don't live somewhere like LA or NY where multiple local teams in each sport have their own fat contracts.

I have a couple friends that have "cut the cord" and they seem happy.

Tim Liston wrote: I think it’s pretty clear that Cox is taking advantage of me, or at least trying to. I’m sure they are well aware that my traditional cable options are nonexistent. Are there others of you, particularly those without the U-Verse option, who are having the same experience?

Thanks for your input….

Tim

I have had them all, and I am back with Cox, superior Internet Speed, and cost.

There is one massive drawback, and I complain at every meeting with them. Coxy will match any offer out there on the market and cut your "regular" price to the original rate, but you have to call up and discuss it with the rep, her manager, customer retention and their manager. At the end of the conversation everyone usually parts happy. So for good customers they added one more voice and one more manager. I usually say, "This was an hour none of us should of had to waste."

The same is true with Dish, Direct, and UVerse.

Cox has superior speed.

.

Tim Liston wrote:OK so I’ve been paying about $96 a month for cable TV and Internet from Cox Cable. I’d have to check but I think it has gone up slowly but steadily over the years. That is, until I received the most recent bill for $146. That’s an instant 52% increase. I’ve got their basic Internet, which is about 15Mbps, and about 80 channels. Nothing extravagant and no other services.

Of course I called Cox to find out what is going on. The lady put me on hold for a bit, then explained that “my promotional rate ran out.” Well I’ve lived in Lakewood since 1985 and been a Cox customer more or less the whole time (less about one year when I stopped fighting with my then-young children about the TV, I just stopped cable service). Obviously I’m years past the end of any alleged promotional rate and I explained that to her. After some hemming and hawing she offered me a $25 one-year discount. So that’s $121 a month for only a year. Woo-hoo!

I then called AT&T. They don’t offer U-Verse at my address yet (despite what movearoo.com says about Lakewood in general). They do offer the Direct TV / DSL bundle, but that would be disruptive and a definite downgrade. Though much cheaper no doubt.

Does anybody have any ideas what I should try next? I do use AT&T landline service, which I have certainly considered dropping altogether. I’m not dying to break out an antenna and go back to broadcast channels unless the savings is really substantial. I am certainly willing to consider Netflix and am already on Amazon Prime, but I’m not a big movie-watcher and would rather stick with “traditional” content, more or less.

I think it’s pretty clear that Cox is taking advantage of me, or at least trying to. I’m sure they are well aware that my traditional cable options are nonexistent. Are there others of you, particularly those without the U-Verse option, who are having the same experience?

Thanks for your input….

Tim,

Here is what I would do. Get the best price you can from the ATT/Direct TV folks and ask Cox to match it. It they don't then cancel Cox and use the hot spots on your phone for a stop gap internet. Within a couple of weeks they will offer it to you for cheap to come back. If you can't live without TV and you actually go to ATT U-verse/DirectTV don't change the Cox stuff in your house because when your 2 year commitment is up with ATT etc you can play them against each other. I left Cox for ATT U-verse and am now with DirectTV--now when I threaten to leave them, they give me the best deal--$59 for 2 years. Your threat to leave must be credible and sustained.

We went with antenna-Netflix-Amazon Prime about a year and a half ago, and never looked back. I suggest you get a good antenna with an attic installation if possible as there is a lot of interference here from Canadian signals.

Tim Liston wrote:I’m not dying to break out an antenna and go back to broadcast channels unless the savings is really substantial.

After an initial approximately $30 investment per TV for antennas, it's FREE. You can pick up signals for much more than just the major networks. With Mohu’s Leaf Antenna we are able to watch most of the stations on this list.

http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?r ... t&mktid=24

However, if you like cable, I bet you will miss it.

Tim Liston wrote:I think it’s pretty clear that Cox is taking advantage of me, or at least trying to.

I’m not so sure their motivation is to take advantage. They may just be trying to make up for the loss of business suffered due to losing their 30+ year relationship with the city for internet service.

Tim Liston wrote:I’ve got their basic Internet, which is about 15Mbps...

One other thought, you may have to upgrade ($) your internet service to accommodate an increase in streaming content if you cut cable and start using services like Netflix.

I am facing similar (quality of life vs. affordability) decisions with healthcare and taxes. It's not easy sorting out all of the variables.

Tim,

You may want to contact the FCC over Cox Cables pricing. I have submitted complaints in the past and they are usually resolved within a week or so:

https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us

Regarding different cable options:

https://www.sling.com

As a cord cutter, I would recommend the Sling TV option. It's $20 a month, has a high quality stream and you are not held to a contract. However, you will need high speed internet for optimal quality.

Hope this helps!

Nadhal

Hi Tim,
after a similar major increase I got fed up and cancelled our U-Verse package, about 2-3 years ago. I have Cox for internet, and subscribe to Hulu and Netflix for everything. With Hulu you get current tv shows 24 hours after they air for most networks (ABC, NBC, FOX - only drawback is no CBS). But you can watch CBS shows on their website or through their app. Unless you watch sports (we don't) it takes no time to adjust to the change. I pay $65.99/month for internet because we need the faster speeds for streaming, that plus the two $7.99 subscriptions totals about $82 per month. Higher than I'd like but I'd have to have internet regardless, but the other great thing with Hulu or Netflix is being able to watch on a tablet or kindle which is very handy sometimes.

there are 4 or 5 pbs stations, and a few dozen other stations over the broadcast since the signals went digital. there is already too much tv to choose from without the subscription channels.

Receiving 19 (CBS) through an antenna can be tricky in some parts of Lakewood.

I can get all the channels except 19.
CBS has the best programming.
I cannot watch Letterman.

So many good posts, thanks all….

The traditional cable business model is clearly dying. Historically, cable companies bundled dozens and dozens of channels and sold access to them as a whole. They refused to sell just the channels that a specific customer wanted, a la carte. It was (still is) all or nothing. Thus, for example, you pay a LOT for live sports whether you watch or not. Ryan is right, there are WAY too many channels and most of us watch maybe 10% of them, ever. That model probably made sense in cable TV’s earlier days.

Then along came the Internet….

Not surprisingly, the cable companies eagerly invested in their physical infrastructure in order to get into the ISP business. That made sense; after all they already controlled a wire into most homes, and that wire was (still is) a coax wire capable of carrying “broadband,” unlike the telco’s wire that could only muster “dial up” DSL.

But there is one crucial thing that the cable companies still don’t ultimately control: content. Content providers like Viacom, Disney, Fox, Comcast, etc. can partner with companies using a variety of delivery options: cable, satellite, broadband, wi-fi, cellular, etc. And as a result there are now many non-cable distributors of content: Direct TV, Dish, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, Sling, Roku, Apple, Verizon, etc.

So the cable company (e.g. Cox) can no longer dominate the business of distributing content. And as a result, we’re seeing the beginning of a new distribution model, one where consumers can pick and choose content without paying for unwanted content. You like movies with a smattering of original content? Try Netflix or Amazon for $10 a month. Want live sports and a decent selection of other shows? Sling, $20 a month with $5 a month optional mini-bundles. Don’t watch a lot of TV? Put up an antenna, it’s free. And there’s always Dish and Direct TV. Why pay $80-$100 a month for a gargantuan cable bundle?

The unbundling of content has just begun. My guess is that the cable companies are gonna have to follow suit, or more and more households will “cut the cable” altogether. So like Brian said, don’t throw out the cable modem just yet. Coax is pretty darn reliable….

Believe it or not, ESPN has lost 7 million (!) subscribers in the last two years. There are a LOT of people (like me) who don’t watch much live sports who are tired of paying the bill for those who do. A very recent and interesting article postulates that professional sports is about to collapse, based on the collapse of the existing cable TV model. The author cites a cable industry veteran as saying that the average cable household is “taxed” $40 a month for live sports, like it or not, and that professional sports franchises are about to become MUCH less valuable….

click here: The Sports Bubble is About to Pop

So enough pontificating. I haven’t decided what to do yet. First things first, two of my three TVs are not digital, and I have probably should address that first. I also suspect there is an outdoor antenna in my near future, perhaps as a stopgap while I figure things out. And what about the $40 a month land line? How does that factor in? I'll tell you this though -- I'm no longer paying Cox even what they got before. Getting a bill for $146 finally woke me up....

Nadhal thanks for the tip about Sling. Seems like an option, though like I said I’m not a live sports fanatic and Sling is anchored by ESPN. But Sling is at least tiptoeing into the a la carte provision of “cable channels,” and that’s the future. To me, that Disney permitted Sling to offer ESPN means that (1) Disney sees the future, or (2) Disney has a stake in Sling. Hopefully, changing channels with Sling is easier than with Roku. Though you can pause Roku, not Sling....

I’ll post again when I do cut the cable. Thanks all….

We cut the cord two years ago and haven't looked back. We have an antenna and manage to get all the local channels. We also have a roku box and an Apple TV. We do have high speed internet through Cox, which is pricey but my kids are gamers so we would have that anyhow. We have a Netflix subscription and Amazon prime but we had both of those before. We have added Sling TV and Hulu and both of those are awesome services. Sling TV is by far my favorite, we are able to get HGTV, Food Network, Disney, the History Channel and ESPN through it for $20 a month.

My husband does have a couple of sport subscriptions, he watches soccer so he pays extra for those which once again he would have to do with cable. All in all we have saved money and I am happy with our services. I do find though with Cox it's worth the cost, far better service that through AT&T.

ryan costa wrote:I can get all the channels except 19.
CBS has the best programming.
I cannot watch Letterman.

Good news/bad news for you, Ryan: Letterman retired in May. The good news is he has been replaced by Stephen Colbert, a good reason to upgrade your antenna, IMO.