Switching from Time Warner Cable

[Quadtrix]

Time Warner raised our monthly bill by $35, so my parents are going to cancel it. Does anyone know of a good service that we can switch to that cover internet, TV and phone that is cheaper than Time Warner?

 

[BaronXS]

I use Rogers, it's pretty good.

 

[ae86gamer]

AT&T. They're pretty good.

 

[Quadtrix]

I'm looking in AT&T right now. Any other suggestions? Originally, we were paying $114 a month, which was raised a year later to $145. I'd like to see if I can keep the price around $100 or less, while still having a descent broadband connection.

 

[Quadtrix]

I'm a bit worried as to what's available in my area. I live in Ohio, and I haven't been able to find a good ISP that's not Time Warner, which is really pissing me off.

 

[Scrythe]

Never get Cox, they're fucking terrible (we have no choice, where I live).

 

[Quadtrix]

AT&T. They're pretty good.

Careful about AT&T. I used to work for them and right now their U-verse package is their way to price control and implement bandwidth caps on their services. I was there when U-verse started and the plan is to increase the cost of services and renting equipment over time. It started at five dollars and now it is at seven. I remember getting a e-mail about increasing that cost to ten dollars a month by the end of 2009.

Also the equipment supplied by them sucks. You can only use their equipment to enable all their services.

That is the reason why they are offering no contract with their U-verse. Gives them free control over pricing of channel packages and equipment costs.

I really didn't care much for U-verse when I saw it. Combining my preferences with my mother's, we're looking for an internet connection speed around 6Mbps, TV w/DVR, and unlimited local and long distance calls within the U.S.

 

[lacktheknack]

Maybe you can look at Shaw, but I think that's Canada only.

 

[Quadtrix]

If that is the case Quadtrix, consider having two services instead of an all in one package deal.

Being an aware consumer is your best weapon to saving yourself money and you already have the first step down to prevent any sales rep to have you paying more. You know exactly what you want.

As a member of the ECA and previous experience working with AT&T there are a couple things you should also ask from both home phone and television and internet providers.

What kind of discounts do you offer to people employed by companies?
This is an important question to ask because depending on what company your family is employed by there are normally discounts offered if you can provide evidence of employment. Be aware on where the discount is applied to as well.

Know exactly what you want.
The best way for sales rep that live by commission is by upselling getting them more money in their commission paycheck(assuming they hit quota). A lot of the time a sales rep. will want you to pay more per month or offer you a special deal to subscribe. These can be very toxic and hazordous because special deals might only last for a limited time or you might find that half of the services you are paying for you are not using but cannot change because of a contract. Be aware of what you want and ask them for a quota for a monthly bill including taxes. This will give you a good idea on the cost per month. Have the rep also show you mathematically and ask for the documentation as well. If the sales rep really wants the sale then the sales rep will do the work for you.

Never be afraid to ask for the Manager.
Yes granted the last thing a manager at a commission store should be doing is selling a product but if you are not getting the information you want from the sales rep ask for the manager or assistant manager. Get the information from them and ask for print outs and once again if you aren't getting the answers you want then follow this advice.

Walk out
Never be afraid to walk out of a store. Contracts for television and home phones cost a lot for monthly bills and you should be signing up with a provider on your terms not theirs. If you don't like what they are offering at the time or the sales rep just walk out and visit another time. Take the time to collect the information and do not sign up just because of any "limited deals" . They are limited deals because the next limited deal is just around the corner.

Cable or DSL?
Ask the provider which service do they use for internet access and go with your own preference. Don't buy into any buzz words like Fiber optic cable or digital cable. U-verse actually still uses copper cable because the fiber optic cable actually stops at the receiver in the neighborhood.

Also last thing for internet speeds. A huge thing that made me pissed about AT&T was although consumers could pay for the highest internet speed did not mean they actually got the speed they were paying for. Websites like www.speedtest.net are great to test your internet connection during the trial period to see if you are getting the speed promised. There is no way for the internet provider to increase the speed.

Thank you very much for your help. So if I understand what you're saying, I can probably keep Time Warner's high-speed internet service, dropping their TV and phone service, and have a different, cheaper company hand the TV and phone service? I already know via speedtest.net the true capabilities of Road Runner, which perfectly suits my online needs, making it a service worth keeping.

 

[Sigel]

I watch current shows online with no commercials, and use Netflick for everything else.

 

[Quadtrix]

Yeah consider that as an option. You may like part of their service and see what the cost alone per month is. Check out how much Time warners internet package is alone or see if there is a good television internet package and just get a home phone package with another provider.

Sure they always throw combo deals but some are not always the best. For example combining your home phone and cell phone bill with AT&T only saves the consumer five bucks a month. That deal cannot be combined with their employee discount which can be better than combining their home phone and cell phone bill.

Cool, thanks. I looked at AT&T's home phone and TV bundle, which was about $74, while Road Runner is about $40 with the bundle I have from Time Warner. I'm hoping I can find a home phone and TV bundle that's cheaper than that. It shouldn't be too hard, since TV and home phone don't seem to be locked down as much as internet.

 

[Dantes Alaska]

im using Dish network