Figured this was the best place, as cord cutting discussions are generally discouraged from the CR&CS board.


http://www.startribune.com/why-folks-are...397326141/

Quote:“Most people consider the hassle of cord cutting to be too great,” said George John, professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.

That may be because canceling cable or satellite service is rarely easy or quick. You could encounter an aggressive company rep who keeps sweetening the pot to prevent losing you as a customer. If you have to return set-top boxes and modems, you could find yourself standing in line. And then there’s the learning curve for new antennas, streaming devices and remotes.

Chris Marpe of Fridley said she and her family considered cutting the cord but decided against it. Instead, she negotiated a lower price of $180 a month for Comcast high-speed internet, cable, DVR rental and phone service.

“I like the easy access of turning on the TV instead of going to Hulu or Sling,” she said. She also likes recording shows on the DVR. “It’s much faster to pull them up on the DVR than on Netflix,” she said.

Telecommunications companies such as Comcast and CenturyLink also have made switching more onerous with bundling. Brillhart said many consumers mistakenly think if they drop cable, they have to change internet providers, too. They can drop any or all of the services (internet, cable, phone), but the unbundled price is likely to rise. Still, Brillhart said, subscribers can usually ask for a lower promotional rate within 90 days, and he does the negotiating at the customer’s request.

So basically it just come down to laziness.

$180 per month for TV/internet?

Good Lord!

I wouldn't spend that. Americans spend too much and get too little.

An important point is also that the various providers are not instituting data limits Verizon style. Comcast has 300GB per month limits and AT&T has 600GB limits in some areas after which penalties are incurred.

The companies are actively fighting the idea of cord cutting.

(10-18-2016 11:15 AM)VA49er Wrote:  So basically it just come down to laziness.

Yes, and unwilling to change. Up to 2 years ago my Mom had a flip phone and was paying Verizon $80 a month. So I said meet at this Boost mobile store.
I got her 2 good Androids for $75 and her monthly cost is $30. It took her some time to figure out how to use the Android features but she loves it now.

Mine was $120 just for Dish... but

Quote:That may be because canceling cable or satellite service is rarely easy or quick. You could encounter an aggressive company rep who keeps sweetening the pot to prevent losing you as a customer.

This is the part that makes it fun... one of my coworkers had a friend who was going to cancel his tier 2 programming.

They convinced him to stay on: By continuing to pay for his receiver fee (60+ bucks), but they only charged him $1.95 per month for the rest of his lifetime unless he cancelled the contract

I think they were offering me three free months to stay on, but no changes in prices after that with a new contract. Told 'em thanks, but no thanks.

My DirecTV bill is getting up there. I need to call and threaten to cancel again to get a lower bill and some free goodies. They gave me the NFL Sunday Ticket one year on the house.

I cut the cord and went with Vivint internet for $52 bucks a month and Sling with the sports package for $27 a month .

I have never been happier.

(10-18-2016 11:41 AM)Fitbud Wrote:  I cut the cord and went with Vivint internet for $52 bucks a month and Sling with the sports package for $27 a month .

I have never been happier.

THAT is pretty much about where I am at. DVR is not a big deal with stream on demand.

(10-18-2016 11:35 AM)Kronke Wrote:  My DirecTV bill is getting up there. I need to call and threaten to cancel again to get a lower bill and some free goodies. They gave me the NFL Sunday Ticket one year on the house.

My wife has to do this every once in a while just so that they can lower the price. It's good that there are other cable companies and can't monopolize the whole thing. The cable cos. like to give cheap prices to first timers and screw the faithful customers.

(10-18-2016 04:32 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  

(10-18-2016 11:35 AM)Kronke Wrote:  My DirecTV bill is getting up there. I need to call and threaten to cancel again to get a lower bill and some free goodies. They gave me the NFL Sunday Ticket one year on the house.

My wife has to do this every once in a while just so that they can lower the price. It's good that there are other cable companies and can't monopolize the whole thing. The cable cos. like to give cheap prices to first timers and screw the faithful customers.

Yeah it's dumb, but at least DirecTV is open-minded about it when you bring it to their attention. Ideally you wouldn't have to call and threaten them, but they have to bring in the newcomers with something.

What about internet? What do you use?

I've got DirectTV & Comcast for internet. I would love to move both....

I've done it all. Cut the cord. Went streaming. Now back on the cord.

Streaming just didn't do it for me. But some new technology on my part has made watching ESPN3 on streaming much more enjoyable.

(10-18-2016 04:51 PM)GrayBeard Wrote:  What about internet? What do you use?

I've got DirectTV & Comcast for internet. I would love to move both....

I have DirecTV, U-verse internet, and 2 att phone numbers (I work from home) for $140/month for 2 years.

I cut the cord for about two years and just recently got a box top. I was doing well just with the high speed internet ($80/month) and Netflix ($9/month) + SlingTv ($20/month). But Comcast gave me a call about a month ago offering to give me the most basic TV package (20 channels, mostly local plus tbs, cnn, etc), plus HBO, showtime, and starz for 2 years, all for the same price I was paying just for Internet. So now I'm paying about $110 a month, but I have everything I wanted. Local news with the box top, ESPN with sling tv, and then all the great shows and movies from Netflix and HBO.

I have Netflix and that's it. I pay about 10/month for that and 35/month for internet.

Cable is for suckers.

(10-18-2016 04:39 PM)Kronke Wrote:  

(10-18-2016 04:32 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  

(10-18-2016 11:35 AM)Kronke Wrote:  My DirecTV bill is getting up there. I need to call and threaten to cancel again to get a lower bill and some free goodies. They gave me the NFL Sunday Ticket one year on the house.

My wife has to do this every once in a while just so that they can lower the price. It's good that there are other cable companies and can't monopolize the whole thing. The cable cos. like to give cheap prices to first timers and screw the faithful customers.

Yeah it's dumb, but at least DirecTV is open-minded about it when you bring it to their attention. Ideally you wouldn't have to call and threaten them, but they have to bring in the newcomers with something.

That isn't always the case. I asked DirectTv to upgrade my system to their newest technology and I would agree to sign another 2 year contract. They refused so I switched to Sling. A month or two later, they started sending me letters saying they wanted me back and they would give me all new equipment. If they would have just done that in the first place, I would have stayed.

Bobcat,

Right. Cable TV operations are fighting back. And I think it's because so many people have ISP through these companies that also over payTV service.

Mpls is exclusive with Comcast for payTV (although recently it has started allowing CenturyLink to offer payTV, but the price is no better). We basically have a continuance via the loyalty program on a promo discount for what I call their "millennial package": basic speed internet (25Mbps), plus basic cable (20 channels including locals, with a free/no-rent Standard Def box), plus HBO, for $50/mo. So that's $35 for the internet and $15 for HBO.

They must have internal metrics that count us as a "cable subscriber" so long as we have a box. And gotta keep those numbers up.


Even if I had no TV services, I just can't fathom paying more than $50/mo for internet. Maybe those days are going away ...

(10-18-2016 11:43 AM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  

(10-18-2016 11:41 AM)Fitbud Wrote:  I cut the cord and went with Vivint internet for $52 bucks a month and Sling with the sports package for $27 a month .

I have never been happier.

THAT is pretty much about where I am at. DVR is not a big deal with stream on demand.

Yeah the only thing is when you record it yourself you can skip the commercials, most on Demand stuff, rewind and fast forward are disabled when you view. At least that is how it is with my Charter Spectrum subscription.

More on the OP, I've thought about starting a business where you do consulting for people on cord cutting and get them all set up with what they need for a fee. I've heard about people doing that in some places, have any of you seen or heard of a similar business in your area?

(10-19-2016 11:13 AM)boroeagle2 Wrote:  

(10-18-2016 11:43 AM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  

(10-18-2016 11:41 AM)Fitbud Wrote:  I cut the cord and went with Vivint internet for $52 bucks a month and Sling with the sports package for $27 a month .

I have never been happier.

THAT is pretty much about where I am at. DVR is not a big deal with stream on demand.

Yeah the only thing is when you record it yourself you can skip the commercials, most on Demand stuff, rewind and fast forward are disabled when you view. At least that is how it is with my Charter Spectrum subscription.

I wish there was a way to hack/disable OnDemand's "no fast forwarding" control, that is, without just going the DVR route.

We pay $60 or so for light speed internet and I do all my tv watchin with it. Cords are for suckas