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250 Comments
- cidman2001, on 12/26/2008, -2/+403I hope this lady wins and scores some big bucks. Cable box and modem rentals are such a scam. We have Charter and they'll gladly rent you a cable modem for $5 bucks a month. No where in their advertising or materials do they tell you that you can also buy your own modem. Heck, you can get one at Walmart for $30!!!
How many people have been paying $5 a month for years? How much revenue is generated by this? Sleazy bastards....I really hope Comcast gets spanked hard. - ggypsy, on 12/26/2008, -1/+213Anything that hurts Comcast gets a digg from me. They suck.
- lynchjos, on 12/26/2008, -1/+141Here's another scam Comcast runs: Keep the consumer in the dark about what the service and pricing options are.
Last year, for the first time in about 2 years, after checking my mailbox, I noticed that CONcast sent me a complete price list with every conceivable option. I happened to read that the same service I had been paying $125 a month for was $10 dollars cheaper on the new price list. So thinking I could just call them and get the cheaper price, I sat on hold for about 20 minutes.
When I finally got a rep., she said that the pricing information was old and that the rates had gone up. Mind you - I received the price list THAT DAY. Talked to her supervisor who reiterated that the price list I was viewing was no longer in effect and that prices could in fact change on a MINUTE BY MINUTE basis. WTF?!
When I was a kid, my dad would get absolutely ***** furious about the telephone company, their rates, the runaround he would get from them and the total lack of control he had over the service - Cable companies are definitely the 21st century equivalent. These people are smug crooks who think their world will never crumble but we all know how the phone companies ended up. - inactive, on 12/26/2008, -0/+107It's Comcast. There's a rate hike coming, regardless.
- MtheoryX, on 12/26/2008, -1/+95It's just like ye olden days when you had to rent your home telephone from one of the bells.
- inactive, on 12/26/2008, -1/+82any one with a cable card TiVO will be the first to tell you how crappy cable cards can be. I have a TiVO HD and while its cool and all - it doesnt pick up the Switch Digital Video chans which are like 1/2 the HD stations, but it'll decode HBO like a champ. Cable companies have these regional monopolies and use them to bully customers into paying for ***** like this. Cox, Comcast, and Verizon are the only "cable" providers... Cox and Comcast arent available in the same cities, and Verizon has patchy distribution. Coupled restrictions on Satellite dish placement....(sigh) - its all a big racket.
I hope she wins big. - alpharaptor, on 12/26/2008, -4/+73i feel a rate hike coming on if she wins.
- lemonloser, on 12/26/2008, -1/+62Comcast is a genuine piece of *****. They recently raised my monthly bill by ten bucks for no reason. I didn't say anything but i heard from a friend that If you call them complaining or threaten to cancel, they'll throw in a few premium channels for free. I did so and got HBO and Starz. but i still hate you comcast.
- Aerynvala, on 12/26/2008, -0/+48I get to pay $15/mo for renting my DVR-cable box on TimeWarner. I found a really high end DVR at the store for about $350. So in just under 2 years (which is about 6 years less than I've been with TimeWarner) I could have had a very nice, tricked out DVR. But no, I just get to keep paying TimeWarner. Or, if I want, I can pay Verizon FIOS slightly more a month for the same service. Lucky me!
- adikt, on 12/26/2008, -1/+42http://blogs.computerworld.com/node/3538
AT&T charges elderly widow $14,000 in "rent" for rotary phone - inactive, on 12/26/2008, -0/+35Time Warner makes you rent their piece of ***** box that freezes and is slow as hell for about 8 bucks a month
- callingshots, on 12/26/2008, -0/+35I hope she wins too. It's a joke $25 a month or so for "rental" of 2 boxes.
- feliks2, on 12/26/2008, -2/+33No, they are much too nice for rate hikes, they'll just introduce some insignificant, "minor" fees.
- sunburner, on 12/26/2008, -1/+31Comcast charged me 30 bucks this month for a 'bounced check.' Which would've been impossible considering, well, I had more than enough funds in my account at the time. So after calling them about it I basically would've had to go through a ton of work to prove them wrong and get my 30 bucks back. This on top of all the crap they do and the HD compression is terrible on some of their channels.
I really, really hate Comcast. - Thinkerofthings, on 12/26/2008, -0/+29if programs like boxee keep adding content like they are my wife and I are considering dropping cable TV altogether
- YodaJones, on 12/26/2008, -1/+29Sue them and then make them squeal like a pig.
- Nothlit, on 12/26/2008, -1/+26Ever heard of a surge protector?
- monkeystick, on 12/26/2008, -0/+25I'd be interested in seeing some sort of survey map of how many U.S. cities only have Comcast as their choice for cable/internet.
- strictnein, on 12/26/2008, -0/+23Don't they also charge for DVR "service" as well? So you pay for the box and like $7 a month for some "service".
- gothsquirrel, on 12/26/2008, -0/+21I used to work for comcast and they legally have to allow you to use a cable modem from the store they are the exact same devices.
- 1980Tim, on 12/26/2008, -0/+19The thing is cable companies encrypt digital channels most modern TVs would be capable or receiving and displaying if not for the encryption, just so you can pay them a monthly fee to decrypt it. And I'm not talking about premium channels, I'm talking about channels customers are already paying for.
That would be like renting a car, them giving you a key to start the car, but charging you and extra fee for the key that opens the door. - imfrog2002, on 12/26/2008, -6/+24Yes! I'd buy ours from them too. And our internet modem! They won't let us buy one from a store, it HAS to be the rented one! Comcast sucks.
- nibble4bits, on 12/26/2008, -0/+18I've had two HD DVR boxes from Time Warner (I deployed, cut it off, and got a new one when I came back).. they both have the same damn problem, they freeze, they distort the audio, they reboot several times a week, and Time Warner acts like nothing is wrong when they "diagnose" it. They've sent someone out and said.. oh, its rebooting because you have the channel display on the front of your box instead of the time, it's gotta stay on the time. Totally didn't fix our problem.. I hate their flaky and highly defective box. I can't wait until FiOS comes in our area, or we move out of our apartment and into a house so I can get satellite.
- Residents, on 12/26/2008, -1/+18The article starts "Cheryl Corralejo is mad at hell at Comcast" and I knew hell was somewhere in Comcast.
- morguth, on 12/26/2008, -0/+16So how many boxes are you renting from AT&T now?
- pyromcr, on 12/26/2008, -1/+15i have comcast and in the 5 years i have had it our box has broke 15 times, the other anoying thing they do to get your money is when we first signed up, cable internet and phone were 90$, now it is $150 and their "lighting fast internet" is as slow as hell and the phone covarage sucks, i only use my cell phone because the home phone is that bad
thankfully our contract is almost up and i am switching to either diret tv, dish network, or at&t
***** COMCAST!!! - billraydrums, on 12/26/2008, -0/+14Comparing comcast to a pig is insulting to pigs. Pigs are cute and smart. Comcast is more like Dick Cheney and he's ***** evil.
- KennMac, on 12/26/2008, -1/+15That is not the norm at all. I don't know what you're doing, but I've had the same modem for the last 6 years. And before that I had a modem for another 4 years. The only time I've ever had to get a new modem was for DOCSIS 2.0.
- PhantomPhoenix, on 12/26/2008, -0/+13This is one "frivolous" lawsuit I can get behind.
I hope she wins, because then Comcast would have to stop charging their exorbitant rental fees, which is good for those of us who hate Comcast but live in an area where satellite is just not an option (too many large trees, for instance). - inactive, on 12/26/2008, -4/+17Australians are getting raped in your face style by ISP's Telstra, Optus and Americans are being tacked to the blocks and having their wallets pillaged.
Rockerfella's comment has a life of its own. get so big you can steal pennies from millions and no one will notice.. - byronm, on 12/26/2008, -0/+11I went Antenna and Netflix and Windows Media Center myself. 2 HD antennas for Philly and Harrisburg channels put through to MCE and watch tv through Xbox 360s (including Netflix instant watch). It only took 6 months of not paying comcast to pay for the entire setup. Antenna, MCE and 360 combined.. (6x125) mind you i salvaged some older pc components and went headless because you don't need a fast video card to decode hd if you let the 360 do it)
- vocalyouth, on 12/26/2008, -0/+11Thanks Digg, for reminding me that I owe these ***** $135.
For TV that I don't even watch. I hate having roommates. - CircaSurvive, on 12/26/2008, -1/+12The Scientific Atlanta HD DVR boxes that Time Warner give out are complete dog *****. At my old apartment we went through 6 of those in less than a year.
- inactive, on 12/26/2008, -0/+11Rinse and repeat every few months and you'll get the Works.
- iamcam, on 12/26/2008, -1/+11I know this isn't Comcast, but for what it's worth, you could try the following: Call your cable company up and tell them you want to cancel your service because you can't afford it any longer. You know, it's the whole recession sob story. My fiance was able to get her Direct TV bill cut roughly in half AND they waived the DVR rental fee. It's a long shot, but it's worth a try.
I think a lot of people are in our boat as well. With services like Hulu and now network HD content over the air it's hard to justify the additional expense for all that junk on channels you'll never watch. I think I even remember a commenter here on Digg a while back who made the point that you can buy DVDs of several of your favorite shows each season and still come out ahead compared to paying the cable company. - Novagenesis, on 12/26/2008, -0/+9Don't forget Charter, too.
I have no option but charter where I live, because they won't yield their contract to Comcast (who has all the surrounding areas).
What's that mean for me? A cross-state drive to return cable boxes if I cancel. Yes, I dropped a box and they tried to make me drive over an hour to return it. I refused and they gave me a mailing box...
Nonetheless, since it's one town surrounded by cities on another provider, we get no features in this town, and are given price hikes for the distance from Charter's other customers.
No HD supported.
No OnDemand.
No Nothing.
My only alternative is to jump to DirectTV (which I might)
Cable monopolies suck. - zephc, on 12/26/2008, -0/+9I was told I could either buy or rent a box - I ended up going with renting because the boxes can be so problematic (at least they had been for other people i know) and would be replaced for free if rented. As it is, its been running great for almost 2 years now. I agree that its sort of a rip-off... they should be rent-to-own, and if you've paid over 2x the amount so far, your money could go towards other cable modems.
- pikelet, on 12/26/2008, -0/+9Try living in New Zealand. We actually have to pay for our set-top box (and we only have one provider, and the majority of people are signed up because we have what, four or five free OTA channels).
If I remember correctly, the basic box we have (digital SD) cost us $99, and we get 'free' replacements when it dies, which is a good deal (apart from that it costs $50 to send out the technician to bring the new one). However, to upgrade to the new MySky HDI box, which is a DVR/HD receiver (which yes, they only started offering last year..we're behind) would cost us $599. Despite that up-front cost, you don't own it - when you cancel you give it back and don't get any of that refunded.
Actually now that I look at their site they've changed it - it's either $599 upfront, or you can rent it for $15 per month. They never used to have the rental option. In neither situation do you own the box, not even if you pay full price. If you cancel, you either give the box back and are not refunded, or pay $5 per month to keep the box, unactivated and useless, until you resume service (like if you went on vacation or can't afford service anymore but you might want to resume it later).
I hate Sky. Oh and did I mention this is a satellite service so when it rains you get rain fade and no picture, and when it's sunny the sun shines on the satellite and you get no picture, and the compression on the HD channels is probably terrible if the SD channels are anything to go by (I wouldn't know, there is no way in hell we are paying $599 or $90+/month to see). We bought a hard drive recorder that's plugged into the back of the Sky decoder box - so it's basically a glorified VCR, as it will record only one channel at a time. It can't control the Sky box either, it just records the output of it. It's a kind of kludgy solution but it generally works.
OH. And I forgot. The satellite dish. You aren't allowed to move the dish if you move house. You have to leave it there even if the new owners don't want Sky. If your new house doesn't have a dish, YOU pay the several hundreds of dollars to install a new dish. Thankfully like 90% of homes have the dish installed, so we've never had that particular problem. Although we did pay to install the dish at our last house, because we got the service when it first became available. I remember there were two houses on the land, we owned both - when we moved from one to the other Sky charged us $700 to move the dish about 4 metres to the other house's roof.
The only other option is to pay $299 - 499 for a digital HD receiver that picks up the state-provided Freeview OTA channels, which then has no monthly costs. However all you get there is the regular OTA channels in HD. Sadly that's more than Sky offers for HD (for that extra $10 a month, some sports and 'most' movies are in HD). - bob1029, on 12/26/2008, -0/+8I think he is talking about unencrypted QAM over the cable. Comcast DOES have control over this and would quickly encrypt any loose channels if they became aware of their presence.
- OswaldKenobi, on 12/26/2008, -0/+8That is an outright lie! Comcast allows customers to purchase their own modems.
- inactive, on 12/26/2008, -0/+7how the hell do you go through 6 modems in 8 years?
i've had the same linksys modem for like 6 years now... and rented a modem from comcast for a year before that.. - tidu, on 12/26/2008, -0/+7Cable's unnecessary. There's so many better things you can spend your time doing (like surfing Digg) and if there was a show you really wanted to watch, chances are it's online for free or online for *cough*free*cough*. Without cable you can't get sucked into an all-day marathon of ***** TV shows.
- rjanak, on 12/26/2008, -0/+7Paying for the cable box rent itself sucks and all, but what really grinds my gears is paying for DVR service on top of that. So I'm paying for the box AND the box's functionality. So stupid.
- idreamincode, on 12/26/2008, -0/+7I have a TiVo HD with a dual cable card and it works just fine with Time Warner. Picks up HD channels, but then again, I don't pay for "Switch Digital Video" and don't even know what that is. I'd rather watch less TV if possible and keep my cable lineup intentionally small. The HD channels that do come in are extremely sharp.
But yes, I hope she wins big too. - inactive, on 12/26/2008, -0/+7Not in all areas, there aren't. And not everybody can get Dish/DirecTV if they live in an apartment, or if their house faces the wrong way.
- duckgeek, on 12/26/2008, -0/+7We switched to OTA + Hulu + plus Netflix 6 weeks ago (from DishHD) and have been very satisfied so far. The Netflix watch now option being available on OS X was the tipping point for us. I watched 3 episodes of Hitchhiker's Guide original series last night with my 11 year old and she commented on how much she liked the new system.
- dkla, on 12/26/2008, -1/+8Wow, it's as if someone in the cable business is acting unscrupulously...
- gothsquirrel, on 12/26/2008, -1/+8I used to work for comcast and in the system I worked in they couldn't figure out how to get cable cards to work properly or tell us how to install them. I'm pretty sure it's a stall tactic so that tivos and digital boxes are not used more often. They Charleston,SC system was supposed to be one of their best systems as well. Right now I can't complain about my 200 peso a month cable and internet in mexico thought after dealing with the crap in America.
- robojerk, on 12/26/2008, -0/+6What is SDV (Switched Digital Video)?
http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t= ...
http://www.tivo.com/setupandsupport/technicalsuppo ...
http://www.timewarnercable.com/SanAntonio/Products ...
It allows cable companies to save bandwidth and offer more HD channels. The bad thing is that Tivo cannot send data to the cable company to request channels. The tuning adapter is a USB device you get from your provider and connect it to a HD Tivo. It will act as the communication hub so you can now get PPV, and SDV channels. -
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