New study provides an alarming glimpse into the current state of pay-TV

[BadThad]

A UK version of similar events: My gf is paying £80 per month for stuff she doesn't need, and yes it is her fault and I think many people or lazy and forget til each bill comes in, that they are throwing money away. More so when the same package, for a new customer, would be £30 less. And they claim, well that it is to entice new customers. But complain, and they will give you the same price. Because they know deep down, what you pay, is more often than not, too much, for what you get given. But they are crooks.

Why is it when they change price plans, or make huge upgrades, or a new tier comes out making your package contents worth much less, do they continue to charge you the same extortionate price? Why do these companies continue to fleece their customers? Frankly I think part of customer care, is to look after the customer, and make sure they are not wasting money or paying too much for their services, this is why people are more than happy to jump ship to other providers. If there was some actual active care, the customer would stay, and would possibly, try an upgrade package. I mean sometimes they do trial things, for a month, but you have to cancel, or you get billed again. Maybe you just miss the cancel date, because, well life is hectic, or maybe you tried, but their customer service sucks, and their phone lines constantly have you on hold, but they don't care, they got another month out of you...

Crooks....BS. It's the networks charging BILLIONS that are the crooks.

 

[wiyosaya]

Seriously, most of you blame the providers but it's not their fault. It's the big networks that charge them BILLIONS of dollars to broadcast their channels. The provider is simply trying to make a profit based on what it costs them to sign agreements and cover the infrastructure and cost of doing business....especially rough with a bunch of *****, whining, *****-*** customers. I actually feel bad for them being caught in the middle.

Ideally, someday the best TV provider is going to come along using the web and an a la carte system to pick and choose which channels what you want to watch and only make you pay for those. Hard to believe nobody has done this yet! It will take some crafty devils to get agreements done with the big networks to work with them on a price based on the number of subscribers.....but it COULD be done.

Hard to believe that no one has provided Ala-carte yet? That is because the content providers will not allow it. And trust me, with the infrastructure paid for a long, long, time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the cable/satellite services are raking in the money more so than you might think. I'm not blaming providers, but like I said, I got fed up with paying $85 / mo to watch maybe two or three channels and getting abused by them. Don't even start on getting me to tell you my abuse stories - yes, stories - plural.

 

[jackal2687]

I want to convert to internet only for my household. Problem is, it is cheaper to have the triple play. I turn on my cable box maybe once or twice a month to watch HBO on demand (That was a freeby they threw in for a year) Otherwise I am unhappy with my cable provider and wish Google would move in quickly. I love my Netflix and Twitch.

 

[Tgard]

I pay the prices because I am a sports lover and there are not really many other options. We use about 5 channels other than the sports channels. Would gladly pay for a la carte. I am an ACC basketball and Football fan; I watch some NCAA football and I am also a NFL fan. Satellite and cable really leave us with very little choice. No ESPN, NFL network or other sports channels on basic packages so we get gouged because we have to get more than just the lowest tier basic package. Local channels rarely cover the games I wish to see. If it wasn't for sports, I could much easier tolerate cutting the cord to the cable or satellite company. Even so the price hikes every year for the last 3 years or so are getting out of hand.

 

[TitoBXNY]

We had a cable box in every room, a complete waste of money since no one was watching. I took the boxes back and just kept one in the living room. The bill is still more than I care for, but I got NETFLIX and HULU+ and couldn't be happier. I also purchased over the air indoor antenna's and they work well.