anyone else paying a lot for cable?

[KTP]

I just got our cable bill for this month and it has gone up another $7 or so for some random thing or another. We have the comcast HD triple play tv/phone/internet and it started out at a teaser rate of $119 for the first 12 months (I think).

Recent monthly bill was $176.

[guppy]

47.30 for 10mbps internet connection. No TV. No Phone.

After my teaser rate was up (12 mo. contract ended) they raised my bill a lot (to be honest, I can't remember what the teaser rate was at the moment.) I simply called and told them "Since I'm such a loyal customer, what can you do for me?" 6 months ago they told me they could reduce by 15/mo, and when I just called earlier this week they were able to reduce another 5. Hey, I'll take every dollar I can get!

[disneysteve]

We pay $11 for cable and $19.99 for internet (teaser rate - goes to $30, I think, after that).

[cypher1]

Man, I'm getting ripped off. $62 for just internet (don't watch tv) at Mediacom. Teaser was 45 up until a couple months ago.

[bjl584]

I pay $0. I cancelled it.

[ferriwinkle]

I don't have cable, we watch everything on Hulu=free. I have internet for making money online, so I need to keep that.

[feh]

Canceled it 2.5 years ago and rarely miss it. I really can't fathom spending $60+ per month for programming.

[KTP]

to get hulu I need internet. to get fast internet it has to be cable in my area.

you can't subscribe to internet only through comcast, so I would have to take the basic tv package too, which is about $20

Fast internet + basic tv would be about $60 to $70, which is a good deal cheaper...but I have a tivo...all of that goodness would go away on hd channels...

[disneysteve]

Recent monthly bill was $176.

Fast internet + basic tv would be about $60 to $70

$70 sure beats $176. Add in basic phone service which is probably about $30 and you are still way ahead of the game. They suck people in with that Triple Play but it is a rip-off. You can get the individual services way cheaper unbundled.

As for the DVR, I don't have one so I don't miss it, but keep in mind that most shows today are available for free online. As long as you have high speed internet, if you miss a must-see show, you can just watch it online the next day (or whenever). I can't tell you the last time we used our VCR to record a show because we wouldn't be home. It just isn't necessary anymore.

[snshijuptr]

1) Make a list of all the shows you record.
2) Go onto hulu.com and see what shows are offered. Hulu creates a queue for you so you can track what shows you have watched. Cross these shows off your list.
3) Go onto individual station websites (TNT.com, cbs.com, etc) and find what shows offer full episodes there. Create bookmarks for each show page. Cross these shows off your list.
4) Look at the shows left on your list and ask yourself if they are worth $1200 a year to watch when they come out. Remember, you can always rent the DVDs of shows around August of the next year (sometimes earlier).

I recommended this little exercise for a friend and my my parents and both have dropped cable.

[dmontngrey]

you can't subscribe to internet only through comcast, so I would have to take the basic tv package too, which is about $20

I have "internet only" through comcast. They just have no way to send the internet across with out some cable signals, so I get a dozen or so basic network channels: ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, etc. I have the economy internet package that they don't like to advertise but you can ask for: 39.99/mo.

[disneysteve]

1) Make a list of all the shows you record.
2) Go onto hulu.com and see what shows are offered.
3) Go onto individual station websites (TNT.com, cbs.com, etc) and find what shows offer full episodes there.
4) Look at the shows left on your list and ask yourself if they are worth $1200 a year to watch when they come out. Remember, you can always rent the DVDs of shows around August of the next year (sometimes earlier).

Great advice. Plus, there are always reruns to catch up on things you missed.

We aren't attached to any show, really. My daughter is hooked on NCIS and watches that every week (as do I) but when I miss it due to a meeting that nite, I just watch it online the next day. I can even watch it on my iPhone.

I have "internet only" through comcast.

I was pretty sure that was true but didn't want to say. Thanks for posting that. Comcast offers a number of things that they don't advertise, like the limited basic cable package we get for $11/month. That isn't listed anywhere on their website or brochures. The only reason I knew to ask for it was that I had a patient who worked for Comcast and she told me about it.

[dmontngrey]

Steve - what channels do you get in that limited basic package? I'm guessing most likely the ones I already get!

In my area, you pay 40.00 for their bottom internet tier. This can be added to any cable package for 25.00 and basic cable is 15.00. So they come packaged together - it's the same thing.

[disneysteve]

Steve - what channels do you get in that limited basic package? I'm guessing most likely the ones I already get!

As I understand it, we get more channels than we are supposed to. When they first installed it, the installation guy said the extra channels would probably disappear in a few weeks but they never did and that was almost 3 years ago. I think it is supposed to be just the local channels that we would get if we put up an antenna, but we get that along with a lot of others like CNN, Food, HGTV, A&E, History and more. I'm certainly not calling to tell them.

[Joi]

I pay about $48 after tax and fees for Comcast Digital Preferred (non-teaser rate). If you want a lower rate you have to ask. If they say no, keep calling back until they lower it.