After four years, I left the cable company. Ask me questions

[Soundmanred]

you can avoid similar awkwardness in the future by not asking or saying stupid things

Yup, he was basically saying that the OP had a menial job that he would never do and had to do things like changing toner.
His trolling/insult was answered by someone with clever uses for toner dust.
Got mad his trolling didn't succeed.
The end.

 

[alkemyst]

Yup, he was basically saying that the OP had a menial job that he would never do and had to do things like changing toner.
His trolling/insult was answered by someone with clever uses for toner dust.
Got mad his trolling didn't succeed.
The end.

I wouldn't find a poster that bragged about farting with his son in a shopping area lend itself to a real job.

Take a seat chester.

 

[Soundmanred]

I wouldn't find a poster that bragged about farting with his son in a shopping area lend itself to a real job.

Take a seat chester.

Translate 4 english pls.

 

[alkemyst]

Translate 4 english pls.

search.

 

[prime700]

Not track. Your account would get sent to a special team if you went over 250 gigs (up and down) in a month. They would only contact you if you went over three months in a row.

No company actually tracks what you do. They don't want to know so they aren't liable.

Who told you this or how do you know? Did a network administrator say "officially" they don't track people? What about the jerkoffs who view people's browsing habits for shits-and-giggle?

 

[W.C. Nimoy]

Can you still plug a coax cable directly into your tv, without a box?

Since I moved, the cable company here is not only more expensive, but also requires an extra box between the cable & tv. I didn't believe them, but wasn't interested in paying 2x as much as I was for the same number of channels anyway, so i'm purely over the air & streaming now until I figure something else out.

 

[NutBucket]

If you cable co has clear QAM and your TV has a QAM tuner you're good to go.

 

[Ichinisan]

Can you still plug a coax cable directly into your tv, without a box?

Since I moved, the cable company here is not only more expensive, but also requires an extra box between the cable & tv. I didn't believe them, but wasn't interested in paying 2x as much as I was for the same number of channels anyway, so i'm purely over the air & streaming now until I figure something else out.

Depends on your provider. The one I work for still has a full analog expanded basic lineup (all the channels under 100). Also, lots of unencrypted HD channels.

However, I recently heard we are planning a full-digital transition. Most cablecos that do it will use SDV (switched digital video), but this will be LDV (linear digital video). It will still save a ton of bandwidth to eliminate analog channels.

In our implementation (LDV), any TV with a QAM tuner will be able to pick up channels without a converter.

With SDV, many channels will not be available without some kind of tuning adapter. In the future, there may be a standard that would allow such a thing to be built-in to future TVs.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Depends on your provider. The one I work for still has a full analog expanded basic lineup (all the channels under 100). Also, lots of unencrypted HD channels.

However, I recently heard we are planning a full-digital transition. Most cablecos that do it will use SDV (switched digital video), but this will be LDV (linear digital video). It will still save a ton of bandwidth to eliminate analog channels.

In our implementation (LDV), any TV with a QAM tuner will be able to pick up channels without a converter.

With SDV, many channels will not be available without some kind of tuning adapter. In the future, there may be a standard that would allow such a thing to be built-in to future TVs.

That is what I thought cable cards were supposed to be for, but I haven't seen a tv in almost 10 years that has a slot for one.

 

[Exterous]

5 years, I doubt it'd be that long, maybe 6 months.

Have not had any problems doing this with Comcast for years

Until too many people start using the "cancel for 6 months and a day, then get the introductory rate" workaround.

They don't care as long as the number of signups and bundles stays high enough

It seems to be that the best way to negotiate pricing as an existing customer is to know the competitors pricing and actually be ready to cut your service. Purely anecdotal evidence on my part but my success rate for continuing my new customer promotion is near 75% when telling them to cancel vs a much lower percent just threatening. I am sure they get a lot of people who threaten but don't actually want to cancel.

Why do the reps often sound uneducated, illiterate, and incompetent?

Anyone with any sense moves on as quickly as possible. ISP tech support has got to be terrible.

 

[Exterous]

Do in-store reps have a different new customer sign up system than the call-centers?

The reason I ask is because of the following:
If I cancel my service and we go to sign my wife up the evening after I return the equipment I have found that the New Customer reps on the phone can't setup a new account as the closing of the old one hasn't finished. However, if we go to BB or some place the Comcast rep there has no problems signing us up. Maybe the rep is just skirting the rules as I suspect they work on commission? I have no problems adding my modem to the new account when we get home

 

[Ichinisan]

That is what I thought cable cards were supposed to be for, but I haven't seen a tv in almost 10 years that has a slot for one.

CableCARD is for secure decryption of channels. It's technically capable of 2-way communication, but no standard was ever agreed upon, so even CableCARD devices (like TiVo) need an SDV adapter with some providers. I installed a Silicondust HDHomeRun Prime at my mother's home (Charter cable) and the local office gave me an SDV adapter along with the CableCARD. Even though analog still works, Charter in her area is transitioning to SDV.

That CableCARD standard is practically dead for everything except TiVo...which would still require an external SDV adapter for some providers.

 

[Ketchup]

Thanks for the thread rudyguy. I called my provider today, and got a faster speed for less money and a free modem, so I can return the one I am leasing. I was nice and honest to the guy, and he returned the favor. At first he tried to do me better than that, but since I don't have a bundle and am not a new customer, he couldn't get it to go through.

I do have one question for you rudeguy (or anyone else who knows): it used to be that once you dropped your internet provider, you lost your email address. I have a couple of other options here in Greenville if I wanted to get a good promo rate, but giving up our email address is a deal-breaker for us. Does anyone know if Charter drops your email address when you cancel your subscription?

 

[BoomerD]

We live in an area that Comcast serves...or I should say, they serve MOST of the area.
We're about to move into a new place that has a different cable provider...that's much worse.
When the fuck is Comcast gonna buy them out like they have done with so many other small cable providers?

I'm REALLY gonna miss my comcast high-speed internet!

 

[RPD]

Are failure rates with DVR's high? With Comcast here, in less than a year we are now on our 3rd DVR. Never had a problem with DirecTV's DVR, but Comcasts HDD seem to goto shit fast. Or have I just been unlucky?

 

[NoCreativity]

Have not had any problems doing this with Comcast for years



They don't care as long as the number of signups and bundles stays high enough

It seems to be that the best way to negotiate pricing as an existing customer is to know the competitors pricing and actually be ready to cut your service. Purely anecdotal evidence on my part but my success rate for continuing my new customer promotion is near 75% when telling them to cancel vs a much lower percent just threatening. I am sure they get a lot of people who threaten but don't actually want to cancel.



Anyone with any sense moves on as quickly as possible. ISP tech support has got to be terrible.

Probably depends on your package and person you talk to. I let comcast know I could get a better deal by about $30 per month for the same package, their response, enjoy your new cable company. I think the reps best offer was $5 discount for 3 months. I only had internet and TV and I am pretty sure their only interest at the time was to get triple play subs.

 

[sze5003]

Are failure rates with DVR's high? With Comcast here, in less than a year we are now on our 3rd DVR. Never had a problem with DirecTV's DVR, but Comcasts HDD seem to goto shit fast. Or have I just been unlucky?

Last time I was at the office there was a line out the door and 90% of the people were returning dvr or hd boxes.

 

[TwiceOver]

Last time I was at the office there was a line out the door and 90% of the people were returning dvr or hd boxes.

And on the flip side, my Two TiVo Premiere units have been running constantly (except for updates) for several years now. The Series 2 units before that both ran perfectly also.

I don't really have a question, I already know the answer: "money".

 

[rudeguy]

Are failure rates with DVR's high? With Comcast here, in less than a year we are now on our 3rd DVR. Never had a problem with DirecTV's DVR, but Comcasts HDD seem to goto shit fast. Or have I just been unlucky?

DVR's get recycled a lot.

Here is the trick with Comcast: call in and tell them your DVR is bad and that you won't be home for a tech to come swap it. They will offer to mail you one. 95% of the time the ones they mail are brand new.

 

[rudeguy]

Thanks for the thread rudyguy. I called my provider today, and got a faster speed for less money and a free modem, so I can return the one I am leasing. I was nice and honest to the guy, and he returned the favor. At first he tried to do me better than that, but since I don't have a bundle and am not a new customer, he couldn't get it to go through.

I do have one question for you rudeguy (or anyone else who knows): it used to be that once you dropped your internet provider, you lost your email address. I have a couple of other options here in Greenville if I wanted to get a good promo rate, but giving up our email address is a deal-breaker for us. Does anyone know if Charter drops your email address when you cancel your subscription?

Do you have friends or coworkers that have Charter?

You can transfer your email address to another Charter account but you can't keep it alive on its own.

 

[rudeguy]

Do in-store reps have a different new customer sign up system than the call-centers?

The reason I ask is because of the following:
If I cancel my service and we go to sign my wife up the evening after I return the equipment I have found that the New Customer reps on the phone can't setup a new account as the closing of the old one hasn't finished. However, if we go to BB or some place the Comcast rep there has no problems signing us up. Maybe the rep is just skirting the rules as I suspect they work on commission? I have no problems adding my modem to the new account when we get home

The reps at the store don't work for the provider. Its very common for those reps to promise things that never happen. I can't tell you how many times those reps put in orders and I had to clean up the mess.

 

[RPD]

DVR's get recycled a lot.

Here is the trick with Comcast: call in and tell them your DVR is bad and that you won't be home for a tech to come swap it. They will offer to mail you one. 95% of the time the ones they mail are brand new.

Thanks, I will try to remember that if it happens again.

 

[Wreckem]

CableCARD is for secure decryption of channels. It's technically capable of 2-way communication, but no standard was ever agreed upon, so even CableCARD devices (like TiVo) need an SDV adapter with some providers. I installed a Silicondust HDHomeRun Prime at my mother's home (Charter cable) and the local office gave me an SDV adapter along with the CableCARD. Even though analog still works, Charter in her area is transitioning to SDV.

That CableCARD standard is practically dead for everything except TiVo...which would still require an external SDV adapter for some providers.

I don't know how you call it dead when a lot of cable-co set tops use cable cards.

 

[rudeguy]

I don't know how you call it dead when a lot of cable-co set tops use cable cards.

If you mean all HD cable boxes are a lot...then I guess you have a small point.

Cable cards are just like mobile streaming. Networks and providers are scared of them. They want to own the signal and this takes that away from them.

 

[techs]

Now that you are unemployed does lil rudeguy like eating cat food?