Whenever I get a letter from a “service provider” that begins with the words, “in order to serve you better,” I shudder. What will this one cost me?
For those of us who enjoy a relationship with the cash machine that Chuck Dolan gave his son James, letters like this come every couple of years. They are never good. The letter I received today was no exception.
A few years ago, Jim Dolan cut a deal for cable boxes, and next thing you know, channels that we had gotten for years without cable boxes were suddenly going to go black unless we ordered IO, interactive optimum as Cablevision has humbly named it.
Now many people really don’t have a problem with a cable box, or an extra clicker or two. Since we’re not one of those families whose lives revolve around the TV set, we really don’t care for another box or clicker. Heck, I can’t figure out how to use the old clicker, and need my kid to turn the DVD on for me. In any event, no more boxes or clickers are welcome at my house. I downgraded my service and told them, “no thanks” to their one free year box offer.
So when today’s letter came, a chill swept through me. The letter informed me that half the cable channels I now get will require a cable box if I ever want to see them alive again. But the Big News! is that they were going to give me a cable box for free!* (*for one year). Now I enjoy some of these cable channels. TLC in particular. TruTV is also doomed to be lost, but it’s not like they’ve had anything good there for years.
So I called the nice Cablevision people to ask about their letter. A very personable young woman took my call, after the obligatory 15 minute cooling off period. I asked her how much they would reduce my monthly cable bill if they were taking away all these channels. Sheepishly, she explained that there would be no reduction. But surely you aren’t planning on taking away half my channels and charging me the same thing, I asked?
This nice person gave me the script, about how Cablevision would be giving me a cable box for free!* (*for one year). I explained that as much as I appreciated Jim Dolan’s generosity, I did not want a cable box. She seemed to understand, though I suspect she was just being kind as only old people and lunatics would refuse a cable box. Regardless, there was no alternative. Take the free box* (*for one year) or lose the channels and pay the same.
Does Cablevision have the right to pull the plug on certain channels at will, resulting in a de facto rate increase? I would hope that there is some regulator somewhere who oversees these things, given their monopolistic franchise. If seems to me that it should require some sort of regulatory approval, and if so, I can’t help but wonder how and why such approval was received. Are people not paying enough for cable in minds of regulators? Is Cablevision’s cash machine not churning out enough greenbacks?
Granted, receiving cable TV doesn’t rise to the level of a right. It’s a business, and businesses are allowed to make money, even if its by taking advantage of its customers by unilaterally changing the rules at will and leaving customers with the choice of pay or don’t play. Hey, who needs TV anyway?
Since cable regulation isn’t my bailiwick, I have no idea whether anybody actually oversees this sort of thing, or whether they even know that Cablevision is pulling off this shrewd move. I also don’t know whether it would even occur to anybody that there are people out here like me, who just don’t want more boxes or clickers shoved down their throat. I think most people like more and more technology, and actually call up to say, “Yippee! Send me my box, baby!”
But I don’t want it and Cablevision, as is its way, is just being a pig again. Maybe they can, and maybe I’ll have no option but to live without half the cable channels I received for the same monthly fee. But I don’t like it. And next time I see Jim Dolan at a party, I plan to give him a piece of my mind.
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Just wanted to let you know I agree with you wholeheartedly! (Except for the TruTv comment I happen to enjoy that channel haha). I actually just emailed the optimum website to give them a piece of my mind. Not that it will get me anywhere because I’m sure its in cyberspace floating around waiting for a generator to answer me. But it let me vent for a few minutes. I for one cannot wait until verizon fios expands to my area. Cablevision will be dropped immediately!
Thanks Tina, I was beginning to think I was the only one.
Now for the bad news. I spoke with Verizon today, and it’s worse than Cablevision. Yet again, the options range from worse to worser. I don’t know why I’m surprised by this.
My “friend” started automatic payments for her cable bill, then she never increased the payment amount as the cable company increased its rates. Not intentionally, mind you, it’s just that my “friend” is prone to short-term memory problems, most likely the result of a misspent youth. But I digress.
Anyhoo, when she realized that she had been shorting them at least $5.00 a month for over a year, her next thought was, “Hmmm…I wonder how long it would take them to pull the plug if I kept shorting them?” The answer – almost 3 years. Yes, the cable pigs eventually got paid their due, but it sure felt good while it lasted. Ummm…not that I would know how it felt. I’m just guessing.
You are such a devil.
Thanks! I mean…my friend says thanks. Or I’m sure she will after I tell her, that is.
You are not alone. I too am disturbed by this development. I know that Fios offers some type of low priced and simple adapter in addition to the elaborate type of boxes. These adapters allow one to receive all the channels, but without the interactive portions. I wouldn’t mind paying a couple of extra dollars for such a box, but there is no middle ground with cable vision. Keeping those extra channels will add almost $20 a month to my bill for each TV.
Thanks Tony. It’s another $20 with every new gizmo, not to mention having a TV that looks like Mission Control in the late 60s. This is all just out of control.
I am LIVID with this NASTY move by Cablevision. I used to like Cablevision, but now I think they are just as disgusting as everyone else. I called their customer support and complained to them for a while. I wonder what would happen if everyone called every day to complain about how much they don’t like this. I like the idea of asking for a refund for my missing channels.
Any body got Jim Dolan’s address? I’d like to send him my thoughts.
Yah, this is bogus. I’m losing about 10 channels too, but still paying for them. How can we get some Class Action suit going? This must be illegal.
I am trying to convince my wife to drop the cable tv and just keep the cable modem. It seems everything is now reality tv anyway (who would want to see “Supernanny” in HD?), just not worth the money.
Nicely said! Even worse – the local cable channel advertised at the end of 2008 that the cable company would send a free (for life) cable box so you could see that channel – since it was going digital. I ordered the box and I also got other channels that went digital including TLC. Early this year I noticed I was no longer getting TLC and other channels using the box. Long story short – they put a code on the box and call the free box a PEG box. Even though I have the equipment (the box) and the family package that entitles me to these channels – I have to get a non peg box to do so. They were offering it free for one year then 6.75 a month there after. If I chose this option I would loose my free cablebox. I told them that it is a shame they are scamming their customers and that I would take the free year of this non peg box in hopes that FIOS would be available in a year so I can drop all of their services. And get this: all they did was change a code in the office and i would have the channels in about a half hour.