Orange County Register

**UPDATE** Added comments from Cox Cable below.

I heard from plenty of readers yesterday after mentioning that a colleague called Time Warner Cable and got $40 knocked off her $170 monthly bill. 

Some readers have been doing this all along — calling the cable company every six months to successfully get a discount.  Others said they tried but the customer service rep shot them down.

I heard from folks who said they squabbled with Time Warner over the $10 difference that new customers get for the same package deal. And I heard from many people who recommended cheaper alternatives to cable TV — like AT&T’s U-Verse TV, Verizon’s FiOS TV and satellite TV services.

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I also heard from Cox and Time Warner.

Patricia Fregoso, the media person for Time Warner Cable in our area. She said that yes, if a current customer calls in, there’s a chance their bill will be reduced via the company’s customer “retention packages.” But discounts aren’t just handed out because a customer calls to complain about a bill being too high or a promotional discount expiring.

“Yes, of course our customer service reps do have latitude and often times, there are packages available that we can move folks to. Sometimes it works, sometimes not,” Fregoso said.

“They are also trained to ask customers what their viewing habits are too. Maybe they’re not in the right-sized package… . Of course we have retention packages but we are doing it in a reasonable way so that we can pay our own bills.”

(FYI: According to Time Warner’s last financial quarter, the company’s cable revenues rose 7 percent from the previous year to $4.3 billion, thanks to growth in “digital video services and video price increases.” Net income for the whole company fell 26 percent to $792 million. )

Over at Cox Communications, its local communciations manager Ayn Craciun responded that it rewards loyal customers with bundle discounts. The more services the customer takes, the greater the discount — from $5 to $25 per month. Details about the bundled discounts are HERE.

“Also, from time to time, we hold sweepstakes in which bundled customers are automatically entered for prizes like Disneyland annual passes and free movie screenings.  The next one is scheduled for January.  Also, every new Digital Cable customer receives a letter with a free OnDemand movie offer. We also do periodic mailings to all Digital Cable customers (our last was in June) - with a free OnDemand movie offer,” Craciun said.

I’m sure most consumers would prefer a cheaper, permanent rate that I don’t have to call in every few months to get. But the game goes on. 

So, it looks like if you order the package deal of TV, Internet and telephone service from Time Warner and are paying in the $100 or less range, don’t expect to get it lowered. But for those folks who spend $150 or more, you may be in luck. Keep in mind, this is my theory, not Time Warner’s response, based on reader comments. 

For the folks who are paying an outrageous $60 to $70/month for basic cable, it looks like you could pay a bit less and get a bit more. Time Warner is pushing its digital cable to old analog-TV customers. Why? Because analog channels hog up space. For every one analog channel that Time Warner can kill, it can offer customers 15 digital channels. With more room, cable companies can offer other services too, such as more video on demand, more HD channels and more interactivity = more money.

But first, it needs customers to switch to digital cable.

I checked out the pricing with Fregoso and Time Warner’s price guide. Basic analog cable, which offers about 150 channels, ranges from $52.90 in Fountain Valley to $53.45 in Costa Mesa to $55 in Huntington Beach. By moving to digital cable, which offers 225 channels plus another 50 music channels, it’s $47.95 across the county.

Now, this doesn’t explain why analog cable cost so much. But that is what Time Warner charges. 

By comparison, Verizon’s FiOS TV offers 250 channels for $48/month, AT&T’s U-Verse starts at $44, Dish Networks has a family package of 40 channels for $19.99 and DirecTV offers a 45-channel package for $29.99. Most of the services also offer a bare-bones broadcast TV plan for $12 to $20. 

Maybe it’s time for me to update this story, “Behind the TV services in OC.” Yes?

Related stories:

• How to get cheaper cable TV from Time Warner Cable
• Time Warner Cable plans more channels in O.C. despite fines
• Verizon FiOS TV heavily targeting apartments, condos in O.C. and more
• AT&T TV coming to Circuit City and Wal-Mart
• What TV service has most satisfied customers? (Hint: Not cable)
• Guide to paid-TV services in OC

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