Why do unhappy customers stay with cable TV?
February 2nd, 2010, 4:41 pm · 44 Comments · posted by Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress
Help me out readers. I know many of you — especially anonymous commenters – like to bad mouth your TV service.
Then I hear excuses like, “I didn’t want to have to change my email addresses” and “I know there is satellite for TV but I don’t really want that” and even “I’m chicken to change from TWC because of the Great Unkown[sic]” — the latter two excuses were e-mailed to me.
And I’ve heard from companies like Verizon’s FiOS, which has had a difficult time attracting customers. It blames the local cable TV provider, which perks up its ears when FiOS enters town and blasts existing customers with better deals. Consumers seem to really have no loyalty when it comes to TV service.
Take the poll and see the results:
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What keeps you from switching to a new TV provider? (Feel free to add your own answer)
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Of course, numerous consumers have dumped cable for satellite or Internet TV (or vice versa) after getting fed up with existing TV service, for better or worse. But what about everyone else?
In Orange County, we have options. AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS are two Internet-based TV services available in some parts of the county. DirecTV and Dish Network are satellite TV services available to nearly everyone. There are also the free broadcast-channels only TV if you have a good antenna and a smattering of TV shows available online for those who have hooked up a computer or other device to their TV. And, of course, there is Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications for cable service.
Ben Piper, the analyst who reported that 68 percent of cable TV customers would ditch their service for a 20 percent discount, said that for many consumers, it’s just a “pain in the neck” to switch.
“The perceived ‘pain in the neck’ (or whatever other part of the body) factor is sufficient to keep some from ever getting rid of their existing service. Customers dread having to make the call, schedule new installation, return the set top box, etc. We view this as a huge opportunity for competitive service providers to swoop in. Those that can eliminate (or at least mitigate) the inconvenience and make the transition as ‘seamless’ as possible will be winners,” Piper said.
Add to that some technical issues — Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-verse is unavailable in the neighborhood; condo and apartment associations limit where one can install a satellite dish or antenna — and toss in the plethora of confusing offers from TV services and we’re back to, well, complaining about TV service and doing nothing about it.
So, if you’re unhappy with your TV service, tell me why and tell me what you have. I’ll be using your responses to help shape future stories about TV prices and options for consumers.
Related TV news:
- Cox raising cable TV, HD and Internet prices in Orange County
- How much money did Time Warner make last year? $1.1 billion
- DirecTV prices going up in 2010 too
- AT&T U-verse raising TV, phone, Internet prices in 2010
- Minimum Time Warner Cable bill: $8.50/month
- Psssst: Digital cable TV is cheaper than analog cable
- Time Warner 2010 price hikes mostly affect those who order the least
- Cable TV bills will go up if Fox, CBS get their way
- Is Time Warner really cheaper than Verizon FiOS?
- Cable TV bills quadrupled in 10 years, but look what you now get
- Time Warner Cable offers cheapest deal in Spanish — not English
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No other options in RSM other than satellite.
I just dumped verizon fios and switched to TWC for internet. The cost for verizon is $50/mo and i don’t need that fancy service. Unfortunately, that the lowest rate they offer in my area for existing customer.
You get what you paid for.
I like Time Warner service. My problem is cost. I have a package with cable, internet, two movie channels, and three additional $5 tiers, plus one HD/DVR, for $150/month. I have three TV’s and only one set top box because Time Warner has pushed me to the limit of what I’m willing to pay for service. I won’t pay the rent on any more boxes. So if they want my other two TV’s moved to a digital set top box to save bandwidth, they will need to offer better prices.
i just dumped Time Warner a couple months ago. After being with TM for years, they jacked up my TV service to $70. I called Dish and DirectTV. Surprisingly their prices were high too. No fios in my area. So, I finally bought a $30 digital antenna at Amazon. Never been happier. I get all my local channels in clear HD, all free. I get movies thru Netflix and stream movies from my Tivo via Netflix. I watch shows online from Hulu or the broadcasters direct website.
A small adjustments, but well worth not paying a single cent to these price gouging basterds.
Dude you rock! That’s the way to do it! I have a $100 turk I got on ebay for $20 in the attic and I get everything there is in OC and a Mac Mini to HDMI. I heard Apple was coming out with a service for around $20, with all the good cable type channels, SCI FI, Disc, ETC. I’ll wait. I do have dish network with 7 months left on contract, I will be canceling. I have cox lower service for network that I would like to dump.
I think you have the best solution with the antenna. PBS has quality shows for kids in the morning. The top sporting events are still on “free” broadcast TV also. “Idol”, “The View” and “Bachelor” over the air. Supplement with $9 a month net flix streaming or Redbox. My guess is “free” internet Tv will not be free in the future. May have to go on the roof, sooner than later!
Tamara:
There’s a large segment of folks that live in single family residences that fear putting up a satellite dish will invoke the wrath of their Home Owners Association. They’ve tried for years, unsuccessfully, to make me remove my dishes and TV antenna. I think folks just don’t want the hassle. The HOA will send lots of threatening letters and people usually comply — too bad they don’t know how to fight back. The FCC has a page on TV antennas and dishes vs. HOA.
I’ve linked to the FCC in comments before… I’ll try to separate it out as a post for all those folks who think they’re not allowed to install a dish because of their HOA. Thanks.
Apple in june? New service.
14 months ago I canceled cable and bought an antenna. I get 10 channels over the air in HD for free. I now take the money I use to waste on cable and buy what I want to watch on DVD. I have a whole bookcase full of DVDs and I have plenty to watch. I also watch a few things on HULU. With DVDs there is no need for a DVR and what you what is uncut and commercial free. I have saved over $1,200 in the last 14 months by doing this. I’m tottaly done with cable or any kind of pay TV.
I decided to “Cut the Cord” three years ago. During the last decade I watched helplessly as the overall quality of TV Programming continued to head south. “Reality” Shows infest channel after channel like some malignancy from Hades. Variety has taken a nosedive as well,I have seen the same Television Show on as many as 12 differant networks. Many Channels will show the same TV Series all day! Like that show? Then knock yourself out! Not your cup of tea? Too Bad, that’s all we’re showing! Channels that were supposed to cater to a certain “Nitch” now show programs way out of their leagues. Science Fiction on the History Channel. Wrestling on the Science Fiction (SyFy) Channel. I could go on and on. Also the number of Commercials shown during each break has increased to the point of insanity. I have counted as many as 26 minutes of commercials during an hour of programming. Many are for Products I have absolutely NO interest in purchasing, and are often presented in an obnoxious or even offensive manner. Then advertisments occur during the Program itself, in the form of Pop-Ups, Scrols and Banners. These thing occur at the most unoppurtune moments, and are often accompanied by Sound Effects. A Show may have a Funeral Scene in it. The Preacher will ask for a Moment of Silence in respect to the deceased. At that moment a loud ROWWWMMMMM! Fills the room as a Race Car shoots across the bottom of the screen, announcing an Automobile Race that comes on after the Movie. Or a Film takes place in a Foreign Country. A Group of people are having a Conversation in their Native Tongue. What are they saying? According to the “Subtitle” they are discussing the Presidents’s Reaction to the latest Crisis, tune into the 11:00 News for more details. The “Last Straw” for me occured in September of 2006. While attending a Social Function a Host asked me to serve Lemonade to a group of children who were at the event. The Host set up an activities room for them, which had a TV Set tuned into a Children’s Channel. Walking into the room to serve the beverages, the show they were watching went to a Commercial Break. One of the Ads was for a Prescription Drug that dealt with sexual problems! DURING A CHILDREN’S SHOW! Both of us complained to both the Network and the Cable Company and were basicly told they couldn’t do anything about these kinds of ads. I cancelled my subscription and now use the money formerly used to pay my subscription (About $65.00 in 2006) to purchase Programming on Home Video. Since then I have accumulated over 16,000 Hours of TV Programming and nearly 1,400 Movies, along with 1,500 Hours of Documentaries, Serials and other Programming. Needless to say it’s going to be quite sometime before I am forced to watch “Reruns”. I watch what I want when I want to, and nobody butts-in to hawk a Product I don’t want. Best of all, after I am finished watching it, I GET TO KEEP IT!
I think it is rediculous that we have to pay for so much cable that we don’t and never will use. I want to pay for only the cable stations that I want which is about 15 to 20 channels
only… that’s who is going to get my business… thae one that allows me to cherry pick…. may never happen?