Get the Best Deal From Your Cable Service
The cable TV monopoly is alive and well but there is a chink in the armor. Years ago people only had one option for expanded television: local cable providers. For years, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Charter dominated their respective markets and did very little “over building” into each other’s neighborhoods. This let them command a premium for their services. Satellite TV and, more recently, broadband Internet has changed the rules for the cable-TV dinosaurs and they are struggling to catch up.
For the past 10 years, cable providers have been upgrading their systems to allow for telephone and “on demand” services such as movies and pay-per-view. Now that most of the U.S. population is covered by high-speed Internet connections, there are many different options. It is important that everyone review their cable bill to see what they are paying for. In Atlanta, many consumers have a choice a choice of Comcast “Triple Play” or AT&T U-Verse. Each package offers high definition cable tv, broadband Internet access and telephone service. They offer a discount to get all three.
Cable providers consistently rank at the very bottom of customer service surveys. They are down there with cellular providers, which stinks. What’s more frustrating is that, once they have you as a customer, they seem to care very little about keeping you. They continue to raise rates with little regard to the present economic situation most of us are in.
There is one thing that is quick (relatively) and easy to save on your monthly cable bill. First, if you currently have Comcast, go to AT&T’s website and go through the online wizard to determine what you would pay for a comparable AT&T plan. It will be cheaper than what you’re paying now! Once you’re armed with that information, call Comcast and tell them you need to cut your monthly cable bill and are going to switch to AT&T if they cannot help. The Comcast (“no”) customer service representative will give you a 12-month discount that will match AT&T. I’ve not actually had the guts to make the switch but you might get a better deal if you tell them you’ve made up your mind to change to AT&T.
Network 1 is an Atlanta-based provider of IT services and computer consulting. Our clients have between 10-100 employees and generally are in one of the following professional services categories: law firms, medical practices, financial services, accounting firms, business services and real estate.
