Cutting the cord unless overwhelmed by retention....

[KimmiKat]

PM a DIRT

That sounds so funny...

As for D* depending on what CSR you get, you can get the bill down like VMI90 did...

 

[tj218]

Ok, so a temporary solution has been reached with DTV. I got them to do the family pack with all the receivers (HDDVR, Tivo, regular receiver) HD, package, free showtime for 6 months. With the $10 HD fee waived and a $5 monthly credit for a year, grand total: $43 /mo. They offered me the select package for the same price, but Nick Jr. and Nat Geo aren't on that package so I went with the Family deal. So we are saving $46/month.

With 7 months remaining on the contract ($140 cancellation fee) it would be more to do the basic cable package + canceling at this point in time (not to mention buying two more Rokus).

When the contract is set-to-expire I will probably see if I can get them down lower (maybe a discount on the Extra Innings package since so many people are getting the NFL package free) or make the switch then.

Thanks for everyone's help and for pointing me to that family package.

UPDATE: I got home and checked, and they gave me the Select package instead of the Family package. So I called up to get them to switch it to Family, and they also gave me an additional $5/mo credit (without even asking for it!). The bill is now at $38/mo. Which would be the same price as basic cable with DVR service and lacking many more channels. I am quite satisfied.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

as a comcast tech i would also want to warn you to check the channel listings for "basic cable" from your area. Where I work "basic cable" is 19.99/mo but only allows aprox 14 channels, mostly locals and a few news/shopping networks. your locals are 'included' in hd via 'basic' only if you have an hd tv because the tv just decodes the signal naturally. "expanded" cable is what your probably thinking of which is like ch2-70 without boxes. Depending on if you live in an all digital system or not, your bill would show

"basic cable 19.99"
"expanded-basic 44.91"
"Digital Starter 0.00"

or

"Standard Cable 64.90"
"Digital Starter 0.00"

the digital starter is just the rate code to add 1 digital box, additional boxes (required for premium services, such as extra innings.) are 9.25mo

So if you lived in my area, subbed to comcast and had to have extra innings, your bill would never be less than 65mo +the extra innings fee during season.

Cable rates are tricky, im a tech, and i sub to directv.

 

[Mr Tony]

I agree. Here Comcast is toting basic cable for $10 for a year (with 2 year agreement) and all it amounts to is the locals and WGN/TBS. Channels 2-23 which is still analog. If you want some of the other freebies (OTA subchannels but they are in the 200's on cable) you either need the "converter box" (which decodes them but has no guide) for free or pay for a receiver and then you'll get the music channels too

 

[Neutron]

When my wife and I were looking at television providers for where we are moving to I looked at Suddenlink to see what they would offer. For $86 a month they would bundle their slowest speed internet (10Mbps down/512k up), and Digital Cable. That was not including any additional boxes or their craptastic DVR. We ended up ordering Directv (cancelled the first time due to not being told stuff up front, and figuring out I could avoid certain fees ordering online) and I ordered cable internet separately. Suddenlink advertises their basic cable internet at $46 a month plus $10 for a modem rental. I got them down to $38 per month plus the $10 for modem rental. I'll probably buy a cable modem eventually. With Directv for the first 10 months it will be $51.99 a month for Choice Ultimate, HD-DVR, 2 HD receivers, WHD, and HD. I would have had to pay the equivalent of approx $140 a month with Suddenlink for the same service, and that does not include WHD, as they don't offer it yet. They have the Tivo boxes now but not in this market.

 

[JUCJ85]

$10 HD fee
$7 DVR fee
$6 (x3) fee for each receiver (this for some reason includes the HD DVR too) . We only use the 2 other basic receivers about once a week.
$35 a month.

Total bill = $95/mo

I can get basic cable (I live in a somewhat rural area, I can hardly get 1 channel with an anetnna) with locals in HD, for $23 /mo + tax. I am not expecting DTV to beat that, but if we can get our DTV bill down to $40-50 /mo I would consider staying.

like said do auto bill to waive the HD fee.

the DVR fee is normal, its less than my cable company, 12.95 a month, 11.95 a month each additional, where directv does 1 DVR fee for as many dvr's.

My question is how can you get Basic Cable(if no digital) and get HD, I dont think it is possible unless with OTA.

If having digital cable you still pay receiver fees, the 1st receiver is free fee, the 2nds are like 8 a month for my cable company.

I dont know which cable company you are considering or is in your area, but digital cable is as expensive as direcTVs packages. You might get 23 a month, but that would be for 12 months, i dont think any company offers any package without receivers that low.

Consider this, im in the albany 12189 area code. in NY. I have DirecTV with the cable company being Time Warner.

I pay about 130 a month with my verizon 6.00 credit a month(Ultimate, HD, DVR, 3 xtra receivers, Starz/Sports, HD Xtra, PPlan)

If I tried the same on TWC, I would pay about 135 before tax, and they tax everything, i was paying 20.00 a month in taxes before switching.

 

[Mr Tony]

My question is how can you get Basic Cable(if no digital) and get HD, I dont think it is possible unless with OTA.

depends on the cable company but here in Minneapolis suburbs Comcast has lifeline (2-23) on analog still. If you have a digital TV you can get the channels in clear QAM and in HD (the locals...they also throw in WGN-HD)

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

2014 is comcasts cutoff for analog cable last i was told, in certain areas is off, if you live in Scranton PA or surrounding areas there is no analog cable, and you need a dta or dct on each and every tv.