cablevision alternative?

brooklynleather

i was paying 29.95 a month for cablevision internet but it just went up to 65 bucks!

so i figured it was time for a change.

any alternatives that are cheaper? (how much are they?)

or good deals/specials?

i don't really want/need digital phone. but cable + internet would be great. any suggestions? i'm on washington...

Thanks

mateo

Well, you have no other cable options. You can get DirecTV to sub in for cable and then look at other internet options (although if you don't get your internet from Cablevision you'd have to activate a phone line to carry the internet signal to get it from someone else). Or you can get Cablevision's cable/internet/phone package. I don't even have the landline connected any more but still have the package because it's less expensive than the cable & internet separately (go figure). It's about a hundred bucks a month.

dw438

Second that. You have no other cable options for now; Verizon will offer cable tv service, but you'll probably have to wait to 2010 for that.
As for internet, besides dialup, many companies offer DSL, but all of it comes through Verizon's wires. Service and speeds can be spotty.

mr. tips

dw438 wrote: Second that. You have no other cable options for now; Verizon will offer cable tv service, but you'll probably have to wait to 2010 for that.
As for internet, besides dialup, many companies offer DSL, but all of it comes through Verizon's wires. Service and speeds can be spotty.

Maybe one day Fios will be in PH...one day.

doctorj

Mr. Tips wrote: Maybe one day Fios will be in PH...one day.

Interesting.

I used to live in a co-op that put fiber and mini-servers through the entire complex (ca.300 apartments) and a microwave link on the roof to reach the broadband/voip/cable wholesaler. That was still the cheapest and fastest service I've ever had, and it was a good four years ago. The infrastructure was a small addition to the common charges each month over seven years. Unfortunately, this awesomenes did not take place in the US, but in theory large buildings here could be doing it too.

brooklynleather

yeah i was thinking of getting the package even tough i wasnt gonna use the phone. 100 bucks though. damn. i guess it has to be.

emmaviz

Subject: Verizon Internet

I use the basic $19.99 plan on Verizon and it's A-Ok. If you call Verizon and ask about it, they'll hook you up. The Cablevision rep tried to convince me that Verizon was sooooooo slooooooow when I wanted just cable and not phone or net from them, but I haven't had a single problem with my Verizon interenet since I got it last May.

mr. tips

Subject: Re: Verizon Internet

EmmaViz wrote: I use the basic $19.99 plan on Verizon and it's A-Ok. If you call Verizon and ask about it, they'll hook you up. The Cablevision rep tried to convince me that Verizon was sooooooo slooooooow when I wanted just cable and not phone or net from them, but I haven't had a single problem with my Verizon interenet since I got it last May.

Thing is DSL isnt available everywhere. Some "loop deal" i forget exactly the term but that was an issue when I was looking a few years ago.

brooklynleather

Does Verizon do cable TV also?!

brooklynleather

Crap. Verizon doesn't service my building/area/whatever.

Any other suggestions?

I can't believe I am payin 65 bucks a month fo rinternet access.
I feel like I should be getting TV + Internet for that price!

dw438

brooklynleather wrote: Does Verizon do cable TV also?!

yes but not in nyc, maybe after 2008.

emmaviz

Right now our only cable option in the hood is cablevision. BUT you should still call time warner and talk to someone and ask them to add your building to their grid. I am confident that if enough of us pester time warner they will wake up and start servicing our neighborhood, and all of our Cable, Internet, and DVR problems will go away. Or at least we will have another provider to complain about. I know that isn't helpful now, but it could help us all in the long run.

As for other providers: check with earthlink—they often have deals.

doctorj

brooklynleather wrote: Crap. Verizon doesn't service my building/area/whatever.

When Verizon says they don't service your building, it's because they can't be bothered at their standard price, not because they physically can't. They're required to connect you to another service provider if asked. Covad is a broadband wholesaler in our area who can take over your landline and provide DSL on behalf of another ISP. I have done this a couple of times, and even had Verizon sling a dedicated DSL line out to a pole for Covad. It is unlikely to be cheaper than Cablevision, as you end up paying Verizon + Covad + ISP, but it is possible to get extra services this way that you can't get from either Verizon or Cablevision.

apollonia666

brooklynleather wrote: yeah i was thinking of getting the package even tough i wasnt gonna use the phone. 100 bucks though. damn. i guess it has to be.

One thing you should know about this package: It's $100 a month only for the first year, then it goes up to around $150. I just finished my first year of the "triple play" and my bill's now gone way up.

mateo

apollonia666 wrote: [quote=brooklynleather]yeah i was thinking of getting the package even tough i wasnt gonna use the phone. 100 bucks though. damn. i guess it has to be.

One thing you should know about this package: It's $100 a month only for the first year, then it goes up to around $150. I just finished my first year of the "triple play" and my bill's now gone way up.
Maybe, but not always. I'm on year 3 of the same arrangement and price. Although honestly I can't say why.

alafairnadia

their computers and database are on crack. not that it's a terrible thing, but they really fuck up a lot of the time. also, half of their employees comprehend how the system works, they can fix your problems. the other half are lazy fucks. I frequently just call back and try to get different people on the phone (which, frankly, works) when the person I've gotten on the phone is a jerk "this should work in 30 minutes. call back if it doesn't." yeah, fuck you, it only took 1 minute last time - why would it take longer this time? lazy fuck!
also, you have to be able to describe the problem very explicitly - maybe even tell them what the solution is.
finally, call the cable vision 888 number, not their service number. the service number has this automated shitty thing that will consume 20 minutes of your time and not fix ANYTHING - if you already have half a brain and can remember their tricks (unplug the box or press the volume up/down buttons and the guide and info buttons --- all at the same time!!! yeesh).

caseopele

If you have the triple play package you can sign up for optimum rewards. That gives you a $25 discount off your bill when the first year is up.

brooklynleather

if i just had their internet deal then i am not elligible for that right?

caseopele

It has to be the triple play. It sucks that we don't have that many options here. I originally signed up with Verizon since they said I could get DSL in my building. They strung me along for almost a month, installed direct tv and a phone line before finally confessing they didn't have DSL in my building.

emmaviz

brooklynleather wrote: if i just had their internet deal then i am not elligible for that right?

I just called the other day and they told me about a deal where you get phone and the net for $14.95 each...you may wanna call and ask about it.

primedawg

Honestly cablevision is the best cable internet connection in BK if you want cable

Verizons fiber optic internet connection is the best in the country but unless your running a server out of your house thats insane.

have to mention earthlink but its a bit pricey

I run my WII, mac, and pc without a glitch in the service.


as far as cable yes cablevision blows the customer service is awful. I deal with it because I have netflix and thank god for DVD SHRINK :twisted: I take full advantage of the service. So if i ever want to watch a movie I have tons to choose from *cough* dvd shrink *cough*

So recently I changed my plan because I was addicted to the show ROME on HBO now that i seen every episode I don't need the service anymore. Honestly the more channels you have the less you have to watch.

also if you have HDTV you need an HDTV cable box so thats another thing you have to keep in mind

alafairnadia

actually, I don't think cablevision is that horrible. if I call in and get a dipshit on the phone, I just call back. it always works. (call the 888 number, not the 'customer service' number which leads you into the asshat, bitchy faux-AI thingy) and whenever I call and get a non-dipshit, my problem is solved in 10 mins or less. way better than time warner. plus the optimum internets is a hundred times better than TW.

em26

apollonia666 wrote: [quote=brooklynleather]yeah i was thinking of getting the package even tough i wasnt gonna use the phone. 100 bucks though. damn. i guess it has to be.

One thing you should know about this package: It's $100 a month only for the first year, then it goes up to around $150. I just finished my first year of the "triple play" and my bill's now gone way up.

I have that "triple play" from Optimium Cable....we pay like $95 and some change a month....our year ends in September.

I was wondering how much the price will be after the year...$150 in not that bad....I was expecting it to be close to $200 a month.

I don't know if this will work in NY , but in my hometown , when we had that sort of deal with the cable company, all you had to do after the deal ends is call the company after you get the first bill with the new amount , and tell them that you want to CANCEL their services because it's too much and you are going with another company....one of their competitors, and then they will give you the same deal , or one close to it ...way less than they would have charged you if had stayed quite......because they don't want to lose you as a customer.

I know NY is alot more expensive then the cities in the Midwest , usually it's the rent that's way crazy expensive in NY , not cable , phone and internet.

So try calling them up and see what they say....Goodluck

mateo

Em26 wrote: I don't know if this will work in NY , but in my hometown , when we had that sort of deal with the cable company, all you had to do after the deal ends is call the company after you get the first bill with the new amount , and tell them that you want to CANCEL their services because it's too much and you are going with another company....one of their competitors, and then they will give you the same deal , or one close to it ...way less than they would have charged you if had stayed quite......because they don't want to lose you as a customer.

FWIW, I just had this happen with the NY Times. I signed up for Sat/Sun for $10/mo and then it went up to $20/mo. Six months after that, I realized I was paying over newsstand price for a paper that I didn't have time to read every Sunday. So I called up to cancel, figuring I would just buy it from a bodega on the days I wanted it. After declining a Sunday-only delivery, the guy reoffered me the $10/mo for six months.