Tuesday, November 24, 2015

TWC and Verizon Wireless count on our inertia…


I recently wrote about replacing a cable box with Apple TV to save the monthly rental and program guide fees (Roku and other similar devices work as well). I know I had gotten a notice a while ago that I could purchase my own modem, but I didn’t pay much attention. But here’s how easy it is. Best Buy (and I’m sure other places, but fewer, now that Radio Shack went bust) sells various models for various prices, and the TWC representative at the Henrietta store recommended the $100 Motorola. Since the monthly TWC rental fee for the modem is $8, it pays for itself in about a year. Oh, and here’s the best part – if you use TWC for your home phone, you don’t have to return their box! Because there is no purchase alternative for the phone service, you keep that box, you just don’t have to pay the rental fee anymore. Yeah, that makes sense… Now, Charlie is really keen to ditch cable altogether. I’m not quite ready for that leap, but I feel it is inevitable.


When Verizon Wireless recently stopped offering subsidized phones with service contracts, they also “simplified” their plans. Just out of curiosity, I went online to price my plan, and I found that the monthly fee had dropped. But did Verizon Wireless inform me? Or better yet, did they adjust the price automatically? Of course they did neither. I went in to one of their stores to have a chat with a representative. He confirmed that I could “switch” to the new plan, which was exactly the same as my old plan, but cheaper. He said the company’s rationale for not lowering every customer’s price automatically is that some customers might be upset if their plan were changed without their consent. Seriously? Since when would customers be mad at a rate decrease? If you’re a Verizon Wireless customer, check the rates here and call or go in. Although if you don’t, Verizon shareholders will be very happy.


Now, don’t get me started on AOL, which continues to accept payment from people with AOL email accounts, even though they became free years ago…

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