@prisaz wrote:
@Hubrisnxs wrote:http://comcast.usdirect.com/comcast-digital-tv-.html
40 bux a month
are you saying if I have 7 rooms and need cable boxes for each room and DVR's to boot, or High definition boxes, that 40 bux is what I pay, or do I have to add cable boxes on top of that fee?
Read the terms and conditions through the link at the bottom, and you will see more details. Yes they do not place the details even in fine print on the add page.
http://comcast.usdirect.com/terms_conditions.php
Also says that this information is old if you look at the date. This is not a Comca$t web site but a third party getting money if you sign up. Note usdirect.com. Just because they have a host called comcast does not mean they can be trusted. Take everything you read with a grain of salt. Talk about a scam.
Oh I know, I was just making a pount.
🐵
I signed up online for FIOS and I have to say after going thru quite an ordeal 1 year earlier with Comcast when we went to their triple play and got the first bill and it was nothing like they said it was going to be but that's the past anyway with the Verizon sign up the online process at least was VERY detailed it included taxes, fees, etc and my bill was very close to what it said it would be when I signed up only difference was the charge for unlisted number which was not accurate online but they even agreed to give me the online price for the first 12 months.
I have to say overall I am very happy with Verizon and the picture is dramatically better on Verizon than it was with comcast I thought I needed a new TV and then I was able to go back and reset all of the picture settings once we got hooked up on glass that the TV came back to life!
I don't know if I am an exception to the rule since we have no SD sets anymore haven't for a few years so maybe since all we have is HD it accentuates the positives so maybe that's why her picture is not hugely better I am not sure But I hope your issues get resolved.
Comcast is in the process of doing the same thing across their network as well. Traditionally, they delivered some of their channels via analog and some via digital. If all you needed were those they delivered via analog or clear QAM digital, then you didn't need a STB.
Most people saw this as the difference between "pay" channels and "free" channels.
Comcast is now in the process of getting rid of the analog signals-- they just did this to my father-in-law. They gave him up to 2 free basic STB's (I think it's for a year or two).
Verizon always delivered their signals via QAM (all digital) -- so with exception of a couple of local clear QAM channels they deliver, you need a STB for almost everything to handle the decryption of the signal.
This is they reason why Verizon's network may seem clearer to you -- since it's all digital end to end, you see the picture without any loss of quality (unless they purposely compress it). Comcast up until recently delivered a lot of channels via analog and as such you saw the signal degrade if you had bad cable feeds or interference which got into the system.
I agree this is the "dirty little secret" for both suppliers when they quote prices (they should say something like $XXX/month plus $10.per month per TV set and make that "clear" up front, instead of hiding it in the fine print).
I will however echo what someone else here said ... when I called up to make changes to my service, the customer service person went thru everything to make sure the order was right and then quoted me a figure which matched what I ended up being billed once the "partial month" adjustments cleared (except for the taxes which they gave me an estimate for which was pretty close). So, there were no surprises once the bill came.
@ravioli wrote:Verizon always delivered their signals via QAM (all digital) -- so with exception of a couple of local clear QAM channels they deliver, you need a STB for almost everything to handle the decryption of the signal.
Actually Verizon had channels 2 thru 49 in analog originally. When they dropped the analog feeds they offered up to 3 free DCT-700 digital adapters for as long as you kept FiOS at the same address. That offer is long gone.
That may be true for some early FiOS installations ... when it came to my neighborhood, it was all digital and no analog. Now that you mention it, the installer I had was part of a crew they pulled in from Deleware / SE PA to handle and overload of installs and he thought that channels up to 49 were available without a STB, but that wasn't the case here.
Either way ... both providers seem to now both be firmly entrenched in the digital world ... meaning limited clear QAM and everything else needing an STB or CableCard.
The problem in our case is not so much an immediate scam as a long term one: the intial charge was as expected, because I did ask the sales people exactly what the bill would be.
Shortly after switching to Verizon from Cablevision, I could not activate Digital Voice so called technical support. Oh, they said, it is not available in your area . . . now that was a major problem because we needed to get business calls when we were out of town, and Cablevision would send the messages to us by e mail which we could pick up by Blackberry. Six months later, just as time was running out, and after my writing to Ivan Seidenberg and calling everyone I could find, we got digital voice. All was well for a few months, and then the bill jumped up more than 33%. I called. I got a special offer. Price down. only 25% more than the amount we contracted for. A few months later: up 33% again. Call again. Given a special offer. Does not appear in next bill. Call again. Given better special offer: only 30% more than original contract.
What would you call this "service"?
Tonight I called technical support because I had no TV listings and could not send out some e mails -- problem started two days ago. And I hate having to log in to Verizon to get TV listings (yes, the TV we watch most is not the one with the set top box). I listen to music . . . finally get through to an "agent" . . . and she is laughing when she answers the phone. Yes, laughing, because I am such a fool to let myself be a victim of Verizon.
Start a new topic or ask questions in the open forum.
