Growing tired of paying for channels that are irrelevant
Nobycane
Enthusiast - Level 2

I have been a FIOS subscriber & customer for 5+ years now...and I have the Ultimate Package without all those movies channels and such. And I must say I am growing ever so disappointed and frustrated with Verizon FIOS' package ordeal, pricing and channel deletions, etc.

My wife and I sent a half a day and went through all of our channels and came up with the following statistics:

TOTAL CHANNELS PAYING FOR:      329

Music Channels:                                    49

Total Analog (SD) Channels:                280

Total Digital (HD) Channels:                  86

Total (SD) Channels (Repeated):          50* 

* Same Channels from lower # to higher #

Total VOD Channels:                             33

Total Foriegn Language (or Dubbed) Channels: 62

--------------------------------------------------------------------

 

So my problem is this, I am spending like $100-110 for televison FIOS service a month and what I am getting?

 

50 out 329 channelsare repeated or double channels.... which is 15% 

 

62 out 329 channels are Spanish/Latino or dubbed into ....which is 19%

33 out 329 channels are VOD type .........................................  which is 10%

 

 

Therefore, 145 out of 329 (44%) channels I am paying for a month are completely WORTHLESS. I cannot fathom anymore in paying for channels that are completely irrelevelent and I cannot watch nor use. Especially, in the Spanish/Latino channels....no one in my household speak the language, so why on Earth should I have them, and pay for them???

Not to mention...50 channels that are the same, repeated on the higher channels when they are available on the lower end? Come on!?!

 

To be honest.... I feel I am getting ripped off anymore, they keep cancel channels, or taking channels away from the package I have and upgrading them to a higher package.

 

I am seriously considering canceling my subscription and going back to Comcast...and I will fight tooth and nail with any cancelation fees...because the data speaks for itself!!!!!!!!

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Re: Growing tired of paying for channels that are irrelevant
beetlejuice2
Specialist - Level 1

All cable providers have channels no one watches. If you dont find the Ultimate package worth it why not just downgrade to Extreme or Prime?

Also, good luck with the early termination fee. If you signed a contract you are responsible for it. You wont get out of it because of there being channels you dont like especially if people who move to locations where they cant take fios with them is charged the fee. The research on the channels should have been done before signing a contract.

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... paying for channels that are irrelevant - Change Your Plan, Mate
armond_in_nj1
Master - Level 1

Nobycane wrote: 

... 145 out of 329 (44%) channels I am paying for a month are completely WORTHLESS. I cannot fathom anymore in paying for channels that are completely irrelevelent [sic] ...


It would be more accurate to say that the channels in question are of no use to you, rather than to describe them as "worthless or "irrelevant."  Undoubtedly there are many viewers who who would dispute your claim.

If your complaint is that your ISP/TV provider does not offer "a la carte" TV viewing, I am afraid that you are in for a long wait until you get what it seems you desire.  In fact I'll go out on a limb and suggest that we will be well in to the second Chelsea Clinton administration before that happens.

If you don't like what you're paying for, change what you're paying for.

Re: Growing tired of paying for channels that are irrelevant
Nobycane
Enthusiast - Level 2

Thanks for the reply....however, I have lost about 25 channels that were part of my regular contact that now have been removed and designated in a different part of another package that is not available to me know... THEN, they added all these duplicated channels and spanish-speaking channels "AFTER" the contract is signed.

So my point, is I signed up for a specific package that I was satified with originally...and they changed stuff up dramatically on me 1/3 of the way into my contract ... this is something I did not want to occur. And now it is NOT the package we originally signed a contract for...

Therefore, I feel it is them who has broken my contract...and I should be let out at will without penalities or fees of anysort.

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Re: Growing tired of paying for channels that are irrelevant
walt178
Specialist - Level 3

@Nobycane wrote:

Thanks for the reply....however, I have lost about 25 channels that were part of my regular contact that now have been removed and designated in a different part of another package that is not available to me know... THEN, they added all these duplicated channels and spanish-speaking channels "AFTER" the contract is signed.

So my point, is I signed up for a specific package that I was satified with originally...and they changed stuff up dramatically on me 1/3 of the way into my contract ... this is something I did not want to occur. And now it is NOT the package we originally signed a contract for...

Therefore, I feel it is them who has broken my contract...and I should be let out at will without penalities or fees of anysort.


The TOS was available for review before you signed up.  It specifically states: "Verizon reserves the right to change any of the features, Content or applications of the Service at any time with or without notice to you."

 

Therefore Verizon did not break the contract.

Re: Growing tired of paying for channels that are irrelevant
beetlejuice2
Specialist - Level 1

walt is 100% correct. Sure sounds like soemone didnt read the tos.

I'm curious to what these "25" channels are. Could you list them?

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Re: Growing tired of paying for channels that are irrelevant
tns2
Community Leader
Community Leader

For what its worth none of the VOD channels are actually real channels and I don't think are ever included in Verizon's count of channels.

Most of the foreign channels etcs, you don't get and so aren't paying for.

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Re: Growing tired of paying for channels that are irrelevant
Notuserfriendly1
I agree with what you say about channels you do not want, but sometimes it is the package, is the package. I would be happy if I could delete or set to skip channels I do not want, ie Spanish, local with nothing on. I'm an old guy,but I ember when there was customer service and the ability to setup you up-down to skip channels. Now they do not want to miss the chance you may se some thing they could sell you. It's like milk and eggs in the back corner of the store, you have to go thru the store to get want you want. Do away with all these new marketing kids, quit trying to push me where you want me to go, just give me what I want. It's not always about the dollars, time is valuable, you spend many hours just trying to get to the channels you want.
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Re: Growing tired of paying for channels that are irrelevant
Justin46
Legend

@Notuserfriendly wrote:
I agree with what you say about channels you do not want, but sometimes it is the package, is the package. I would be happy if I could delete or set to skip channels I do not want, ie Spanish, local with nothing on. I'm an old guy,but I ember when there was customer service and the ability to setup you up-down to skip channels. Now they do not want to miss the chance you may se some thing they could sell you. It's like milk and eggs in the back corner of the store, you have to go thru the store to get want you want. Do away with all these new marketing kids, quit trying to push me where you want me to go, just give me what I want. It's not always about the dollars, time is valuable, you spend many hours just trying to get to the channels you want.

The Verizon solution, and the ONLY solution that will allow you to see only the channels you want to see, is to use a Favorites list. There is a Subscribed option, and others, that offer ways to limit what you see, but I guarantee any list created that way will include some channels you are not interested in.

Here is a link to a document I wrote several years ago that will provide some details on creating a Favorites list (and other potentially useful information):

http://forums.verizon.com/vrzn/attachments/vrzn/IMG19/1989/2/FiOS%20TV%20IMG%20Getting%20Started_201...

This document has not been updated for a while but nearly all of the information there is still correct. Hope it helps.

__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV: Extreme HD, Internet: 50/25, Digital Voice
VMS Enhanced Service: 1 server, 2 clients
Keller, TX 76248 (VHO 1)

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Re: ... paying for channels that are irrelevant - Change Your Plan, Mate
PJF310
Enthusiast - Level 2

@armond_in_nj wrote:

If you don't like what you're paying for, change what you're paying for.


unfortunetly that isnt always a option.

I have the Ultimate Package like the OP. I probably watch roughly 10% of all channels available. Why do I have the Ultimate Package?

Because some of the channels my family wants to watch is only on that package. So if I want a particular channel I'm stuck with 100 I dont want.

OP- Your pretty much stuck. I started shopping around with TW & DTV. They all do the same thing. For instance, if I wanted 2 sports channels that shows local Soccer I have to get DirecTV's $100 mo package just for those two channels.

Until these cable providers give an a la carte service or a company like Apple/Google pry the Networks away from cable and offer their own a la carte thru AppleTV/ChromeCast/Roku we are all screwed

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