Need Cable/Internet/Phone Advice, please!

[SSDonut]

Just got our Comcast bill--$179!!

Looks like our 2-year deal is up. . .actually I think we've always been overspending given our usage patterns, but I just didn't want to deal with it, or deal with changing it. . .just didn't want to deal. . .

But $179/month is gonna make me buck up (how's that for a pun?! ) and DO something.

I'm very uneducated when it comes to this stuff, though. . .

Do I get a verizon Fios package and at least save some $$$ for a few years again? Do I go a whole different route and get the services separately? I guess I'd rather not be bothered with 3 separate services/bills, but if it would save significant $$$, I'd do it. . .

Here's some info for you--if you have any thoughts/advice/experience, and could share, I'd really appreciate it!

Phone--we barely use the phone, maybe 2 or 3 long distance calls a month (tops), but that's it. (DH and I have cell phones that are super basic and we really only have for emergencies--we pay $50/month for both, TMobile)

Internet--use it a fair amount--I use it for work from home 2 days a week and we all surf the web and check e-mail, pretty much everyday. We do all this on our (also outdated) desktop.

TV--we have an HDTV in living room that is the most used. We also have 2 other (non-HD) TVs, one in the family room and one in the bedroom. I really think we watch more movies (that we own or Netflix) then we do the cable, but DH Must have TCM and I'd like to be able to watch the Phillies. We've never had DVR or TIVO or anything like that. Kids watch On Demand sometimes, but they don't need it!!

Please let me know what you have done to conquer this beast!!!!


THANKS!

 

[hoosiermama]

I would love to know what you end up with. Our cable/phone/internet is also with Comcast. We were paying $179 and I called to see if I could get it lower by reducing some of the channels, etc. Well the nice lady on the phone tells me she can upgrade the channels we are getting and reduce our bill by $25. What?? I wanted to ask her why on earth they just don't do that instead of me having to call and waste her time. I took it, but it's been about 6 plus months so I think I'll be calling again. They are currently running some good promos.

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

I'm glad you posted this.......I was actually going to call Comcast this week to get the phone/internet/cable deal. I know it's a good deal for awhile, but after the promo time is up

 

[palavra]

I'm finding that to be the problem with all of the so called "deals" out there. I've been calling around looking for cheaper t.v. service. Dish Network offered me a good deal for one year, but here's the kicker. You have to sign a 2 year agreement. So, your price goes up substantially the second year.

I did find a couple of decent deals, but they aren't offered in my area

 

[mjkacmom]

Just call them up, and let them know you will be switching to Verizon if they don't meet the price - they'll most likely meet the price, and back-date it. I do this with Verizon every 2 years, and they always give me their current promotion.

 

[palavra]

Just call them up, and let them know you will be switching to Verizon if they don't meet the price - they'll most likely meet the price, and back-date it. I do this with Verizon every 2 years, and they always give me their current promotion.

That may or may not work. Both my husband and I recently called Directv and told them we would be switching, and they basically told both of us, "Sorry, there's nothing we can do."

 

[Nayan]

Many of the phone/internet/cable companies are not giving discounts as deep as before and some are not giving any. My bill just came and it was almost $185 so I feel your pain! If you switch to someone else, make sure you read all of the fine print before doing so! Otherwise it could be a costly mistake.

 

[mgroshans]

I don't know about all the deals, but this is what DH just did yesterday with comcast. We only have them for t.v- he called asked if there was any deals they were offering for the same package we have- told them we were looking to reduce our monthly bill- she said, let me look. She came back on the line and said: "I can offer you $20 off a month for 6 months". I'm not sure what the deal is, but we're getting the same channels. Sometimes you just have to call and ask that question and not threaten to cut your service or switch. Grant it, we don't have the premium package, just digital starter with HD.
Good luck.

 

[disneydreamersx4]

We just signed up for Directv.....for the first year we pay $45 a month then it is supposed to go up by another $26 the second year. We have one DVR box which we love! The first 3 months you get Starz free. Then we got a bundle plan for phone/internet with Century Link. $45 for phone with nationwide long distance and $19.99 for internet. Then there are a bunch of fees like taxes and surcharges which add up to about $20 per month! So for tv/interent/phone we pay $130. Check to see if the AAA discount is still available.....you get $10 off for 20 months.

 

[tjs198]

Just got our Comcast bill--$179!!

Looks like our 2-year deal is up. . .actually I think we've always been overspending given our usage patterns, but I just didn't want to deal with it, or deal with changing it. . .just didn't want to deal. . .

But $179/month is gonna make me buck up (how's that for a pun?! ) and DO something.

I'm very uneducated when it comes to this stuff, though. . .

Do I get a verizon Fios package and at least save some $$$ for a few years again? Do I go a whole different route and get the services separately? I guess I'd rather not be bothered with 3 separate services/bills, but if it would save significant $$$, I'd do it. . .

Here's some info for you--if you have any thoughts/advice/experience, and could share, I'd really appreciate it!

Phone--we barely use the phone, maybe 2 or 3 long distance calls a month (tops), but that's it. (DH and I have cell phones that are super basic and we really only have for emergencies--we pay $50/month for both, TMobile)

Internet--use it a fair amount--I use it for work from home 2 days a week and we all surf the web and check e-mail, pretty much everyday. We do all this on our (also outdated) desktop.

TV--we have an HDTV in living room that is the most used. We also have 2 other (non-HD) TVs, one in the family room and one in the bedroom. I really think we watch more movies (that we own or Netflix) then we do the cable, but DH Must have TCM and I'd like to be able to watch the Phillies. We've never had DVR or TIVO or anything like that. Kids watch On Demand sometimes, but they don't need it!!

Please let me know what you have done to conquer this beast!!!!


THANKS!

Have you tried Ooma - check it out - it's an VOIP phone ($180-200) but there are no monthly bills ever. I've been using it for a year with no problems at all - I love it. Some good reading here: http://www.mymoneyblog.com/archives/2009/12/ooma-voip-phone-with-no-monthly-fees-your-thoughts.html

this will eliminate the phone portion of your bill to help bring it down.

For the cable & internet - I usually just call comcast every 6 months to a year and give them a sob story, loss of income etc, and i need to get my bill down - they've always been able to add a special promotion or something to keep me around $100/month. you don't even need to call them anymore either, you can log into your account and do a chat session. pretty easy.

good luck.