Verizon Fios vs Cable Optimum

[TwingleMum]

My contract with verizon is up and cablevision is trying to get me back. I'm very tempted. what do you think??? I have 3 TVs that currently have boxes 1 DVR and 2 regular boxes. My verizon package is telephone, internet, and Fios TV for $137/month. That includes a showtime, starz movie package and 1 dvr box and 2 regular boxes. Cable is offering telephone, internet and optimim TV (which includes all the movies HBO, Cinemax, Sho, Starz, TMC,encore,sundance,Flix etc..) plus two regular boxes for 2 yrs. They will also give me a DVR free for 1 yr. after the year the DVR goes to 9.99/month. verizon charges 19.99/month for their dvr. All for 129 a month. This price is for 2 years no contract.

I called verizon to see if they would match the offer ( give me all the movies and a free DVR for a year) for $129/month. This is what verizon offered TV,Phone, Internet plus HBO movie pkg free for 3 months for $136.95/month WHAT????? HBO only for 3months vs 2 yrs at cable. I already pay $137/month. So you are basically offering me $1 month off.

Is it me?? Verizon had an attitude that they are far superior to cablevision Optiumum online so they don't need to match prices. Is it me?? Am I missing something??

What would you do?????

 

[dakcp2001]

WHichever you choose, be sure to ask the new company about activation & installation fees, and be sure to ask for your total monthy cost WITH ALL TAXES AND FEES. Make sure your new cable provider has all the same channels, there may be some missing. I would also be sure how long your contract is and how much it costsw to break it if you move or need to change/disconnect for any reason.

I think since FIOS is new and there is a huge demand for it, they know if you leave you will have inferior internet. No one offers the bandwith & speed of fios, at least in my area. I am not super picky with TV , but we def are with internet we have tried them all.

 

[TwingleMum]

Good points. The prices I was quoted were plus tax. I'll need to ask about activation fees but it should be minimal because I had cable so they just need to go to pole. And they aer super motivated so I might be able to negotiate that.

 

[javaj]

Fios isn't available in our area but I have co-workers who swear by it. They say the internet connection is unbeatable, and their tv service is good but not what keeps them. Internet is very important to me, since I work mostly from home, so if I would probably pay the extra cost for Fios if I had a choice.

I think you have to decide how important the Internet superiority is to you.

 

[TwingleMum]

I have Verizon and the internet has slowed significantly from when I first became a verizon customer. So their internet isn't that great. I've had it for 2 yrs or more. I probably would stay with verizon if they gave me all the movies (HBO,SHO,STARZ, TMC,Encore, Flix, Cinemax etc) for the price cable is asking. Its about a $30/month value. I just wanted them to match cables offer. But they won't so I think I'm changing.

 

[JessicaR]

I'm back with Cable and happy. No cancel fees if I decide to leave again. No more missing out on my local News 12 program. Verizon in my case was only good at back talk that never became tangible. They talked the talk and didn't walk the walk. I feel like I know whatI have and what I'm getting with able. no hidden fees. Plus - Cable offered me my DVR boxes free for a year - thank you very much.

 

[luvmy3]

I'm back with Cable and happy. No cancel fees if I decide to leave again. No more missing out on my local News 12 program. Verizon in my case was only good at back talk that never became tangible. They talked the talk and didn't walk the walk. I feel like I know whatI have and what I'm getting with able. no hidden fees. Plus - Cable offered me my DVR boxes free for a year - thank you very much.

We switched from Optimum to FiOS and I sooooo miss my channnel 12 news and weather too. Other than that we are very happy with Verizon. We had alot of problems with Optimum which is why we swirched as soon as FiOS was available. They call me almost everyday with an offer to come back and they even came to my house on a Sunday at dinner time I hate companies that seem that desperate for business, they could offer me free service for a year and out of general principal I wouldn't go back.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Is it me?? Verizon had an attitude that they are far superior to cablevision Optiumum online so they don't need to match prices. Is it me?? Am I missing something??

What would you do?????

I would decide how important HGTV and Food Network (and any other Scripps channels) are to me, and base my decision accordingly. These channels are currently not available on Cablevision (don't know if they are on FiOs or not).

I can't see Verizon's "excuse". Not being able to meet the price because, they're sorry, they just can't do that - fine. But "we're better so we don't have to match the other guy's rate"? Please.

 

[JerseyJanice]

We have Cablevision Optimum at work for internet and phone, and I have Verizon Fios at home for phone, internet and TV.

Hands-down, the quality and speed of Fios service beats Cablevision. I see the difference every day; Fios is ahead of Cablevision's technology.

My contract with Fios was up last fall, and they offered me $109 guaranteed for two years even though I can get out of the contract after one year. The $109 gives me Fios phone, internet and TV with Showtime and The Movie Channel. Each TV in the house costs around $5.00 each per month with the box and remote rental.

 

[FireDancer]

I would decide how important HGTV and Food Network (and any other Scripps channels) are to me, and base my decision accordingly. These channels are currently not available on Cablevision (don't know if they are on FiOs or not).

I'm almost certain that dispute has been settled.

If I were in a FIOS area that would be my choice of television and Internet provider hands down. I am in the technology sector and it is very rare I hear anything bad about FIOS other then dealing with Verizon customer service. Just for the heck of it I did a configuration for my old place in Clearwater and for a better price then I pay now for DSL and DirecTv I would have 10x the speed and every channel I care about.

In the end the most important thing to do is configure both as you would want it and then compare. One company might offer all the channels you care about in a lower tier then the other. If that is the case you can save by trading down.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would decide how important HGTV and Food Network (and any other Scripps channels) are to me, and base my decision accordingly. These channels are currently not available on Cablevision (don't know if they are on FiOs or not).

.

Those channels have been back for a week or two now. I attempted FIOS and I found the internet was SOOO much slower than optimum. I have the silver package with optimum, 3 boxes and remotes, internet, DVR, and 2 seperate phone lines for 176.00 a month

 

[bicker]

My contract with verizon is up and cablevision is trying to get me back. I'm very tempted. ... Is it me?? Verizon had an attitude that they are far superior to cablevision Optiumum online so they don't need to match prices. Is it me?? Am I missing something??

What would you do?????

A few notes. First, this is all business -- don't take anything any of these companies do personally. They're all operating in accordance with the best interests of their owners, as it should be.

So essentially, don't think of anything you're hearing as "attitude". That simply is not the case. It's simply the expression of pricing strategy based on a very clear understanding of consumers in general, and the recognition that there is no way to craft special exceptions for each and every subscriber without other consumers grievously exploiting such a system.

The reality that they're having to factor in is that a large percentage of subscribers who threaten to switch -- folks who claim they're getting a better deal offered to them from a competitor -- are just trying to work the system. They cannot know that that is not the case with you, and so they can only operate based on their understanding of typical consumer behavior.

Also, note that the reality of what is offered by the various companies varies: FiOS does offer things that Cablevision doesn't, even though you personal may not appreciate those things. I'm sure there are things that Cablevision offers that FiOS doesn't, too -- the pricing represents the averaging of those things, and factoring in the general reluctance of consumers to make a change.

That last point is important: A customer who really wants to pay the very least amount of money should bounce back and forth between suppliers. Suppliers will give you a better deal when you switch (as long as you haven't been a customer recently -- that's a reflection of yet-another bit of consumer exploitation). If you're willing to deal with the annoyance of switching -- taking time off to have the installer in, and making the effort of restructuring your DVR arrangements (perhaps) -- then you will gain some small amount of financial benefit from doing so.

And again, the reason for that is because most folks consider going through a switch to be a cost to them, in itself, and will therefore be willing to pay their current provider a little more money to avoid that.

Now, with regard to what I know about the various providers: FiOS TV is better than Cablevision TV in most (but perhaps not all) areas. The aspects of "better" include number of HD channels, average picture quality and reliability, etc. Note that these advantages may not be anything you care about, and may not even be applicable to your service. However, again, the "average" and "typical" drives the market.

FiOS Internet is better than Cablevision Optimium Online Internet, in just about every case I've seen. I do know that there are some comparisons out there between Verizon DSL and Cablevision Optimium Online, that people think pertain to FiOS. That's simply not the case. DSL, in a word, sucks. FiOS Internet is almost always the best value for the money, with the best performance and reliability of all the available options. While FiOS TV may not be best for everyone, whenever I've been provided enough information to really analyze a specific person's situation, I've always found that FiOS Internet is the best option for all by the lightest Internet users.

(I've got more to say about this, but I have a funny feeling that a lot of it will be best presented in response to later replies in your thread.)

 

[Kies99]

A buddy of mine switched from Comcast to Fios. He switched back within 2 weeks. He said the HD quality on Fios was nowhere near as good as on Comcast.

He's a techie (50+ inch size TV, all the newest gadgets, etc...) so I trust his judgement when it comes to all things technology.

 

[bicker]

I have Verizon and the internet has slowed significantly from when I first became a verizon customer. So their internet isn't that great.

You didn't indicate which Internet service you have from Verizon. They have two completely different services. DSL is exactly as you've described: As more subscribers are added, the throughput speed decreases. The OP, however, is talking about FiOS, which is a completely different service. So far, I've read no reports that FiOS Internet "slowing down" for any of their subscribers, when measured from the ONT. There is so much bandwidth available that it simply not likely to occur.

For more details on relative speed metrics, consult dslreports.com.

One thing that can cause a slow-down in speed, with any Internet service, is wireless congestion. If you are accessing the Internet via wireless, note that every time a neighbor installs a new wireless router, set to any of the five wireless channels surrounding the channel your router is set to, you're now subjected to collisions on the frequency. The effect can be substantial, especially after the third or fourth neighbor gets a router. I had some significant improvement after switching from channel 6 to channel 11 (I think those are the numbers), because I was able to detect that most of my neighbors were using the middle range of channels. However, eventually more folks will get the hint, and will switch the channel of their router, and the advantage will be muted.

 

[bicker]

A buddy of mine switched from Comcast to Fios. He switched back within 2 weeks. He said the HD quality on Fios was nowhere near as good as on Comcast.

He's a techie (50+ inch size TV, all the newest gadgets, etc...) so I trust his judgement when it comes to all things technology.

Again, I wouldn't assume that that's the case everywhere -- or even in many places. It is the case here, in Burlington, by the way. Here, Comcast TV is as good, if not just a little bit better than FiOS TV. However, we are, as I've said, very rare in that respect.

What I do know, though, is if your techie friend found that FiOS TV was "nowhere near as good" as Comcast TV, then someone did something wrong. The worst-case would be the Comcast would be a little better than FiOS TV. A big difference means that something wasn't connected or configured correctly. Folks even more techie-inclined than your friend could have probably helped your techie friend diagnose and fix the problem (or realize that it was an apples and oranges thing -- I had something like that: I was comparing HBO2HD on FiOS TV to HBOHD on Comcast TV. HBO2HD isn't even available on Comcast TV here, and is, deliberately, a lower res HD channel on FiOS. If you want the best HD PQ on HBO, then stick with HBOHD. Comparing HBOHD on Comcast versus FiOS, there is really no significant difference.)