ADVERTISEMENT

OT: Just cut cable service to Comcast

Richard the LIONhearted

Richard the LIONhearted

Well-Known Member
May 29, 2001
15,667
3,288
1
My dear friends at Comcast hit my family with a $25.00 per month increase for cable services. We promptly cancelled our cable service.

I bought an HD antenna for $13 and I have an Apple TV, keeping Comcast internet service. No idea how I am going to watch CFB now on Saturdays but I have 8 months to figure it out!
 
  • Like
Reactions: brupsu, 91Joe95, Sproul and 1 other person
Richard the LIONhearted said:
My dear friends at Comcast hit my family with a $25.00 per month increase for cable services. We promptly cancelled our cable service.

I bought an HD antenna for $13 and I have an Apple TV, keeping Comcast internet service. No idea how I am going to watch CFB now on Saturdays but I have 8 months to figure it out!
Click to expand...
Is your Apple TV jailbroken?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Richard the LIONhearted
I have slingtv. It works, but it's not the HD experience you're probably used to. Some areas get locals. I use it in concert with my chromecast.
 
Also, one other thing to add:

If you do Sling TV, PS Vue, Chromecast, Roku, or any other streaming option: Please, please, please do yourself a favor and buy a good wireless router. Sure, you can one for $50 at Walmart....but your experience will be so much better if you get a truly good router like the Nighthawk series. They're expensive, but so much better for multiple connected devices (smartphones, streaming devices, printers, etc).

I'd personally recommend the tri-band Nighthawk if you can spring for it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PSU_Nut and Richard the LIONhearted
I use AT&T and love the cable service. But they sent me a bill that was almost double the previous month. (I use a monitoring service named Finovera). I called them and they said my introductory offer was over. I told them to cancel my service and offer me the new introductory offer. They said they couldn't do that. I said Comcast and Wowway had a nice introductory offer. They finally complied. But I've had it with Cable....they are old news, no it and are trying to squeeze all they can.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 91Joe95 and Richard the LIONhearted
Thanks. A few people I work with have roku with sling and rave about it.

The biggest complaint I have it, nobody has a package where u can pick your stations you watch. I mean I have to pay for 200 stations I never watch to get BTN.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BocaLion
I have FIOS, and have had it since it first came out. Our area got wired for it very early in the Verizon expansion. But they try the same stuff, and a year ago I "switched" to Comcast. Didn't like Comcast as I had 2 channel outages in 2 weeks, versus 10 years of FIOS with not one outage. I canceled within my 30 day guarantee and switched back to Verizon, which since I was a new customer gave me a much better price.

So you could switch to FIOS if that is an option. But even if FIOS is not an option, since you have canceled Comcast, you could likely negotiate a nice rate with them before next Fall as a "new" customer.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 91Joe95 and Richard the LIONhearted
Playstation Vue just for football season and you are golden. I did it this year and worked perfectly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zenophile
GregInPitt said:
I have FIOS, and have had it since it first came out. Our area got wired for it very early in the Verizon expansion. But they try the same stuff, and a year ago I "switched" to Comcast. Didn't like Comcast as I had 2 channel outages in 2 weeks, versus 10 years of FIOS with not one outage. I canceled within my 30 day guarantee and switched back to Verizon, which since I was a new customer gave me a much better price.

So you could switch to FIOS if that is an option. But since you have canceled Comcast, you could likely negotiate a nice rate with them before next Fall as a "new" customer.
Click to expand...

FIOS is great if you live in an area that already has it. If you don't though, you're not getting it.

As an FYI, the State College area, or Centre County for that matter, does not have it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Richard the LIONhearted
ThePennsyOracle said:
Also, one other thing to add:

If you do Sling TV, PS Vue, Chromecast, Roku, or any other streaming option: Please, please, please do yourself a favor and buy a good wireless router. Sure, you can one for $50 at Walmart....but your experience will be so much better if you get a truly good router like the Nighthawk series. They're expensive, but so much better for multiple connected devices (smartphones, streaming devices, printers, etc).

I'd personally recommend the tri-band Nighthawk if you can spring for it.
Click to expand...
Amazes me that people cheap out on the most used electronic in the house. Then they complain of slow speed and poor signal levels.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ThePennsyOracle
PSU_Nut said:
Amazes me that people cheap out on the most used electronic in the house. Then they complain of slow speed and poor signal levels.
Click to expand...

Ditto.

$50 routers can't handle today's world efficiently (smartphones, laptops, tablets, streaming devices, etc. all connected at the same time).
 
PennStateNate said:
Very close doing this myself with DTV. Prices are absurd.

Have you tried sling TV?
Click to expand...
I have tried Sling and PlayStation Vue. Sling was the worst of the two. What to me is lacking is neither is a true cable replacement inmho. Sure you can stream channels but I want to be able to change or flip through channels with ease. Both take time to buffer and load up when changing channels. This is on a top of the line router and a 250mb service. This would get very annoying when flipping between games.
 
ThePennsyOracle said:
FIOS is great if you live in an area that already has it. If you don't though, you're not getting it.As an FYI, the State College area, or Centre County for that matter, does not have it.
Click to expand...

FIOS is great, but as a former 10 year customer, price hikes force you to other options as the OP realized when he cancelled comcast.

DVR service on 3 tvs, the 150 internet service and the bundled phone which delivered nothing but spam calls was $200/month after we maxed out on discounts offered.
BTW, when we called to cancel the tv/phone and keep the internet, VZ made no attempt to change our mind.
Naked internet of 150/150 is $60 per month with VZ Fios. Keep that great deal in mind if you need internet but not TV through VZ.
 
I thought Verizon had a deal with home phone, internet was 34.99/month.. 3 MBps download speed, 9 email accounts, hotspot access
 
PennStateNate said:
I thought Verizon had a deal with home phone, internet was 34.99/month.. 3 MBps download speed, 9 email accounts, hotspot access
Click to expand...

Depending on where you live, Verizon is worthless. I had them and a new house was built and they went with Verizon. After they got hooked up I couldn't even load google.com! I called to see what my options were and they told me I couldn't upgrade or anything so I told them to close my account and they wondered why! I went with the local Metrocast and I pay $3 less a month than when I was with Verizon and I haven't had a problem.

I started with Sling, but switched to PS Vue because it had BTN. If I want to watch multiple games, I will use the watchESPN app if the game is on ESPN and you can flip between games real easy. Sling only lets you watch on 1 screen at a time. PS Vue lets you have up to 5 screens.
 
Richard the LIONhearted said:
My dear friends at Comcast hit my family with a $25.00 per month increase for cable services. We promptly cancelled our cable service.

I bought an HD antenna for $13 and I have an Apple TV, keeping Comcast internet service. No idea how I am going to watch CFB now on Saturdays but I have 8 months to figure it out!
Click to expand...

I have a friend who cut the cord and constantly sends me and his buddies updates on his work arounds and how he pieces together all these services and equipment to get about 80% of what he wants/needs. Of course, there are always issues with getting all the services/products to work seamlessly together. His DVR functionality isn't quite there yet either.

As much as I get wanting to cut the cord and save money, my reply to him is always the same. I tell him, "With all the work, time, and upfront money you are putting into getting the channels you want, wouldn't it be nice if there was a service out there that did it all for you? You know, a service that just bundled all the channels together with DVR in a seamless integrated package? I bet if some company offered that type of service, you'd pay a premium to avoid all the headaches you are having with this piecing it all together crap."

He always laughs at that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jp3272, Richard the LIONhearted, heckmans and 3 others
PSU95alum said:
I have a friend who cut the cord and constantly sends me and his buddies updates on his work arounds and how he pieces together all these services and equipment to get about 80% of what he wants/needs. Of course, there are always issues with getting all the services/products to work seamlessly together. His DVR functionality isn't quite there yet either.

As much as I get wanting to cut the cord and save money, my reply to him is always the same. I tell him, "With all the work, time, and upfront money you are putting into getting the channels you want, wouldn't it be nice if there was a service out there that did it all for you? You know, a service that just bundled all the channels together with DVR in a seamless integrated package? I bet if some company offered that type of service, you'd pay a premium to avoid all the headaches you are having with this piecing it all together crap."

He always laughs at that.
Click to expand...

You bring up very good points. Truthfully, for some, finding workarounds is a hobby. A thrill of the hunt type of thing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 91Joe95, Whaaaaaaaany and PSU95alum
PennStateNate said:
TMobile, costs me an extra 20/month.. Totally worth it on 2 lines.
Click to expand...

It's my understanding that TMobile tethering/WiFi hotspots are capped at 5GB/month, and even though data is unlimited, no video streams at HD quality.

If that's the case, you'd eat through 5GB tethering with a few hours of Netflix....or never get an HD picture.
 
PSU95alum said:
I have a friend who cut the cord and constantly sends me and his buddies updates on his work arounds and how he pieces together all these services and equipment to get about 80% of what he wants/needs. Of course, there are always issues with getting all the services/products to work seamlessly together. His DVR functionality isn't quite there yet either.

As much as I get wanting to cut the cord and save money, my reply to him is always the same. I tell him, "With all the work, time, and upfront money you are putting into getting the channels you want, wouldn't it be nice if there was a service out there that did it all for you? You know, a service that just bundled all the channels together with DVR in a seamless integrated package? I bet if some company offered that type of service, you'd pay a premium to avoid all the headaches you are having with this piecing it all together crap."

He always laughs at that.
Click to expand...
I agree the savings are not worth the hassles. Not having to teach the wife how to access what she wants is worth the extra money alone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nittany Ziggy, LionJim, Sharkies and 3 others
I cut Comcast about 6 months ago and haven't looked back. I kept their internet and now use Sling TV, Netflix and Amazon Prime. I pay Sling TV $45/month for the Orange/Blue package for almost every channel that Comcast gave me, including local ABC and NBC. I use a digital antenna for CBS. Sling gives me ESPN, ESPN2 and ACC Network. I have lived without Big Ten TV...I watch at a friend's house or a pub when I just can't get PSU.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Richard the LIONhearted
PSU95alum said:
I have a friend who cut the cord and constantly sends me and his buddies updates on his work arounds and how he pieces together all these services and equipment to get about 80% of what he wants/needs. Of course, there are always issues with getting all the services/products to work seamlessly together. His DVR functionality isn't quite there yet either.

As much as I get wanting to cut the cord and save money, my reply to him is always the same. I tell him, "With all the work, time, and upfront money you are putting into getting the channels you want, wouldn't it be nice if there was a service out there that did it all for you? You know, a service that just bundled all the channels together with DVR in a seamless integrated package? I bet if some company offered that type of service, you'd pay a premium to avoid all the headaches you are having with this piecing it all together crap."

He always laughs at that.
Click to expand...

I've looked into it (I've always had Dish or DirecTV), but for the price you can't tell me you are giving up a lot. It seems like a pain to get what you want and its all pieced together, when I can just sit there and get whatever I want instantly with Dish on any TV, and record whatever I want on 5 TVs. And it seems like I can't get every channel that we watch.

That being said, I'm playing with Roku a bit on a TV in the workout room where I didn't have a satellite feed. So we shall see. Right now, I'm at the point where I can see getting rid of Dish on a couple TVs, but that doesn't save me a whole lot of money. And I still need a good internet service. I think it would really work great for a single guy in an apartment who just wanted some basics, but not a whole house and family.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PSU95alum
Comcast sent out a list of charge increases with their December bill. However, if you get your bill via email or just have automatic payments set up, you probably didn't see it. The new prices are insane. I am extremely close to cutting the cord, but if you do that, you have no option but to get internet service from them at an inflated rate. DVR is the only thing making me hang on (for now), but Vue may change that if they ever get the local channels in my area. I'm hopeful... I could probably save $50 a month (or more) per month if they do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Richard the LIONhearted
I think it's interesting that the American consumer loses their shit over their cable bill but thnks nothing of dining out 10 times a month.

No matter what restaurant I walk into around here, it's always packed. I have family members who literally never cook a meal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gogolion, lobo lion and Creek Side
NJPSU said:
I think it's interesting that the American consumer loses their shit over their cable bill but thnks nothing of dining out 10 times a month.

No matter what restaurant I walk into around here, it's always packed. I have family members who literally never cook a meal.
Click to expand...
Or cell phone bills that are $200- $300 a month. And the only reason their cell bill isn't bigger is because they have an internet connection at home to connect to or it would be even higher.
 
Is cable really that bad?

Currently I have:
- Comcast internet - $84.00/month (which includes all taxes/fees)
- DirecTV - $120.00/month (which includes all taxes/fees)

I am basically stuck with Comcast for internet as there is no competition for high speed internet. I did, however, receive an e-mail from Comcast to bundle tv/cable/internet for $99.00/month (plus costs/taxes/etc..). So my options for TV are:
1. Negotiate with DirecTV to get them down significantly.
2. Switch to comcast bundle
3. Go with internet tv

For the $ savings, is cable really so terrible?
 
nitanee123 said:
Is cable really that bad?

Currently I have:
- Comcast internet - $84.00/month (which includes all taxes/fees)
- DirecTV - $120.00/month (which includes all taxes/fees)

I am basically stuck with Comcast for internet as there is no competition for high speed internet. I did, however, receive an e-mail from Comcast to bundle tv/cable/internet for $99.00/month (plus costs/taxes/etc..). So my options for TV are:
1. Negotiate with DirecTV to get them down significantly.
2. Switch to comcast bundle
3. Go with internet tv

For the $ savings, is cable really so terrible?
Click to expand...
It depends. I don't watch a ton of it, but virtually everything my family watches is off the DVR. Because of this, the only alternative I have is Vue. I don't think that $160 for my TV and internet is too bad of a deal in a vacuum, but knowing that I could be paying just around $110 instead and get 90% of what I get now (that I watch) is tempting. But that 10% is local channels that is really important to my wife. So yeah....
 
nitanee123 said:
Is cable really that bad?

Currently I have:
- Comcast internet - $84.00/month (which includes all taxes/fees)
- DirecTV - $120.00/month (which includes all taxes/fees)

I am basically stuck with Comcast for internet as there is no competition for high speed internet. I did, however, receive an e-mail from Comcast to bundle tv/cable/internet for $99.00/month (plus costs/taxes/etc..). So my options for TV are:
1. Negotiate with DirecTV to get them down significantly.
2. Switch to comcast bundle
3. Go with internet tv

For the $ savings, is cable really so terrible?
Click to expand...

As an anecdote, I was faced with a similar situation about a year ago.

I've always been a DirecTV guy, but switched to Comcast (planned to be for at least 1 year) at one point because of a cheap bundle. After about 3-4 months of crappy service, outages, and glitched UI, I canceled Comcast TV service and went back to DirecTV.

Fast forward a couple of years, and my 3 years of DirecTV promos run out (I signed up through AAA and at the time, it was an extra $10 off for 36 months). My bill naturally skyrocketed and once PS Vue came on, I did the homework necessary to switch to it or another online streaming option. Was all ready to do it because I was paying over $90/month for one DirecTV DVR/receiver and called to cancel.

The retention rep knocked my bill down to....$28 per month for 3 months....and $38 for months 4-12....as long as I kept my service active. Same package, same channels, same DVR, same everything. So, I took it knowing I wasn't going to get a better deal.

Once that promo runs out in a few months, I'll do the same dance again and see what happens. I have all of my equipment ready to go to PS Vue if needed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 91Joe95, Richard the LIONhearted and Obliviax
nitanee123 said:
Is cable really that bad?

Currently I have:
- Comcast internet - $84.00/month (which includes all taxes/fees)
- DirecTV - $120.00/month (which includes all taxes/fees)

I am basically stuck with Comcast for internet as there is no competition for high speed internet. I did, however, receive an e-mail from Comcast to bundle tv/cable/internet for $99.00/month (plus costs/taxes/etc..). So my options for TV are:
1. Negotiate with DirecTV to get them down significantly.
2. Switch to comcast bundle
3. Go with internet tv

For the $ savings, is cable really so terrible?
Click to expand...

These are great points...it isn't the budgetable costs, but the predatory tactics. These guys, like insurance companies (or people defrauding elders), slowly increase your bill and seeing if you are paying attention. If you are not, suddenly the bill goes up between 50% and 150%.

I have three main providers: Comcast, AT&T and Wowway. I play them off of eachother.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 91Joe95 and Richard the LIONhearted
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

2lion70

Text messages being sent to blacks (especially kids)

Replies
4
Views
1K
Current Events Board
2lion70
2lion70
Obliviax

ESPN, Disney, Fox announce new sports streaming service

Replies
19
Views
2K
Penn State Football
heckmans
heckmans
Ten Thousan Marbles

More banging to ignore.......

Replies
189
Views
4K
Current Events Board
Ten Thousan Marbles
Ten Thousan Marbles
N&B4PSU

I'm the luckiest mfing man in the world

Replies
39
Views
3K
Penn State Football
N&B4PSU
N&B4PSU
Ctel12592

OT: I cancelled cable yesterday, what streaming service should I get?

Replies
49
Views
2K
The Lions Den
Ephrata Lion
E
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT
Top Bottom
Back