[xusafpilot]

Just put up a rooftop antenna. A small 28 inch Yaggi antenna aimed at Black Mountain will bring in all the local channels. I use COX only for internet access. I dumped their antiquated DVR's years ago.

[ragabnh]

Same here roof top antenna at a cost of $400 by Mr. Antenna. I get all the networks, PBS and some other channels (total 55). I have Cox Internet and phone and I use Roku streaming device and $20 subscription to Sling to get basic package (50 channels or so) that include ESPN, Cnn and others. All works perfect. Total Monthly cost for Internet (50 MBS) Phone and Sling subscription is $120

[NoMoreRJ]

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

One good way to hedge against increasing cable bills is to invest in cable companies. While Cox is a private company (owning family worth billions), there are some public cable companies such as Comcast.

So, just invest some of your retirement assets in the stock of Comcast.

I would not normally provide investment advice or take it from the forums but yes cable companies offer a decent option. I would look at centurylink instead. They are cheap now and if the merger goes through it will be even better. ALso they have a high dividend which old retirees should like.

But an even better bet is the wireless providers like verizon tmobile spring and att. Verizon and ATT provide a very good dividend. Also, everyone is moving towards surfing more and more on their mobile and people go without home phone/ tvs which comcast/centurylink provides but everyone pays one of the 4 wireless providers for their cells. Heard of cord cutting but not wireless service cutting. In 10+ years everyone is surfing on their 6G LTE from their mobile and bio connected devices on their wrist, eyeballs and such.

[oeccscclhjhn]

What you pay cox for your tv could very well be like asking the person you're sitting next to on a flight, how much did you pay?

We've had them since 2004 and most times have called them on their price increases. Many times they give me a discount so my bill stays the same (which expires in a year (the discound), so you either remind yourself, or keep an eye on how much you pay).

We also cut down the the channels - they have lower rates for less channels. Since I don't watch tv anymore, at all, it's not hard to figure out what needs to go.

[orca17]

Originally Posted by oeccscclhjhn

What you pay cox for your tv could very well be like asking the person you're sitting next to on a flight, how much did you pay?

We've had them since 2004 and most times have called them on their price increases. Many times they give me a discount so my bill stays the same (which expires in a year (the discound), so you either remind yourself, or keep an eye on how much you pay).

This kind of gamesmanship drives me nuts. I go through this every year with Sirius/XM Radio. They will send me a renewal notice for about $200 for the next year, I will call them up and tell them that I want to cancel because it's too much, and they will cut my rate by more than half. Just give me the correct price to begin with and stop all the shenanigans.

[WVREDLEG]

Originally Posted by WVREDLEG

DirecTV ($80) and Cox Internet ($55)--$135/month.

DirecTV 2 yr agreement. Got NFL Sunday Ticket (one season) and a $100 Visa card too. Local channels included. There are much cheaper DirecTV rates--I just wanted all the sports channels.

I could not find a Cox bundle, even a promo rate, that seemed worth the money. Their TV is outrageous. While we were renting, we had Dish--it was a joke compared to DirecTV.

I don't know if I can negotiate sustaining the promo rates when they expire--of course I will try.

Thought I'd follow up on this older thread about TV service. I called DirecTV today and received a non-contract rate on the same package I got as a promo 2 years ago. My monthly payment actually went down $7 with all fees and taxes included ($72). I called the customer service line and told the robot I was canceling service, which connected me within 3 minutes with a live guy. I told him the package rate was too much ($140) without promo discounts and I was going to add TV to my Cox Internet service. He asked me what kind of rate I could afford and I said "the one I am paying now"--negotiation complete.

Now my Cox Internet is $75 after increasing in price 2x in less than 2 years, not to mention data caps and vanishing plans that lead you to a new crappy lower plan or a pricey step up. At least DirecTV seems interested in keeping customers.

My internet research advised to call customer service and request cancellation of service to get to the right person--stressed not to ask for renewal rates or options through the normal menu options. BTW, the promos I saw on the DTV website were much better than 2 years ago--for new customers.

[Michael2016]

We have a ROKU device and a HULU subscription. https://www.hulu.com
No contracts, big library, many channels, recording option, half the price.
With a roku device, you can also get direct tv now:
https://www.directvnow.com for 35$. No contracts.

[Cold Warrior]

Originally Posted by Michael2016

We have a ROKU device and a HULU subscription. https://www.hulu.com
No contracts, big library, many channels, recording option, half the price.
With a roku device, you can also get direct tv now:
https://www.directvnow.com for 35$. No contracts.

ROKU recording option?

[movin1]

We had XFINITY in Florida, really liked the HD-DVR and the remote control, I could operate it in a dark room.

Got DTV here because folks said Cox hardware is out of date. Hate the DTV user interface and the remote is awful.

Our son got Cox here and has the same hardware we had with XFINITY, wish I had known sooner.

Pretty sure when our DTV contract is up and they start messing with our rate, we'll be switching to Cox or cutting the cord with ROKU or whatever is the best technology at that time.

[Michael2016]

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior

ROKU recording option?

Hulu has 50 hours VDR included and you can upgrade to 200 hours.
https://help.hulu.com/en-us/what-is-cloud-dvr
ROKU is just the device you put in your TV to receive the channels (instead of having a cable or a dish).
ROKU works over internet and with many apps like Netflix, Hulu, DirectTV, HBO and 100s others.

You can cut your costs significant down, no contracts, and you can just get those channels you really want.
I would never sign a long term contract for anything if you can get most of the stuff without contract and with super VDR options. There is also youtubetv and others. All have different channels but all have free trials so just watch for a week and if you dont like it, try the next provider for free. After testing many of them, I find youtubeTV, DirectTVNow (no DVR) and Hulu the best. I did not like SLING.