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Old 12-04-2009, 03:42 AM
 
Location: Cinco Dinero
967 posts, read 2,595,567 times
Reputation: 1353

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Quote:
Originally Posted by mohshaker View Post
I am supposed to close tomorrow Friday DEC-04-2009 and it just showed up on Hud preview 888 bundle and we start asking about it and we found same thing saying its mandatory. NOW its ILLEGAL 100% to such monopoloy. I called COMCAST and and spoke with service rep and he confirmed customers are switching to comcast. The seller did not disclose the information to me, but if they insist on that i will cancel the deal and i am going to court. when they see someone going to court they will back up because its a lost battle for them. I was so pissed to hear this simply i do not watch cable and i do not need security ? they have no right to force it on us. but i will keep you posted tomorrow how the battle will go.....
Wow! You are just finding out about this now? Did you have a Realtor? Did you do any research on your own about this community?

All Land Tejas Communities (Westheimer Lakes, Canyon Gate, etc...) advertise the "bundled services" in their communities. They bundle the services and include them in your fees. You agree to it when you move in, just like you agree to your HOA dues and restrictions. When we were house hunting we checked out Westheimer Lakes, and found out about "bundling" *day one* in the glossy sales brochures. When we asked questions, the new home sales counselor was forthcoming. Heck, in the Sunday "Hot on Homes" episodes, they used to happily "advertise" that your services were bundled with Entouch for "one low fee."

Some people don't mind... some people like the convienence... Some people crunch numbers and decide that a house in WLN is right for them and the cost of adding Direct TV is a small price to pay. Did you look at Cinco Ranch? No mandatory Entouch in Cinco, but I bet you liked the house prices better in WLN. It's all about doing your research and making the best choice for your family. I wouldn't like paying the bundled Entouch services either, because they don't fit my family's needs, but if I lived there I would deal with it.

Do you choose not to pay the HOA fees just because you don't like to swim at the pool?

Good luck in either case. I know if I were the seller, I would be pretty ticked if we made all the way up to the date of closing, and you wanted to back out of the *contract* because you just now realized you have a bundled cable provider.

Last edited by descovy; 12-04-2009 at 03:56 AM..

 
Old 12-04-2009, 08:30 AM
 
Location: Fulshear
1,326 posts, read 3,431,698 times
Reputation: 1184
Quote:
Originally Posted by lane_change View Post
We just received our bill for Entouch and for what I assume is the HOA...total of $1600 or something. I am with you, I cannot stand that Entouch is a mandatory fee but we were made aware of this before we ever signed. It was truly one of tough decisions about deciding to move into this community, but when we asked about the mandatory part, we were informed that there was no choice but to pay that bill, it is just like the HOA where everyone must pay their share, or Entouch cannot offer their prices to everyone. If you get out of having to pay it, please share your experience, because I am all for not paying for this crap. I would rather have Comcast for internet and Satellite for TV. Right now I am paying for both Dish Network and for Entouch.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rubynicholson77056 View Post
Maybe it's something we as residents can petition against. I too just received my bill...it's $1200 because of a credit we received for paying for the entire year when we closed. I think the amounts have gone up since then...HOA and Entouch bulk services. I could have sworn HOA fees were $650 last year...IDK...but when you factor in the $888 we pay upfront for Entouch and the additional $150 we pay a month for other services, we're paying $224 a month for phone, internet, alarm and cable (and that's not with every premium channel, just HBO). It's ridiculous!
I just received the same bill for $1600+ as well.
We just moved in late July, so I guess I'm a little confused as to what the bill is actually for.
Is it the HOA fee, Entouch fee, or both?
$1600+ seems way too high for just Entouch.
We were told by the sales person that the fee for Entouch breaks down to about $60+ each month.
And what is this other form about setting up an online payment plan with all these surcharges included?
I too am paying for service that I am not even using.
We should not be forced into paying just one company.
Maybe we can get a petition going or something to challenge this monopoly.
 
Old 12-04-2009, 08:45 AM
 
354 posts, read 2,424,003 times
Reputation: 255
Quote:
Originally Posted by RVD26 View Post
I just received the same bill for $1600+ as well.
We just moved in late July, so I guess I'm a little confused as to what the bill is actually for.
Is it the HOA fee, Entouch fee, or both?
$1600+ seems way too high for just Entouch.
We were told by the sales person that the fee for Entouch breaks down to about $60+ each month.
And what is this other form about setting up an online payment plan with all these surcharges included?
I too am paying for service that I am not even using.
We should not be forced into paying just one company.
Maybe we can get a petition going or something to challenge this monopoly.
It's for both...HOA and Enotuch bundle package. The bill is for 2010's services (we pay in advance). You should have paid for 2009 when you closed and if you paid for the entire year as I did you should have received a credit since we both moved in July. Check your HUD settlement document. The other form should be filled out only if you decide to set up a payment plan to pay the fees.
 
Old 12-04-2009, 08:51 AM
 
Location: Fulshear
1,326 posts, read 3,431,698 times
Reputation: 1184
Quote:
Originally Posted by rubynicholson77056 View Post
It's for both...HOA and Enotuch bundle package. The bill is for 2010's services (we pay in advance). You should have paid for 2009 when you closed and if you paid for the entire year as I did you should have received a credit since we both moved in July. Check your HUD settlement document. The other form should be filled out only if you decide to set up a payment plan to pay the fees.
Thanks for the explanation.
I guess the amount due makes sense then.
We did not pay for the entire year at closing, we only paid from the time we moved in through the end of this year.
I still think we should be allowed to choose our own service providers.
 
Old 12-04-2009, 08:55 AM
 
354 posts, read 2,424,003 times
Reputation: 255
Quote:
Originally Posted by RVD26 View Post
Thanks for the explanation.
I guess the amount due makes sense then.
We did not pay for the entire year at closing, we only paid from the time we moved in through the end of this year.
I still think we should be allowed to choose our own service providers.
I agree. It is a little costly especially considereing that Entouch sucks as far as customer service and internet service goes. We should look into this.
 
Old 12-04-2009, 10:51 AM
 
Location: K.T.
454 posts, read 1,579,812 times
Reputation: 243
I thought that the bill would be $650 for HOA and $720 for Entouch...so roughly, I was expecting a bill for $1400, and I received a bill for over $1600. Where does this difference come from? $888 for Entouch breaks down to $74/mo and the HOA should be $650, so even at that rate, I can only see this bill costing roughly $1550, so again...I am confused by a $1600+ bill. Does anyone have any clarification on why the bill is $1600+?

I am fine with signing a petition or paying a fee to eliminate the requirement for Entouch services. We spend $74/mo (assuming the $888), plus $42 monthly for our services and all we have is a basic phone line and we upgraded the internet to their 6mbps speed. I pay nothing extra for TV, since I use Dish Network anyways. I just think that $116/mo is pretty expensive for internet, security, and basic phone. I was paying $52 for Comcast internet, $0 for phone, and $0 for security since I could care less about having either of those services..and assuming $20 for security and $30 for basic phone, I still think $116/mo is too high for only a 6mbps internet and a useless phone and security system.
 
Old 12-09-2009, 09:12 PM
 
Location: K.T.
454 posts, read 1,579,812 times
Reputation: 243
Talked with WLN HOA today. Entouch raised their rates from $64/mo up to $74/mo for the yearly dues which is $888. Also the HOA raised their prices 6% from $650/yr up to $689/yr. New fees and dues are $1576/yr. I will need to verify these with my bill, but that is what I was told as the explanation for the higher than expected bill.
 
Old 12-10-2009, 07:51 AM
 
Location: Fulshear
1,326 posts, read 3,431,698 times
Reputation: 1184
Quote:
Originally Posted by lane_change View Post
Talked with WLN HOA today. Entouch raised their rates from $64/mo up to $74/mo for the yearly dues which is $888. Also the HOA raised their prices 6% from $650/yr up to $689/yr. New fees and dues are $1576/yr. I will need to verify these with my bill, but that is what I was told as the explanation for the higher than expected bill.
We seriously need another choice besides Entouch.
They're just going to keep raising rates each year, while providing the same mediocre level of service.
 
Old 12-10-2009, 08:19 AM
 
354 posts, read 2,424,003 times
Reputation: 255
Quote:
Originally Posted by RVD26 View Post
We seriously need another choice besides Entouch.
They're just going to keep raising rates each year, while providing the same mediocre level of service.
I agree...any ideas as to where to start? A petition maybe?
 
Old 12-10-2009, 08:30 AM
 
Location: Fulshear
1,326 posts, read 3,431,698 times
Reputation: 1184
Quote:
Originally Posted by rubynicholson77056 View Post
I agree...any ideas as to where to start? A petition maybe?
That would seem like a logical choice.
I just wonder if there would be enough interest in the neighborhood to make it happen.
I sure hope so.
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