what are the best cable/internet companies in LA/West LA area and how much are utilities? (Glendale: apartments, for rent)

[YoungTraveler2011]

what company would you guys recommend for cable/internet?

also, electricity/gas, how much am i looking to spend monthly? do they charge for WATER? here in NYC, the landlord is required to provide heat and water for free.

and what about auto insurance? (i have a good record)

[Dunbar42]

Time Warner Cable has almost a monopoly on the apartments around here. Other than their DVR's they're not bad though and offer good pricing for the first year. If FIOS is an option than I'd go that route. I could never be bothered to setup a satellite dish in an apartment situation.

Electric on a 1BR will be around $30-35 low end and up to about $80 if you live east of the 405 and need A/C in the summer. If the apartment uses gas for heat it will be as low as $15 in the summer and up to $40-50 in the winter. Water just depends on the particular apartment. I've paid for it in the past but my current apartment includes it in the rent. My brother pays like $40-50 per month for water at his place in Hollywood.

I use Mercury for auto insurance and my rate has always been in the $850-1000 per year range over three different cars. You'll get a discount if you use them for renter's insurance as well.

[JohnSoCal]

Verizon FIOS is the best by far if it is available. I have had Verizon FIOS for 6 years for Internet, TV, landline Phone, and Cell.

[disgruntled la native]

Absolutely Verizon FIOS. They use fiber optic lines, so never the crowding issues that cable and DSL has. Their TV networks run much more smooth, and they are able to offer very reasonable bundle packages. Unfortunately FIOS is not available in many areas.

So generally you get Time Warner Cable or AT&T Uverse. I've consistently had Time Warner Cable... to their credit they are better than they were even 2 years ago, but are just barely acceptable. Internet along for one person is usually around 40/month, TV can be another 50-100 a month, depending how many channels you want.

[Spikett]

What cable company options you have will depend on where you live. Time Warner is the big one, but in some cities like Glendale, it is Charter. ATT Uverse and Verizon Fios are available in some areas but not all. Utilities will vary - I live in a top floor one bedroom in Atwater Village for a long time and that apt really got hot in the summer (top floor, sun right on the roof). We had central air and I guess the max we ever paid was $125 a month on particularly hot summer (but only for a couple of months - Aug-Sept are the hottest). Spring and early summer ran around $55 a month. In winter we never used the heat at all, so it was more like $40. I live in Burbank now and pay for my water and trash which is added to my rent and runs about $20 a month. Car insurance will depend on how much your car is worth and how much coverage you want (and your record).

[PDF]

We have TWC, and indeed they have a monopoly here. I had Verizon back home, do they serve most of LA?

[I_hate_TWC]

Stay away from TWC. My exp has been HORRIBLE.
Having to physically unplug my DVR at least once a week because it stops responded.
Not being able to record shows from another room. You have to go to the room with the 'main dvr'.
Poor connection between the main dvr and the bedroom, even though the two units are only 30-40 feet away.
Poor customer service. I had to make about 8 calls in the first week of having my Units and not once has anybody called (or emailed) me back to see if things were back on the straight and narrow.

I will be cancelling my service after 3 months in favor of Dish. But that is only because ATT is not available (oh I miss my UVerse!!! :''( ).
As stated above, TW seems to have a "Monopoly" on Apts. It is just too bad they don't appreciate the customers they have "strong-armed" into getting. It's like moving into a neighborhood where the gang has you by the throat and does not care!! They are the only Gang in town.
So long TW!!!!

[quizzer25]

I'm surprised that verizon FIOS has very good followers here. I moved from Bay area ( 8 years) where I had comcast. The speeds promised were 100/100 MBPS and was getting 130 easily. Price was $35-$40/month.

Verizon in LA is so bad that the actual speed is less than the promised speed and also depends on the router location.

[JohnSoCal]

Originally Posted by quizzer25

I'm surprised that verizon FIOS has very good followers here. I moved from Bay area ( 8 years) where I had comcast. The speeds promised were 100/100 MBPS and was getting 130 easily. Price was $35-$40/month.

Verizon in LA is so bad that the actual speed is less than the promised speed and also depends on the router location.

The router location should only affect the wifi. Are you connecting to your router via wifi? If you are then you can't compare the 2 locations unless it is the same router, same distance from the router, how many walls it goes through etc.

I connect my laptop with wifi. If I am in the same room as the router then my connection speed is faster than Verizon's stated speed. If I use my laptop in my bedroom then the speed drops by 50% which is normal.

[PDR2015]

Originally Posted by I_hate_TWC

Stay away from TWC. My exp has been HORRIBLE.
Having to physically unplug my DVR at least once a week because it stops responded.
Not being able to record shows from another room. You have to go to the room with the 'main dvr'.
Poor connection between the main dvr and the bedroom, even though the two units are only 30-40 feet away.
Poor customer service. I had to make about 8 calls in the first week of having my Units and not once has anybody called (or emailed) me back to see if things were back on the straight and narrow.

I will be cancelling my service after 3 months in favor of Dish. But that is only because ATT is not available (oh I miss my UVerse!!! :''( ).
As stated above, TW seems to have a "Monopoly" on Apts. It is just too bad they don't appreciate the customers they have "strong-armed" into getting. It's like moving into a neighborhood where the gang has you by the throat and does not care!! They are the only Gang in town.
So long TW!!!!

TWC is simply terrible. I have been a user of AT&T u-verse for the past year and it's so much better.