Latest Cox bait-and-switch? (Phoenix: to rent, to buy, living in)

[exit2lef]

On a related note, I came across an interesting podcast and book today. The unfortunate message is that we shouldn't count on Google Fiber to save us from the duopoloy of Cox and CenturyLink:

https://www.recode.net/2019/1/10/181...-media-podcast

[jnojr]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

On a related note, I came across an interesting podcast and book today. The unfortunate message is that we shouldn't count on Google Fiber to save us from the duopoloy of Cox and CenturyLink:

https://www.recode.net/2019/1/10/181...-media-podcast

Putting wires in the ground is hideously expensive. Google has backed off on it not because they "don't want to invest", but because they believe fiber will be quickly obsoleted by a new wireless technology, and that's where their money is going. If they thought they could get 5% per year until the sun explodes, they'd be all over it. Instead, they're faced with spending billions of dollars, and then see it all go dark within a very few years.

[madison999]

Originally Posted by man4857

$100/mo for Internet sounds ridiculous. Right now I'm paying $40/mo for Internet through Cox though granted it's only 30 mbps but I'm dreading the renewal coming next month. Gave them a call this past weekend and they said, I could get the 100mbps plan for $45/mo for another year.

Now it's $140!!

3 adults in the house so we probably have a higher speed than 30. It is fast I admit but damn$140 for just internet...

[Voebe]

I have not had the same experience, but I've had all kinds of problems, including getting wildly different information from different people.

I wish everyone would complain, preferably in writing, and send a copy to the city agency that has oversight over Cox.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by Voebe

I have not had the same experience, but I've had all kinds of problems, including getting wildly different information from different people.

I wish everyone would complain, preferably in writing, and send a copy to the city agency that has oversight over Cox.

My complaint filed with the City of Phoenix has resulted in a call from someone on Cox's "Executive Escalations Team." I had one phone call with an employee there yesterday and am waiting to hear more next week.

[CAHLUV]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

Cox internet uses broadband internet connections of different tiers and it is faster than Century Link's "High Speed" internet, which is very slow.

A few years ago my parents dumped Cox and went to Century Link for their TV and internet but it wasn't too long after that their satellite TV rates became ridiculously high I think it was close to $200 per month, just for TV.

I have Century Link's fiber optic internet and its great and consistent. I live further outside the city so dont know if that is available all over but I have been impressed with their internet.

[pbenjamin]

I've never understood all of the Cox hating. We've been customers since the Dimension Cable days with very few issues over the years. I wouldn't mind it costing a little less, I guess, but it's not something that I get upset over.

[Adamson865]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

I've never understood all of the Cox hating. We've been customers since the Dimension Cable days with very few issues over the years. I wouldn't mind it costing a little less, I guess, but it's not something that I get upset over.

This.

If you've ever experienced the hell that is Time-Warner-is-now-Spectrum customer service, you'd get down on your knees and be thankful for Cox. I lost countless hours of my life trying to deal with their clueless personnel, whether at their 800 number or via on-line chat. Since I've been in AZ and have been dealing with Cox, they've been unfailingly courteous and prompt in everything they've done. I've never had a problem with them. Yeah, it's a bit spendy (as is any monopoly provider) but while I cussed up a blue streak every time I had to write a check to Time Warner, I'm actually OK with Cox.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

I've never understood all of the Cox hating. We've been customers since the Dimension Cable days with very few issues over the years. I wouldn't mind it costing a little less, I guess, but it's not something that I get upset over.

Where do I begin?

-- Mandatory bundling. I have to subscribe to numerous channels I don't want just to have access to those I do want. John McCain pushed for regulation that would have required more a-la-carte options, but the industry was able to stop the effort, just as it marginalized cable cards, which could have made bulky boxes with high rental feels obsolete had they become commonplace.

-- Fighting against net neutrality, a battle they were losing until the 2016 election and are now winning.

-- Constant upselling. When I call to report a problem with existing services is generally not the right time to try to sell me something else.

-- Incessant bait-and-switch tactics. I've already described the latest I've encountered.

-- A confusing mess of a website that encourages customers to sign up and add services online, while cancelling or curtailing services requires a phone call.

Admittedly, most, if not all, of these are industry practices that are hardly unique to Cox, and perhaps Cox is less bad than some of its counterparts in other parts of the country. Still, is "less bad" really what a company should aspire to?

[Adamson865]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

Where do I begin?

-- Mandatory bundling. I have to subscribe to numerous channels I don't want just to have access to those I do want. John McCain pushed for regulation that would have required more a-la-carte options, but the industry was able to stop the effort, just as it marginalized cable cards, which could have made bulky boxes with high rental feels obsolete had they become commonplace.

-- Fighting against net neutrality, a battle they were losing until the 2016 election and are now winning.

-- Constant upselling. When I call to report a problem with existing services is generally not the right time to try to sell me something else.

-- Incessant bait-and-switch tactics. I've already described the latest I've encountered.

-- A confusing mess of a website that encourages customers to sign up and add services online, while cancelling or curtailing services requires a phone call.

Admittedly, most, if not all, of these are industry practices that are hardly unique to Cox, and perhaps Cox is less bad than some of its counterparts in other parts of the country. Still, is "less bad" really what a company should aspire to?

--Eliminating mandatory bundling is simply more government regulation of private enterprise. I'm not for it. You don't like the package? Don't choose it. Same with "net neutrality" which is a total misnomer. Simply more government regulation.

--Upselling. Duh. It's a business. You go buy a car, they'll want to sell you a more expensive car. If you buy a box of detergent, they'll want you to buy a bigger box. It's the way business works. Stand your ground if you don't want to buy something larger, but don't complain that a business is trying to make more money, which benefits everyone involved.

--Bait and switch - usually said by people who don't read the fine print.

--Website. Naturally, a business wants to make it a bit more difficult for you to end your business with them. Duh. That happens everywhere, whether auto insurance, newspaper subscriptions, whatever. They just want a last chance to engage in a bit of service recovery - if you're quitting because you're not happy, they'll maybe make one last effort to make you happy before you go. I did that all the time with SiriusXM... every time my subscription was up for renewal and they were going to jack up the price, all I had to do was call and say I was going to terminate my subscription, and they'd offer to renew me at the same price as before. How hard is that?