Latest Cox bait-and-switch? (Phoenix: price, authority, bill)

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by Adamson520

--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?

I agree with much of what you say. I think cable companies -- and I've dealt with three different ones in my life -- operate in ways that are not that unlike many other companies where you have a service, rather than a concrete product and where there is little competition. And just for the record, I saw the same issues with a cable company when I was living in Thailand for two years.

I think the REAL frustration Americans feel toward cable companies is price. My monthly cable bill is more than my necessary utility bills combined (gas, water, electricity).

Another REAL frustration Americans feel toward cable companies is an awfully lot of incompetence on the part of company employees. When I moved to Colorado, for two days employees of the cable company argued with each other about whether the house I bought was currently connected or disconnected from cable. Another wanted me to call them using my landline for a service that wasn't established yet.

[pbenjamin]

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?

I'm with you net on neutrality and I don't like the fact that you can upgrade or add on their website but you must call to remove or downgrade. The problem I have with a la carte is that I worry that we would end up with fewer choices, i.e. some channels wouldn't get enough subscriptions to survive. I'm willing to pay for umpteen Discovery channels which I don't watch, in order to keep something like USA or FX alive. As to cable cards and high rental fees on cable boxes, cable cards are still offered and supported. We have a TiVo that uses a cable card and don't pay to rent a box. The rest of it is just capitalism at work.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

I'm with you net on neutrality and I don't like the fact that you can upgrade or add on their website but you must call to remove or downgrade. The problem I have with a la carte is that I worry that we would end up with fewer choices, i.e. some channels wouldn't get enough subscriptions to survive. I'm willing to pay for umpteen Discovery channels which I don't watch, in order to keep something like USA or FX alive. As to cable cards and high rental fees on cable boxes, cable cards are still offered and supported. We have a TiVo that uses a cable card and don't pay to rent a box. The rest of it is just capitalism at work.

They want to make it easy to choose to upgrade (pay more) but they want you to have to contact them to downgrade (pay less) because they want the opportunity to try and talk you out of it. Makes sense to me. it's capitalism, just as you said.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

They want to make it easy to choose to upgrade (pay more) but they want you to have to contact them to downgrade (pay less) because they want the opportunity to try and talk you out of it. Makes sense to me. it's capitalism, just as you said.

All of the streaming services I've used -- Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and CBS Interactive -- allow for online cancellations. Encouraging customers to sign up for services online but requiring them to call in order to cancel used to be a common business practice, but it's rare among the newer services that present a competitive challenge to the cable industry.

The expense of employing "retentions specialists" may no longer be outweighed by the extra revenue from retaining customers a little longer. In addition, newer companies may realize that if they don't alienate customers by making it difficult to cancel, they're more likely to regain their business at a future date. Hulu even allows customers to suspend their accounts for a few months, all through a simple online process.

[Adamson865]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

Another REAL frustration Americans feel toward cable companies is an awfully lot of incompetence on the part of company employees. When I moved to Colorado, for two days employees of the cable company argued with each other about whether the house I bought was currently connected or disconnected from cable. Another wanted me to call them using my landline for a service that wasn't established yet.

That's why I've been so overwhelmed - in a positive fashion - by the staff at Cox. When I created my service here, when I had difficulty with some ancient wiring, and when I killed my modem by accidentally dumping a can of soda pop onto it, they were absolutely 100% immediately responsive and friendly, solving all my problems instantly. If I'd called Time Warner (who I had for a decade or two in different parts of the US), I'd still be on hold or talking to some guy in India who insists his name is Bart.

[Voebe]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

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.

I urge you to keep notes, including full names of everyone you talk to, and what they promise.

In my experience, people in the "executive office" at Cox are really wonderful when you speak to them, BUT if the problem doesn't get solved, tough luck. I went through this a few times - the person in the executive office would not only help further, but wouldn't even return my calls. As you probably have discovered, Cox hates its customers to much that it only gives out a message line, not the actual direct telephone number.

[Voebe]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

I'm not a fan of Cox Communications, I only subscribe to their high speed internet and phone, I don't watch TV that much so there's no reason for me to subscribe to their cable TV service, or whatever it's referred to now.

Is ANYONE a fan of Cox? I get the impression that cable companies, generally, are among the most hated in the country. If there were any real competition, I think Cox would be in big trouble.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by Voebe

I urge you to keep notes, including full names of everyone you talk to, and what they promise.

In my experience, people in the "executive office" at Cox are really wonderful when you speak to them, BUT if the problem doesn't get solved, tough luck. I went through this a few times - the person in the executive office would not only help further, but wouldn't even return my calls. As you probably have discovered, Cox hates its customers to much that it only gives out a message line, not the actual direct telephone number.

Thanks. I'm still waiting for the follow-up call promised last week. If one doesn't come by end of week and my calls are not returned, I guess my recourse is to submit another complaint via the city, which licenses Cox. It was my first complaint that got someone at Cox to admit they'd made a mistake in processing my order.

Originally Posted by Voebe

Is ANYONE a fan of Cox? I get the impression that cable companies, generally, are among the most hated in the country. If there were any real competition, I think Cox would be in big trouble.

I would be inclined to agree, but the company has some defenders in this thread.

[Voebe]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

Thanks. I'm still waiting for the follow-up call promised last week. If one doesn't come by end of week and my calls are not returned, I guess my recourse is to submit another complaint via the city, which licenses Cox. It was my first complaint that got someone at Cox to admit they'd made a mistake in processing my order.

I hope you make a point of bringing to the city's attention that mostly all they seem to do is act as liaison.

If by "submit" you mean email, I urge you to also send a copy, especially by printing it out, to anyone relevant at the federal level. The problem is that the city doesn't have much ability to enforce or punish.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by Voebe

I hope you make a point of bringing to the city's attention that mostly all they seem to do is act as liaison.

If by "submit" you mean email, I urge you to also send a copy, especially by printing it out, to anyone relevant at the federal level. The problem is that the city doesn't have much ability to enforce or punish.

Why do you think the federal government would be involved? They don't have all that much involvement with cable companies. The FCC refers you to your Local Franchising Authority for rate, customer service, etc. issues.