Monty Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 I'm currently using a company that provides my internet, phone (land line) and cable service. About three years ago I tried to save money by changing my setup to very basic cable, but it didn't take that much off the bill. I'd love to drop the cable service since I gave up watching TV two years ago, but it's part of a package deal and can't be broken further down. Basically, I just want a reliable internet provider with decent rates. Is that possible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1930fordpickup Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 2 hours ago, Monty said: Basically, I just want a reliable internet provider with decent rates. Is that possible? I don't think that is possible anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 In my area, there are 2 providers of CATV/Internet (and land-line phone): Verizon (FiOS) and Comcast (Xfinity). There are no other choices that I know of. It is sort of a monopoly because they both have similar prices. Yes, I'm prety sure you could choose to only get the Internet portion of their offering, but it is not cheap. Of course the "package deals" and contracts seem to give a price break (which it really isn't). I've seen ads for a satellite-based ISP, but I'm not sure what the quality of the connection would be. There is a new Internet-only company installing cable in some areas of New Hampshire with TV ads promising great deals with "no-bull", but they are only available in selected areas and I'm sure those great deals will disappear once they get well established. Plus I live in Mass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Brian Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 The best option depends on your usage. I get my internet through Time Warner/Spectrum for right at $100 a month. I could switch to Verizon which is also my cellphone provider and save but even with an "unlimited" plan they still have a data cap before they throttle your connection. Myself, my wife, and mother in law all stream most of our TV so we'd hit the cap every month so paying a bit more gets us a truly unlimited connection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodent Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 If you live in an area with 5G service, some of the mobile companies are now offering home internet. Not the thing if you want to stream over multiple devices (it doesn't sound like you do), it is doable if you just want to get on the internet. T-Moblie offers it in my area for $50/month and the others are similar. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webestang Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 12 hours ago, Monty said: I'm currently using a company that provides my internet, phone (land line) and cable service. About three years ago I tried to save money by changing my setup to very basic cable, but it didn't take that much off the bill. I'd love to drop the cable service since I gave up watching TV two years ago, but it's part of a package deal and can't be broken further down. Basically, I just want a reliable internet provider with decent rates. Is that possible? I tried to get rid of my phone land line but would only save $12. But the internet service has been great and I do still watch enough cable TV to keep the "triple-pay". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xingu Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 Every year or so, my wife will call our provider and complain about our monthly bill. She will threaten to drop a part of the service and, usually, we get a huge discount to keep things as they are. it may be worth a shot to see if they will give you the "promotional" rate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Can-Con Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 58 minutes ago, Xingu said: Every year or so, my wife will call our provider and complain about our monthly bill. She will threaten to drop a part of the service and, usually, we get a huge discount to keep things as they are. it may be worth a shot to see if they will give you the "promotional" rate. Last time I tried that they [Bell] just said "Thanks for being a loyal customer, just drop off your rental equipment at your nearest Bell store when you switch companies". 🙄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xingu Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 1 hour ago, Can-Con said: Last time I tried that they [Bell] just said "Thanks for being a loyal customer, just drop off your rental equipment at your nearest Bell store when you switch companies". 🙄 That is why she never threatens to leave completely. She just says she wants to remove phone or internet from the cable package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 6 minutes ago, Xingu said: That is why she never threatens to leave completely. She just says she wants to remove phone or internet from the cable package. This doesn't work with Comcast (my provider). To get the best price I had to sign onto a 2 year contract. The service level can't be changed without serious penalties. I could have chosen no contract for all my services, but that would have cost a lot more money. They basically have me by the cahones. They have it all figured out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodent Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 Tied to Comcast / Xfinity in my neighborhood for anything reasonably fast. They know that, and don't negotiate unless you want to add home phone, mobile phone, and/or home security. A new company is supposed to be coming in and adding fiber to the entire city. Not sure how that is going to work out. The older parts with above ground utilities already have AT&T 1G fiber, and the newest parts have underground fiber. Only us "tweeners" need something better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPNM Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 I have Comcast/Xfinity. When I moved here a couple years ago I told them I only wanted internet. My bill is $70 a month. My laptop is hard wired to it. My phone and my son's laptop and phone work off the WIFI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xingu Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 We have Xfinity/Comcast. I just turn my wife loose on them and my bill gets cut by $70 a month, without losing or changing anything. Maybe I should start a YouTube channel showcasing how my wife gets her way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted May 13, 2022 Share Posted May 13, 2022 1 hour ago, Xingu said: We have Xfinity/Comcast. I just turn my wife loose on them and my bill gets cut by $70 a month, without losing or changing anything. Maybe I should start a YouTube channel showcasing how my wife gets her way. I'm in the same boat here as Rodent. There's no other option for high-speed. Any mention of reducing the bill is met with "pound sand". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSheep214 Posted May 13, 2022 Share Posted May 13, 2022 I have Spectrum cable and internet provider. My bill is over $200 / month and I don’t even have HBO, Showtime or Starz included. They screwed us over by taking those away to cut cost. I call BS on those greedy SOBs. They don’t want to help give you a good deal for the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeatMan Posted May 14, 2022 Share Posted May 14, 2022 On 5/11/2022 at 6:44 PM, Xingu said: Every year or so, my wife will call our provider and complain about our monthly bill. She will threaten to drop a part of the service and, usually, we get a huge discount to keep things as they are. it may be worth a shot to see if they will give you the "promotional" rate. Mine does as well. You have to play the game to get the best pricing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted May 15, 2022 Share Posted May 15, 2022 On 5/12/2022 at 6:45 PM, Xingu said: We have Xfinity/Comcast. I just turn my wife loose on them and my bill gets cut by $70 a month, without losing or changing anything. Maybe I should start a YouTube channel showcasing how my wife gets her way. Do you have Xfinity Triple Play? That is what I have (since I needed all 3 services). I sighed a 2 year contract for the price I'm paying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xingu Posted May 15, 2022 Share Posted May 15, 2022 9 hours ago, peteski said: Do you have Xfinity Triple Play? That is what I have (since I needed all 3 services). I sighed a 2 year contract for the price I'm paying. Yes. Wife usually threatens to do away with the phone portion and they extend the promotional rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted May 15, 2022 Share Posted May 15, 2022 6 hours ago, Xingu said: Yes. Wife usually threatens to do away with the phone portion and they extend the promotional rate. So you are telling me that I can call, in the middle of my contract period, and haggle about the price? I thought all those documents I signed (um, at the best price they could give me) when I signed up for the service stated that the the price was valid for the duration of the contract. Crazy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSheep214 Posted May 15, 2022 Share Posted May 15, 2022 On 5/12/2022 at 6:45 PM, Xingu said: We have Xfinity/Comcast. I just turn my wife loose on them and my bill gets cut by $70 a month, without losing or changing anything. Maybe I should start a YouTube channel showcasing how my wife gets her way. Can we all borrow your wife to go ballistic on our cable companies rates for better deals? We’ll buy her lunch. LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M. Posted May 15, 2022 Share Posted May 15, 2022 I pulled the plug on my cable TV last year from Comcast whom I also get my internet service from. It was costing me $220 a month and I had base cable and Comcast didn't say nothing when I told it that I was laid off from work due to the Covid situation and I had to make a financial decision. Getting rid of the cable more than halved the monthly bill and I'm now only paying $95 a month for the internet and I've been back to work for a year now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippi Posted May 15, 2022 Share Posted May 15, 2022 I pay for WiFi only through my local isp. I dropped cable about 6 years ago. I put an antenna in the attic for our local channels. We have Netflix and our daughter has Hulu. We swop passwords. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted May 16, 2022 Share Posted May 16, 2022 3 hours ago, BlackSheep214 said: Can we all borrow your wife to go ballistic on our cable companies rates for better deals? We’ll buy her lunch. LOL! Heck, I would pay her $100! Just think of the money she would save me in the long run! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSheep214 Posted May 16, 2022 Share Posted May 16, 2022 1 hour ago, Zippi said: I pay for WiFi only through my local isp. I dropped cable about 6 years ago. I put an antenna in the attic for our local channels. We have Netflix and our daughter has Hulu. We swop passwords. There’s always Roku too. You can buy either a smart TV with Roku already installed or get a Roku box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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