UNITED STATES—Talk about being surprised, that is exactly how I felt after having to return some equipment from my Cable provider recently. Why? One, you pay for the equipment that is ‘loaned’ to you that you don’t really know is being provided to you at a cost, in addition to the services that you already pay for.
There is nothing more frustrating than thinking you’re being screwed by your provider who tells you one thing regarding your bill, only to discover the cost is quite a bit higher than expected. I was paying almost $50 extra dollars for 2 cable boxes. I was under the impression that the boxes were needed for me to have cable TV. Guess what, that was a complete lie. One of the reps stated, you don’t need the boxes. My response was, “Why am I being told I need to upgrade the equipment then?
The customer service representative responded that the boxes are there if you want to utilize DVR or watch on demand, but you truly don’t need them. You can download the remote app on your smart phone and use that when you’re watching TV. Talk about being dumbfounded because I was literally dumbfounded by that news. Yeah, these cable providers are screwing over the consumers, and they know it. If you don’t ask the right questions you will continue to pay for things that you don’t need or even want.
Damn, I could have been saving nearly $50 per month on my cable bill for years and would have never known if I didn’t inquire. There needs to be more transparency from these businesses, especially when the consumers are spending so much money on services and a lot of the time, they get so little in return as a result. Hell, inflation continues to skyrocket, every single week it seems any money that can be saved is a massive help right now. You just don’t know when an unexpected event can transpire that can place you in dire financial straits.
Look, cable is a perk, it is not a requirement, but when you utilize entertainment as a form of work, where you’re creating content, writing reviews or recaps on TV shows and movies, you kind of need that service to continue to work. Streaming has made things a bit easier for those who want to cut the cord, but after the past week I am seriously considering the notion of cutting the cord because I’m starting to realize with some of the streaming services that I already have, I don’t need cable. The $300 I’m paying a month I can actually use to pay other bills or utilities, actual things I need to sustain versus something that is a bonus perk in all honesty.
Written By Jason Jones
