I don't know who I'm more pissed with: COMCAST or the History Channel

[CatWoman]

COMCAST just did a retooling of their lineup in my area, and on my television without the cable box, I can't get either the TV Guide Listing Channel or the History Channel.

I called COMCAST last night, and was told that I needed an additional cable box on the TV without the box in order to access those channels.

An additional box will cost me an extra $5.99 on my cable bill.

I'm like: :wtf: !!!

Any fucking thing to nickle and dime you. What the fuck is wrong with this country? Everyone wants to bleed you dry.

The customer service rep said that they have been getting numerous complaints and suggested I send a letter to the History Channel.

Why do I think she was lying, and I would only be wasting my time by taking out my ire on the History Channel?

[NC_Nurse]

1. We got the same bullshit story. Isn't there any other cable company in this

town? Comcast SUCKS.

[arcadian]

2. We are like lambs to the slaughter, my darling.

n/t

[Systematic Chaos]

3. She's probably just feeding you whatever line of bullshit her coaches came up with...

... to not have to bother with your complaint. :shrug:

[K Gardner]

4. I despise Comcast. In many markets, they did the same thing to MSNBC and in some took it

off the lineup altogether. There should be enough competition to put them out of business.

I opted for Direct TV.

[CatWoman]

7. I got my cable box on the one tv in order to get MSNBC

In my area, MSNBC was never on basic cable - I had to upgrade to digital in order to get it.

This was when Phil Donohue's show was on.

[RebelOne]

23. I switched to Comcast from DishNetwork because of poor reception.

Then I realized I wasn't receiving MSNBC. I also had to upgrade to get that plus a few other channels I wanted.

[secondwind]

5. very interesting post. We live in MA, and they just did something similar

to us as well.

We lost a favorite channel as well.

[Cleita]

6. On the positive side, the History Channel has been running way too

much biblical history for my liking.

[CatWoman]

8. LOL, Cleita!!!

"so let it be written, so let it be done"

:hi:

[ooglymoogly]

12. History ran a story on the truth of the JFK assassination

and got leaned on by Comcast and the pug establishment (same) and totally reorganized the documentary rewriting truth with total implausible bullshit and pug meme.

[dysfunctional press]

14. pray tell- what is "the truth" about the kennedy assassination?

:shrug:

[ooglymoogly]

20. If the avalanche of information that has been put forth

add infinitude does not put questions in your mind I cannot dream of persuading you otherwise...just keep in mind the removal of the guard detail at the airport and if you did not see the two different versions on the assassination you will not understand my post. One was put out a couple of years or so ago and the other rewrite was put out more recently.

[dysfunctional press]

27. no doubt there are questions- but you requested that the "truth" be put out...

but the tenor of your post seems to suggest that you seem to know what that "truth" is.
so- what is it? :shrug:

[ooglymoogly]

31. Yes I am the shadow...I know what darkness lurks in the minds of men

I am not on this board to educate you. Believe what you want, nobody will change that. What I said in essence was that the truth lay in the first History channel documentary on the subject of JFK's assassination and not the total rewrite of history. If you want to know that truth you can buy the original documentary from history channel; If they have not shredded it.

[HillbillyBob]

25. I would say "Ask Pop Bush what he was doin on that grassy knoll,

that sad day".
We were on TimeWarner and had the same problems, plus we had our internet through them too.
We never got the speed we were paying for and when we complained the speed slowed even more.
We now live in back of beyond and there is barely telephone service, let alone cable or broad band.
We are quite happy with Dish and Wild Blue. When we lose uplink it is usually bad weather when we probably should not have the tv or puters on.
For the bad reception check to see if the trees or something is blocking, then have the dish moved higher. The trees south of our house have grown and we need to move our dish higher, becuase when it is windy the trees move and block the signal.

[defendandprotect]

21. A&E History Channel is now owned by Clear Channel ---

[ooglymoogly]

24. That clears up a lot. None the less it is on the Com cast lineup.

It becomes more clear why History channel is no longer a reliable source.

[defendandprotect]

28. I know ..we still have it at moment --but they took C-span II/USHR away ...

more than a year ago -- 18 months --

It's just more difficult to catch up with Congress via internet --

I used to keep it on TV ... muted -- and I could read text --

Cable companies are getting away with a lot --

Remember when the changes were supposed to bring more competition and cheaper prices---???

[walldude]

9. They did the same thing here a few months ago

Only I lost the guide and MSNBC. During the primaries :mad: I ended up caving and getting the full digital package with DVR. Hate to say it but I really like it. I haven't watched a single commercial since getting the DVR.

[salvorhardin]

10. Cable TV channels are often sold to cable TV providers in bundles

In order to offer X channel, the provider has to also buy P,Q,R and S channels. Sometimes they also make demands that these channels ONLY be offered to premium subscribers. So it might be Comcast trying to nickle and dime you, but it might also be Hearst, Disney and NBC (the companies that own the A&E Television Network that owns the History Channel) trying to reach a more upscale demographic. Or it could be both.

However, I think what's really going on is that Comcast (and other cable providers) are trying to move as many of their channels from analog to digital as possible. This is actually a good thing because they can offer more channels that way. On the downside, as you discovered, everybody will pay for it.

If you live in an urban area I'd recommend getting your converter box coupon from the government, buying a converter box for over-the-air channels so you can get local programming, ditching the cable TV and instead get a Netflix subscription. You might have to wait to watch programs until they come out on DVD but you'll save a lot of money and you'll still have a wide selection of TV programs and movies to choose from.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. Cablevision did the same thing with SciFi, TCM, and a few...

other channels.

I don't know if this is simply a way to chisel a few extra bucks out of us or particular costing problems with certain channels. Anyway while Cablevision in Joisey wanted the box money from day 1, here on Long Island they give you a box free for a year.

(Good marketing, because you get used to some aspects of the box and get a jonesing for an upgrade)

[dysfunctional press]

13. what do you think that she was lying about?

:shrug:

i dropped comcast because in order to get the fox movie channel, i'd have had to purchase the fox sports package- and i do NOT watch sports- i like movies.

comcast sucks rotten ass.

[CatWoman]

15. so who did you sign up with?

:shrug:

[dysfunctional press]

16. directv.

nt

[Rebubula]

17. Verizon FIOS

That is all...

[Reverend_Smitty]

22. We called FIOS yesterday...

and they told us it could be another 18 months before they wire my neighborhood. I don't get it, 80% of the township can get FIOS and the single family homes in my development are wired, but yet the townhouse section where I live will take another year and a half?!?

I hate Cablevision with every fiber of my being but don't want to switch to Satellite because I lose all my NY stations and am stuck with just the Philly ones. So I would have to buy not only the MLB package to see the Mets but the NFL ticket to watch the Giants. It's much cheaper to suffer in silence I guess.

FIOS offers the same NY and Philly local and sports channels as Cablevision and I'd switch over tomorrow if given the chance

[HillbillyBob]

26. DishTv also offers a pack for like 5$ to get locals,

We live nearer Danville Va, but we got the locals for Greensboro NC.

[SoCalDem]

30. we get locals free with our Dish

they gave us a separate dish for locals & PBS (we get about 8 of em)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

18. Over a period of three years, I gradually scaled back

from full digital+HBO to basic-basic Comcast, which is local channels plus public access. I retain that subscription for two reasons and two reasons only: 1) My Internet connection is cheaper that way. Basic-basic plus Internet costs less than Internet alone, 2) Due to the location of my apt. building, I can't get PBS clearly over the air, and now one of the public access channels has gone all NHK World (from Japan!)

I find that all the worthwhile History Channel documentaries eventually become available from Netflix, sometimes to watch online at no extra charge.

Netflix just released its online viewer for Mac, so this morning, having a bit of downtime, I watched the first episode of the first season of Doctor Who, which I enjoyed a lot.

So for me, it's basic-basic cable and Netflix, supplemented by DVDs ordered from the UK to play on my region-free player.

[WCIL]

19. I switched to Direct TV

I am paying less than half as much as I was to Comcast, and am getting almost 6 times the channels, including several of the premium movie channels AND a DVR. A $10 Digital cable box and a $9 antenna pull in all the local channels just fine. I don't watch that much TV, but MSNBC was not available to me at any price with Comcast, and when I looked into how much I was paying for so little, I was disgusted.

I expected a litte more effort from Comcast to keep me as a customer when I called yesterday to cancel, but they truly don't care.

[SoCalDem]

29. Time for DISH

It's cheaper and you get more channels for the money..