I just spent one hour 41 minutes and 24 seconds on the phone with Spectrum this morning trying to CANCEL internet service because the price keeps creeping up on me and the company policy of slowly raising prices like boiling a frog in a pot of water is out of control. I saw my bill jump 12% because my "promotional offer" ended and when I called initially to ask for another promotion, I was told that there was none. I was tempted to cancel and then start service again in a week so I could be a "new" customer because of their monopoly on my neighborhood but I decided to look elsewhere for another provider.
Having found another provider, I gleefully ripped out the Spectrum boxes and called to cancel this morning. What I got was a lot of wait time and, surprise, new offers to lower my bill... BUT only for a year under a "promotional offer."
This ongoing practice of abusing loyal customers by increasing prices is getting old and I am very motivated to find other avenues to watch tv with a company that is not out to price gauge me. It's not as much the price as is the practice Spectrum and other major cable companies employ. The representative on the phone that is getting paid to wait me out won today because Spectrum technicians have ensured their cable service will NOT work unless you rent a cable box at an increasing price or purchase their internet so that I can continue to watch cable tv. This is a purposeful ploy on their engineering part to make sure that you are unable to watch cable on their app unless you purchase their internet. What a lie, since I am able to watch tv on other wi-fi on their app AND with the new internet service I am currently using, I am able to watch all their channels with no problem on the app. The design of Spectrum to trap customers into purchasing more costly service from them is clearly a scam as they are "unable" to enter it in the system to just let me purchase cable alone.
I asked to be transferred to a technician and she was also kind but also gave me a runaround answer and said that when they do find that I do not have a box or purchased internet, they will remove channels slowly until I am not able to watch cable even if I am am able to stream it currently. So... help me understand, as the technician said, these are my words, am I trapped into more service or not?
My PSA today, if you have choice, I would exercise it and not allow the monopoly Spectrum, or any other cable service provider, corner you into spending money where you don't want. There are alternatives, do your research, find what you really want and not let companies like Spectrum to force themselves on you. P.S. never autopay, they are hoping you don't notice the slight price increases monthly. read more