Cable carrier sees drop in users

[gparris]

That just begs the question, how does Jennifer Love Hewitt look in HD??

On CBSHD, JLH looks absolutely amazing, every detail is there and it's good.
(Put her and Jessica Alba in the same room...)

Makes it worth having CBS in HD and for the CSI's, a bit too "real" when they get to the graphics, yet still very worthwhile.
CBSHD, too, uses an audio coding technique called "Dolby E" I believe, for HD programming and the audio, while louder - is definitely more dimensional than say, NBC HD's rather weak DD5.1,
often missing their entire centre channel & surround audio channels at times.

[syrett4]

I wasn't sure where to post this so I'll tell my story here.

I go to cancel TWC finally today (my wife still had a few shows left to watch on the dvr) and after telling the CSR I am cancelling because of a lack of HD channels, she says "well you have to pay for DTV's local HD channels where you get them for free with TWC (their new campaign) I asked her if I would get HDNET for free then? She himmed and hawed and said um... no.  I said the only way I get that channel is if I get the HD package at $8 for 4 extra channels a month right?  She said yes but its the local HD channels that are free with digital cable.  I said so if I pay you the extra $8 for 4 extra channels why wouldn't I pay DTV $10 and get 100 by the end of the month and 200 by the middle of next year?  She just repeated, like I didn't hear her, that local HD channels are free with digital cable.  So then she says, you can't cancel until we get the boxes back.  So now it looks like Wednesday and I get billed for 2 more days.  I'm so glad to be done with them.

[gparris]

Many TWC CSRs are either in training or not trained in the techniques of customer retention or not even knowledgeable about the product.
To get service for the HD Package at $6.95/month, a subscriber should be subscribing to the Digital Standard Service @$56.99/month at minimum (2008 pricing) plus the HD STB at $7.95/month.
The current TWC HD Package includes HDNET, HDNET Movies, Universal HD and MOJO.

I don't know what the CSR was getting the info from because Directv offers local channels, both HD and SD for free with every subscription (another TWC tactic).
Maybe in TWC's "mindset" it was referring only to Dishnetwork where it is additional, although HD network locals are not even available (yet).
DirectvHD, IMO, is TWC's real competitor for HD channel delivery (maybe U-Verse if available), not Dishnetwork (for now), so I think TWC is being deceptive here.

While it is true that Milwaukee currently is able to receive through only 3 HD locals vs. Chicago's 5 (my minimum requirement) from DirectvHD, TWC should ashamed of such poor training and deceptions telling customers or potential ones about local channel availablilty.:rolleyes:

From your signature, syrett4, it looks like you already have DirectvHD service, anyway, so I am not certain of what you were trying to accomplish?
-Most of us already here know TWC is struggling to keep HD subscribers as it is in Milwaukeeland.
Heck, TWC Milwaukee cannot even deliver those other 12 HD channels TWC actually has available nationally-here (see my signature).

[syrett4]

Many TWC CSRs are either in training or not trained in the techniques of customer retention or not even knowledgeable about the product.
To get service for the HD Package at $6.95/month, a subscriber should be subscribing to the Digital Standard Service @$56.99/month at minimum (2008 pricing) plus the HD STB at $7.95/month.
The current TWC HD Package includes HDNET, HDNET Movies, Universal HD and MOJO.

I don't know what the CSR was getting the info from because Directv offers local channels, both HD and SD for free with every subscription (another TWC tactic).
Maybe in TWC's "mindset" it was referring only to Dishnetwork where it is additional, although HD network locals are not even available (yet).
DirectvHD, IMO, is TWC's real competitor for HD channel delivery (maybe U-Verse if available), not Dishnetwork (for now), so I think TWC is being deceptive here.

While it is true that Milwaukee currently is able to receive through only 3 HD locals vs. Chicago's 5 (my minimum requirement) from DirectvHD, TWC should ashamed of such poor training and deceptions telling customers or potential ones about local channel availablilty.:rolleyes:

From your signature, syrett4, it looks like you already have DirectvHD service, anyway, so I am not certain of what you were trying to accomplish?
-Most of us already here know TWC is struggling to keep HD subscribers as it is in Milwaukeeland.
Heck, TWC Milwaukee cannot even deliver those other ten HD channels TWC actually has available nationally-here (see my signature).

Yeah I had it installed a few weeks back.  Wife is done with the DVR now so I can return it and tried to cancel.  I just wanted to share my experience on how they tried to keep me.  I found it kind of funny that she would compare TWC HD to DTV.  Its not even close.

[gb4fan92]

I wasn't sure where to post this so I'll tell my story here.

I go to cancel TWC finally today (my wife still had a few shows left to watch on the dvr) and after telling the CSR I am cancelling because of a lack of HD channels, she says "well you have to pay for DTV's local HD channels where you get them for free with TWC (their new campaign) I asked her if I would get HDNET for free then? She himmed and hawed and said um... no.  I said the only way I get that channel is if I get the HD package at $8 for 4 extra channels a month right?  She said yes but its the local HD channels that are free with digital cable.  I said so if I pay you the extra $8 for 4 extra channels why wouldn't I pay DTV $10 and get 100 by the end of the month and 200 by the middle of next year?  She just repeated, like I didn't hear her, that local HD channels are free with digital cable.  So then she says, you can't cancel until we get the boxes back.  So now it looks like Wednesday and I get billed for 2 more days.  I'm so glad to be done with them.

Well I returned my box yesterday. I just told her I would like to cancel my cable service. She only asked if I was keeping RR, (I was). She also asked if I had the cord for my box and I told her I left it at home. She printed out a reciept and said "there you go" and that was it. Never even bothered to ask why I was cancelling. Guess they already know and do not care!

[sjvillers]

Reasons I left TWC for Dish include but are not limited to:
(1) Lack of HD channels, especially the NFL and BigTen networks
(2) Poor to average picture quality
(3) Maximum HD recording time of 20 hrs on their HD DVR - my Dish HD DVR holds up to 50 hrs of HD content
(4) HD DVR spontaneously rebooted itself at least once a week and sometimes more often (even after I swapped out the box once) - one time the hard drive spent 20 minutes doing a defrag
(5) Price for cable TV went up every year by at least a few dollars - for at least the first year, I will save $20/mo, and after that it will be a wash between cable and satellite.

The only time I have had my Dish service go completely out so far was during a heavy snowstorm the day before Thanksgiving when the snow was really thick and wet. Granted, this happened two days after installation, so my wife was a little upset over that. :p

I do still use Earthlink (instead of actual RR) as my ISP thru TWC, but only because my house is too far from the CO to get DSL.
_______________________________
Scott Villers
EX TWC Subscriber
Dish Network Subscriber
Dish ViP722 HD DVR
Sony KF-50WE610 50" LCD HDTV
Sony DVP-NC675P 5-disc DVD player
Onkyo HT-R530 Home Theater Sound System
Logitech Harmony 880 Remote Control

[syrett4]

continued from previous post....

I take my boxes in at the office on Loomis Rd, I drive by it on my way home from work.  There is a huge TWC cable sign in front.  I stopped in there, got out the boxes walked up to the door....sign "This office has moved to Southridge Mall"  Great, so I load my boxes back into the car, and down Grange to the mall I go.

I get to the mall, park way out in nowheresville, drag my boxes into the mall and a guy outside a store says "Their store is at the OTHER END of the mall"  I'm fuming, they make it nearly impossible to cancel their service.  On purpose of course.  I finally get to their store, put the boxes up on the counter and this guy waits on me.  I said "I got DirecTV" He said "How do you like it?" I told him I loved it, lots of HD channels.  He knew he couldn't save me and I actually respect him for not even trying.  He was the best TWC service person I ever dealt with, but too little too late.  He said they will send me a final bill and I walked out of there with mission accomplished.

Drove down to Best Buy and purchased my second HDTV.  Now to get another DTV HD box off Ebay and get rolling on my newest toy.

Thanks for letting me vent.......again.  I think this is the last of my TWC stories...and thanks admins for giving us this forum to vent in.

[picopir8]

Why does everyone here assume people are (1) leaving TWC because of NFL and (2) leaving for D*?

An earlier post indicated that CA and TX have seen the most people dropping TWC.   If   it were truly due to the NFL network you would likely see the losses distributed evenly across all regions.  Given the non-even distributions I suspect that the losses are due to some other reason.  And guess what... CA and TX just so happen to be two of U-Verses largest areas.

If you ask me it sounds like the new alternative to cable is what is attracting most people more than the lack of NFL.  Even if NFL plays some part, it appears that more people are leaving for Uverse than D*.

[RLJSlick]

That's a very good point. TWC is all over the country so you would think that the drop off would be all over. I bet if we do the research we would see that the biggest drop off coincide with new services in those states. I think that may have also been the case around here. I remember an article that stated that. The drop off happen to coincide with AT&T big push in the state a few months ago.
Now I know a few people that did change because of the NFL, and BTN, but most of my coworkers and friends that have changed over the last few years, had far more to do with AT&T and Direct TV big much.  Most couldn't care at all about the BTN. Let's face it, the prices are pretty good for AT&T and TWC & DirecTV prices are very high.
I've also read and talked to a Rep from AT&T and they are planning to upgrade their bandwidth so that you can have more then one HDTV running at one time. That might spark my interest in it again, if it ever comes to Caledonia.

Why does everyone here assume people are (1) leaving TWC because of NFL and (2) leaving for D*?

An earlier post indicated that CA and TX have seen the most people dropping TWC.   If   it were truly due to the NFL network you would likely see the losses distributed evenly across all regions.  Given the non-even distributions I suspect that the losses are due to some other reason.  And guess what... CA and TX just so happen to be two of U-Verses largest areas.

If you ask me it sounds like the new alternative to cable is what is attracting most people more than the lack of NFL.  Even if NFL plays some part, it appears that more people are leaving for Uverse than D*.

[gparris]

Exactly, leaving TWC is not about NFL and BTN, its about the other competitors in the area served.
I still prefer to stand by the TWC "recipe for alienating HD subscribers":
-Take a very limited HD channel selection, add very little at a time (one or two, if subs get "lucky")
-Mix in a few deceptions (telemarketer calls) as to when more are coming to subscriber inquires
-Blend in Navigator before it is fixed and make paying subscribers the "guinea pigs"
-Then let this "cook" to insure increased cable box dropoffs at offices and kiosks
-Wait until most other TWC locations have 50% more in HD channels for selection
(than your location, in a time when demand is high/HDTV sales climb)
-Mix well with a price increase for 2008:(
-Make bundled services your location's "savior" instead of HD-channel availability
-Knock down the competition as a way of keeping subscribers, try to make deceptive claims
-See if the current batch of HD subscribers will keep coming back for more!

If I missed anything, let me know...this is why TWC is losing customers, locally.

[Nels Harvey]

Some people do not like TWC, but aren't able to put up an antenna, or dish. U-verse offers an alternative that will bring local channels as well as HD service without the need for an antenna, or dish.

I think you will be able to see a bit of service upswing from TWC as U-verse continues to roll out in the area.  Well, then again, maybe not! :-(