I don't want Comcast cable boxes. Do I need them?

bicker

No, people who write opinions are editorialists. People who practically all they do is attack cable companies are anti-cable.

This is simple English, learned in elementary school. Things are what they are. Denying what they are is worthy of ridicule.

I couldn't care less about Comcast. I say the same thing about Time Warner, Charter, Cox, Cablevision, for that matter DirecTV, Dish Network, Verizon, RCN, Motorola, Samsung, Pace, Thompson, for that matter, Disney, American Airlines, Jet Blue, Southwest Airlines, Hilton Hotels, for that matter Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, JC Penney, for that matter Microsoft, General Electric, General Motors, BMW, Honda, etc.

I couldn't care less about any of these companies. My interest is in both sides living up to their side of the bargain. For those companies, it means doing what they say. For consumers, it means accepting that when they accept an offer that it is unreasonable to expect anything other than what was explicitly offered. I object to consumers acting like spoiled children.

No one is being forced; saying so is a lie. None of these companies are monopoly; so that's another lie. You are welcome to post lies. Just don't expect to have an unrebutted soapbox for your lies. Get over yourself. Placing your legal perspectives over that of the US Court of Appeals is ridiculous.

bicker

I'm not so sure Comcast is really doing a good enough job at that, yet. Truly, Comcast competitor, Verizon, is doing a much better job. They've already sold-off assets in several states where terrestrial services are simply not worth providing. Effectively they've dumped the customers in those states, simply because they don't believe those customers are willing to pay enough to justify servicing them. That's going to become more and more common, I suspect, but Verizon is really doing a good job leading the way.

If consumers want to be valued, they have to offer value. If they don't offer value, then consumers can expect to be marginalized.

oblioman

But isn't paying the monthly bill enough to offer value to a company? We have been around this pole many times Bicker. At what point does the consumer feel that the value he is paying for, does not equal the value he receives? of course we will have a different opinion because your perception is that in order to make the consumer valuable to the company, the consumer pays top dollar. And me perception is to get the most bang for my buck. Kind of like buying monster cables at BB or shopping at monoprice.

bicker

Paying the monthly bill is enough value to justify the current services and current service levels. What you're always talking about is getting more than people are paying for. It is an unreasonable expectation.

When a certain small percentage of consumers cancel their subscriptions because they don't feel they're getting a good value, that's when the price being charged is roughly correct for the value being offered. You, on the other hand, always seem to be insisting that the price being charged is some amount remarkably higher than the value being provided. That's a perspective blinded by consumerism.

Top dollar? No. Rather, what makes a consumer valuable to a company is that customer being worth enough to the company that investing the money necessary to serve that specific customer is the best use of the money invested to serve that customer, i.e. that the company wouldn't have been better off investing the money necessary to serve that specific customer in the stock market or in T-bills.

Just look at what you wrote: Your statement was 100% solely and completely devoid of any consideration beyond your own avarice. It lacked any sense that what you were talking about was a reflection of a business relationship between two entities.

No, not like that at all. Monoprice doesn't stock any items that they don't make enough profit on to justify stocking that item.

oblioman

When a certain small percentage of consumers cancel their subscriptions because they don't feel they're getting a good value, that's when the price being charged is roughly correct for the value being offered. You, on the other hand, always seem to be insisting that the price being charged is some amount remarkably higher than the value being provided. That's a perspective blinded by consumerism.

And how many customers does comcast have to lose before it's considered anything but a "small" percentage. You know they are losing more customers than they have gained. Certainly some of this is attributed to more competition, what percentage,,who knows?? As for your blanket statement about insisting that the prices be too high for the value, me stands by that. But if you care to look at some of me prior posts, repeatedly me has stated that we would be willing to pay more for less, a la carte, even to pay a premium for selective channels. But since this does not fit the comcast business model, me opts for using their HS internet but not their cable television. And me will say this again, comcast has a very good HS internet division, great customer service, solid speed. What me does not like is the fact that in order to get the HS internet, one must also purchase basic cable.

bicker

Let's put it this way: You don't get to determine that: Their owners do.

Also keep in mind that the nature of which customers are lost, matters. As does the nature of competition in the markets where the losses take place. For example, if you go from having three competitors to four competitors, you'd have to be an idiot to expect none of your customers to check out the new competitor. Their switching providers, as such, is no reflection on the price/value proposition you offer, but rather is simply nature churn associated with new competition.

You can stand by any of your indefensible statements that you'd wish to.

It actually isn't true. It's just the same price with or without it. It's okay for you not to like that. I like it just fine so it balances out.

oblioman

You can stand by any of your indefensible statements that you'd wish to.

Indefensible? That is simply your opinion. Nothing more.

It actually isn't true. It's just the same price with or without it. It's okay for you not to like that. I like it just fine so it balances out.[/quote]

It may balance for you and me,,but it is far to easy to find stuff like this on a google - http://www.askshane.org/news-links/h...hould-care.php

bicker

You must work for Comcast, given how much you are concerned about their business.

:rotfl:

Needless to say, given that you're not really focused on being concerned about their business, your recommendations for what you would have them do differently aren't credible.

oblioman

of course me recommendations, or wants, are pointless since it's just me the consumer,,,and well,,it is comcast we be talking about. let me ask you this, in all seriousness, would you buy into an a la carte menu if comcast offered one?

bicker

Let's see:

Digital Economy = $29.88

versus

Basic = $10.75
A la carte access fee = $15.00
A&E, AMC, CNN, Discovery, E!, Food Network, USA = 7 * $2.50 (on average) = $17.50
Total is $43.25

So I seem to be better off with Digital Economy than with a la carte.

EXCEPT

I'd probably throw into that mix TNT and Syfy... that would add approximately another $5, so for $48.25, I'd have all the channels I would want. That's better than $58.75, which is how much I'd have to pay to get all of those channels with Digital Starter. (Of course, with Digital Starter, I'd also get a few dozen more channels, at least.)

So I might go back and forth between Digital Economy and a la carte, or I might go back and forth between Digital Economy and Digital Starter. I'm not sure.

oblioman

do you get any HD (locals don't count) with either the digital economy or the digital starter?

bicker

I get whatever channels are included in my tier in HD, on my primary tv.

Sykotic

I get the classic plus with direct tv, plus HD tier. But I dont watch SD. Direct tv has a HD channel of most channels, my package is over 90 HD channels. I pay more for it. I have 2 dvr, 1 hd dvr, 1 reg HD, 2 reg boxes.
I know it would be cheaper to get cable bundle, but no cable line in my neighborhood. Local MSO has no plans to wire it any time soon.