Getting Cable
Some companies still haven’t figured out they don’t live in a monopoly anymore. I’m on hold with Cablevision right now as I try to order cable service. If DirecTV’s phone tree weren’t just as bad, I might well have decided not to switch back to cable. Plus the DirecTV dish has an annoying habit of losing reception in severe weather. I’ll have to give up BBC America, but they’re not showing Dr. Who anyway. None of the other channels I lose or gain make any large difference to me. Neither Cablevision nor DirecTV offers TV5 Etats-Unis, which is the only channel I’ve been missing.
I had switched to DirecTV a few years ago because at the time Cablevision didn’t have digital cable in my neighborhood and wasn’t carrying the UFC. Now they do both. I mainly decided to switch back to cable to get HDTV (plus DirecTV is now part of the evil empire). DirecTV wanted $390 to install an HDTV box in my apartment, and $490 if I wanted a DVR. Cablevision claims they’ll do it for free. I should also be able to shave $20 off my monthly bill. We’ll see. I’m still on hold with them.
Update: Cablevision’s been late for two appointments in a row. When the installer showed up for the first appointment, he didn’t have the right equipment. The second one was more than an hour late, and I couldn’t hang around long enough for him to finish the job. The next appointment they can schedule is more than a week away. This really seems like a company that doesn’t want the business.
