$30 charge to hook up cable box

[mbaylor]

I called my cable provider to get another HD DVR for our bedroom. Not only did they want $20 additional a month for the box, but they are charging me $30 to install said box.

The guy at the cable co claims that people that installed these themselves were somehow hooking them up wrong and "running an electrical current through the box" that caused damage, which in turn forced them to charge the consumer. What were these customers doing, stripping the electrical cord down to bare wire and plugging it into the audio jacks.

All kidding aside, this is ridiculous, and I plan to write a letter to the cable company informing them of how ridiculous I think this is. There's a reason why the cable provider is rated at bottom of the barrel for customer service.

I am going to offer a new service to all interested Audioholics. $30 and I will come and hook up your DVD player for you.

 

[Mort Corey]

I am going to offer a new service to all interested Audioholics. $30 and I will come and hook up your DVD player for you.

Do you charge extra to set the time on the VCR? Mine's only correct once a day.

Mort (what thinks he still has a VCR)

 

[highfihoney]

Im no lover of cable company's or enthused about the high monthly service fee's but $30

This charge only amounts to about half an hours cost for a cable service man to come & do this,they have to be loosing money on every install,add up the cost of your gas to drive & pick up your own box,add up your time to stand in line then drive home & hook the box up.

30$ sounds like its worth every cent to me.

 

[markw]

Not everyone is as technically competent as us.

I called my cable provider to get another HD DVR for our bedroom. Not only did they want $20 additional a month for the box, but they are charging me $30 to install said box.

The guy at the cable co claims that people that installed these themselves were somehow hooking them up wrong and "running an electrical current through the box" that caused damage, which in turn forced them to charge the consumer. What were these customers doing, stripping the electrical cord down to bare wire and plugging it into the audio jacks.

All kidding aside, this is ridiculous, and I plan to write a letter to the cable company informing them of how ridiculous I think this is. There's a reason why the cable provider is rated at bottom of the barrel for customer service.

I am going to offer a new service to all interested Audioholics. $30 and I will come and hook up your DVD player for you.

Have you ever tried to talk a bumpus through any technical procedure on the telephone? I have and it's not easy.

They probably found that they lost way too much tech support time trying to talk the dumb-asses through the hookup procedure (which, believe it or not, not just any ahole can do successfully) that they just simply came up with a lowest commmon denominator policy to assure that it works.

So, thanks to the average dumbo thinking they can do something they can't and then crying to the cable company for help, everyone has to pay.

 

[majorloser]

Im no lover of cable company's or enthused about the high monthly service fee's but $30

This charge only amounts to about half an hours cost for a cable service man to come & do this,they have to be loosing money on every install,add up the cost of your gas to drive & pick up your own box,add up your time to stand in line then drive home & hook the box up.

30$ sounds like its worth every cent to me.

And you get the thrill of waiting around the house "between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm" for the scheduled service call.

(Don't dare go to the bathroom where you can't hear the door knock)

And if you're paying an additional $20 per month for HD service, I think they're making up for the lost labor costs.

 

[highfihoney]

And you get the thrill of waiting around the house "between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm" for the scheduled service call.

(Don't dare go to the bathroom where you can't hear the door knock)

And if you're paying an additional $20 per month for HD service, I think they're making up for the lost labor costs.

Oh i agree about cable company's being rip off artists when it comes to programing costs,i pay for 3 premium channels,the HD package,telephone & internet,they clean me out & im lucky if i watch 2 hours of tv a month.

Oh yeah,their service time frame sucks too.

My point was that in 2008 its pretty hard to get a neighborhood kid to mow your lawn for less than $30, let alone get a guy with a truck full of tools & equipment to make a trip to your home & do an install of anything.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Do you charge extra to set the time on the VCR? Mine's only correct once a day.

Mine is correct twice a day

 

[mbaylor]

Solution

What if they had a waiver that allowed more technically competent people to hook up their own equipment?

They refuse to give out the HD DVRs at the local cable locations.

I wouldn't be so bitter about it, but when they "installed" it yesterday, it took about 2 minutes and he was out the door. No level checks, no calls for provisioning, just screw and push.

The box had HDMI, but of course they didn't have cables due to cost, and after the guy left, I noticed 2 broken buttons and purple bands running across the TV.

I called and they are replacing the new Moto box with a Moxi (what I have in the basement currently).

 

[Halon451]

What if they had a waiver that allowed more technically competent people to hook up their own equipment?

They refuse to give out the HD DVRs at the local cable locations.

Not true, at least where I live. When I upgraded my regular digital cable box for the HD version, I simply went into the main office, turned in my old one, and they gave me the HD box. Went home and had it up and running within minutes. I sincerely don't know how dumb a person would have to be to not be able to figure something this simple out.

I think the cable companies employ this technique at times just to bilk the unsuspecting customer out of that much more money, relying on their ignorance and desire to "have it done right".

 

[Halon451]

Oh, and a friend of mine worked for the cable company here in my town. They are paid a specified amount for each little thing they do (I don't know the actual dollar amount breakdown).

For example:
-Running a new cable line ($x.xx)
-Installing a new box ($x.xx)
-Replacing an F-connector ($x.xx)

and so on... basically they don't get paid if they don't do SOME kind of service. He knew people who would intentionally write up a laundry list of "recommendations" for a customer just to add more money to the bill.

After a few years he quit. Even he admitted it was a crooked business.

 

[rnatalli]

What's a VCR?

 

[Tom Andry]

My cable company gives you the option of picking it up and hooking it up yourself or having them install it. The install costs more of course. I think they might even tack on an additional charge if you take it home and then call them to come and hook it up. Some sort of dumbass tax.

 

[Tom Andry]

What's a VCR?

Not sure. I seem to remember my grandparents using them or something...

 

[majorloser]

... or having them install it.

Which they'll do wrong anyway. Using the composite video

 

[annunaki]

VCR:

Verified that
Cable is a
Ripoff

 

[rnatalli]

VCR:

Verified that
Cable is a
Ripoff

LOL... I Love It!

 

[Thunder18]

My cable company charges $50 to deliver a new box to you(they won't let you pick one up at a local center, but you can sure drop them off there!).