- 10/30/2014
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I am presently assisting an elderly friend in selecting a cable-TV channel provider. Initially it seemed simple enough. Time Warner sent a flyer advertising a flat rate for internet service, home phone (land line), and cable television. Verizon also sent a similar offer, supposedly $10 lower monthly than Time Warner. My friend already had a "double play" internet and home phones combination with Verizon. So since it appeared the identical offers were $10 less expensive with a provider that was already installed in the residence, we proceeded to call Verizon to add cable TV access to the household.
At the end of the sales job with the representative from Verizon, the cost of the service went from $79 per month to a whopping $163 per month. A date was assigned for the service to be installed, and the bill was increased. When I was advised by my friend of the costs to add a cable provider, I insisted that he cancel the service immediately. It was obvious that a bait-and-switch scheme was in place. So within a few hours we had added and cancelled the service with Verizon. I then proceeded to investigate the website myself. I discovered there were plans not offered on the phone by the Verizon representatives. The plans actually range from $10 per month for basic cable with 61 channels, up to $89 for 515 channels including premium movie channels.
Since my friend barely ever watches television, the basic 61 channels for $10 seemed perfect. I suggested he also sign up for a movie channel site, which includes 31 more channels, for a mere $7.99 additional per month.
Unfortunately for most seniors seeking cable service, a person such as myself is not involved and the seniors are basically at the mercy of the telemarketing representatives they seek information from. It is a very confusing adventure to access or change cable providers, internet providers and cell phone providers. I advise buyer-beware caution on the part of the senior, and for seniors to do research themselves after speaking to a provider representative. I believe omission is deception. And it is definitely a deceptive practice for the customer service reps to leave out inexpensive options available for seniors as well as other consumers. Always include your children or others in your family in your decisions to change any of your basic service providers. Hopefully a family member will be able to check the fine print for you to make an intelligent decision that is as affordable as possible for you. Whatever a representative of any company tells you verbally, believe only what you read in print on the official website or in the contracts you sign.