I called Comcast last week to ask why I some of my favorite channels said “Please Wait” instead of showing the channel. The customer service representative said that I didn’t get those channels — my channel package only includes broadcast channels plus a few others (QVC, DCTV and others I rarely watched).
It was an unpleasant surprise to find out that I was paying more than $70/month for internet access and TV channels that are available for the taking over the air. Internet access is great but it is not worth $70 a month. Being a concerned shopper I decided to find a less expensive option for internet access.
My investigation of options for internet access in DC were many and I decided to switch to Verizon DSL high speed internet. I called Comcast to cancel service and I was asked if there was anything the company could do to keep me as a customer. I said yes — match or beat Verizon’s $30/month for internet and I’ll stay. After being put on hold she returned to the phone to say that she could do that and that my total bill would be just over $50.
I told her than even if I paid $30 for internet it did not make sense to pay $20 more to watch channels that are available for free over the air. She would not sell me an internet only plan for $30 so now I am publishing this blog via Verizon’s phone lines. Goodbye Comcast, hello Verizon!
If you have other ideas for saving money on internet access let me know in the comments.