NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Time Warner Cable Subscribers Ripped Off by Unannounced HD Changes
Time Warner Cable Subscribers Ripped Off by Unannounced HD Changes
http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000575.html
Greetings. Truth be told, there are certain technical advantages that
cable has over satellite television -- true video on demand and the
ability to provide Internet and phone services, for example.
But like the old adage that "everyone hates the phone company" --
cable companies seem to find new ways to shoot themselves in the feet
at every turn.
Time Warner Cable (TWC) subscribers paying for the TWC "HD Tier" ($5
to $8.95/mo, depending on location), are in the process of being
burned at this very moment, and most of them probably don't even
realize it yet.
The HD Tier was never a great value, usually containing only around
four channels, compared to the large number of channels in most other
tiers. But the presence of the HDNet Movies channel made the tier
worthwhile for many subscribers. HDNet Movies is essentially the only
"non-premium" movie channel that runs a great mix of high-quality HD
movies (in their proper aspect ratios!), without in-movie commercials
or distracting full-time ID bugs and banners.
TWC is in the process of pulling HDNet Movies (and its companion
channel in the tier, HDNET -- which has quite a fan following of its
own) from all TWC systems. They've been doing this without any
warning or announcement to subscribers, they're lying about the reason
why, and if you're unhappy about the situation, they want *you*
to pay.
I hadn't heard about this fiasco -- not a peep from TWC -- until TiVo
flashed a channel lineup change notice this morning. When I called in
to find out what was going on, the TWC reps insisted that HDNET had
demanded that their channels be removed from all Time Warner systems.
Huh, that sounds pretty strange. "Not a contract dispute?" I asked.
"Definitely not!" I was told repeatedly.
Lies and double-talk. It's all about contracts and tier placement
( http://bit.ly/Dxzxn ). What's more, TWC attempting to portray the
unannounced removal of HDNET channels (and their replacement with
boringly generic HD commercial channels that are utterly inappropriate
to an extra cost tier -- Smithsonian and MavTV) as giving subscribers
"more choice" is utter hogwash.
So, overnight TWC changed 50% of the channels on the HD Tier.
Surprise! It's like subscribing to the L.A. Times and suddenly
getting "Football Daily" delivered instead (which, given the state of
the newspaper industry, may not be such a far-fetched nightmare
scenario).
Anyway, here comes the adding insult to injury part. If you complain
about the situation, TWC will happily drop the tier from your
package -- if you pay them $3! Hey, as long as we have the wound open,
let's pour in some salt and give it a good rub!
Now, if you raise a big enough stink and bump up to a supervisor you
can probably get that fee waived. But that's not the point -- you
shouldn't have to jump through hoops.
TWC knew that this change was coming. They could have warned
subscribers rather than trying to slip in quietly like a burglar in
the dead of night. It's not really a matter of the particular
channels, the cost of the tier, or the $3 drop fee -- it's the entire
awful attitude of these companies in general that drive their
subscribers to distraction -- and to the poor house. (Sidebar: TWC
now admits that the TiVo tuning adapters required to deal with
switched digital video may not be free after the first year, in direct
conflict with earlier statements -- but I digress ...)
Bottom line on this one, if you're paying for the HD Tier from TWC,
you should probably consider dropping it like a hot potato, and refuse
to pay any change fees. And watch your wallets, gang.
By ... the ... way. There's a great series of DirecTV commercials
portraying meetings at a generic cable company, where employees plan
how best to screw their subscribers
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdR8Q6EMUbk ). In light of Time Warner
Cable's behavior, I'm beginning to wonder if those spots were actually
clandestinely filmed at TWC corporate headquarters ...
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren@vortex.com
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
- People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, NNSquad
- Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org
Founder, GCTIP - Global Coalition
for Transparent Internet Performance - http://www.gctip.org
Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein