Saturday, November 21, 2009

Buy Cable Phone, TV and Internet Online

The latest trend in home entertainment and communications from the big media and telcom companies is to bundle two or more services into a single discounted package. The bundling craze began with cable providers like Time Warner, Cox, Comcast, and Charter, but now telco and satellite providers are bundling services as well. Does bundling television, internet, and phone save you money, or is it just another advertising contrivance? This article will compare and contrast the digital products that the leading companies provide their customers with and find out who offers the best deal.


It's hard to turn all your home digital needs over to a single company. It makes us uneasy. Will I be locked into a contract and have to deal with rate hikes? These are all normal concerns when you are shopping around for digital home services. So what does happen when your original promotion expires? Luckily, rate hikes are rare because these companies are so competitive. In fact, the drive to keep customers is so great that even when promos or special deals end, very often existing customers can extend their offer or move to a new promotion. It just might take a simple phone call from you to get the latest deal. Some cable companies, like Charter Communications, are currently giving users the chance to lock in rates for as long as two years if they agree to take a complete package deal. The question of what happens to the hardware a service provider gives you comes down to the individual business an their policies. The kind of equipment you'll obtain from the company you go with is typically a digital TV receiver and broadband modem if you purchase Internet. If you ordered an upper level package it may come with a DVR box. Generally, though, most companies are not going to charge you any unexpected fees for the normal use of their equipment. A small monthly fee may be charged for a monthly broadband modem rental fee if you do not purchase one of your own. You may also be charged a small fee for additional digital receivers for multiple TV's. Contact the providers in your area to find out their exact polices. If you change address or switch providers you're generally only responsible for giving the equipment back to the office of the local company. If you haven't lost the equipment and it still works it's unlikely you will have to pay anything. I do not see a reason for customers to discount a bundle over any worries they have about the hardware. Each of the major digital companies have essentially the same policies regarding hardware fees and returns which don't change whether you're getting all your services from one company or several.


Now we can take a closer look at exactly what kind of bundle packages you can currently purchase. Satellite become popular again in the 90s when they installed small dishes that delivered higher quality than cable. Additionally, Satellite television had more complete programming than cable for a generally lower price. But in recent years the satellite industry has remained stagnant. Dish and DirecTV are having trouble competing because they've pushed satellite technology as far as they can. Even though television prices are still very competitive, satellite has a poor Internet option that's only useful to homes in very rural areas and no phone service option. Lately, telco companies including AT&T, Qwest, and Verizon now offer digital TV, broadband, and telephone bundles. They use super-fast fiber-optic networks - currently limited to large cities and not available in many areas - or more likely resell service through satellite and local internet providers. Even though the quality and price point is there, I'm currently not recommending consumers go with a telco company for all three services. Since they are partnering with other companies for the TV or broadband service, you're merely getting a repackaged product that puts more hands in the pot and can create service headaches. And if one of the companies reselling their product through the telco alters cost terms or gets out of the deal with your telco altogether, where do you end up?


So what company do I think customers should get their cable and broadband from? Currently I am a huge fan of the bundle options that are offered by many of the large cable companies. Today's cable companies offer a complete digital and HD programming lineup that matches and often beats what Dish and DirecTV offer. You can get awesome add-ons including DVR boxes that the satellite industry is just starting to bring to it's customers. Cable is currently superior because you're getting digital cable TV, broadband internet and digital phone from one source that will support you in all three services. However, for those who are just in the market for television service it might pay to consider satellite or teco because the competition is higher. With bundled services though, you can't beat the savings you get from the cable industry. I suggest using my article as a guide and comparing the features each provider offers for yourself. Research each package and use the knowledge you've learned to find the best deal!




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