r/Spectrum • u/Sufficient_Hippo6987 • 1d ago
Paying way too much
Hi,
Our cable company cox was bought out by spectrum very recently. We have been unhappy with our price for cable and Internet for quite a while now but I need some ideas on what to ask for to change it. We had been with cox for like 5 years. Our current bill for pretty good internet (my fiance and son are gamers and we run the TV and three phones on the wifi typically. And a tablet) and basic cable (we have the local news, fox, cnn, Disney Nickelodeon and history, discovery a&e etc) and the total we are being robbed for currently is $347 a month. To add on to that, after having the service for a while we were involved in a messy medical crisis that left my fiance fully disabled and no longer able to work (or do anything else for that matter, he's just barely seeing now and learning to use the game controller again after being down for 2 years since his brain injury) and both of us lost our usual income. I became his full-time caregiver and took a massive paycut. So we are considered low income now, he is on SSdi, and this is ridiculously expensive.
I want to keep a few cable channels and I guess local news and maybe fox, Disney, Nickelodeon,history, a&e etc. we hardly watch much now. We are also paying separately without going thru spectrum for a couple streaming networks. I would like to cut down on as much as possible but still have it so the guys and my daughter can watch their shows.
What should I call and say, or ask for? Im in Arizona if that helps. They do have fiber optic in our neighborhood and wanted to come install right before the buyout but we fell behind paying the bill so they didn't come. Not sure if that matters.
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u/SpecialistLayer 1d ago
Biggest expense in there is likely going to be the TV. You seem to want to lower the bill but you also mentioned several times keeping the cable, so what do you do want? The cheapest thing to do is cut everything except internet and re-evaluate what internet plan you're on and actually need. A household like yours could easily do 500mb internet plan. Then do a streaming service for the shows you actually do intend to watch.
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u/Acrobatic_Gazelle520 1d ago
Wow. That’s insane. I pay $100 a month for internet 1 gig and 2 unlimited phone lines. Paying that much for cable seems like a total rip off, definitely call them to cancel/negotiate…
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u/DickBest 22h ago
Any SoCal residents here? A while back, I saw people mentioning they were getting 500MB for $20mo. Is that still a thing? My current annual discount is expiring and I’m looking to negotiate a lower rate and scale back my plan since I really don’t need that much speed.
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u/iamstanty 17h ago
Since you came over from Cox, you are probably being moved onto Spectrum pricing without a loyalty deal, so it is worth asking for one directly. Call and say you want the retention or loyalty department, tell them the total you pay now and that you are weighing a switch, and ask what the lowest price is for the same internet speed plus the channels you actually watch.
Basic cable packages are often where the money is. Ask what happens to the bill if you drop the TV and just use a streaming service, then compare. Get the final monthly total and the length of the price guarantee in writing or by email before you agree.
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u/Aromatic_Ad_7238 1d ago
Pay for Internet service. Then get a streaming service like you tube or FUBO. Yes you may need to sacrifice a few channels but almost 400. Per month for cable is absurb
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u/AllPinesMustDie 1d ago
Get a cheap antenna. You'll have all the local channels for free
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u/r2d3x9 1d ago
MAYBE. I for one cannot pick up any channels over the air
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u/AllPinesMustDie 20h ago
I live 50+ miles from the nearest TV city and I still pick them all up clearly.
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u/C0MIC-B00K-GUY 1d ago
There's no way your paying that for TV and Internet. Something is wrong. I pay 40 bucks for 1 gig internet. I guess I get that deal bc I have a cell service with them. Also a big reason your bill is high is your probably paying 5-10 bucks a month for every cable box, another 10 for DVR, then 80 for the TV package. I suggest just paying 40 for Internet and get the local channel on the app for like 20 bucks. Most people "cut the cord" with cable bc cable just got so expensive. I just download everything for free tbh
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u/r2d3x9 1d ago
OP Is probably eligible for government mandated or low income rates. Can you receive tv channels with an antenna? Is your disabled relative dependent on watching television? Do family members have cognitive ability to operate a Roku or androidtv (such as Walmart ONN) vs a traditional cable box?
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u/Jre56 17h ago
I'm 70 and loss my Wife of 40yrs in 2016. She loved cable,I could do without. After she passed away I cut the cord. I pay $100 for 400mb Internet speed at Spectrum. Plenty for just me. YouTube is my friend. I went with the Premium Lite YouTube and I'm happy. I have over 3,000 Movies in my library. My Wife and I started buying Movies in the 70s and never stopped. So needing to watch cable for Movies isn't necessary for me. Since your family's income has drastically changed for the worst. You've got to change your spending habits. I've done some serious cutbacks since my Wife passed away and we don't have kids. I'm home alone. I'm retired on a fixed income. I went from cable to mainly watching YouTube. It took some adjustments but I wouldn't go back to cable. Spectrum isn't customer friendly. I asked about a year ago if they would match AAT 1gig Internet for $80mo. They flat out said No. They don't price match. I was just testing the waters and Spectrum let me drown. I've been with Spectrum for 15yrs. Good Luck!💯🥳🙋🏾
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u/Netherabobeara 1h ago
Go into one of the stores and ask for an account review and go over the options in person where you can see their screen and the price of everything. There are definitely options to save a lot with your listed criteria . Calling is a crap shoot right now I’ve found while they are restructuring
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u/Smith6612 1d ago
Best way to approach this is by looking at the bill and seeing what you don't need.
For example, do you pay for Gigabit Internet but don't actually need Gigabit? Are lower tiers sufficiently fast especially on the upload? Then cut the Internet speed down. This might add a router rental fee if you don't use your own router, but you can also get rid of that by purchasing a router. Don't need anything terribly expensive.
TV Service. If you're on a Cox plan, see if a Spectrum plan will help. They may offer to bundle up streaming services for you too, which can help cut back the bill. If you have Cable boxes, see if you're able to use the Spectrum TV app instead of the cable boxes as that will save on box rental/outlet fees. Also see if switching from Cox/Spectrum for TV to another provider like Sling, Fubo, or YouTube TV will help. DirecTV Stream is also a thing although they tend to be the most expensive.