| Failed! They should of at least switched to a more expensive modem. |
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| Technically not a rate hike, but it is. It's a rate hike plain and simple. Since their competition will attack them over a rate hike (and they would do the same) they are adding this "Modem Fee" so they can technically say they didn't have a rate hike even though the rest of us knows it's a rate hike.
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I do not, have not, and will not work for AT&T/Comcast/Verizon/Charter or similar sized company. |
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 mromeroPremium
join:2000-12-07
The O.C.
kudos:1 | reply to Chaterfailed
Re: Failed! thing that pisses me off is that you cant just buy any docsis 3.0 modem, it has to be on the approved list. |
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| I thought thats how most providers operated? I have a smaller cable co for phone and internet. I purchased my own Motorola 6120 in 2010 when it was a new product.
I have Phone and Internet with my provider. They supplied an Arris modem that although could technically do both, it only does voice. My Moto does Internet.
I just have a package price for Internet/Phone plus tax. No equipment fees.
This is with Service Electric Cablevision.
I seem to remember Comcast was the same way. |
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 Anonymous_AnonymousPremium
join:2004-06-21
127.0.0.1
kudos:2 | modem fee modem fee was included in the cost of the service before.
All they did was raise the fee from 4.99 to 8.99 |
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Reviews:
 ·Time Warner Cable
 ·Verizon FiOS
 ·voip.ms
| It pays for the internet portion Seeing the fee was $2.50 to $4, the $1.50 should cover the cost of providing the internet service for the month, and the rest is pure profit 
Now I don't think a $4 fee is unreasonable, just how TWC handled it. If they were smart, they would have offered the modem online on their website (no price jack), and then charge $2.50 per month in maintenance so in essence they are still making their price increase, while taking a leased asset off the books. If it breaks, charge the customer $20 to return it. They know cable modems are not a high failure item.
In addition, they could have come up w/ a website to enter the CPE MAC in to reprovision so it's done in seconds.
These are all very reasonable things to do (and customer centric) but this is exactly as a monopolist behaves.
To add insult, that same modem if you have voice still sits in your house sucking down electricity on your dime, because they are too stubborn to be customer friendly.
When people port out voice and then cable (I forgot thats not happening), then they scratch their heads and ask why.
In any case, I would stick it to TWC and get your own VOIP. When I got FIOS it was cheaper to do 3 play vs 2 play so I went with it (mistake). In the last two years the fees on the phone portion have ballooned to over $6/mo MORE than when I signed up. Now I use voip.ms for my office, and in any case it's just as good and I only pay $4/month average. I probably don't use the house line for more than 300min in a month, so that would cost me $4 for voip.ms ALL IN with 911.
In any case if you don't do VOIP with your telco, you can easily switch providers on a dime without having to port your phone #. If you are keen, port to mobile, then to google voice and then you can do whatever you want from there (ring mobiles, any landline, softphone). |
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 NightfallMy Goal Is To Deny YoursPremium,MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI
·Comcast
·Callcentric
 ·Site5.com
| This really should have went a lot smoother Time Warner really dropped the ball. I have no problems with them charging for rental modems. What I do have an issue with are the notice ahead of time and the list of approved modems. They should have given everyone 2-3 months notice before kicking this fee in. If they did send letters out a couple months in advance, then I would be more forgiving. They also should have expanded their list of approved modems. Only 5 DOCSIS 3.0 modems? Thats insane.
At the same time, why are people calling Time Warner to buy their modems through them? Newegg has all these modems and they can be bought at cheaper prices there anyway. Just buy the modem at Amazon or Newegg, and activate it on Time Warner's network. It isn't that hard.
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My domain - Nightfall.net |
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openbox9Premium
join:2004-01-26
japan
kudos:2 | Perhaps Venech should have said TWC might have been bettered served by stating something to the effect that due to the additional revenue generated by subscribing to multiple services, double- and triple-play subscriptions already cover the costs of replacing/repairing the eMTAs. |
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 Smith6612Premium,MVM
join:2008-02-01
North Tonawanda, NY
kudos:22
 ·Verizon Online DSL
·Frontier Communi..
| The modem rental fee. This fee is silly. Many folks I know stick with providers for years, which more than pays for the modems or cheap, buggy gateways. Plenty of users with SB5101s still or those horrible RCA modems that are years old. The modems are also still circulated throughout the area despite being old and run until they break for good.
Adelphia back when they owned this area used to allow folks to purchase their own Cable modem, which many folks oped for the Motorola SURFBoard. Time Warner permits this to happen too, but if you get their voice service and there is a customer owned modem, they come in, split off the two modems and put in a Voice/Data combo modem. What I find stupid is, when they do this they not only ruin your signal levels, with some lines in the area running in marginal spec as a result, but if you choose to run just ONE modem, you know, the free one they gave you for voice service and opt to sell or retire your personal modem, you would get smacked with a $2.50 fee each month for just having a good gesture of taking a modem off of the network. That price is getting hiked now apparently.
Yet, Verizon for FiOS gives out routers if you say it's broken. The router is yours after a year or two. For DSL? Say your service disconnects and you have another modem on the way, no fee. Apparently the cost of the gear isn't a problem for them!
I won't include Frontier into the discussion though. They're on the same level as Time Warner if you get suckered into their fees for their modem rental which is a few dollars more for the same, cheap and buggy gateways. |
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| reply to elefante72
Re: It pays for the internet portion I'll give a thumbs up for VOIP.ms since I dumped Vonage for them. Unlocked my old SunRocket ATA and ported my number to VOIP.ms. Vonage was cheaper then TWC phone so I never wanted cable co phone service.
From what I can tell, TWC business customers don't have the modem fee. I talked them into a Teleworker plan with no contract and haven't seen modem fee on the bill. I pay $50 a month and my speeds are only 7x 768 but I can get static IP or any other "business" feature that they won't give you on a residential plan. Kept the same UBEE DDW3611 that had 30x5 at one point on residential. They just sent new config with TWCBC IP and routing.
I'm so fed up with TWC and Telco being the only real internet options. I wish I could start my own ISP but that is only dream unless I win the lottery. |
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 IowaCowboyWant to go back to IowaPremium
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA
·Comcast
 ·Verizon Broadban..
| Maybe it'll keep Best Buy in business I love shopping at Best Buy. I shop at the one at Holyoke Mall when I am at home but shop the one at the Maine Mall when I am at Grandma's house. They unfortunately closed the store in Biddeford (which my cousin worked there in the past). The matter is that they carry cable modems at their Maine stores (which is predominately Time Warner turf) so their cable modem inventory was not moving due to the fact that TWC provided the modem at no charge. They also have Comcast Internet self install kits at their Maine Mall store and I am not aware of any Comcast systems in Maine other than Kittery (which is part of the Portsmouth, NH system).
I am sure those cable modems are flying off the shelves now with this modem fee.
I have always owned my own modem as long as I've had broadband. My current modem is an Arris TM722G. I have personally dealt with Mediacom and Comcast and they both charge for modems (when I had Mediacom, they offered a discount off the advertised rate for owning a modem, which was the early 2000's).
If they would let me put in a purchased EMTA, I would gladly buy Grandma an Arris TM822G (available on Amazon) complete with battery (since reliable phone service is crucial to senior citizens and TWC does not provide batteries although I could pick up a UPS power strip for her).
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I wish I still lived in Iowa; Everything there from rent and groceries to Cable TV is much cheaper in Iowa (especially with an overbuilder in town). |
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 voipguy
join:2006-05-31
Forest Hills, NY | Simple... I can understand not expecting customers to buy their own voice modems. They are virtually unavailable at retail.
TWC should have known this and used it as an opportunity for bundling - they should have waived the modem fee for any data customers that are also voice customers.
Making the customer use their own data modem in addition to the TWC modem is really stupid - extra CMTS resources are tied up, another device must be tracked in their billing systems, the device may or may not be supported for firmware updates, not to mention forcing the customer to pay for extra power.
Really dumb. |
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 djrobx
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA
kudos:1
·VOIPo
·Verizon Wireless..
·RoadRunner Cable
·AT&T U-Verse
| Lack of competition TWC has most of their customers by the balls, and they know it.
With the telcos giving up on wireline, focusing on wireless, and making deals with cable cos, things may get a lot worse unless we get some sort of competition going again.
The funny part is that folks have been complaining about "monopoly" broadband for years, but I've always felt that there was a somewhat reasonable amount of competition between cable, telco, CLEC-provided, and independent ISPs. Imagine how bad things will be if your only alternative is a wireless data plan. Ouch.
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AT&T U-Hearse - RIP Unlimited Internet 1995-2011
Rethink Billable.
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 AdamB
join:2001-01-07
Columbus, OH | Can't explain that Prices go up, but service stays the same. You can't explain that!  |
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 n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY | reply to IowaCowboy
Re: Maybe it'll keep Best Buy in business said by IowaCowboy:I have always owned my own modem as long as I've had broadband.
Me too. When I first signed up for Optimum Online back in 2001, you had to buy your modem. There was no rental choice. Even though I have upgraded from the original purchased SB4100 to SB5100 through Cablevision, I continue to own the modem per their policies. As long as I can document the original ownership and serial number swaps (which I can), it is mine. I probably should sell it and get a freebe but I suspect at some point Cablevision will consider charging for modems too so I might as well keep it. It works!
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I support the right to keep and arm bears. |
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 swintecPremium,VIP
join:2003-12-19
Alfred, ME
kudos:4
·RapidVPS
·Sprint Mobile Br..
·VoicePulse
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to IowaCowboy
said by IowaCowboy:They also have Comcast Internet self install kits at their Maine Mall store and I am not aware of any Comcast systems in Maine other than Kittery (which is part of the Portsmouth, NH system).
I believe the berwicks are Comcast. Also, several years ago Comcast bought Suscom which services the mid coast. I think Brunswick, Durham and that area...it is a very small pocket and looks weird on a coverage map...but it is there. I am surprised they never swapped with TW.
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Usenet Block Accounts | Unlimited Accounts |
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Reviews:
·ooma
·Optimum Online
·Verizon FiOS
| fee creation or increase= more money out of pocket it's your bottom line cost of service that matters..
for those of you on docsis 2.0 level tiers a used motorola surfboard goes for $25 or less.. if your on docsis 3.0, it's possible to get an Arris docsis3 modem for btw $67 - $220 (usually the higher price includes the backup battery).
I see ZERO justification for a fee on docsis 2 tiers.. for docsis 3 tiers, it's possible to justify it as a warranty extension after your first year of service.. but I still think $4 is too high.. should be $1 or $2... based on a year prorate of a warranty extension plan over 12 months. $4+ would be over 50% of the $67 minimum price. You could also see this fee being waived in the customer rentention process.. since in some competitive areas of TWC and Comcast where FIOS is, the closer you get that bottom line price to FIOS.. the more incentive there is to jump ship. |
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 PathfinderDazed ConfusedPremium
join:2000-03-26
Mount Vernon, NY | reply to Nightfall
Re: This really should have went a lot smoother In New York there are only 2 approved Docsis 3 modems, And 3 Doc 2. |
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| reply to AdamB
Re: Can't explain that You have to sit in on the stockholder meeting to actually get any explanation that makes sense. Otherwise it is Greek to everyone else. |
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| reply to AdamB
Government prints a crapload of money: either prices go up, or service is degraded, or both. Change you can believe in. |
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