dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
43625

abguy
@verizon.net

abguy

Anon

Trying to cancel FIOS TV but keep internet

Greetings: Here's my sitch, and I doubt it's unusual but I can't find anything directly relevant through search.

I have TV and Internet now for $119.xx per month and they're about to raise the rates again. The fact is that I really cannot stand television anymore. I don't like many shows and even the ones I do are interrupted continuously by commercials. Whenever I switch to another station they're showing commercials too. And so on. I just don't want TV anymore.

My FIOS Internet 20/5 is now $38.00 plus taxes and surcharges. When I phoned up Verizon the agent told me that if I cancel TV then my Internet will go up to $78.00 plus I will have to accept a landline if I want even that price.

That's more than double what I'm paying now! She said it's because Verizon services depend on "bundles" and are not supposed to be ordered à la carte.

And while this is trivial, I don't want a landline (haven't had one in ten years). You might ask what the harm is but it gets you in Verizon's online directories which I really don't want.

Could go back to Comcast for internet but where I live all the utilities are underground except for Comcast so they would have to run a wire through the air to my house which looks trashy. I know that's weird but that's what it is.

So...how else to get internet?? Does anyone know any alternatives? Is there a satellite internet service that's practical? Any and all advice welcome!

tito79
join:2010-03-14
Port Saint Lucie, FL

tito79

Member

From what I understand if you want just internet u will need to contact sales rep and sign a 2 year contract.

birdfeedr
MVM
join:2001-08-11
Warwick, RI

birdfeedr to abguy

MVM

to abguy
Current prices in my area for new customer.

One year price - Speed, No phone, With Phone
15/5 - 75, 75
50/25 - 84, 84
75/35 - 94, 89

Two year price - Speed, No phone, With phone
15/5 - 49-69, 75
50/25 - 59-79, 84
75/35 - 69-89, 89

two year no phone price is per month first year, then per month second year.

20/5 for $38 is smoke and mirrors, or maybe more like, whatever you order will cost at least 75 per month. Plus, you can't get 20/5, closest comparable is 15/5. VZ pricing for a single service is as much as for 2 or 3 services in some cases.

Consider keeping double play but drop to Select HD, otherwise go to your cable provider. If they are like mine in this area, they are not much better.

If you can tolerate a break in service, consider alternative re-seller if available.

Hmm. did a quick search. Looks like resellers were ejected from the game in the 2010 price hikes. Looks like the best game in town is buy or die. They are all in it for the money.

Competition and Verizon can't be used in the same sentence.

abguy
@verizon.net

abguy

Anon

Wow thanks birdfeedr, good information.

My current bill says "FIOS Internet 20/5" at $38 but who knows what it really is. I'd be happy with 15/5 for $49 if I could get it. And no problem paying for two years. I guess I'll keep trying.

About 'competition'... as I was typing the OP I kept thinking of that ubiquitous internet complaint phrase "class action suit" and I bet one day these Vz shenanigans will make some lawyers rich.

ITALIAN926
join:2003-08-16

ITALIAN926

Member

If youre not watching TV, you can try to drop your TV to "local only", may help, i dont know. It certainly should be cheaper than SelectHD

abguy
@verizon.net

abguy

Anon

Wow, I was wrong. The Vz agent now says "After cancelling your TV services, you'll lose the bundle savings and your price for FiOS Internet 15/5 Mbps speed plan would be approx. $94.99/mo + Taxes." which is over $100 a month just for 15/5 internet.

There has got to be a better way. This is disgraceful.

birdfeedr
MVM
join:2001-08-11
Warwick, RI

birdfeedr

MVM

I may be wrong, but there are no taxes on internet service. Phone and TV, yes, but not internet, although that may be different in your neck of the woods.

Cancel for 2 months to become a new customer. You will get a better deal. Or switch to a couple months no-contract with your cable provider before switching back.

"Local only" is not a bundle option. It would be a straight add-on to whatever your internet pricing is.

abguy
@verizon.net

abguy

Anon

Well I'm in Virginia and we have "communications" taxes on just about everything, plus there is sales tax and PEG Grant Fee and Sports Network Fee, plus I have Home Monitoring & Control which is another $10 a month... so it's well over $100 for the slowest internet available.

There has to be another way.
VirtualLarry
Premium Member
join:2003-08-01

VirtualLarry to birdfeedr

Premium Member

to birdfeedr
said by birdfeedr:

"Local only" is not a bundle option. It would be a straight add-on to whatever your internet pricing is.

It is a bundle option for me. Or was, in the "build your bundle" section, when I went to adjust (downgrade) my services. I decided to go with Select HD, and 15/5 internet, for $84.99/mo (month-to-month). Of course, there is the $11.99 set-top box rental fee every month, as well as ~$5 asst "taxes and fees" that VZ tacks on. At least I won't have to pay the RSN fee next month, having dropped PrimeHD (includes sports) for Select HD (no sports).
turbobuick86
join:2001-10-09
Whittier, CA

turbobuick86 to abguy

Member

to abguy
Tonight, I upgraded online from 15/5 at $54.99 to 55/35 at $64.99. There's a big promotion to upgade to "FIOS QUANTUM" for $10/mo additional.

This is online only (supposedly). Less than one minute after I selected upgrade, it was in effect proven by speed test. Appears automation gets better discounts. lol

I've never had fios TV, home phone, or any package.

abguy
@verizon.net

abguy

Anon

said by turbobuick86:

Tonight, I upgraded online from 15/5 at $54.99 to 55/35 at $64.99. There's a big promotion to upgade to "FIOS QUANTUM" for $10/mo additional.

This is online only (supposedly). Less than one minute after I selected upgrade, it was in effect proven by speed test. Appears automation gets better discounts. lol

I've never had fios TV, home phone, or any package.

I hope you know how lucky you are. Apparently if you've never had one of their "bundles" then you're free to get internet by itself.

Meanwhile I wonder about the legal implications of a publicly-regulated utility charging one customer twice what it charges another for identical service.

ITALIAN926
join:2003-08-16

ITALIAN926

Member

Legal implications? ALL these companies do bundles. Not only that, but prices vary area to area due to competition. You stated much earlier that you have other options. So shop around if youre unhappy with the pricing for your area.
elefante72
join:2010-12-03
East Amherst, NY

1 edit

elefante72 to ITALIAN926

Member

to ITALIAN926
Local only they charge $17 on top of the internet believe it or not so 50/25 + local would have run me $90 + CC cost ($4) + taxes

The best deal out there is taking internet and bundling it w/ SelectHD - 2 play- which has all of the locals plus a decent amount of content. No regional sports fees or sports, nor phone

My new plan is $79 all in 50/25+SelectHD+Cablecard. The only "tax" I have on my bill is like a $2.50 video franchise fee, that's it.

So I would concentrate on negotiating a package w/ SelectHD, because I found that just internet was as costly as getting SelectHD, so you mine as well have TV for "free". You can scan the channels which are pretty decent, and since we don't watch much TV anyways it fits the bill.

If you want to avoid commercials and be carrier agnostic, get a Tivo. The cost of a tivo + 2 play will still be less than what you are paying today. If you ever go to comcast, just swap the cablecard.

Unfortunately FIOS pricing is rigged for 2-play or higher. There are no deals just for internet. Comcast while good has caps on internet (250GB) that FIOS doesn't, so if you consume video, watch out. We typically do 300-500 GB/month and that would blow out Comcast caps. They call it "excessive use", meaning you don't need broadcast TV and consume via the net. Their way of enforcing bundling...

kontos
xyzzy
join:2001-10-04
West Henrietta, NY

kontos to abguy

Member

to abguy
Internet service would be the least-regulated service they offer.
They can charge whatever they want for it.

abguy
@verizon.net

abguy to ITALIAN926

Anon

to ITALIAN926
said by ITALIAN926:

Legal implications? ALL these companies do bundles. Not only that, but prices vary area to area due to competition. You stated much earlier that you have other options. So shop around if youre unhappy with the pricing for your area.

There are no alternative providers for internet service where I live, as I have explained. Otherwise I would have jumped already.

And the legal implications are serious: can you imagine another utility charging one customer twice what it charges another for exactly the same service? Electricity, gas, water, what have you? One person pays 9 cents per kwh and his neighbor is charged 18? Wouldn't happen. But it's happening with Vz internet service as we see in this very thread. And it has nothing to do with bundling.
said by elefante72:

Unfortunately FIOS pricing is rigged for 2-play or higher. There are no deals just for internet.

Except as we've seen above, some people do get decent rates on internet-only service.
said by kontos:

Internet service would be the least-regulated service they offer.
They can charge whatever they want for it.

You got that right. I just wish they'd be remotely fair about it.

Pher9999
join:2011-07-06
Saucier, MS

Pher9999 to abguy

Member

to abguy
You can always just get with phone option and not hook a phone up to the ont. If it's cheaper then what you pay without then get it and don't use it. Same with TV.

birdfeedr
MVM
join:2001-08-11
Warwick, RI

birdfeedr to abguy

MVM

to abguy
said by abguy :

can you imagine another utility charging one customer twice what it charges another for exactly the same service? Electricity, gas, water, what have you? One person pays 9 cents per kwh and his neighbor is charged 18?

Except as we've seen above, some people do get decent rates on internet-only service.

Electric rates are spelled out that way, one gets 9, the other gets 18. A customer which is all-electric gets one rate different than someone who has gas heat, for instance. Never mind that the first customer's rate is lower but his bill is higher, but one customer subsidizes the other.

The folks who get decent rates on internet-only bought it that way at the beginning (at least before 2010) and have not changed their plan. Their rates have bumped up from time to time, but not like it does when a plan change invokes the current rate structure. Those 20/5 people can't add TV and keep 20/5, just as you've found you can't drop TV without going to the current rate for internet-only.
rickbarnett
join:2005-09-24
Springfield, VA

rickbarnett to abguy

Member

to abguy
I have VZ service in No VA. I dropped my TV service where I was paying $175 50/25 internet. Was then charged $85 for 50/25 internet. Added "15 local channels" and my bill dropped to $65 (no contract). If you have modern TV you can connect the VZ coax directly to TV and get a multitude of worthwhile channels, no need for a STB. You will get some weird numbers and no guide data on your TV.

ITALIAN926
join:2003-08-16

ITALIAN926

Member

multitude is an obscene overstatement

birdfeedr
MVM
join:2001-08-11
Warwick, RI

birdfeedr

MVM

said by ITALIAN926:

multitude is an obscene overstatement

Multitude applies if you only watch one. "Worthwhile" is the obscene overstatement.
Aero 1
join:2007-07-27

Aero 1 to abguy

Member

to abguy
said by abguy :

said by turbobuick86:

Tonight, I upgraded online from 15/5 at $54.99 to 55/35 at $64.99. There's a big promotion to upgade to "FIOS QUANTUM" for $10/mo additional.

This is online only (supposedly). Less than one minute after I selected upgrade, it was in effect proven by speed test. Appears automation gets better discounts. lol

I've never had fios TV, home phone, or any package.

I hope you know how lucky you are. Apparently if you've never had one of their "bundles" then you're free to get internet by itself.

Meanwhile I wonder about the legal implications of a publicly-regulated utility charging one customer twice what it charges another for identical service.

almost 3 years ago i was in the same situation as you. i had tv and 50/25 internet (no phone). i cut the cord and cancelled tv with no problem (my commitment was up so i didnt break that).

if i wanted to keep 50/25, the price was going up to $80 from the $45 or whatever bundled price. So i downgraded to the 15/5 at the time for $55. i think the stipulation at the time was that internet only requires to be billed automatically via credit card, but that might have changed. When the Quantum promotion happened a few months ago, i upgraded to 50/25 (60/30 in reality) for an extra $10.

Now i pay (actually, works pays ) $64.99 for "50/25" with no tv or phone.
billhere
join:2011-10-21
Santa Monica, CA

billhere to birdfeedr

Member

to birdfeedr
I get a "multitude" (136) of channels with my rooftop antenna. Very few of them are "worthwhile."
patt2k
join:2009-01-16

patt2k to abguy

Member

to abguy
OP did you try to check options online only? I mentioned many times
when I was on 50/25 I asked to upgrade (on the phone) and the rep told my different price,after I finished talking with them I upgraded online and my discount carried over.

Your best bet is to check online. Let me know