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pream
join:2001-02-03
Jupiter, FL

pream

Member

Verizon FIOS -> Comcast

I have been a FIOS customer for over 5 years having switched from Comcast. Today's bill is now $211 with the basic HD service, lowest speed internet (20/5), and multi room DVR. I had been getting a $30 loyal customer discount. I called Comcast to see what they could do. For the same service, it will cost me $149 + tax in the first year, +$20 in the second year, and $185 +/- increases in the third year. In addition to the cost savings, I believe I will get the following: Better DVR box, better router (found FIOS router to be junk), better VOD, and better channel lineup. The best FIOS would offer was $206.

When I made the switch 5 yrs ago, I thought FIOS was a big upgrade. Is there some compelling reason not to make the switch back to Comcast?

Anonnymoose
@alter.net

Anonnymoose

Anon

Every time I visit my mother in law, I'm reminded of why I switched to FIOS.

Do you really think Comcast has a better lineup or VOD?

aaronwt
Premium Member
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
Asus RT-AX89

aaronwt

Premium Member

said by Anon80:

Every time I visit my mother in law, I'm reminded of why I switched to FIOS.

Do you really think Comcast has a better lineup or VOD?

The same here. Everytime I visit my parents I'm reminded of how much better FiOS is than Comcast. Well at least in my area there is no question which provides the better service. And FiOS costs me less than Comcast would charge me too.
JoeSchmoe007
Premium Member
join:2003-01-19
Brooklyn, NY

JoeSchmoe007 to Anonnymoose

Premium Member

to Anonnymoose
said by Anon80:

Every time I visit my mother in law, I'm reminded of why I switched to FIOS.

Do you really think Comcast has a better lineup or VOD?

How does Amazon VOD (pay-per-view, not the Prime variety) compare with FIOS/Comcast? I haven't had cable in about 15 years and have no idea.
patt2k
join:2009-01-16

patt2k to pream

Member

to pream
I am wondering how he is having Basic HD which would be Select HD? 15/5 and one multiroom DVR and he is paying 211$ for it.. just makes no sence.

In my area right now I have:
75/35 + Prime HD rated at 84.99,1 cable card ,1set box
my next bill will be : 107$ as far as I know the multiroom dvr is like 16.99 rental fee?.

I don't know how his bill is so high lol.

RedCaliSS
Premium Member
join:2004-08-21
Murrieta, CA

RedCaliSS to pream

Premium Member

to pream
huh $211 for the base package?
I'm at $134 a month, thats with all the BS taxes and other charges..
I have Prime HD, One DVR, 50/25, Digital Voice phone.... a Rev I router (which is very capable for what I need)..
my 2nd (kid line, dual ONT's at the house)line, prime HD, DVR, one HD STB, 50/25, again a Rev I router which for our use is a very capable router. is somewhere like $96, not sure exactly, don't have bill in front of me.
I have loyalty discounts on both, been with Verizon since.... uhm... 05? 06? since we got FIOS here.. damn, I'm old, I don't remember exactly.

something smells fishy with this post, or OP isn't telling us everything. or?

guppy_fish
Premium Member
join:2003-12-09
Palm Harbor, FL

guppy_fish to pream

Premium Member

to pream
Post your bill, I have no discounts and pay 149 with all taxes and fees for Extreme and 73/35 with a HD DVR, that price is available everywhere, nothing special. The only way you are paying 210 is your not on a contract and are ordering pay-per-view movies or events

Smith6612
MVM
join:2008-02-01
North Tonawanda, NY

Smith6612 to pream

MVM

to pream
Wow. Are all of your services set up unbundled? $200 is a huge bill. You should be able to get that chopped down to around $100-$130 for the services you have.

I guess what we need is more info.

germ
join:2006-09-30
Long Beach, CA

3 edits

germ to pream

Member

to pream
I'm currently paying $129.16 for Triple Play(Prime HD with HBO, 15/5 internet, and Digital Voice) with discounts but once the discounts end my bill will skyrocket to $178.65.

kingdome74
Let's Go Orange
Premium Member
join:2002-03-27
Syracuse, NY

kingdome74 to pream

Premium Member

to pream
I get 50/25 with PrimeHD with no contract and it's 147 per month with fees.
dmine45
join:2002-11-03
Fredericksburg, VA

dmine45 to pream

Member

to pream
My guess is that you ordered in the middle of the month and they are charging for 6 weeks (or so) of service for the first bill. Again, we would need to see the bill to determine if you are under a bundle plan or not.
kes601
join:2007-04-14
Virginia Beach, VA

kes601 to guppy_fish

Member

to guppy_fish
What we don't know is how many STBs/DVRs the OP has in addition to the MR DVR.

Geot
@verizon.net

Geot

Anon

The Comcast forums seem pretty definitive that the AIO wireless gateways they are shipping are junk. People either buy their own modem and router or bridge the Comcast gateway and use their own router.
kes601
join:2007-04-14
Virginia Beach, VA

kes601 to dmine45

Member

to dmine45
OP has had service for 5 years, don't think ordering in middle of the month would be affecting price now. OP also just lost $30 loyal customer discount. If I did not have that same discount, I would be paying roughly $215 for Extreme HD (MR-DVR plus two other DVRs) + 75/35 Internet + Digital Voice.

DfromMD
@umaryland.edu

DfromMD to pream

Anon

to pream
OP beware, Comcast does not have multi-room DVRs yet and you will definitely miss the clarity of FiOS HD channels as Comcast XFINITY HD looks about the same as SD but as full-screen 16:9 format. Trust me when I say this as I made the switch from FiOS to XFINITY a little over a month ago when my wife and I moved to our new place. Within two weeks we switched back and I am still trying to settle disputes with Comcast over the partial month of charges they want from me. 30 days money back guarantee, but you need to spend two weeks calling Comcast's horrible customer service, billing, and collections persons while filing disputes with credit protection agencies and the BBB.
JackBauer
join:2006-08-24
Schenectady, NY

JackBauer

Member

Contact your local TV station and/or newspaper that has an "Advocate" column.

That will change Comcast's behavior quickly.

pream
join:2001-02-03
Jupiter, FL

pream to guppy_fish

Member

to guppy_fish
Click for full size
scan0034.pdf
4,366,518 bytes
Attached is my bill:

guppy_fish
Premium Member
join:2003-12-09
Palm Harbor, FL

guppy_fish to pream

Premium Member

to pream
Well you have 5 stb's for 52 bucks ( plus tax ) and your on triple play ( your first post made no mention of phone service ) and your not on low Video plan but Extreme.

If Comcast will give you the same package for less, I would say go for it, its the STB's that are most of the $$, if Comcast will give you an MDVR, HDVR and three HD STB's ( 5 total ) for free, then its a no brainer to switch, but you had get that in writing, I bet the low price was at best a single HD-STB
mgamer20o0
join:2003-12-01
Norwalk, CA

mgamer20o0

Member

said by guppy_fish:

Well you have 5 stb's for 52 bucks ( plus tax ) and your on triple play ( your first post made no mention of phone service ) and your not on low Video plan but Extreme.

If Comcast will give you the same package for less, I would say go for it, its the STB's that are most of the $$, if Comcast will give you an MDVR, HDVR and three HD STB's ( 5 total ) for free, then its a no brainer to switch, but you had get that in writing, I bet the low price was at best a single HD-STB

it always seems to be the small details that are left out.

anyways there are options out there to save money on box rentals like silconedust prime.

germ
join:2006-09-30
Long Beach, CA

2 edits

germ to pream

Member

to pream
He only pays $57.99 for Extreme HD. I'm currently paying $54.99 for Prime HD. If I want to upgrade to Extreme HD it will cost me another $15.

$40 for 20/5 internet seems a little expensive. I'm currently paying $30 for my 15/5 internet and can pay $10 more to upgrade to Quantum 50/25.
patt2k
join:2009-01-16

patt2k to guppy_fish

Member

to guppy_fish
said by guppy_fish:

Well you have 5 stb's for 52 bucks ( plus tax ) and your on triple play ( your first post made no mention of phone service ) and your not on low Video plan but Extreme.

If Comcast will give you the same package for less, I would say go for it, its the STB's that are most of the $$, if Comcast will give you an MDVR, HDVR and three HD STB's ( 5 total ) for free, then its a no brainer to switch, but you had get that in writing, I bet the low price was at best a single HD-STB

if I was him I would simply drop the multiroom dvr and downgrade to prime HD.

also someone correct me if I'm wrong his contract or discount whatever expired he should also try to call them and threathen to leave and have the discounts back.

Also how is he being charged 10$ for HD box rental wow I pay 6.99$ isn't it the same price everywhere? o.0

germ
join:2006-09-30
Long Beach, CA

2 edits

germ

Member

said by patt2k:

Also how is he being charged 10$ for HD box rental wow I pay 6.99$ isn't it the same price everywhere? o.0

I pay $11.99 for an HD STB just like him. I think prices differ by region depending on competition.

Mike
Mod
join:2000-09-17
Pittsburgh, PA
·Verizon FiOS

Mike to pream

Mod

to pream
I like how everyone has a radically different bill.

I'm glad to see VZ billing is still a train wreck.

Total. $175.58 I should double play and a learn to Google Voice better instead of paying the old people tax for a land line.

pream
join:2001-02-03
Jupiter, FL

pream

Member

Mike,

Agree VZ billing is a train wreck. Your bill was very helpful in getting me a better price. I was paying $131 for my triple play that included Freedom Essentials voice and 20/5 internet. When I went to talk to them again, I was able to get a $119 triple play with digital voice and 50/25 internet. I also saved some money by replacing 3 regular STBs with digital adapters. It is now pretty compatible with what Comcast was offering me.

My original intent of this post was to not reduce my bill, but to hear some compelling technical reasons not to switch back to Comcast. Instead, I mostly got billing replies that turned out to be very useful. That and other friends bills compelled me to try talking with VZ once again.

Thank you for your input.

Mike
Mod
join:2000-09-17
Pittsburgh, PA
·Verizon FiOS

Mike

Mod

With FiOS I find the picture quality significantly better.

Channel selection is better

The upgradability for the future is there. Fiber > Copper.

More bandwidth and Verizon wants to cap at TB+ of monthly usage it seems (compared to Comcast flirting with 250gb at one point).

However I think the Comcast STBs are better (speed, interface)..

Glad we were able to help.
sonofsmog
join:2003-09-09
Ontario, CA

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Member

to pream
Wow OP. I would definately lose the 5 set top box rentals if I could. Like the other poster said I would use windows media center and a Silicon Dust or Centon with 3 or 4 tuners to replace them. This also has the advantage of giving you a seperate DVR in every room that your run Windows Media Center on. Personally I have 2 windows media center computers, and since I am using older ATI digital cable tuners I need THREE seperate cable card rentals for three tuners (the Silicon Dust or Centon would use one card for multiple tuners.)

I dumped phone service for magic jack years ago and rock the 150/65 tier and FIOS Ultimate TV. All in all 2nd fastest internet tier + most expensive tv package + 3 cable tuners + 1 HD box and taxes is still less then your bill.
elefante72
join:2010-12-03
East Amherst, NY

elefante72 to pream

Member

to pream
Knowledge is power. In very short timeframe (Or so I hear) Verizon is going to release the VMS which are the IP boxes, so you cna have centralized DVR again. Unknown on the price, but definitely more useful than digital adapters.

The other thing is phone is probably (w/ taxes) costing you $30 or more. In today's competitive VOIP market, that is highway robbery. I have two lines (1 GV, 1 Anveo) and if I pay $5 a month for both (all in) that is a high month.

As a benefit, if you decouple your phone service from your operator (2 play) you have WAY more leverage, because once you are on VOIP you can switch providers likety split and not have to worry about number porting.

I used that pretty effectively in my latest re-up w/ Verizon. I pay $79 all in for SelectHD + 50/25 + Cablecard. Prior bill was a little over $100 (with extreme like you and phone). Phone taxes in NY are only about $6, but think about it I pay less than $5 now....

As to technical reason 50/25 you have now, the uplink is much faster than Cable providers provide. In my hood TWC is 50/5. Also signal issues and coax copper issues in the NE are a problem. When I had cable every few years they would have to replace the coax from the node/tap (right outside my house) to my splitter. Signal was never a problem (it was actually hot), but weather/signal are not typical issues w/ fiber.

Also, Verizon has VERY few channels marked w/ CCI flags, so I can record my shows and easily watch them on my small TV's w/ Plex on my Roku. Comcast flags lots of them, and that means no portability.

SoCalDude
join:2008-07-30
Oxnard, CA

SoCalDude to pream

Member

to pream
Getting tired of stb rentals as well. Ceton 4 looks mighty attractive nowadays.

aaronwt
Premium Member
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
Asus RT-AX89

2 edits

aaronwt to sonofsmog

Premium Member

to sonofsmog
said by pream:

Attached is my bill:

Holy crap!! I have the same thing, only I also have digital voice along with 150/65 internet and the Ultimate HD tier. And my triple play price is $149.99.
Ten dollars less than your double play.

My cable card rentals are still $3.99 too. Although I just turned in my second to last cable card. i am finally down to one cable card after picking up a six tuner TiVo Roamio pro with a 3TB drive(along with two TiVo Minis I got earlier this year for viewing in other rooms). At one point I had eight cable cards with FiOS(2008/2009) so it's nice to finally be down to one cable card.
elefante72
join:2010-12-03
East Amherst, NY

elefante72 to SoCalDude

Member

to SoCalDude
I use W7MC, so I have 5 extenders which I paid average of $130 for (refurbs or used), and I run W7MC in a VM so not much on the energy usage. However the Silicondust HDHR can now stream to tablets, PS3, smartTVs real time now.

I just point Plex to my recordedTV folder and voila, any recorded show I get instantly on my Roku, ipad, and Nexus tab. DVR anywhere....

THe DLNA is supposed to work w/ live TV but I havent fiddled since I never watch live TV and if I do it's on a 50+ inch TV to watch sports and my extender takes care of that.

I also got a Chromecast and started fiddling with that, but with DIAL there are going to be lots of apps coming. BTW w/ JB 4.3 the integration on my Nexus 7 tablet is freakin awesome. It's OK on the ipad. If they get Plex and Amazon, goodbye Roku.

Now that Chromecast is in the house Roku will start needing to compete, so I look forward to the arms race.