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New Sports Surcharge starts Nov 1, 2014It's only $2.00 for this charge but it's another on the long list of extra charges that come to us. This charge is only for people who get any type of sports programming.
Read your Annual Terms of Service that comes with your bill this month. Bottom of the first page has it listed. |
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baess
Member
2014-Sep-29 6:22 pm
I hope all that clamored for the SEC Network and NFL Network are happy. Adding those resulted in the fee. Yes I understand about ESPN and what they charge but I have no doubt it was these two (probably the SEC Network is really what did it) made it necessary for WOW to add the surcharge.
I don't want either but they come with Signature so that's $2 more I will pay.
So in the last year they removed Starz/Encore but didn't reduce my price. And they added two surcharges. Less service, more cost.
As much as I like TV and cable channels I think its time to consider cutting the cord. |
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mogamer
join:2011-04-20
Royal Oak, MI |
to Body Count
said by Body Count:It's only $2.00 for this charge but it's another on the long list of extra charges that come to us. This charge is only for people who get any type of sports programming.
Read your Annual Terms of Service that comes with your bill this month. Bottom of the first page has it listed. Since WOW doesn't offer any regular cable packages that don't have any sports channels, everyone (except for Limited Basic customers) will be paying this extra $2 charge. The only other pay-tv provider who charges extra for sports channels is DirecTV. But that is only in markets with multiple local RSN's. The phone Network Line fee (the biggest bs fee I've ever heard of) is going up from $4 to $6.50 and Starz is going up another $3. So if you have the Signature tier and kept Starz, your bill went up $18 in less than a year! Like I mentioned in the other thread, time to move my mom out of WOW. |
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Ooma Telo
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to baess
said by baess:I don't want either but they come with Signature so that's $2 more I will pay. I'm with you on that. I don't want the SEC Network. I wish SEC Network had been put in the Sports Package along with its sister stations ESPNU and ESPN Classic. said by baess:As much as I like TV and cable channels I think its time to consider cutting the cord. I've been considering that as well for the last few months. What's more, before Knology was bought by WOW, Knology dropped channels like RFD, GSN and WGN America in this market. They said it was a cost saving measure, but the prices have still gone up. Hopefully Jim Gleason, of Clarity Telecom, will be true to his word that more channels will be added (he's saying at least 50 HD channels) and internet speeds will double in the next few months once WOW changes hands with Clarity Telecom here in South Dakota, at no extra cost. So perhaps I have something to look forward to and I will stick it out and see what happens in the next few months. |
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to Body Count
Everyone should check their website. Not only a sports surcharge starting Nov. 1 but in my area cable TV packages are going up $6-$10. Whenever my bundle pricing expires I will be hit with that increase too. |
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said by baess:Everyone should check their website. Not only a sports surcharge starting Nov. 1 but in my area cable TV packages are going up $6-$10. Whenever my bundle pricing expires I will be hit with that increase too. I'm not seeing that. Checked their website. The UltraTV bundle with 15meg internet is still $105 a month with one media player. $110 a month with two media players. $119 a month with three media players (which is what I have). I pay $125 a month which is about what it is after taxes. |
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mogamer
join:2011-04-20
Royal Oak, MI |
said by Body Count:said by baess:Everyone should check their website. Not only a sports surcharge starting Nov. 1 but in my area cable TV packages are going up $6-$10. Whenever my bundle pricing expires I will be hit with that increase too. I'm not seeing that. Checked their website. The UltraTV bundle with 15meg internet is still $105 a month with one media player. $110 a month with two media players. $119 a month with three media players (which is what I have). I pay $125 a month which is about what it is after taxes. But the bundle prices on the website do expire (look at the fine print). And then you'll get hit with these yearly increases. That's what happened last year with my mom's plan. The bundle pricing expired just around the same time Signature went up $5 while losing Starz, so that was an additional $12. She also gets HBO and Showtime which increased a few months earlier. So in a six month time frame, her plan went up over $27! And looking at the site again (thanks baess), it looks like she'll get hit with a $18.50 increase on November 1st!  |
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You can always call and ask them to return you to the base price. I was given the base price by calling every time my year was up. As long as you have been an on time paying customer. At least, they used to do this...  |
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to Body Count
Ironically for me, the two times I've watched the NFL Network the sound is messed up. For lack of a better term, the audio is pixelated if you know what I mean. I DVR'd an "A Football Life" episode and the audio is completely messed up.
The channel is worthless for watching yet I have to pay a surcharge for it. |
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| baess |
to Body Count
No mention of a sports surcharge among the changes in my area.
But there is a $4 increase in the Broadcast TV fee. WTF? We already pay for TV so you come up with this BS fee to double charge us to the tune of $7.75 a month. What a crock. |
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to Body Count
Just got my letter in the mail today. My package price is going to increase by $10 a month starting Nov 1st. In addition, I get the lovely $2 sports surcharge starting Nov 1st too. So, there is a guaranteed $12 a month increase right there.
Also, HBO is going up by $1 a month, the broadcast TV fee is going up by $2 a month, my network line fee/subscriber line charge is going up $2.50 a month. So, that's another $5.50 a month on top of that $12 a month. So, an extra $17.50 a month.
I'm calling tonight to drop a few things and make some changes, this just isn't worth it to me anymore.
Called and dropped HBO which will save me $18 a month (in Oct) and $19 a month starting in November. Got to pay a lovely $2.50 downgrade fee to get rid of HBO. Everything is a damn fee. |
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baess
Member
2014-Oct-11 11:50 am
said by pparks1:Also, HBO is going up by $1 a month, the broadcast TV fee is going up by $2 a month, my network line fee/subscriber line charge is going up $2.50 a month. So, that's another $5.50 a month on top of that $12 a month. So, an extra $17.50 a month.
I'm calling tonight to drop a few things and make some changes, this just isn't worth it to me anymore.
Called and dropped HBO which will save me $18 a month (in Oct) and $19 a month starting in November. Got to pay a lovely $2.50 downgrade fee to get rid of HBO. Everything is a damn fee. I didn't mention it but HBO is going up $1 here too. Also increases for Starz/Encore (don't have it anymore since they dropped it from Signature) and Network Line increases for phone (don't have that service). I probably will drop HBO but: 1) I detest paying the downgrade fee. I would add HBO back again when GoT starts and then cancel again but paying $2.50 (now, I am sure that will go up too) each time is ridiculous. I see you posted about it already. 2). HBO has the best programming and we watch it often. But $19/month seems too much even for its quality programming. I guess we'll have to find other ways to get its programs. |
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said by baess:1) I detest paying the downgrade fee. I would add HBO back again when GoT starts and then cancel again but paying $2.50 (now, I am sure that will go up too) each time is ridiculous. I see you posted about it already. Part of the fee is most likely because of people who are doing what you did. Get HBO for Game of Thrones and then dropping it after it's over for the season. |
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baess
Member
2014-Oct-11 12:46 pm
said by Body Count:Part of the fee is most likely because of people who are doing what you did. Get HBO for Game of Thrones and then dropping it after it's over for the season. Hey smart guy I have NEVER dropped HBO or any other service. But if I want to I now have to pay a fee because others did it. |
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mogamer
join:2011-04-20
Royal Oak, MI |
to Body Count
said by Body Count:said by baess:1) I detest paying the downgrade fee. I would add HBO back again when GoT starts and then cancel again but paying $2.50 (now, I am sure that will go up too) each time is ridiculous. I see you posted about it already. Part of the fee is most likely because of people who are doing what you did. Get HBO for Game of Thrones and then dropping it after it's over for the season. If WOW would allow you to drop or add packages on their website, like some other pay-tv providers do, then that fee wouldn't be justified. But you know that the fee wouldn't disappear. That's because that fee is solely for profit. People don't get charged when they call and waste a csr's time about something foolish like the aspect ratio of programming. And I should know, my mom has done that! |
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to Body Count
I change my pay channels regularly and have never had to pay a downgrade fee. HBO we have always had, but I have in the past few years added Showtime for about 3 months to watch Dexter and Homeland and then cancel when it's done.
A few months ago, I called to add Starz (as wife wanted to watch Outlander). When Outlander went on break, we switched Starz for Showtime to watch Homeland which was just starting up. I paid no fee since I kept a pay channel, just went to a different one.
But I'd rather pay $2.50 to cancel Showtime, then keep paying for Showtime if I don't need it. |
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| pparks1 |
to Body Count
Body Count 
Part of the fee is most likely because of people who are doing what you did. Get HBO for Game of Thrones and then dropping it after it's over for the season. But what skin is that off WOW's back?? They tick a box and the channel goes away. It's the fault of HBO, or Showtime or Starz to not have other shows people feel compelled to pay for. |
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said by pparks1:But what skin is that off WOW's back?? They tick a box and the channel goes away. It's the fault of HBO, or Showtime or Starz to not have other shows people feel compelled to pay for. Having to staff extra people in their call center to take those calls. |
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baess
Member
2014-Oct-11 2:18 pm
said by Body Count:Having to staff extra people in their call center to take those calls. You seriously think they have extra staff to handle the flood of service downgrade requests? They have the amount of staff they have for whatever reasons they decide. When someone calls, for any issue, they get put in the queue. If its a busy time they wait or if not they get a rep pretty quick. |
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The week after Game of Thrones has ended I'm sure they bring in an extra 10%-20% staff just to take the call. The $1.00 fee helps pay those salaries. |
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to Body Count
Unless they have the absolute minimum number of employees, I cannot imagine that they would have to increase staffing by 10-20% to handle the call volumes at the end of a season for the 2 minute phone call to untick a premium channel. It's a quick and simple call. And there is never a wait when I call in to make the change, so it's not like the call center seems flooded. |
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mogamer
join:2011-04-20
Royal Oak, MI |
to Body Count
said by Body Count:The week after Game of Thrones has ended I'm sure they bring in an extra 10%-20% staff just to take the call. The $1.00 fee helps pay those salaries. And you that how? Or is this just an assumption made to back up your opinion? |
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said by mogamer:And you that how? Or is this just an assumption made to back up your opinion? Because maybe I work in a call center (not WOW!) and know when call volume goes up, we have to ask for help from other departments. And no one staffs their call center with more than they actually need. It's all based on trending. |
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mogamer
join:2011-04-20
Royal Oak, MI |
said by Body Count:said by mogamer:And you that how? Or is this just an assumption made to back up your opinion? Because maybe I work in a call center (not WOW!) and know when call volume goes up, we have to ask for help from other departments. And no one staffs their call center with more than they actually need. It's all based on trending. OK, but those are people already being paid by WOW and not brought in on a temp basis. So those wages are already a part of the overhead. When I was with Dish, I could do everything but cancel my service on their website. No need for an extra charge to lower your package. The only time they charged was for dropping a package that was added less than 30 days before. I don't see why WOW couldn't do the same to save their customers some money. |
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I'm sure their story is that the fee addresses people who regularly turn HBO on and off as shows come and go, or as summer comes, or whatever.
When I cut TV service completely, if they try to charge me $2.50 I will stuff that charge down their throats. |
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baess
Member
2014-Oct-11 8:22 pm
said by adam1991:I'm sure their story is that the fee addresses people who regularly turn HBO on and off as shows come and go, or as summer comes, or whatever. Of course that's their story. As has been pointed out its done while you are on the phone with a CSR. They uncheck a box or whatever on your account and that's it. No tech visit, nothing really labor intensive. I remember the days when they did have to do truck rolls for any kind of service change. I still have a little set top box from the cable company I had 30 or so years ago that you had to use to get HBO. |
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WOWCUST to baess
Anon
2014-Oct-13 10:54 am
to baess
I live in Michigan but have not recieved my new bill yet. Can someone post the part of their bill where it talks about all these increases? |
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I'd like to see this as well. My last statement was on 9/24, and I see no mention of anything on the statement and there were no enclosures with the bill. I went to their website and browsed packages for my area. The cable-only offerings all have price increases listed as of 11/1/2014. If I look at packages (e.g. cable, internet, and/or phone), I see the package prices, and NONE of them have a price increase on 11/1 noted on them.
Of course, there's no detail indicating what the price increase is for (e.g. sports surcharge, network fee, etc.), so I'm pretty much in the dark. Maybe my 10/24 statement will cover this?
~Gary |
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said by gatownsend:I'd like to see this as well. My last statement was on 9/24, and I see no mention of anything on the statement and there were no enclosures with the bill. I went to their website and browsed packages for my area. The cable-only offerings all have price increases listed as of 11/1/2014. If I look at packages (e.g. cable, internet, and/or phone), I see the package prices, and NONE of them have a price increase on 11/1 noted on them.
Of course, there's no detail indicating what the price increase is for (e.g. sports surcharge, network fee, etc.), so I'm pretty much in the dark. Maybe my 10/24 statement will cover this?
~Gary It was with my last bill. Small booklet about updated terms and conditions. Small print. Bottom of first page listed the sports fee. |
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said by Body Count:It was with my last bill. Small booklet about updated terms and conditions. Small print. Bottom of first page listed the sports fee. Thanks...I'll have to look again. I wonder how they are communicating this to folks who use paperless billing. I just went online to my account and I don't see anything related to this. ~Gary |
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