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Charter Merger: Frozen Upgrades, Price Hikes, And Less Support

Many Time Warner Cable customers are being welcomed to the Charter Communications family with a rate hike. Charter acquired Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks for $79 billion earlier this year, and so far most customers would be hard-pressed to see the "synergies" the company promised. Time Warner Cable's "Maxx" 300 Mbps upgrades have been cancelled (for now), and Charter is dramatically pulling back on both Time Warner Cable and Bright House online and social media support, including here in the DSLReports.com forums.

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Now many former Bright House and Time Warner Cable customers say they're also being hit with shiny new price hikes.

David Lazarus at the Los Angeles Times notes that Los Angeles customers are already paying a steep premium over what they paid under their previous ISP. Granted this is only once your current contract with Charter expires, but when it does, you may find it notably more difficult to get a lower rate than you'd paid previously (synergies!):

quote:
(One customer) told me he’d been paying Time Warner about $140 a month for TV, phone and Internet service. But now that Spectrum had reared its head, his bill had shot up to $162. “I guess they’re trying to get their $8 billion back as quickly as possible,” Cohen, 74, said, referring to the fat bag of cash Time Warner Cable paid to be the exclusive distributor of Dodgers games.
Users in our Charter forum also note that the company is also charging users a $200 "technician fee" if they want to cancel television service but keep their existing broadband line. Between price hikes, less online support and frozen broadband upgrades, many former Bright House and Time Warner Cable customers are wondering where promised improvements may be hiding.

And while the FCC banned Charter from imposing caps for 7 years as a merger condition, it's clear Charter intends to recoup its merger costs as soon as possible, one way or another.

Most recommended from 77 comments



SimbaSeven
I Void Warranties
join:2003-03-24
Billings, MT

14 recommendations

SimbaSeven

Member

Legal?

Users in our Charter forum also note that the company is also charging users a $300 fee if they want to cancel television service but keep their existing broadband line.

How the hell is that legal?

Harddrive
Proud American and Infidel since 1968.
Premium Member
join:2000-09-20
Fort Worth, TX

3 edits

13 recommendations

Harddrive

Premium Member

Cut out TV.

Go buy a $12 antenna and cut the cord. You'll get all your local channels in HD as well as giving Charter the big FU. I have this exact antenna. Bought it at Walmart. I live 30 minutes south of Dallas and all local channels come in great. And my local cable company, which happens to be Charter, doesn't get $140+ per month of my money.


ham3843
join:2015-01-15
USA

1 edit

9 recommendations

ham3843

Member

More $$$ for CEO Tom Rutledge, and less value for customers!

But customers of TWC and Charter should remember that it is VERY important that
CEO Tom Rutledge increases his salary, perks, and golden parachute,
because, well we all know that only a few select people are capable of
heading up a large Telecommunications company and being an expert at screwing
the customer over just right.

CylonRed
MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County

4 recommendations

CylonRed

MVM

Prices for internet alone went up (needed for cord cutting)

Was paying $44.95 for standard internet and that is now $59.99 (or $59.95) for the same standard package. To cut the cord, going to need to jump the speed tier by at least one and pay a good bit more.

BadAnonTechG
Premium Member
join:2006-03-27
Olean, NY

3 recommendations

BadAnonTechG

Premium Member

Easier Said Than Done

Analog Antenna reached where were are. Digital does not. Zip code 14760. We pretty much cut the cord now as is but if I knew there would be a $300 charge for disco of tv to keep internet i would have done so before merger. But my bill is $20 more after merger. Was at $69, now at $89 with no notice and we rent our modem and have barely any tv package.
xthepeoplesx
join:2013-10-21

3 recommendations

xthepeoplesx

Member

How many?

When will we see a count of customer churn? Will we have to wait until next quarter's financials?