The cable providers in my area are permanently trying to come up with novel ways to do each other out of some business. For anyone who has an existing cable package, looking at the latest round of umissable new offers can be a pain – but for the household thinking of switching, all this fighting for your attention is a very good thing.
The best advice I can give you on how to choose, or even how to compare, the cable TV providers in your area, is this: ignore them all and think instead about what you want. I’ll explain that in some detail in a moment. For now, just empty your mind of all the warring offers and remember why it is that you want cable TV provision in the first place.
Cable providers in my area supply internet and home phone service as well. Are you looking for a triple play package, or do you just want cable? If it is simply cable TV you are after, why don’t you need the net or a home phone? Is it because you already have one? Or is it because you don’t want or use them?
Once you have defined exactly what it is you want from a cable providers, you can start looking at packages. If you start looking at packages before you know what you want, your head will be turned every five minutes by a new promotion offering you a ton of stuff you may not need, or want or even understand. The cable providers in my area, quite naturally, will try and sell you everything under the sun if they think they can get away with it: but if you go to them already knowing what you want then they’ll deliver the best package for your needs, rather than the best package for their annual turnover.
Different cable packages have different attributes – and like most service provision, you have to pay the big bucks to get the top packages. Most cable companies are clever enough to withhold a commonly wanted channel or service from their lower priced packages, leaving you no alternative but to head for a mid range or high price option.
Anyone who has ever bought a free view box knows exactly what that is like: you can see all the good channels but when you try to watch them, a box pops up informing you that you need to subscribe in order to view that channel. And you sit there thinking “if only I’d gone for a monthly payment plan”….
Now, about the claim I made earlier. Comparison of the cable providers in my area is essentially pointless because they all give me the same service. So all I need to know is – what do I want, and how much am I prepared to pay for it? I’ll make a list of all the channels that are a must-have; and all the extra services that I want for sure. Then I look at every cable provider, ticking off the channels, the services and the price. The most ticks against the lowest price wins.
And that’s how to compare cable service provision in your area. Good luck!
How to Compare Cable TV Providers in Your Area with Technical Knowledge
