Share your telecom "bundling" experiences

These days it seems like everyone wants to provide you with Internet, telephone and cable TV service. Double- and triple-play packages that offer some or all of these services are being heavily promoted offered by cable and telephone  companies, as well as by satellite service providers such as DIRECTV and DISH Network. Verizon's high-profile entry into the market with its much-publicized FiOS fiber-based service has created yet one more choice for consumers to ponder.

Adding to the complexity is that individual providers frequently offer a variety of bundles, allowing you to increase your Internet surfing speeds, for example, or the number of channels included with the TV portion of your service, all, of course, at a higher price. Promotional pricing that ends in anywhere from 3 to 12 months can make difficult to find the amount you’ll ultimately pay.

Given all this, we’d like to find out whether you’ve ventured into the jungle of bundled choices. If so, how was the experience?

Among the questions we’re curious about:

• How easy (or difficult) was it to compare bundles within a provider and also to compare among providers?


• Did you try negotiating with the providers to see whether they’d sweeten their offers or extend promotional prices?


• Did you end up opting for a bundle or buying your services a la carte from different companies, and how satisfied are you with your choice?

Have you reviewed the choice you made, perhaps some months after the fact? If so, some additional questions:

• If you went with a bundle, are you saving money compared to the amount you were paying for individual services, even after the end of the promotional pricing?


• Were there any nagging gimmicks or gotchas that you didn’t discover until after you signed up?


• What do you like best about your provider, and what bothers you the most?


• Finally, do you have any horror stories or tips for other consumers?

Your input will help us create upcoming content on so-called telecom bundles.

Thanks.

[Update 3/9/2009: We have updated our article and Ratings on telecom bundles. Find the new story here. —Ed.]

Comments

[Paul Eng]

We're closing the comments section of this post, which is more than 2-years old.

Please see our latest post regarding "bundling" and feel free to leave your comments there.

Telecom bundles can lead to billing problems
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2009/01/telecom-bundles-can-lead-to-billing-problems-.html

Thanks,
Paul Eng, Web Sr. Editor (Electronics)

[Paul Eng]

To TnMom:

You do NOT need to choose one particular type of new TV (LCD vs. Plasma, say) in order to receive direct broadcast satellite service offered by DirecTV and Dish Networks. In fact, because you'll need to use a set-top box, provided by those companies, to receive service, even an "old-fashioned" analog (picture tube) TV will still work with either service!

For more help, please see our FREE TV Buying Guide:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/tvs-services/tvs/tv-guide/getting-started/hdtv-buying-guide-getting-started.htm

-Paul Eng, Web Sr. Editor (Electronics)

[Tnmom]

I am currently using cable for my tv and internet service. However, I will be purchsing a home in an area where cable is not available. I have chosen an internet DSL provider but am undecided as to the right choice for satellite. I will also be purchsing a new TV. CONFUSED! Must you have a specific or preferrable type of TV to use with either Direct vs DISH?

Any assistance or comments would be appreciated.

[Illy from Yonkers, NY]

I switched from Cablevision to verizon fios service on 10/21/2008 and I was told by the Verizon Representative that I had a grace period of 14 days. Everytime i called them to verify my charges they would always give me a different price. I disconnected the service on 11/4/08 and only used the service for 14 days. I received a bill for $213.59 for the service of October 20th to November 4th. I then received a credit memo on 11/13/08 with a credit of $27.87 for my phone service, leaving a balance of $185.72. On 11/25/08 I received another credit memo with a credit of $46.18 for the Fios TV service. I still haven’t received a credit for my internet service. On 12/12/2008 I called Verizon and waiting over 1 hour to speak with a CSR. I finally spoke with someone and they told me that I should wait for the credit for the Internet service. He also explained to me that I would only have to pay for the days I used the service which was 14 days. This is not what they told me when I added the service. On 1/8/09 I made a payment of $120.00 so that Verizon would not send me to collections until the rest of the credits were processed. Verizon charged me a total of $213.59 for 2 weeks of service which is incorrect, that would have been correct if it were for the full month. The amount due should have been half of that which would be $106.80. That’s the reason why I only paid $120.00. On 2/2/09 Verizon sent me a check for $46.18. I thought that Verizon sent me the check because I paid more than what my ending balance was and that’s why I cashed the check. Since my last payment I didnt receive any other correspondence from Verizon or any notifications that I had a debt with them. After all of the things I did to prevent collection action, I am now receiving notice that I am in collections? Why didn’t Verizon notify me of the pending balance and why they didn’t credit my account accordingly? I called the Collection agency and told them that i was waiting for a credit from verizon and that they shouldnt have sent me to collections. They said that i owed them the money. I told them that i will call Verizon again to clarify the problem. The collections agency told me that Verizon no longer handles my account so i asked what i needed to do to have this issue resolved ASAP. They told me to send them a letter explaining the problem which i did on 4/1/09. Today is 5/18/09 and i haven't recieved any letters from them. I checked my credit report and the debt is now reflected on it. Overall im very disapointed and i dont recommend them to anyone. Their CS is horrible!!!!

[Renee]

I am thinking of switching my internet, digital phone, and very basic cable from comcast over to Verizon and Fios. We have had problems in the past with Comcast and the internet connections and was wondering if people have had better luck with Verizon Fios both for customer service and actual computer upload, download speeds, or surfing the net without crashing? I was able to talk Comcast down to upgrade our television plan over to primary digital, again currious if someone could tell me if the quality of the image coming in over FIOS is better than cable for an HD set?

[james gleason]

I am thinking about AT&T U-verse. We live in Southern California and I have been told , many of the bugs are better. Right now I have Time-Warner - Earthlink I pay $80.00 a month. Direct TV I pay $120 a month and AT&T long distance plan on 4 phones two in the house a fax and business line we pay $120 a month.

The U-verse would only be TV and Internet. They can't do 4 phones only 2. The cost is $180 per month and a $100 for the U-verse.

My question is yes we save some money is this worth the hassle. I want to hear other people's experience's

Thanks,

james gleason

[Zara]

With the current economy & diminished income I was looking at reducing my phone & internet service bill with the bundling offers that the local phone company (AT&T) & the local cable company (Comcast) had to offer. I live in a condo and they have a great contract for basic cable for all the units for which the charge is included in the monthly condo maintenance fee. I have Verizon as cel phone provider because of their coverage reliability. When I had AT&T as cel phone provider half of the time I didn't have service inside my home and never could get service at work. During the 3 hurricanes in 2007 that hit Florida cable went out. With Wilma cable was out 1 month. Landline never went out. My Cel phone (Verizon) was out for about 1.5 or 2 days. But other co-workers cel phones with Nextel where out longer. So all this reliability information influenced my decision. Comcast's prices on the phone where higher than what they published on their internet site and would be more than what I'm currently paying. And the bundling practices at AT&T where about the same. AT&t offered an "economy" package they have made for people looking to reduce their bill, but it didn't save me but a little more than $10. At the end...I decided to reduce AT&T to a basic phone line and mid grade DSL, taking off Long Distance & all the extra services (Caller ID, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, etc.). My cel phone includes all the US long distance calls so I'm covered there and for my international calls I bought a phone card. I other words...no bundling for me. My savings where about $130.00. I'm a light user both in long distance & cel phone usage, so this may not work for everyone.

[Ian]

I signed with FIOS almost 2 years ago. Yes the internet is quicker, and for the most part the service quality of the pictures on the t.v.s are very good, especially the hi def units, but the prices are going through the roof! Cut back on all the premium channels and returned 3 set top boxes when "free" digital converters were offered, but the total bill for 2 phone lines (one unlimited local & LD, the other bare basic for the fax machine)plus 20/5 meg internet and they furnish a wireless router (so I put my old unit in the closet) and a total of 1 hi def DVR, 2 hi def STB's 1 standard set top box has grown to almost $250 a month with all the taxes and fees. Now I left Cablevision but they are offering more premiums included and to pay the early termination fee up to $200 as a credit on the 1st bill, but the fee for keeping our phone numbers is $40, plus a one time install fee of about $50, all for $160 a month. Of course I call FIOS but the rep said they have already given me their best deal, take it or leave it. I wonder if I will get the salami from Cablevision once and if we go back to them, as they all are fighting for our dwindling dollars, and this stuff is just out of hand!

[Charlie]

I have a bundled agreement with RCN. After two years of problems with my Internet connection, I resigned myself to lousy service. Then, my cable blew down in a storm. The RCN guy came to the house and very quickly re-connected the cable. I mentioned the connection problems and he explained that RCN does not install the cables themselves. They sub-contract the work to others who are paid by the job. Thus, they rush through the installation to get more jobs finished each day. Many cables are incorrectly installed leading to lousy connections. Of course, I will have to pay a large service fee to have them come out again to do the job correctly this time. Can't win.

[Ingrid Hahn]

Here is my nightmare!!! I order Verizon Triple bundle. I got my first bill it was $210.87 from Jan 5 to Feb 15. I ordered online to get a discount of $5.00 per month for one year service. I glance at my bill the first month I expected to high but the second month I expected a $ 129.99 plus taxes; how wrong was I. my next bill was itemized so great it was easy to understand until I saw the amount of $ 209.1. Then and only then did I see my error. I did a spreed sheet of the two months and my first bill was only telephone local of 9 cents and eleven dollars and cents of taxes and other fees; installation, service call(I order online-internet)cable wire and jack was $ 148.65. Their way of billing turn me off so I rather cancel and pay cancellation fee than continue to give them money. I order my service because it sounded so good at first glance. HBO/Cinemax/showtime free for three months that was true. But it bill then deducted so they charge taxes on the entire amount. I call them many times to discuss bill and how to set-up my voice-mail service, my caller ID name was incorrect, I had no way of knowing the channels and I am still waiting for schedule of channels.As the saying goes "If it sounds to good to be true it must be a lie."

[Martin in Oregon]

Terrible Qwest Bundled services experience.

I RUE the day I called Qwest and signed up for bundled service (landline, internet DSL and DirectTV). I decided to look into bundled service based on a CR recommendation to save on monthly charges. I have a seperate T-mobile contract and am satisfied, and DirectTV has been fine as part of the Qwest bundle. QWEST, however, has been a NIGHTMARE.

In 3 months, I have spend OVER 11 HOURS on the phone with Qwest trying to get my service, billing and credits straightened out.

While their staff has been pleasant, the left hand simply does not know what the right hand is doing. I think Qwest missed the boat on staff training and recordkeeping. Keeping customers on extended holds, being cut off and billing errors will have me fleeing Qwest soon. I DO NOT RECOMMEND Qwest to anyone for bundled service.

Some examples of Qwest's ineptitude.
They screwed up my initial service order, forgetting to turn on the DSL service! They finally figured this out after having me on the phone at various times for EIGHT HOURS. First they thought it was a problem with my modem, they even had me calling the modem manufacturer. When that was not the problem, I spend more time on the phone and lots more time on hold. They told me they had a service order to turn service OFF instead of ON. They finally send someone to physically check and found they had never turned on a switch to connect me to their server. This was after HOURS on the phone and lengthy hold times.

The nightmare continued. After two months of bundled service they turned off my TV and internet service for ALLEGEDLY not paying my bill. After ANOTHER 80 MINUTES on the phone and on hold with three different people, it turned out they had not put the promised credits on my account. They apologized and turned the internet and TV service back on.

Every time you call you talk to a different person in a different state and have to repeat the whole story. You get put on hold for extended periods and are made to listen over and over and over to their insipid recording about how wonderful their service is.

Their incompetence and woefully inadaquate record keeping is hard to imagine. Qwest definitely does not have their act together. I will be fleeing Qwest soon and unless you are a masochist I suggest you look elsewhere as well.

[patricia]

Just a word of warning to those comtemplating buying a Bright House Networks bundle in the St. Petersburg, Fl. area...........many, many of my friends and myself are unable to use our fax machines after signing up with the triple bundle.......after many hours spent with two bright house repairmen ( they do come out to your home promptly) they finally admitted that the cable technology in some areas does not support fax machines..........Bright House's dirty little secret that they certainly don't mention in the advertisements.........

[Odalis Hidalgo]

Direct TV Offers the worst service than anyone can imagine. You will always lost signal and you have to wait more than one week to get it fix. Then, if you have appointment with a technician, well get ready to wait for them for hours, because if they do arrived they will do it with more than 4 hours of delay.
Finally, the customer service is horrendous, I trully regret the day that I singned with them.

O. Hidalgo

[patty]

Does anyone have any feedback regarding bundling with TimeWarner? I'm considering doing the home ph, cable and internet with them. Pros, cons?
thanks

[MM]

I'm looking for info on the att bundle shown here
http://www.bellsouth.com/consumer/triplechoice/index.html?state=AL&city=Other#details

We currently have cable and internet bundled and use Tmobile for cell phones. I see a potential savings plus the advantage of having a land line again minus the cable tv. I can get by with an antenna so no worries there.
Will they make us buy a phone or will the Tmobile phones we have now work?
Is there a definite 2 year contract.
I would try to call them but they will probably just lie.
If you have this bundle in the south east please let me know about what it is costing you monthly.
Thanks
MM

[Mary]

According to most local, state and federal legal codes a contract is not binding unless there is a signature by at least the offeror and usually the receipent, also. If you do not pay the cancellation fees or any of the others, and then they take you to court or you take them to court for damage to your credit, they must produce proof of a written contract with you in order to collect. A company could offer a recording of your verbal contract which would be admissible in court, but it would then provide auditory proof of the terms, which these companies are trying to change on you or deny, thus providing evidence for your case of fraud and misleading. Small claims court is usually for cases involving less than $5000 and usually these companies MUST hire an attorney who is paid a lot more than your cancellation fee per hour, much more or less travel time. I am not an attorney but these statements are correct for most areas of the United States.

[Linda]

When our one year contract with Comcast for bundling internet, TV, and phone service ended recently, our Comcast bill went up dramatically. When I called I was told that I could sign up for another bundling deal for much less but had to sign a two year contract. Once we did this, I expected our next statement to reflect this new, lower amount. Instead, it was the same as before. A different customer service person, went over the deal again and said that the first person was incorrect and that the price was actually $20 more and of course, there was tax on all of this. So, according to this person, the price would be $149 and $6.00 or so in taxes. After this, I told my husband that the next statement would not be $156 and it was not it was roughly $20 higher. A different service representative explained to my husband why it was that way but assured him that the next statement would reflect the correct amount. I told my husband that I doubted this and said I was going to find another way to go because this was as bad as ATT which is why we chose to bundle phone with Comcast in the first place. Yesterday, our new Comcast statement came and it is $25 higher than the amount we contracted for. We haven't called yet because we're so mad at this run around. It takes almost an hour each time we call to get an answer. I am currently researching what to do when we leave Comcast. According to the contract we signed, we will have to pay a fine to stop service with them. However, I don't see that our contract has as yet begun as they have yet to honor the fee that the contract is honoring.

[Ellen]

I was a Dish Network customer for 5 yrs, but decided to buldle with Qwest and Direct TV to save money. HAH!. My existing Verizon wireless was also to be included in the bundle without affecting my service or billing at all. That was over two months ago. Direct TV is horrendous compared to Dish Network. The equipment is definitely inferior. The installation was so bad, I complained and was ignored by the independent contractor who installs. Finally Direct TV sent a new person to do a re-install. My Verizon was never linked, which was supposed to be saving an additional $5 per month. As it turns out, the salesperson who sold me this package at Qwest didn't tell me everything, and the charges turned out to be so confusing I will never figure it out. I am now committed to Direct TV, which we hate, for two years. My advise - don't bother to bundle. Keep it separate, keep it clean and easy to understand.

[brenda]

II got the bundle triple play for $69.99 offer in September of 08...My first bill was a shocking $433.68. When I called to inquire, the customer service rep could not even tell me what I was being charged for. Then he says that I didn't sign the contract until October, (30 days after the install) and was not entitled to the discount because the time expired....What a ripoff. and what a hassle. I am sooo sorry I bothered. Comcast's constant fidgeting with my service was calm by comparision.

[May K R]

I just got my new Optimum bill, my 12 month period just ended. During the 12 months, they arbitrarily took away 15 channels stating they would now require a box at an additional cost. They increased my bundle bill by 41%. From $98.55 to $139.29 a month. I called and asked for ways to reduce the bill. No deal. They told me to reduce the service. I checked the Family rate. Many channels were listed, at least half of them had a footnote which indicates that unless you pay for IO Package, and an HD box at an extra cost of $17.45 per month you don't get those footnoted channels. So the Family plan for $52.95 per month is bogus. It really costs $74.39 a month. I'm switching to Verizon, and in 12 months, I'll switch again if I don't get a fair trade for a fair price. Consumers unite! We can beat them at their own game by switching companies every 12 months.

[Jeanne V]

I ordered Verizon FIOS,received Direct TV,this was a bundle package and I did NOT want Direct TV but Verizon told me that as soon as FIOS became available in my area I could switch over. Verizon could not provide phone or internet to my home so the bundle was cancelled, with no charge by Verizon. Now Direct TV is trying to charge me $340 for early cancellation, but I cancelled because they were bundled with Verizon Internet & Phone. I am not going to pay this $340 and plan on notifying the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission. If you're reading this and thinking about going with the Verizon/Direct TV bundle package, I warn you to ensure Verizon can in fact connect to your house before allowing Direct TV to put that dish up on your roof...it could end up costing much more than you ever anticipated.

[Roger Schettek]

WOW!!! I read all the blogs here.....only one person had anything good to say about bundling. I just ended a long time association with Direct TV because of higher prices and poor service. Looks like bundling is out, and Verizon has cut me off twice when I ask about there packages. No clearcut options to go with, will have to do a lot more research to resolve this one.
Thanks to all who blogged here and thanks to CU.

[Motherofsons]

Got a new charge for you. Beginning Nov. 1 2008 if you have a land phone with talktime 30 mins at the cost of 6.50 for the plan you are charged 3.49 for not spending 9.99 in long distance calling.They call this a "short fall" charge for not calling long distance? We got the plan because we do not use long distance much and pay the 6.50 to have long distance but we did not use any minutes so we were charged 3.49 for not calling! The verizon long distance rep ,after 20 to 30 min phone wait of 7 or so christmas songs of waiting said they now require us to use 9.99 dollars worth of long distance! I asked to speak to someone about this new policy and she said there is only her to talk to. Nothing I can do ,by the way now that part of the bill is 11.70 altogether because I have to pay 1.71 in fees on the basic service of basically non long distance! Remember when you could save money by not making long distance calls? No more,you are charged either way. I guess I could buy a long distance calling card for a year and save some money and actually make calls anywhere for less whenever I want? Doesn't the company see that it is bad business to punish long time customers for not calling? All I have to say is pay attention to your bills for all those bogus new fees !By the way this plan started out for use for people like me who do not call long distance much so that is why it was cheap. The rep even said it was to "make sure'customers would use our services,what? This is outrageous,it is not up to them to force me to use my minutes!

[Mary]

Within the past three months, I bundled with AT&T and it has been a total nightmare. So much time on the phone trying to iron out the details that were "promised" by the original salesperson! Weeks and weeks of delays before Dish Network was installed properly. And the ultimate frustration is that I am being charged several HUNDRED dollars a month more for the services than I had agreed to since apparently my original salesperson offered me a package that does not actually exist! He "bundled" two of their promotions: cell phone, land line, computer plus free Dish TV for a year -- all for $99 per month. I spent over two hours on the phone with the original salesman since I wanted to be sure that I was getting it right and that I understood what we were agreeing to, and now I am in a netherworld in which one customer service rep after the other (and the occasional supervisor) does nothing to resolve this. Each time I get on the phone, I have to repeat my saga, and there has been no resolution made. Promises are made that someone will call me back, and then no one does. Horrible experience, and I am just trying to figure out how to get out of this without losing too much money -- which is the ultimate irony since I originally signed on with the lure of SAVINGS!!! I keep thinking there must be some recourse for the consumer in a situation like this, but I seriously don't know what to do. That's why I came to this site -- I'm going to try to research the least expensive way to get phone, internet, and salvage my Dish TV somehow, and then "unbundle" my home. After much time and great expense. NIGHTMARE.

[Rob]

I sure thank all of you for warning me. I was due to have Direct TV installed tomorrow. It was bundled through Qwest. I call up Qwest to cancel, and they forward me to Direct TV. So, DirectTV has no record of me being on their schedule. It's a mess already and I haven't even had an install!

I'm staying away from bundling. This has already got me nervous.