Recommend your cable/satellite/internet service provider

markyslove

So DH and I are at a loss as to what is "good" in this arena as Time Warner had a monopoly in Manhattan and we couldn't really make a choice.  Does anyone LOVE or really hate any service providers in particular?

We're trying to figure this out so we can get everything setup before we move in.  Thanks in advance for the help  

KatieBride06

it's not a monopoly, its just how the entire cable industry works. your cable provider in Raleigh is still Time Warner. but there are alternatives - dish, directTV, etc...

markyslove

KatieBride06:

it's not a monopoly, its just how the entire cable industry works. your cable provider in Raleigh is still Time Warner. but there are alternatives - dish, directTV, etc...

Actually in Manhattan, there were no other cable or satellite providers other than Time Warner.  Once you got out into the outer boroughs there were a few others, but we didn't have a choice living on the island.  I wanted to see who everyone here used as I haven't really had a choice before and have not used any other providers. Sorry I wasn't clear.

KatieBride06

i know exactly what you're talking about. but that's the same almost everywhere. you can't get Comcast or Cox Cable here. there's always one actual Cable provider no matter where you live, but that doesn't count all the non-cable providers like satellite.

markyslove

KatieBride06:

i know exactly what you're talking about. but that's the same almost everywhere. you can't get Comcast or Cox Cable here. there's always one actual Cable provider no matter where you live, but that doesn't count all the non-cable providers like satellite.

We couldn't have satellite either.  That's what I'm saying there was no other option.  Satellite companies wouldn't provide service because of the building obstructions.

I didn't mean to get into a discussion about the Time Warner takeover of Manhattan.  I just wanted to see who other people were using so I could make a decision  

~BoxerMommy~

We have DirecTV and haven't had many problems. Dish Network was horrible and had horrible customer service. Time Warner is way overpriced IMO.

luckygirl0818

We have directtv, which is not bad, but it doesn't have onDemand like TWC did, which I miss.  We've also had a lot of customer service issues with DTV.  Our DV-R doesn't work properly (we have to watch what we are recording) and they want to charge $75 to come look at it.  Its a little ridiculous, but we've just sucked it up since we usually only DVR when we aren't home or we are asleep.

 Make sure you look at each program and see which stations are available.  The reason we switched from TWC to DTV (partially) is because TXC did not offer Bravo at the time. I missed 2 seasons of Proect Runway

I've heard ATT U-verse is really good--I think Alethea has them.  You have to put in your address to see if its available in your area.  If it was available in ours, we'd definitely switch.

uncharch7

we can't stand TWC.

we've had TWC, dish and directv.  out of the 3, dish wins, hands down.

markyslove

Thanks for the feedback everyone!  That's one of my projects for the weekend so it's good to have a starting point.

Mrs.LLG

markyslove:

KatieBride06:

it's not a monopoly, its just how the entire cable industry works. your cable provider in Raleigh is still Time Warner. but there are alternatives - dish, directTV, etc...

Actually in Manhattan, there were no other cable or satellite providers other than Time Warner.  Once you got out into the outer boroughs there were a few others, but we didn't have a choice living on the island.  I wanted to see who everyone here used as I haven't really had a choice before and have not used any other providers. Sorry I wasn't clear.

 

Actually our building in NYC used RCN not TWC.  

markyslove

Mrs.LLG:

markyslove:

KatieBride06:

it's not a monopoly, its just how the entire cable industry works. your cable provider in Raleigh is still Time Warner. but there are alternatives - dish, directTV, etc...

Actually in Manhattan, there were no other cable or satellite providers other than Time Warner.  Once you got out into the outer boroughs there were a few others, but we didn't have a choice living on the island.  I wanted to see who everyone here used as I haven't really had a choice before and have not used any other providers. Sorry I wasn't clear.

 

Actually our building in NYC used RCN not TWC.  

What the heck is RCN?  I'm not crazy about not having multiple choices am I?  I know we could only go with TWC. 

CurbsideProphet

We get basic cable from Time Warner. We dropped them as our internet provider since they did not allow access to espn360.com. Our internet is through AT&T.

Mrs.LLG

Exactly. What is RCN. It's a craptastic cable service that our building contracted with. Maybe it was an East Side thing?

AletheaP

We DO have AT&T U-Verse & we LOVE it! We have our cale & internet through them and both rock. We have every freaking channel there is, plus everything HD that's available & more sports channels than either of us could ever watch & our internet is faster than it was w/ TWC.

I can't tell you much about the price 'cause we get a fat discount, but I do know they offer a lot of coupons & discounts towards installation. 

Plus, you can connect your cable to your internet for all kinds of super bonus stuff. It's actually really awesome. Definitely look and see if it's in your area yet or not. 

JennaNAaron

We do use TWC and we don't have a problem with them.  We bundled cable and road runner internet, signed a 2 year deal, and we pay $111.50/month.  It's significantly higher then what we paid for the same thing with Suddenlink back in WV, but it's a higher cost of living here.

Anytime we've had a problem with TWC here they have been friendly, and out within 24 hours to fix it.

katherineUTC

We have had Dish network since last July and really like it. At first, I hated it, the signal went out ALL the time. So we called them, they came out and repositioned the dish, haven't had any issues since then. If there is a storm outside that is REALLY bad, sometimes we will lose the signal but it's pretty infrequent. I also like that I can watch my DVR'ed shows from downstairs or up in the bedroom, yet we just have one box. We can record two shows at once (though, if two shows are recording, you are forced to watch one of them).