Sanity check from you cord cutters

[radios1]

And just the stations that are strong enough. For me that is 61 stations

it's rare that OTA has anything worth watching, and then, it's on after 7PM.. here's a free internet channel to fill the void. COMET TV Sci-fi Network

 

[drssg]

it's rare that OTA has anything worth watching, and then, it's on after 7PM.. here's a free internet channel to fill the void. COMET TV Sci-fi Network

FWIW, I get COMET TV OTA. If I just randomly turn on the TV, there’s usually nothing I want to watch. Add a DVR, and I can easily get more stuff queued up than I’ll ever watch.

 

[Oaktree]

She and her husband are both 24... they pay $258 a month for their phone plan and $160 a month for cable... cable use to be over $200

This works out to over $5,000 annually!!!

If I were them I'd look into getting a better cellphone plan. $258/mo? Really?
Tell me again how a cellphone saves you money.

And just the stations that are strong enough. For me that is 61 stations

Unfortunately for me that number is 1. And I'm not really interested in public tv.

it's rare that OTA has anything worth watching, and then, it's on after 7PM.. here's a free internet channel to fill the void. COMET TV Sci-fi Network

Most of my watching is OTA channels (primarily CBS), though we never have the tv on until after 6 or so (wife likes the evening news). Daytime tv has never been worth watching IMHO.

As far as Comet goes...last fall our cable system replaced My Network TV with Comet. Nothing but grade B horror movies, pure dreck IMHO. Bring me back my reruns of Bones, Castle and CSI Miami!

 

[ultrarunner]

If I were them I'd look into getting a better cellphone plan. $258/mo? Really?
Tell me again how a cellphone saves you money.



Unfortunately for me that number is 1. And I'm not really interested in public tv.



Most of my watching is OTA channels (primarily CBS), though we never have the tv on until after 6 or so (wife likes the evening news). Daytime tv has never been worth watching IMHO.

As far as Comet goes...last fall our cable system replaced My Network TV with Comet. Nothing but grade B horror movies, pure dreck IMHO. Bring me back my reruns of Bones, Castle and CSI Miami!

I think part of the high cost is trading in for the latest Apple Phones and Watches...

 

[ultrarunner]

I don't owe anyone a nickle, never have, but a lot of people, that owe lots, sure have more and nicer stuff than I do. Makes you wonder who's right sometimes.

100% right... My folks had a neighbor... new German cars, his daughter in the most expensive school and about the biggest cabin cruiser you can tow with a 3 axle trailer... the old guy down the street said one day he must have a money tree in back...

It all came crashing down... see, he refinanced his home 5 times in 7 years... cash out refi...

That 200k home had 900k in debt when he walked away in 2009... plus, I can't prove it but he sold the appliances, furnace and even the water heater as he was leaving...

While it lasted he was the definition of living large... when it crashed... he filed BK and his wife left him... he was living in a Shelter last I heard...

 

[hawkeye08]

My sister refi'd their home and spent the cash, maxed out credit cards, lived high off the hog, until they lost their house, but no big deal since her husband's folks had passed and left them their place.. which shared the water well.. last I heard, the foreclosed house was still vacant. Not the way to live in my opinion, but to each his own.

I have responded on some of these cord cutter threads, but truth be known, never had cable nor wanted it. I admit to watching some internet stuff now, Amazon Prime, Netflix, free VUDU, etc. We have always just had the OTA channels and it was fine when they weren't so biased. Now I am glad to have several internet news sources to balance broadcast TV out.

 

[goeduck]

Anyone sign up for Fox Nation on ROKU? How is it?

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Anyone sign up for Fox Nation on ROKU? How is it?

First month $0.99 then $5.99/month. Terms Apply. Offer starts 5/6/19 and ends 5/19/19.

not cheap,but cheaper than full cable still

 

[goeduck]

not cheap,but cheaper than full cable still

Do you get the live Fox News feed as on cable or YouTube TV?

 

[shooterdon]

I just use Rabbit Ears... 50+ stations and half in English.

No interest/time for cable.

I was talking with our young receptionist in the break room today... she was working on her budget...

She and her husband are both 24... they pay $258 a month for their phone plan and $160 a month for cable... cable use to be over $200

This works out to over $5,000 annually!!!

Add to that car notes/insurance totaling $14,000 annually plus rent of 18,000 and then utilities of $3,000

So they have spent 40k before buying groceries, clothes etc...

No one "needs" $5k in phone and cable costs. Stupid people do stupid things. Both should get second jobs if they spend that much time on their phones or watching TV.

There I go being judgmental again...and I am trying so hard to be better....but I abhor stupidity.

 

[Looking4new]

I had a terrible experience with BELL (Canada) this week over the Amber Alert BS.

But doing some reading, I found out some disturbing things, and it puts various experience in focus.

It's about the call centers for all of our telecoms. And apparently they all work the same.

If you call to cancel, they (the operator) get a debit on their commission. So, often they will hand the call over to another "sucker" or even put you on hold hoping you will hang up. Also, sometimes, taking no notes, so there is no record of you wanting to cancel.

They also, try and give you as little free or any deals as possible as this also works against them personaly.

Are you telling us that you actually got someone that could speak Engrish well enough to be understood?

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Do you get the live Fox News feed as on cable or YouTube TV?

No, I have the app loaded on my Roku. It's fairly annoying, I don't watch it often.

 

[ultrarunner]

No one "needs" $5k in phone and cable costs. Stupid people do stupid things. Both should get second jobs if they spend that much time on their phones or watching TV.

There I go being judgmental again...and I am trying so hard to be better....but I abhor stupidity.

There are still a lot of people that don't know over the air TV exists here...

The Hospital Clinic was thinking of going with cable and because commercial the cost was quite steep... even back in 1995.

I put a $20 radio shack antenna on the roof to a splitter and then to the waiting areas... it has been flawless and when the digital the system never missed a beat...

Almost 25 years and using the 1995 rate of $210 per month the savings work out to be $63,000 plus the old CRT TVs are still working on their wall mounts... so $63,000 vs. $200 and a morning of my day to set up.

An added benefit is not having CNN in the lobby.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

No one "needs" $5k in phone and cable costs. Stupid people do stupid things. Both should get second jobs if they spend that much time on their phones or watching TV.

There I go being judgmental again...and I am trying so hard to be better....but I abhor stupidity.

Our family uses Republic Wireless for phone service. We pay about $70/month for 3 phones with 1gig data each. Extra gigs are $5 It uses sprint network, so not as good of coverage as the $$$ATT$$$ mothers. It uses your wifi in your home or work as much as possible to save.

You buy your own phone (they sell them, or if compatible, bring your own), and then you just start saving money.

They don't have brick and mortar stores, and their help is so so. But I'm saving about $130 a month or more. Might not be the best option for someone who has to go into a store for help.

Also, sprint and Tmobile are merging. Not sure what the fallout will be.

Republic Wireless | No-Contract Cell Phone Service Starting at $15

 

[Howling]

My contract recently ended with Comcast. Called and got rid of TV. They throw a lot of BS trying to get you to keep some basic TV. The streaming services will cost more than the TV service. Already paying for Netflix and Amazon Prime. The cable TV box has been unplugged for over a month. They magically had a bundle with basic TV that was slightly less than without it. We don't miss the commercials breaks in the TV shows.

Next is the landline phone. 99% of the calls are telemarketers. Need to upgrade my wife's phone for better sound quality then get rid of that line.

 

[ultrarunner]

Next is the landline phone. 99% of the calls are telemarketers. Need to upgrade my wife's phone for better sound quality then get rid of that line.

Ain't that the truth... one robo solicitation call after another or outright scams... like the Microsoft or Grandkid stranded or IRS warrant... etc...

 

[goeduck]

our Landline never gets picked up when it rings, we only return calls.

 

[ultrarunner]

our Landline never gets picked up when it rings, we only return calls.

Been having a lot of problems here with that...

I tried to teach Mom to screen calls but with her memory problems I didn't get very far and her elderly friends stopped calling saying she never answered the phone.

Put a lot of time into it to come up short...

Had it set up in in the kitchen/living room and said only pick up the phone if it is someone you know.

In a perfect world... well nothing is perfect.

There are few local companies that are relentless on Duct Cleaning and Carpet Cleaning and Google listing service... if I had the time I would do a sting operation as we are do not call like everyone...

 

[goeduck]

Been having a lot of problems here with that...

I tried to teach Mom to screen calls but with her memory problems I didn't get very far and her elderly friends stopped calling saying she never answered the phone.

Put a lot of time into it to come up short...

Had it set up in in the kitchen/living room and said only pick up the phone if it is someone you know.

In a perfect world... well nothing is perfect.

There are few local companies that are relentless on Duct Cleaning and Carpet Cleaning and Google listing service... if I had the time I would do a sting operation as we are do not call like everyone...

I do not envy you. I went through the same things but all the parents (both sides) are gone now. The scammers focus in on the elderly and that makes it really hard.

 

[ultrarunner]

I do not envy you. I went through the same things but all the parents (both sides) are gone now. The scammers focus in on the elderly and that makes it really hard.

They really do... tonight there were 9 calls with 3 messages... I have the machine out of sight.

Two of the messages were "Official" sounding stating her Medicare has been suspended due to fraudulent activity and she must call immediately to provide security information to be reinstated...

The other message is from Microsoft stating her computer has been determined to have a virus and she must call for instructions on how to remove the block... she doesn't have a computer and has never touched one in her life but they had her name, etc...

It is often the small things that make up quality of life and far too many that prey on vulnerable with little consequences... just like the tens of thousands of smash and grabs car break ins that happen here in epidemic proportion...