i HATE my cox bill

[SubSolar]

I'm a cord cutter but if I were to get TV I'd get DirecTV. Much better DVR's, sports packages, etc. I do love Cox for Internet though, I've had several ISP's (AT&T, Time Warner, Charter) and Cox is by far the best. I'm an IT Consultant and have several clients that always have issues with AT&T DSL or U-Verse. There's frequent line issues that need repair and it's totally distance dependent, if you are far from them you will have slow speeds and/or an unstable connection.

 

[eyephone]

Ok after discussing it over a romantic meal with the Mr. - we cut the cord on cox cable. Feels so liberating. Gonna see how life without cable tv is for a few weeks but we will probably jump on the direct tv bandwagon once I do a little more due diligence on it. If that's the case, I'll hit you up j$.

Welcome to the CLUB. I just subscribe to Netflix and Amazon prime. (Comes to around $15 a month for both)

Ya - we have amazon prime.  May look into re-subbing to Netflix.  We actually never watch TV while my kids are awake - we do minimal screen time so cutting the cord does make sense for us.  The only advantage for DirectTV would be NFL sunday ticket.  The Mr. would love to watch his non-local football team play weekly.  Plus I do sorta like my TV but most of the stuff I watch, I can stream from the various sites for free.

outside of a few things here and there.. I feel like Prime and Netflix are redundant.

In away it is, BUT Prime apparently has a contract with Nickelodeon and Netflix doesn't. Also, I noticed Prime have deals with Viacom, Comedy Central.

Bottom line - prime has Nickelodeon and we are big fans of the kid shows on Nickelodeon. (That's all we watched when we had cable)

 

[aquabliss]

One of my big reasons for switching from Cox was they didn't offer Disney Jr. HD.

They wanted $18/mo more to add the package that included Disney Jr. Channel and it was just standard def.

Direct TV has Disney Jr. HD as a standard offering on most packages.  Kids have limited TV time but they love watching their Disney shows for an hour each night.

 

[eyephone]

I'm a cord cutter but if I were to get TV I'd get DirecTV. Much better DVR's, sports packages, etc. I do love Cox for Internet though, I've had several ISP's (AT&T, Time Warner, Charter) and Cox is by far the best. I'm an IT Consultant and have several clients that always have issues with AT&T DSL or U-Verse. There's frequent line issues that need repair and it's totally distance dependent, if you are far from them you will have slow speeds and/or an unstable connection.

Another smart one! The cable industry charges you for all those bs channels and you only watch a few.

 

[bones]

Tv

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I did the math on going hybrid Cox Internet and DISH or DirectTV and it comes out almost the same.

You are probably going to pay $60+/- on Cox 50mb with a discount and then for the same kind of channels I get on Cox, it will run about $100+ on satellite once you add in all the costs. You might be a little less on satellite but not 99%er less.

We have a similar package to bones and we pay in the $170-180 range too.

I like only having to deal with one vendor too. But that may change because the satellite companies have features that I like (remote box without the need for a coax outlet near by).

 

[jmoney74]

I did the math on going hybrid Cox Internet and DISH or DirectTV and it comes out almost the same.

You are probably going to pay $60+/- on Cox 50mb with a discount and then for the same kind of channels I get on Cox, it will run about $100+ on satellite once you add in all the costs. You might be a little less on satellite but not 99%er less.

We have a similar package to bones and we pay in the $170-180 range too.

I like only having to deal with one vendor too. But that may change because the satellite companies have features that I like (remote box without the need for a coax outlet near by).

It came out around the same but.. I got more with direct tv.

 

[aquabliss]

If Cox gave small secondary boxes and went wireless I probably would have stayed with them.  I want to be able to have a TV in my garage/backyard/dining room and just move a small box around when I need to.  I don't want to pay for 2 extra boxes every month just for this.

The DTV secondary boxes are small and portable, all I have to do is plug in the AC cord and the HDMI and they come up in about a minute.  Good solution for me since I don't use the TV's in these locations daily but I want to have them available with cable channels when I want to use them.

Only problem with the wireless is that the range of the wireless bridge is only about 80 ft.  So far it's been OK but I did have to change the location once to a more central placement upstairs due to a weak signal when I moved the receiver into my office.

 

[ZeroLot]

So I know Cox services have been discussed in various other threads, but I didn't know which one to add to so I'm starting a new one.

I just spent a mind-numbing 45 minutes with the Cox guy trying to "lower" my bill.  I hate how the cost of the services isn't transparent, newbies get all the discounts yet loyal customers get screwed with random price increases here and there.

I currently pay ~$180.  Here's the breakdown:
1. TV - Advanced TV $67.66
2. TV - HD Receiver $8.50
3. TV - Sports Pak $12.00
4. TV - DVR $11.99
5. TV - DVR Receiver $8.50
6. Internet - 50mbps $53.46
7. Telephone - Basic Service $19.99


So I guess here's the point of my thread:
1. What are you guys paying if you use Cox for all 3 services?  Is my bill "normal" or am I totally overpaying here?
2. Should I break up my internet (keep Cox) and go with a different provider for TV (Uverse? Dish?)?  I plan to look into Ooma for phone
3. Any other suggestions?

You are absolutely right. All newbies get great deals.  I pay $180 with Cox including tax BUT I got Ultimate for Internet, premium for Phone, and contour box + DVR + the sports pack and free HBO and Cinemax.

When I moved I signed myself up as a newbie.  It was the deal I made + I made sure I got the Contour box for free.

I told Cox I would switch to someone else unless I can sign on as a newbie, it worked. 

You could cancel everything, wait one week and sign on as a newbie and get all the perks. 

However that depends on what you value.

- I'm an Internet speed fanatic.  I'm sure that's a surprise.

- I have to have a landline for safety purposes (kids + babysitter). 

- TV is optional for me but Mr. Z loves sports so if paying $50/month keeps him from running to the bar to watch it, not like the bar is free either, I'm willing to sacrifice.

Once kids get older, I'll cut the landline (although it is nice to send a fax) and Cable.

 

[bones]

Tv

 

[jmoney74]

I did the math on going hybrid Cox Internet and DISH or DirectTV and it comes out almost the same.

You are probably going to pay $60+/- on Cox 50mb with a discount and then for the same kind of channels I get on Cox, it will run about $100+ on satellite once you add in all the costs. You might be a little less on satellite but not 99%er less.

We have a similar package to bones and we pay in the $170-180 range too.

I like only having to deal with one vendor too. But that may change because the satellite companies have features that I like (remote box without the need for a coax outlet near by).

When I priced out dTV yesterday, it was around $65 for a similar package I had at cox that costs me $105. That pricing is good for 12 months before it jumps to probably similar pricing to cox in months 13-24. So in that sense, yea it's not 99%er savings but to me here's the difference:

1) dTV equipment is better. I mean I had the "record 2 shows at once" thing since I graduated from college in the early 2000s and I still have the same thing now in 2014 with cox?  And I can only watch the recorded shows in the the same room its being recorded in? That's lame. 
2) NFL Sunday ticket comes with the dTV package I'm looking at. Huge for fantasy football and ppl like me that have rooting interests in non-CA teams.
3) Not having to deal with cox and their random increases and bundles, etc. I still use them for internet but I feel like their cable pricing is what frustrates me the most. Internet is just $x for however much Mbps.
4) and if dTV sucks or I want better pricing in 2 years, I can switch back to cox as a "new" customer.

Having said all that, may just keep the cord cut.  It's a nice feeling

right on.  The savings in the first year alone is worth it.  Then you can just cancel if you wanted to.  Plus, if you have any family that has DTV.  Just have them order you some boxes and plug it in.. wah la.. it works.  You can share one account.  Did I say that?

 

[Irvinecommuter]

Ok after discussing it over a romantic meal with the Mr. - we cut the cord on cox cable. Feels so liberating. Gonna see how life without cable tv is for a few weeks but we will probably jump on the direct tv bandwagon once I do a little more due diligence on it. If that's the case, I'll hit you up j$.

Welcome to the CLUB. I just subscribe to Netflix and Amazon prime. (Comes to around $15 a month for both)

Ya - we have amazon prime.  May look into re-subbing to Netflix.  We actually never watch TV while my kids are awake - we do minimal screen time so cutting the cord does make sense for us.  The only advantage for DirectTV would be NFL sunday ticket.  The Mr. would love to watch his non-local football team play weekly.  Plus I do sorta like my TV but most of the stuff I watch, I can stream from the various sites for free.

outside of a few things here and there.. I feel like Prime and Netflix are redundant.

Hulu and Netflix are the proper mix IMO...Hulu has stepped up its game on programming...still have the stupid commercials though.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

When I priced out dTV yesterday, it was around $65 for a similar package I had at cox that costs me $105. That pricing is good for 12 months before it jumps to probably similar pricing to cox in months 13-24. So in that sense, yea it's not 99%er savings but to me here's the difference:

1) dTV equipment is better. I mean I had the "record 2 shows at once" thing since I graduated from college in the early 2000s and I still have the same thing now in 2014 with cox?  And I can only watch the recorded shows in the the same room its being recorded in? That's lame. 

You must be on the old system. I'm on Contour for that same ~$175 you are on and I can record up to 8 shows and I can watch any of them anywhere.

But, yes, I agree you get pretty good technology with the satellite services. As aqua mentioned, the wireless boxes are very convenient.

How did you price dTV? From what I remember, their online pricing doesn't include the hidden charges like HD channels, the whole home DVR upgrade etc. You should make sure they include everything in whatever quote you get for a true apples-to-apples.

3) Not having to deal with cox and their random increases and bundles, etc. I still use them for internet but I feel like their cable pricing is what frustrates me the most. Internet is just $x for however much Mbps.

Yeah, that's why I did a 24-month lock, but after that, I probably will go to satellite.

Having said all that, may just keep the cord cut.  It's a nice feeling

Considering how less frequently we watch cable, this is probably something we should consider. But as you said, sports on TV is a big reason to keep it. Back in the day, sports used to be on non-cable channels but not so much now. I need some sort of Sports/HGTV/FoodNetwork/Kids package.

 

[paperboyNC]

I pay $79 + tax for U-verse 300 + 18mbps internet.

 

[ps99472]

I pay $79 + tax for U-verse 300 + 18mbps internet.

Same here, I also have phone service, so with tax about $140/month.  HD is an extra $10 which to me is a junk fee.

 

[paperboyNC]

I pay $79 + tax for U-verse 300 + 18mbps internet.

Same here, I also have phone service, so with tax about $140/month.  HD is an extra $10 which to me is a junk fee.

I went to look up my free HD and I realized I pay $94 including tax for the internet & tv with 3 receivers. I also got them to upgrade me for free to the latest DVR with 3X the space. Here's my bill:

 

[bones]

Tv

 

[ps99472]

I'm the uverse internet expert:  How can I help you?

 

[paperboyNC]

Thanks for posting.  This is something to consider if we decide on cable again and want to complete cut all Cox services.  How's the internet?  Was install easy?  Here in PP - the PP forums say Uverse is hard to get installed.  Takes weeks and there's some difficulty since it's a brand new development.

When Uverse came out to install at our new home a few years ago they had to call in a few other trucks to wire up the house properly but they got it all done in one day.

The internet is great for downloading. The upload speed is what is slow (around 3mbps).

 

[bones]

Tc