Cable service: Triple or tricky play?
April 11 2015 By Abi Giwa
When the economic situation is stormy and economic survival becomes a struggle, it demands cutting down on inessential expenditure. In such a case, money consuming service in the house or in one's life may be the first to be thrown out. Of course, there will be no room for duplicity like using the cell-phone and at the same time using the house-phone. To so many people such duplicity of bills makes no economic sense. And in this case, the house-phone has fallen a victim with only a few people frowning against the cell-phone in favor of the house-phone.
The house-phone, where it still exists in most cases, has become mere ornament in the house, with the advent of the cell-phone. Many people have cancelled the house-phone outrightly in favor of the cell-phone and the pocket with few exceptions. A technician from a cable provider said that the house-phone is becoming a thing of the past and lacks the knowledge why providers still compel people to take triple play, when television and internet are all that people need, but consumers are being forced to take triple play.
Augustus Wayne, a Trinidadian and once a resident in New York City said way back in 2010 that he did not have the cell-phone. His revelation attracted questions about how he managed to live without a cell-phone. He had explanations. According to him, he preferred the house-phone. He said that with the cell-phone, everyone would know his whereabout and be able to reach him. He said he did not need that, because he wanted sometime to himself and would not like talking all the time. He added that he required sometime to think.
Unlike Augustus, Carlos, a security officer, said he is hardly in the house, but that he still maintains the house-phone, despite using a cell-phone. He said that though there are times he uses the house-phone most of the time, when he is home and the cell-phone is forced on a temporary holiday. He said he makes the calls on the house-phone despite that no one calls him on the house-phone again. He said people only call him on his cell-phone. He said his decision to retain the house-phone has been informed by providers insistence for him to have the triple play to cut down on the bill. For example, he said he would pay higher bill if he decides to drop the phone and have just the internet and the television access.
A Long Island resident who wants to be anonymous said he mostly uses the cell-phone and that he is thinking of getting rid of he house-phone, because the monthly bill of $250.00 has become a burden. "I can no longer cope with paying $250 every month for phone, internet on the computer and access to television programs beyond the local channels."
Breyan lives in the Bronx. He said he got rid of the house-phone a long time ago. Although, he said he has the triple play - phone, internet and the television. "I have the house-phone, but I don't use it. It is as good as saying it is no longer there."nines aid if he has a choice, the house would have been thrown out, but he is compelled to allow it being part of a triple play. He said he would not mind retaining the television access and the internet at a lower price if providers will allow him.
Majority of respondents to Global Pentorch survey show that they are retaining the house-phone, not necessarily because they use it, but because it is part of a package, which if you refuse one item in the package, the cost becomes a burden. They say you pay house rent; you pay electricity bill, gas bill and you have to pay for triple play and refusal to take a triple play means higher bill. They say that in a way, cable providers have the devised a mean that has turned into a trap for consumers, seemingly forcing them to have what they don't need.
But some other consumers say the house-phone still plays a dominant role in the house, where all members of the family don't have the cell-phone. Carlos said that the house-phone is very useful with your children school calling the house. Another responder - a female police officer - said that some of her children use the house-phone more because not all of her children possess the cell-phone. She says the house-phone is not obsolete yet, adding that explains the search for lesser costs and that it is why many people resort to the Magic Jack for the house-phone service at a much lesser cost.
One respondent narrates how he has abandoned the entire cable service, watches only local channels on the television and opts to power his internet with his cell-phone provider's personal hotspot - a devise that empowers the use of the cellphone to power internet on as many computers as possible. But he said the problem he has with the personal hotspot usage to power the internet is that the time one spends on the internet depends on the number of gigabytes one has purchased from the provider. He says when he over uses the gigabytes originally assigned, the provider will charge him for addition gigabytes in his next bill.
He describes the personal hotspot as a good idea, but that sometimes it deprives him access to the internet whenever he tells his provider not to add additional gigabytes to enable him save some money to pay other bills. Furthermore he says the hotspot deprives him opportunity for watching movies, because watching movies on the internet using the hotspot burns the gigabytes fast. He says he wants to get back to cable, but he is still shopping for affordable and good service.
As he goes about the search for affordable and good service, he says he is not unaware of the fierce competition among cable providers and their hot advertisements in a bid to outdo one another. He said he has tried some of them in the past, but he leaves them in disappointment, because they only care for the bills and not good service.
The house-phone, where it still exists in most cases, has become mere ornament in the house, with the advent of the cell-phone. Many people have cancelled the house-phone outrightly in favor of the cell-phone and the pocket with few exceptions. A technician from a cable provider said that the house-phone is becoming a thing of the past and lacks the knowledge why providers still compel people to take triple play, when television and internet are all that people need, but consumers are being forced to take triple play.
Augustus Wayne, a Trinidadian and once a resident in New York City said way back in 2010 that he did not have the cell-phone. His revelation attracted questions about how he managed to live without a cell-phone. He had explanations. According to him, he preferred the house-phone. He said that with the cell-phone, everyone would know his whereabout and be able to reach him. He said he did not need that, because he wanted sometime to himself and would not like talking all the time. He added that he required sometime to think.
Unlike Augustus, Carlos, a security officer, said he is hardly in the house, but that he still maintains the house-phone, despite using a cell-phone. He said that though there are times he uses the house-phone most of the time, when he is home and the cell-phone is forced on a temporary holiday. He said he makes the calls on the house-phone despite that no one calls him on the house-phone again. He said people only call him on his cell-phone. He said his decision to retain the house-phone has been informed by providers insistence for him to have the triple play to cut down on the bill. For example, he said he would pay higher bill if he decides to drop the phone and have just the internet and the television access.
A Long Island resident who wants to be anonymous said he mostly uses the cell-phone and that he is thinking of getting rid of he house-phone, because the monthly bill of $250.00 has become a burden. "I can no longer cope with paying $250 every month for phone, internet on the computer and access to television programs beyond the local channels."
Breyan lives in the Bronx. He said he got rid of the house-phone a long time ago. Although, he said he has the triple play - phone, internet and the television. "I have the house-phone, but I don't use it. It is as good as saying it is no longer there."nines aid if he has a choice, the house would have been thrown out, but he is compelled to allow it being part of a triple play. He said he would not mind retaining the television access and the internet at a lower price if providers will allow him.
Majority of respondents to Global Pentorch survey show that they are retaining the house-phone, not necessarily because they use it, but because it is part of a package, which if you refuse one item in the package, the cost becomes a burden. They say you pay house rent; you pay electricity bill, gas bill and you have to pay for triple play and refusal to take a triple play means higher bill. They say that in a way, cable providers have the devised a mean that has turned into a trap for consumers, seemingly forcing them to have what they don't need.
But some other consumers say the house-phone still plays a dominant role in the house, where all members of the family don't have the cell-phone. Carlos said that the house-phone is very useful with your children school calling the house. Another responder - a female police officer - said that some of her children use the house-phone more because not all of her children possess the cell-phone. She says the house-phone is not obsolete yet, adding that explains the search for lesser costs and that it is why many people resort to the Magic Jack for the house-phone service at a much lesser cost.
One respondent narrates how he has abandoned the entire cable service, watches only local channels on the television and opts to power his internet with his cell-phone provider's personal hotspot - a devise that empowers the use of the cellphone to power internet on as many computers as possible. But he said the problem he has with the personal hotspot usage to power the internet is that the time one spends on the internet depends on the number of gigabytes one has purchased from the provider. He says when he over uses the gigabytes originally assigned, the provider will charge him for addition gigabytes in his next bill.
He describes the personal hotspot as a good idea, but that sometimes it deprives him access to the internet whenever he tells his provider not to add additional gigabytes to enable him save some money to pay other bills. Furthermore he says the hotspot deprives him opportunity for watching movies, because watching movies on the internet using the hotspot burns the gigabytes fast. He says he wants to get back to cable, but he is still shopping for affordable and good service.
As he goes about the search for affordable and good service, he says he is not unaware of the fierce competition among cable providers and their hot advertisements in a bid to outdo one another. He said he has tried some of them in the past, but he leaves them in disappointment, because they only care for the bills and not good service.
