Cable, Internet, phone, etc. Companies

**oberger** · 10-15-2009, 10:09 AM

We have two houses in Walton County. We use Mediacom for cable & internet at one house and Embarq at the other. Mediacom has gone up once again on their rates and I'm looking for other options. We don't have anyone on the books until next year and am considering cancelling the service for the winter. I'm hesitant to do this in case we get a last minute "snowbird" booking though. Any ideas?

**Just_In_Thyme** · 10-15-2009, 10:17 AM

I wish I had an answer for you. I hate both of them.

**Just_In_Thyme** · 10-15-2009, 10:34 AM

You got me curious, so I started checking. It looks like AT&T is now available in our area. Anyone else heard this?

**SHELLY** · 10-15-2009, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by oberger

We have two houses in Walton County. We use Mediacom for cable & internet at one house and Embarq at the other. Mediacom has gone up once again on their rates and I'm looking for other options. We don't have anyone on the books until next year and am considering cancelling the service for the winter. I'm hesitant to do this in case we get a last minute "snowbird" booking though. Any ideas?

If you decide to cancel and if a snowbird calls you, you can tell them they'll have no cable/internet and offer a discount equal to what your cable/internet costs would have been had you kept the service. (i.e., you'd "save" $200 a month by cutting the service off, so offer a $200 monthly discount to the client.) They could take it or leave it, but you stand to "gain" the monthly rent. IMO, your place would be a hard sell without any TV service--especially during the winter months--moreso if it isn't on prime gulf front property.

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**sunspotbaby** · 10-15-2009, 11:34 AM

Wouldn't you have plenty of time to get it turned back on. Also, if you cancel with them, chances are you'll get something in the mail begging you to come back with an introductory rate.

**TooFarTampa** · 10-15-2009, 11:44 AM

Try calling Mediacom, ASAP. I just decided to bundle phone with my Internet and cable and my bill is going DOWN to $96 and change a month with all the taxes for all three. Plus I get to cancel Embarq for phone. The deal is good for only 12 months but hey, I will take it! It was installed yesterday. Hopefully it works.

**SHELLY** · 10-15-2009, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by sunspotbaby

Wouldn't you have plenty of time to get it turned back on. Also, if you cancel with them, chances are you'll get something in the mail begging you to come back with an introductory rate.

...usually, you'll find they'll gouge you to reinstall the service (high reconnection fees) if you cancelled and then come crawling back to them. Your best bet is to switch to the opposite type service (i.e., cable to dish or visa-versa) when it comes time to reconnect. Even then, sometimes the best discounts only apply if you "switch" from the other service versus becoming a new customer (make sure you read the terms in the -100 point print in those ads). It's always a crap-shoot when you start messing around with television/communications services, so its a matter of weighing the risk-reward making sure you understand and consider ALL the costs involved in a worst case senario.

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**SHELLY** · 10-15-2009, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by TooFarTampa

Try calling Mediacom, ASAP. I just decided to bundle phone with my Internet and cable and my bill is going DOWN to $96 and change a month with all the taxes for all three. Plus I get to cancel Embarq for phone. The deal is good for only 12 months but hey, I will take it! It was installed yesterday. Hopefully it works.

How much did you save overall and how much does it increase after 12 months?

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**Lynnie** · 10-15-2009, 01:21 PM

Mediacom is the biggest ripoff in Walton County! Well, I can think of a few others, but since this thread is about cable, etc., then Mediacom is the biggest ripoff!

**TooFarTampa** · 10-15-2009, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by SHELLY

How much did you save overall and how much does it increase after 12 months?

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No idea what it will be after 12 months, but we are saving $70 a month in the meantime (I realized after examining our Embarq bill that we were paying about $10 for stuff we didn't need, so call it $60). That's a nice chunk of change and we also get to advertise free domestic long distance calling to our renters.

Yes, Mediacom sucks, but I don't think Embarq is any better. Maybe Verizon FIOS will be in town by next year.

**Lynnie** · 10-15-2009, 01:53 PM

Maybe I'll go satellite for cable. What about internet?

Comcast is 80+ channels for $21/mo. Mediacom just plain sucks.....fortunately when I am at the beach, I am not watching a lot of TV so cable isn't needed.

**goeligo** · 12-02-2009, 03:31 PM

Mediamcom does in fact have a bundle that you can add phone service to canle and internet for $19.99 a month - The kicker is that you have to have a phone line very next to your internet access as the use a modem to go from cable to the landline. Another thing to note is if you lose power in a sotrm, you will lose telephone service.. Checked this out a month ago