Teacher
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17 Messages
Equipment fee hike. Exodus now likely.
I love UVerse, and have had it since 2009. (The parents lived with me; they ordered it, and I paid for it. When they moved out in 2011, I kept UVerse. Any "complaints" are so minor, they are not worth typing. Overall, satisfied.)
The monthly equipment fee was $7 for each extra receiver, which I gladly paid. But I've had all the equpment for years....and have paid several times over the value of the equipment via "lease fees". I just discovered they've increased the fee by $3 per set-top box (I have two set-top boxes in addition to the DVR).
I will be calling within a week. If they don't back off, I will back away. I could pay for unlimited data for my cellphone (I own/paid in full for the smartphone; a mere SIM card is all I need to change carriers), then stream Netflix to the TV (HD is good enough). And since (with the LG G4's badass transceiver) cell service is now better, I don't need a home phone....or DSL.
I pay more for "home phone and DSL" than I would for a hefty cellphone data plan. And the home phone sucks. Sorry, it does. Any scam artist telemarketer can dial from a nonstandard IP-based number, but AT&T (somehow) "still can't" figure out how to allow us to block numbers that aren't ten digits long. This renders the home phone useless for incoming calls (I can only allow 20 numbers to come through). But I pay $43.46 per month for just the phone. (My cellphone has 5GB of data, unlimited texting, and unlimited calling...all for $40.)
And for as much TV as I have time to watch, I'd easily save a minimum of $100 per month by upgrading cell plans, and using Netflix with the cellphone, and streaming to the TV.
And why, when we now have 4K/UltraHD, is AT&T still charging us the "HD technology fee"? (And this is for 1080i, not 1080p. Yes, as with most HDTV sets, mine will tattle, and reveal the true resolution of any signal.) It's time for you to waive this, or wave bye bye to another customer.
Accepted Solution
Official Solution
skeeterintexas
ACE - Expert
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27.7K Messages
8 years ago
Price changes were announced in Dec. 2015 and went into effect in February 2016.
Each billed non-DVR TV receiver increased $1 per month.
Please let us know what networks broadcast in 1080p.
HERE is a list of all 2016 Uverse price changes.
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marcindublin
Guru
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417 Messages
8 years ago
All part of the plan to discontinue U-Verse in favor of DirectTV. A company is not going to run two competing services in perpetuity, but if they can make you believe that converting was your idea, you're more likely to do the switch. Obvious, no?
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RobertB703
Teacher
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17 Messages
8 years ago
I could accept that....but I don't tear equipment up, and I don't demand "new equipment" (whine about obsolescence). I have the same gateway, same set-top boxes, and have had the same DVR since 2011 (the parents claimed the first wasn't working; I was away from the house at the time). I'd be glad to continue paying the $7 per month per set-top box, etc. for the duration of my paying for UVerse, because it's insurance, too (even though the equipment would be otherwise paid for, the fee covers replacement, too). But if I'm not abusing the privilege, why do they jack it up to $10? AT&T is kinda pushing it a tad too far.
Bottom line, if you "don't have an accident", then your insurance premiums shouldn't increase. If they do, it's time for a change.
(This is also why I canceled cellphone insurance back when I paid into a plan. The last cellphone I lost was in 2003 when I wore it outside my person on a belt; only nonworkers do that, whereas I can't because I work, and I unknowingly hit the cellphone and knocked it off, and later discovered it was gone. For years afterwards, I happily paid insurance, even though I never lost another cellphone, as I'd put the cellphone in the pant pocket. But just a few years ago, I noticed my fees would still increase....to pay for all the fools who repeatedly drop top-dollar iPhones or Samsungs into toilets. I now pay for cellphones outright, and use pay-as-you-go plans.)
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RobertB703
Teacher
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17 Messages
8 years ago
The forums don't have any "in reply to" indication. So I issue apologies for the confusion. My first response was to Skeeter, but since there's no indication by the software, I have to remember to pick their slack up.
Marcindublin, I'm inclined to agree. That's why I was hoping the AT&T/DirecTV merger would fail, and was disappointed when it didn't. It's *never* good for the customer when companies merge. I think AT&T is trying to kill one of its services off and trying to drive customers to their other service. What they don't realize is that I don't play the game. If I leave UVerse, I'm not going to DirecTV. I have the cellphone that I can stream from (And I can still use AT&T's service....or I can use Sprint, Verizon, or any other number of services; it's just whatever SIM I put into the phone). And since the TV has WiFi, and the cellphone is a WiFi hotspot, I can watch Netflix over the cell (if I upgrade to unlimited high-speed data, whilch will still be less than half what I'm paying now).
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skeeterintexas
ACE - Expert
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27.7K Messages
8 years ago
First off...use the "Classic Reply" option when replying to a post. You can then use the "Quote" button like I just did.
My only response is to your quote above. You apparently do not own a car and/or a house, both of which require insurance. You don't have to have an accident or any kind of claim for your insurance to go up. Don't even get me started with health insurance! Sure, you can shop around and change but there's always going to be an increase. I don't pay the same for my car/HO insurance as I did 40 years ago but then again, I don't expect to.
Rate hikes of any kind, be it insurance rates or service rates are a way for a business to show a profit. If you owned Geico stock, you'd sell it if it stayed flat or showed a loss. Same with ATT.
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music4cities
Contributor
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3 Messages
8 years ago
FWIW, I complained about the equipment fee and they upgraded my internet plan with better data rates AND no additonal equipment fee. Same price as my old plan, and not a promotional rate. a permanent rate. Ask for customer retention.
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RobertB703
Teacher
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17 Messages
5 years ago
Wow, it's been a long time. I was just checking the forums, then I saw the "suggested topics", then saw my post from three-years-ago.
In that time......in February of 2017, I downgraded U-Verse to basic, minimized the phone (which I don't use anyway, except in an unlikely emergency, but I always have a cellphone), and have a better internet package. I use Roku to stream Philo, then I locally (ethernet) stream Tablo (a local OTA DVR that I own; it sits in the office by the gateway, and streams to all the Rokus). I did dump Netflix....well over a year ago....because they were missing almost every movie I wanted to see, and missing so many series. (Netflix doesn't want to pay for real content, but they'll pay many millions of dollars to Obama for his "content". Nope. Pass.) Philo takes care of the educational programs and most of the movies, then I can binge-watch Star Trek over the Tablo. (Guys, do not watch BBC America; those criminals remove entire scenes of shows to make room for additional ads. Back when I had U-300, I noticed nonprovocative scenes sliced out of TNG, and then I promptly deleted the channel from my guide. So if I want to watch Star Trek, I don't watch BBCA; I'll record any Treks on the OTA channels, then watch the whole show.) I've also used the OTA/Tablo to watch good shows I've missed in the past....Babylon 5, Outer Limits, and the remainder of Star Trek : Voyager.
I thank all of you for your help/input (years ago). I think AT&T *had* a sure thing with U-Verse. But with ever-increasing fees coupled with perpetual discontinuation of apps, AT&T has killed a golden goose. They now receive less than half of the money that they formerly did, and I own all these STBs and the OTA DVR. Even with the current AT&T bill, and the addition of the monthly Philo fees, and the fee for the Tablo channel guide, I still pay half of what I did a few years ago.
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gr8sho
ACE - Professor
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5.4K Messages
5 years ago
Uverse TV is essentially unchanged in the almost ten years I’ve had it. The technology is based on the ATSC 1.0 standard. The biggest quality of life change I’ve made is to dump HPNA and use Ethernet. Works as expected.
The commentary on BBCA is irrelevant wrt to U-verse or any cable service for that matter.
Cord cutting is a reality many are delving into.
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