We have all seen that way too good to be true deal on cable TV. From ads to people saying, “the deal was just too good I had to take it.” Yet what happens when all the freebies and promos come to an end? Thanks to one of our readers we can take a look at how these amazing offers can quickly add up.
We have all seen the offers for phone, internet, and TV for a low monthly rate. Often they look something like $29.99 with a small (each) next to it. So the real bill is about $90. Yet they are not done. Why not get a free premium channel like Starz or HBO for three months? (Just don’t forget to cancel or we will bill you for that.)
Then they want you to get the DVR. There’s a fee on top of that. Have extra TVs? Fees for each of those. Don’t forget that price is a promotional rate that will go up. As time passes and you don’t think about it suddenly one day you have a $360+ bill. If you are on auto pay and not paying attention it is easy to one day look at your bill and have price shock.
So let’s break down this bill from a Frontier customer.
Internet Cost
100 up 100 down fiber internet: $99.99. That is a high price and a bit of shopping around will get that down. The real shock here is that means $260.39 is the cost of TV and phone.
Phone Cost
According to this bill $19.98 was the cost of the phone service. That means the total cost of the TV service was $240.41 a month. So let’s take a look what you get for $240 a month.
TV Cost
The core TV package in this bill costs $99.99 a month. They added a Quantum TV package for $26 a month for DVR and additional features like app access. There was also Starz for $14.99 a month. (Cable companies love free three-month access to these services because you forget to cancel.) There is also the Disney Family Movies package for $5.99.
That is the cost for TV, but what about all the devices? There is a three TV equipment package for $38 a month. This customer also had two extra TVs that cost $25 a month. Nothing like having to pay extra to watch the TV service you pay for on your TVs.
That brings the TV plus device costs to $214.97 a month. Yet we are not done. There are still taxes to look at.
Taxes & Other Chargers
We can’t forget all the taxes and fees these packages offer. While some people may pay a few dollars in taxes and fees on their streaming services this customer paid $30.45 a month in fees and taxes.
Total: $360.39 a Month
So next time you hear about this great cable TV offer you just have to remember how quickly the fees, taxes, and costs can skyrocket especially after your promotional rate ends.
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