This impasse between CBS and Time Warner Cable is bordering on the ridiculous. It’s been three weeks since Time Warner Cable and CBS had a falling-out over cable rates. This means I can’t watch CBS shows on the OnDemand section of Time Warner Cable’s service, and I can’t watch reruns of CBS shows on CBS.com because CBS.com knows I’m a Time Warner Cable subscriber.
Blecch.
I blogged about this phenomenon a few weeks ago, and these two billion-dollar behemoths are still battling it out like Godzilla versus Mothra in the middle of downtown Tokyo. And as I’ve said before, I know that the two companies will bury the hatchet in a few weeks, just as Week 1 of the NFL starts. CBS and Time Warner Cable will make nice, Time Warner will raise our cable bills, lather, rinse, repeat.
But here’s something that you might not know. CBS isn’t the only channel affected by this impasse. If you watch Showtime – well, you CAN’T watch Showtime. It’s blocked, too. But Time Warner has offered free views of other movie channels like Starz and Encore as compensation.
That’s not why I’m writing this blog post today.
There’s a channel that Time Warner Cable took off the air as part of the impasse. It’s the Smithsonian Channel, as well as Smithsonian OnDemand. The Smithsonian Channel offers excellent commercial-free documentaries, and it’s part of my Time Warner Digital HD tier package.
For an extra few dollars a month, I can watch the Smithsonian Channel, as well as RFD-TV (the Rural Farm Television network), Universal HD, and the MAV-TV channel (can’t get enough of those monster truck pulls, yee haw).
To be honest, I only ordered the Digital HD tier package for the Smithsonian Channel. So I’m paying extra just for that channel. Yeah, and for the others, which I’ve probably watched maybe once or twice if there’s a Hee Haw episode on RFD.
Yesterday I received my updated Time Warner cable bill. I’m still paying for the Digital HD tier package. But I’m not getting the Smithsonian Channel, because of the CBS/TWC blackout.
Let me make this clear. I’m paying for a channel that Time Warner Cable won’t let me watch.
Yeah, that’s NOT going to fly.
One quick phone call to Time Warner Cable, and I spoke with a customer service representative named Phil. Phil reviewed my bill, then gave me the Time Warner Cable party line about how it’s not TWC’s fault, that CBS has jacked up their rates and Time Warner Cable is trying to protect its customer base from having their bills increased. “We’re looking out for your best interests, Mr. Miller. We don’t want to increase your bill if we don’t have to.”
Um…
“So here’s the deal, Phil,” I replied. “I’m paying for a channel that I can’t watch. I’m paying as part of a digital tier package, so I’m paying extra to see this network. I’m paying for this network and it’s blocked on my Time Warner Cable service. I’m paying for something and you’re not giving it to me.”
Someone once told me that if I wanted TWC to lower my rates, I should threaten to cut the cable and go to Verizon FIOS service.
“Sorry, Mr. Miller. We know for a fact that Verizon FIOS service isn’t available in your area. Besides, we get a lot of idle threats about jumping to Verizon FIOS. Nice try.”
“Well, maybe I’ll just go with rabbit ears and cut the cable.”
“I don’t think so, Mr. Miller. You need us for your internet service. And we know you can’t watch Amish Mafia over an antenna. Yes, we read your blog. Want to try again?”
Wow. I’m dealing with the Sicilian Defense and all I have is the dreaded Maroczy Bind. Okay, Chuck… time for the gambit.
“Then do this if you can. You’ve withheld the Smithsonian Channel from me for the past three weeks. Any time in the past that I have not been able to watch Time Warner Cable programs, whether it’s been through a service outage or a storm or the explosion of a transformer or whatnot, you’ve given me a credit on my bill. So if you can’t give me back my Smithsonian Channel, I hereby demand a credit for not being able to watch it through your service. For every day that I can’t get my fix of history and nature and documentary programs on that channel, I demand credit – I paid into the service, I want my money back.”
Check.
Silence on the other end. Then Phil spoke.
“Okay, Mr. Miller, I’ve credited you for the loss of the Smithsonian Channel. You have received a $4.50 credit on your bill.”
Ha. Checkmate. And don’t give me grief – $4.50 is $4.50.
But I had to confirm something afterward. “So as long as the outage is still in effect, I’ll receive credit for losing the Smithsonian Channel?”
“Yes, Mr. Miller.”
“And this is automatic?”
“No, sorry, you have to call in every time on your bill so that we can add the credit to your account.”
Hmm… sounds like less of a checkmate and more of a stalemate.
Oh well… at least I made a dent in things. And I’ll take that when I can get it.
So just remember, my fellow blog readers… don’t let Time Warner Cable bully you around. Don’t let them charge you for services that they can’t – or won’t – provide you.
And that’s one to grow on.
Chuck The Writer 
The way Time Warner operates, expect that $4.50 “credit” to turn into a $10 charge on your next bill.
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Too bad that FiOS is not available for you…I suggest you check with Verizon. I had TWC and from one month to the next they jacked up the bill by 50$ for the exact same and not so stellar service. On Demand never worked right, the HD channels had blocks and dropouts, and the analog signal was snowy as hell. TWC came over a few times and each time they blamed the cabling in my house. They offered to pull new cables, but only by drilling out from the basement, stringing black cable over white siding, and drilling another hole to get back into the house. Using the defunct chimney that connects all the rooms with the basement? No, TWC doesn’t do that, they insist on turning your house into a Swiss cheese. I gave them the benefit of the doubt although I knew something was still off. Plugging a TV into the line directly coming from the pole to the basement also showed snowy analog signal. And noise on the line is noise on the line, even for digital.
So, they jacked up the price for crap service and that was the straw that broke the cable’s back. Verizon not only gave me some good deals for signing up, they gave me the 300$ prepaid card (way before TWC copied that idea), faster Internet, more channels, stellar picture quality, On Demand that always works everywhere in the house (so much for the cables being bad!) – and it all costs way less than what TWC offered. I would have stuck with TWC out of convenience if they just asked for five or ten bucks more per month, but 50 is way too greedy.
I do miss watching TV via browser as well as the analog signal (the old TV sets worked fine without a box), but that is a little price to pay for getting real service. It makes TWC look like a bunch of clueless monkeys with greedy management who never heard about customer retention. Days after I canceled some sales guy called me up and asked if I’d reconsider. I asked him to match the FiOS price and give me the 300$, for that I’d have even signed up for another two years, but he said he couldn’t do that. He got an earful, mainly about that he should have called before jacking up the price for absolutely no reason.
TWC is dead to me, they failed as company on so many levels from field tech over support to sales. A company of that size that is so inept across the board does not deserve my money.
Hopefully FiOS gets to your place soon, otherwise look into DSL, rabbit ears, and online TV. Smithsonian Channel offers full episodes on their web site and they have a YouTube channel. New stuff may take a few days before it comes available and old stuff may not be there forever, but it is one option.
And then there is satellite, but since they do not allow one to buy decent equipment and instead rent dishes made from empty soup cans with dinky LNBs stapled together from electronic toys I don’t consider that an option. Too bad the US is not like Europe where thanks to Astra and Eutelsat you get satellite TV for free.
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I called up TWC to cancel my service as soon as the FIOS guy finished the install at my house and the TWC rep still insisted that FIOS wasn’t available in my area and that I would not have TV or internet if I cancelled my service. I tried explaining to the TWC rep that FIOS had already been installed and I was watching TV and using the internet.
Check with Verizon to find out if it is or isn’t available in your area and if it isn’t, when they expect it to be. You’ll never get the truth from TWC.
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Smithsonian channel was just added to apple tv today, watch any show anytime and its free after the purchase of the apple tv box one time as cheap as$90.
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Shortbus – you know what? I have an Apple TV box already. Thanks!
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TWC is on borrowed time.
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So far there are many little things that I love about living in the North Country, from Canadian classic rock stations to Stewart’s.
However, TWC stinks. Really nothing nice to say about the “service.”
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Chom 97.7 the spirit of rock got me though the 90’s- good call Chris
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