GSN Ten Years Ago

[clemon79]

You mean to tell me I could pay even less than $92 a month for my services?

Since I'm paying $97 and change and I know I get a lot more product than you do, I sincerely hope so. Of course it involves the "call them and threaten to cancel" gambit, but I suspect they will find you some sort of deal.

[aaron sica]

As long as we're being completely straight here, and this was told to me by a Comcast employee when I was signing up for service: if you are EVER on a non-promotional rate with Comcast, you're doing it wrong.

THIS. I don't believe in paying full price for anything if I don't have to. Back in '04 I had gotten Comcast for the first time, and when my year was up, the internet went right to the $42.99/mo regular price. I called and pretty much said I was going to go to DSL, and "what can you do for me"? The CSR, without a pause, said "Well I can give you $29.99/mo for a year". DONE. That was when I learned how easy that was......Also, I've had satellite radio on and off over the last 10 years. Back in 2012 I bought an external unit, which, due to vehicle issues, after a month I had to cancel. They chased after me for a LONG time with a "6 months for $25" offer. I've since gotten a new vehicle and have a free trial until June. Once that runs out I'm going to wait it out awhile (I have Google Play Music to help tide me over too, and other audio apps) and bite on the 6 for $25 offer when it comes up again.

/ObGameShow: Listened to an enjoyable interview that Tom Bergeron did with Howard Stern a few weeks ago.

[TLEberle]

Has anyone ever done that where the Comcast representative calls the bluff and cancels the service?

[aaron sica]

Has anyone ever done that where the Comcast representative calls the bluff and cancels the service?

That is exactly why I have never seriously tossed around the "C-word" too much. I would be too worried that they WOULD pull the plug...

[aaron sica]

Although I question Friggin Studs, the Top 50 best shows countdown from summer 2006 wasn't half bad either.

What I remember most about the Top 50 countdown is the endless debate on the Forum about whether GSN would actually show an episode of TPIR once the countdown got there...And for the ones who don't remember or weren't around, the answer to that question was "No".

[clemon79]

Has anyone ever done that where the Comcast representative calls the bluff and cancels the service?

At which point, you hang up. Oops, dropped the call.

The easier way to couch it is "Hey, my bill is just too big, if you don't have a promotion you can put me on, I'm probably going to have to cancel my service." Or even easier: "Hey, your competition is offering me X, what can you do for me?"

This does require a confrontation with real human beings (or whatever Comcast is employing in their stead these days), so it's not for everyone - and that is exactly what Comcast is counting on. But it's a damn sight easier to go into an Xfinity store and say "Hey, I've been keeping track, and next month my bill is going to go up $60. Obviously that's not going to stand, so what can you do for me?" when I was told very specifically by an employee of an Xfinity store, during a business transaction, to do exactly that.

[Fedya]

Fedya, I don't really agree with that comparison, and I'll tell you why:

At least with TCM, nearly all the movies they show there have been released on a home video format, and can be bought anytime, anywhere. Even some of the films that haven't been released publicly yet will be available eventually.

At which point you run into the people who complain that TCM is running movies into the ground through overplaying, or the one poster who had a bug up his ass claiming that TCM was specifically programming the schedule to try to push DVDs.

Some of the posters at the TCM boards seem to be almost as bad as some GSN viewers in thinking that the channel should just be able to get the rights to air whatever they want at any time.

[knagl]

That is exactly why I have never seriously tossed around the "C-word" too much. I would be too worried that they WOULD pull the plug...

Tell them you're looking at your options and you're "strongly considering" cancelling if they're unable to get you a better rate.

[GrandGame1440]

This reminds me of my hassles with DirecTV. I refuse to pay the going rate for their services for my package. However, they told me just today that being I have had a lot of discounts on my account this past year they have to wait six months to reapply some of them. No amount of threatening changes that either sadly.

[cmjb13]

I had a lot of problems last February when my discounts expired. I was told a new story each time I called.

It took about 6 months for credits to be available as well.

Take it from me: It doesn't hurt to call every week once your credits do expire. You never know when they may put some back on sooner.