Blackmailed by Cable Television

Over the course of the last year, I’ve noticed cable TV channels disappearing from my service. When I tried to contact my cable company, I was usually put on hold by an electronic answering machine, and I generally gave up after fifteen minutes.

Today, I noticed that I had lost 6 channels at once. This time the channels involved channels I watch regularly. Concerned, I called the 800 number associated with the cable company. Once again, I was put on hold by an electronic answering service. I waited. I continued to wait. I actually waited 30 minutes (I timed it!) before a service person answered. Her English was execrable. I had to ask her to repeat her statements several times, quite slowly. I asked her why I had lost a total of 16 channels in the last year – including the six channels I had lost today – and yet my monthly service fee had not fallen (in fact, it had gone up!). Her response was that I didn’t have the box.

I asked her to be clearer in her explanation. She said (in a clearer voice than what I had heard until now), “You will not get these channels back unless you get the box.  The channels will continue to disappear until they are all gone.”  A box is something that is attached to your TV and connected to the cable access jack. It is leased to you for a monthly fee which is added to (not included in) your existing charges.

I was infuriated (although I didn’t vent; I have enough anger management and stress illnesses already), and I asked for the location and business hours of the local office. She gave them to me, then asked if there was any other assistance I needed, as the lines were all busy (!!!). I said no, politely, and hung up; then I vented. I think I frightened my dog.

I plan to make a personal trip to the local office before I contact a lawyer. I am truly outraged. The cable company in question is the only one in the area. As such, it has an absolute monopoly over its cable TV holders. The statements made above are no more – or less – than a simple act of blackmail. Do what we want, or else. I am not a wealthy person, nor am I a person who will often allow my anger to lead to a lawsuit, but I refuse to take this lying down.

I will continue to keep my blog-readers (if any) informed concerning this issue. If you are experiencing this same problem, please let me know; perhaps we can make this a class-action suit.

UPDATE:  All channels reappeared!  Apparently the cable company received so many negative phone calls from its box-free membership, that it decided to forget the whole thing.  Hooray for the pissed-off consumer!