Time Warner to begin charging monthly fees to use their modems

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http://buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121015/CITYANDREGION/121019456/1005

Time Warner Cable Internet subscribers, check your mailboxes: A modem rental fee of $3.95 a month is in your future.

“All Northeast Internet customers outside of New York City will begin to see the $3.95/month fee starting November 1st, ” Joli Plucknette-Farmen, TWC communications manager for Western New York, said in an email.

“Notifications are being mailed to all Northeast customers this week.”

Internet subscribers can avoid the monthly charge by purchasing their own modems for between $50 and $100.

Phone subscribers who do not have Internet service will not be charged the fee, according to the company.

A similar modem charge ignited a backlash among subscribers in New York City, who were told in early October they would be facing the $3.95 fee. That fee kicked in Oct. 15, prompting some consumers to label it a rate hike disguised as a rental fee.

“It is strictly a fee for customers who choose to lease their Internet modem from us,” said Plucknette-Farmen. “We have been charging similar fees [$8.49] for our set-top boxes.”

So why is TWC now charging for a service it had provided its customers for free? Adding $3.95 to the company’s standard Internet rate of $54.99 represents a 7 percent increase.

“As we continue to deploy more and more cable modems, many of these modems need servicing or replacing, get damaged and some are not returned,” said Plucknette-Farmen. “The monthly lease charge will allow us to service or replace the equipment, provide a better user experience and further enhance our Internet services.”

Subscribers who choose to buy their own modem should check a list of approved modems for their specific tier of Internet service at www.twc.com/approvedmodems, the company said.

The modem rental charge in New York City has triggered a flurry of critical reports online and in print media.

The New York Times last Tuesday profiled a subscriber in Manhattan who opted to purchase a modem. The customer, a telephone and Internet subscriber, was told by the company he would still need the old modem for his phone service in addition to the new modem he purchased for Internet use.

“Retail providers do not currently offer embedded multimedia terminal adaptors, which are necessary for home phone service,” explained Plucknette-Farmen.

TWC is not the only company to charge a modem rental fee.

Bright House Communications based in Syracuse just instituted a modem maintenance and rental fee. The cable TV company with a customer base in central Florida notified customers in mid-September that the $2 fee for modems would take effect Oct. 1.

And Comcast’s policy of charging customers $7 for modem and router rental had sparked a lawsuit that was dismissed in January by a federal judge, according to dslreports.com.

TWC may also face a modem-related lawsuit launched by the disgruntled subscriber in Manhattan, according to the Times.

TWC subscribers in Pennsylvania, Maine, and North and South Carolina are also being hit with the rental fee effective Nov. 1. TWC has about 15 million customers in the United States, said Plucknette-Farmen. The company is in the process of instituting modem rental fees nationwide.

So anyone have any recommendations on a good modem? Fuck TWC.

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They’ve been charging a monthly fee for wireless modems for years. Kind of shocked they are just now starting this with normal ones.

To make sure it works, I would buy one of their approved modems found here: http://www.timewarnercable.com/Localization/LinkLocalizer.ashx?linkid=243

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We’ve already been chargeing new cust’ $2.50 a month for them, most other companies (Comcast) charges about $7 a month for them.

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when I Moved in april I paid $50 for my modem. its mine now. They also sold me a wireless router for $20

fucks given 0

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fuckers raised internet from 45.99 to 54.99 , just got the bill Friday , im fucking pissed about it and looking for something else. But no fios yet where i am in Amsterdam .

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Wait, this is because their shit ass modems that die (just like the shit ass cable boxes), turn up missing when they are swapped out (with another shit ass box) for the customer?

So becasue my scumbag neighbor doesnt give their paperweight of a broken modem back, I HAVE TO PAY FOR THE DIFFERENCE??? Here is a simple fucking business concept, proven by car parts for 100 years, core charge the fucking thing. Dont allow them to recieve a replacement in the mail, without already paying a core charge insuring the return of the broken one. OR, bring it into the branch for a replacement, then its only TWC’S FAULT if they are missing. OR… make a tech go swap it. AGAIN ONLY THEIR FAULT IF ITS MISSING.

I would have more respect for the billionairs running the company if they just stated “We want more money, so go fuck yourself”.

I ditched my cable and phone recently, I guess the internet is next.

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When talking to TWC originally signing up they were going to give me a wireless router. I said I will buy my own if it has a monthly cost. They told me there was no monthly cost. After asking what kind and finding out is was a shit router I told them I would get my own and the price was magically less than their original quote. LOL

TIP: go to craigslist put in WRT54G. Buy said router for $25 to $30. Then www.dd-wrt.com. Download their newest firmware and have a $150 to $200 router for $25. Has all the features of Linksys’s top of the line routers and you can adjust power and output settings to make it very powerful.

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Better TIP:

We all stand up if this shit goes in effect.

Every month, just before the billing date, take a giant shop magnet to the TWC leased router and break it. Bring it back for a free exchange, and pay the bill while your there.

Do that month after month. Customer after customer. There is no way the entire referbishment process can cost them only $4 a box. Think of all the hands it exchanges broken to repaired and back on the shelf for re-depolyment.

Dont complain and do nothing. This is one way to give it right back to them.

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I am switching to Fios now that its available in my area…fuck TWC and I don’t what excuses any of there employees on here have to say. Lately the service has been horrible and I don’t even know how many times I have had to get the box replaced because all there equipment is garbage.

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or call their help desk and flood them with calls with “my modem doesnt work.” or unplug it a little bit and call it in for a tech to come out.

Anything you can do to waste their time and money.

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that would absolutely keep your costs down haha…great idea.

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HOLY SHIT guys. Go buy a damn modem and suck it the fuck up.
Do the fucking math, buy one and save money in a few months, big fucking deal. Cry about it.

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This. By trying to add to their costs… Where do you think that is going to eventually going to end up. On your bills. Buy a damn $25 router and be done with it.

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NOPE. Just bending over now, leads to bending over again later, and again and again.

If we “win” this battle, they might atleast think twice about jacking up the rate someother way.

But then just fight it again later. Doing nothing solves nothing 100% every time. Its better to try and fail, than wonder what if.

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intresting fact brought up about that here at work.

TWC bought a bunch of wireless bandwidth in our area from the FCC.

Verizon wanted it and made an agreement with TWC that they wouldnt expand their internet services into TWC’s “teritory” if they sold the bandwidth back to Verizon.

So kiss Fios good by; TWC, shitty DSL or nothing.

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http://www.twc.com/approvedmodems

They only list 2 approved units if you want to buy your own, not sure if any moden will work. The worst part is if you buy something that is not listed and it stopped working at some point down the road, they can just say it is not an “approved” unit and screw you on another layer.

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No point in arguing, but have fun wasting more in gas $$ to swap the modems out than they are charging you…

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call in a tech. then its their gas.

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They’ll notate the acct and not come back out there, honestly.
Plus if a huge corp has to replace a $20 modem once a month, it’ll be more skin off your back keep calling and having tech visit/waiting for them…

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Seriously show me where they say I am allowed only a finite amount of service calls. I highly doubt there is anything like that.

And once again, I highly doubt the customer to customer service rep ratio is 1:1. So if I called it in today, skipped tomorrow and you did the next day, X 1000000000 customers wide, you would still overload them hardcore. Service calls need to be mixed into to new service installs… one they make money with one they lose money with… look a bit deeper than just Mike Wood pissing off Amsterdam’s TWC office.