So, here’s my rant. I was perfectly happy with RCN for five years, so when I received a promotion for a wonderful package that had a 2 year contract attached I saw no problems. I even convinced a friend of mine to leave Comcast and sign a contract with RCN. I thought I would be a content customer for more years to come. This is how I’ve been thanked.

BANG! Not two months after I enter into this contract do they “stop offering” their “free service” of cable without a cable converter box according to their floor manager Amber. But why didn’t they tell me at the time I entered into this contract that I would need these boxes which would be an additional monthly rental charge? Were they afraid I might not sign on the dotted line and pledge my undying loyalty to their company? Well, they would have been right. Maybe I would have shopped around a little more, kept my account open to cancelation at any time, or (God forbid) changed over to their competetors Comcast or Verizon.

Oh, and RCN doesn’t accept any kind of coupons or aid that the government is giving out to try to keep people from raising a stink over the analog to digital change. You can’t buy a box for a one time fee, and the only place you can get said box to convert RCN’s “special” signal is from their very own company, for an additional fee of course. I received another slap in the face when I was told that customers who used to receive cheap analog service get a free box now. After 5 years of my loyalty, and the additional two years I just got snowballed into this is how they repay me and their other customers (with additional charges).

The floor manager and tech support operator assured me there was nothing they could do. I cannot believe these customer service reps are unable to offer me a way to keep my bill at the same rate that I agreed to a signed off on in August. I have the premium package, the one with all the bells and whistles; however, now for the next 24 months I have to pay to rent additional converter boxes plus tax.

I assured the floor manager that it was not the additional charge that annoyed me and prompted me to call, but the principle behind entering into a contract under false assumptions. Again, she told me they were allowed to cancel “free” services at any time. She told me they were not altering my contract, but that I would definitely have to pay additionally for these boxes on top of my contract. I am fit to be tied. I’d like to know if there’s anyone out there who is receiving more than one digital box in their package. I know my best friend and aunt are, but mysteriously that promo ended on September 30th. How flipping convenient for RCN.

I URGE ANYONE OUT THERE THAT STILL HAS THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE TO STAY AS FAR AWAY FROM RCN AS POSSIBLE– THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THEIR PROFIT MARGIN!

Me? I’m looking forward to the day I can move out of my townhouse and get a real house, and subscribe again to DirecTV. Back in the day, when I lived in a house, I did have a DirecTV satellite dish, and I never had any problems with them. (Okay, once there was the time the dish came off the stump to which I had it bolted. That’s a different story.) Don’t know that DirecTV is still better than RCN or Comcast–and I’d still have to work out a broadband Internet solution–but I’m at least looking forward to giving them a try.

-TimK

Bill Wood

[Click here to read about Bill’s travail and his letter to the Attorney General. -TimK]