Life these days intrinsically depends upon the consistent
availability of high-performance Internet, Cable TV and Digital Phone services
– within both of its professional and personal domains. A fast internet
connection, which doesn’t get bogged down by sudden service outages or variable
bandwidth speeds, is crucial for enjoying the many contemporary offerings of
the World Wide Web. It is often hard to imagine streaming a
high-definition Movie or TV Show on Netflix over a typical American internet
linkage – which is usually marketed with exorbitant sales claims (of wildly
unprecedented uploading and downloading speeds) that don’t always manage to
hold up against experiential reality. The consumer market sphere in the U.S
continues to remain flooded by an outpouring of entertainment &
connectivity services subscriptions that conform to this category of misleading
sales produce; with there being only a few reputable enterprises (like Charter Cable
Internet more for Spectrum internet
prices) who are currently striving to maintain a semblance of
quality within the burgeoning cable industry.
A
Token of our Concern (for the Unwitting Consumer)
For the benefit of all prospective cabled
services users, who desperately want to avail affordable and
reliable subscription offerings on an instant basis, we have decided to offer
some reprieve. This posting, which presents a vivid portrayal of our
sympathizing consumer-oriented intentions, is particularly meant for those
people who may be victim to the aforementioned deceptive marketing/sales
promotions – and thereby at a loss to sift the proverbial ‘wheat’ from the
cable industry’s ‘chaff’. Being unaffiliated, third-party industry analysts
with no stake in this ‘pie’, we have decided to address the 10 BIGGEST
misconceptions pertaining to Charter Spectrum’s diversified assortment of
service plans. We strongly believe that American consumers have a right to know
about the legions of shady marketing ventures out there (pointed out clearly
for what they are), as well as their more credible counterparts – so that they
know exactly where to spend their hard-earned currency.
Below are listed 10 of the Most Common Misconceptions
about Charter’s Subscription Services. We sincerely hope that you take note of
this remedial exchange.
Misconception 1: Charter
is generally expensive!
In the Cable Services Industry, we tend to hear this charge
a lot (if not from customers, then from rival sales executives). But let us
assure you that, for the most part, this claim is without merit. Like all good
high-speed internet, Cable HDTV and Digital Phone services providers, what Charter
(under its Charter
Cable Internet program more for Spectrum internet prices) aims most for
is to ensure the quality of its transmissions broadcasts (and the technological
implements used to make this feat realizable). In this respect, the company
doesn’t initially vest too much focus on trying to curtail its overhead
expenses, which eventually make their way – through a trickling process - into
the monthly bills that are charged to their customers.
A comparative analysis performed on Charter’s standalone
packages, along with the (similar) individual services provided by its market
competitors like Xfinity, HughesNet and AT&T etc., would indicate that
their subscription costs differ only slightly from one other. The disparity
(which is noticeable) arises in the case of bundled services, where Charter
does indeed tend get a bit pricy – particularly with regard to its
show-stopping Triple Play GOLD plan. The said bundled package, in exchange for
its steep price (starting at $129.97/month for Year-1), makes up spectacularly,
however, by offering an unmatched tapestry of extra services features which
definitely take one’s collective home entertainment experiences to the next
level.
Misconception 2: Charter’s
Service Coverage Area is Limited to the East Coast
Allow us to burst this bubble (made up of nonsensical
rubber, really) by stating that nothing could be further from the truth! At
present, Charter offers its Cable HDTV, Internet and Phone (Voice) services in
over 32 states across the contiguous territories of the country, spanning from
the East to the West coast, and covering many regions in the Mid-West and the
Southern States. The company, as per the avid requests of its customers, is
working hard to expand its coverage net across the entirety of the country – an
initiative which might take a few more years to be fully accomplished. In some
respects, however, it may be argued that there is a greater preponderance of
Charter-covered locations in the eastern half of the U.S. (though such a
comment can prove misleading if extrapolated further from this point).
Misconception 3: Charter’s
Complete Services are ONLY available fully in New York State
As part of its initial sales outreach, Charter first focused
on major states like California, New York, Michigan, Washington and Florida.
Today, however (and as alluded to above), the company offers its services in
most of the territories of the American mainland. There is a chance that
some extra-service amenities might not be available in certain locations, but
customers can still enjoy a restricted variety of basic service provisions even
there. On a different note (and when the case is considered in isolation), New
York State does indeed play host to the complete range of the company’s
various service packages.
Misconception 4: Charter
Cable and Internet Bundles come in Contract-bound Subscriptions
Let’s get one thing straight: ALL Charter Service Plans
(both in standalone and bundled settings) come with zero contract limitations!
The said service facility is not limited only to a particular set of
packages. Since Charter hopes to enhance the end-user experience through each
of its service offerings, it adopted a wide-ranging policy of keeping all of
its subscription packages unbound by any contract-related formalities. What
this means is that service consumers can choose to sign-up and/or discontinue
with their paid subscriptions whenever they deem it necessary to do so, and
without incurring any ‘early termination’ penalties or fines as a result.
Imposing stringent legal bounds on their customers is part of the on-going
practice of many Cable TV service providers in the country (with some very big
names included in this listing).
Misconception 5: Charter
does not offer DVR Service to its Cable TV Subscribers
There are times when we get really surprised to note that
this (practically obscene) myth still pervades through the consumer market
place, as this statement is simply not true. What is true is that
Charter indeed does provide a powerful (and user-friendly) DVR service to its
paying subscribers – but this provision differs on account of its availability
dynamics. While service users are required to pay an extra fee for availing
this facility along with their standalone or double-play Cable TV
subscriptions, no such requirement exists for the company’s triple-play plan
customers (who can enjoy the full DVR experience for free).
Misconception 6: Charter
is a Socially Irresponsible Commercial Enterprise
Like any other profit-maximizing business entity, Charter
regularly engages in strictly-legitimate marketing and sales ventures to expand
its consumer base. By referring to the company’s sales endeavors as somehow
failing to conform to ethical standards of ‘good business practice’ is simply
absurd, and is akin to posing a damaging double standard. Charter’s customized
and affordable service plan offerings are tailored to the needs of the
company’s consumers – and the services provider seeks to accommodate its
subscribers with as many free extra-service features as it can.
Misconception 7: Charter
Cable TV is a poor alternative to Netflix
In addition to offering live TV displays (in clear
high-definition) of up to 200 popular channels, Charter also provides a
preloaded ‘Movies on Demand’ service along with all of its Cable TV plans. With
this feature, subscribers can gain instant access to over 10, 000 popular movie
& TV Show titles (half of which can be streamed for free). Netflix,
although its platform is significantly different from a typical Cable TV
subscription, obviously provides more preloaded fare – but a comparison of its
services with Charter TV does not seem wholly warranted. This is because any
solid contrasting analysis requires both belligerents to be on an equal
footing with each other.
Misconception 8: Charter’s
Voice Plan offers only limited Nationwide Calling Coverage
Apart from the Charter Internet and Cable services (for
more provisions (which happen to constitute a major bulk of the company’s sales
portfolio), Charter’s Voice Plan also suffers from some negative misconceptions
of its own. The most striking of these rumors relates to the service coverage
span offered by the said plan, and gives the impression that Charter users can
only make phone calls within the territorial United States. In reality, the
Charter Voice plan offers unlimited calling services to Canada, Puerto Rico,
Mexico, Guam and the U.S Virgin Islands. For a very affordable (additional)
pricing schedule, plan subscribers can make calls to any other country in the
world - apart from the ones mentioned.
Misconception 9: Charter
Internet Plans are not good for Online Gaming
Spectrum Triple Play, which is the basic internet plan on offer from the company,
provides starting bandwidth speeds of 60 Mbps (which may even go beyond a
whopping 100 Mbps when required). With such blazing data-transfer rates, it
becomes easy to conduct almost every kind of online activity – including
internet gaming.
Misconception 10: Charter
prevents its Subscribers from Acquiring Services from other Providers
Again, this charge is completely false. In the United
States, no cable services provider has a legal monopoly on its customers’
buying preferences or monetary allocations. Even the notion of such a practice
occurring within the confines of a democratic set up seems farcical! Charter
subscribers have always enjoyed the liberty of choosing exactly where they
would like to divert their money – even if it is in the coffers of
another company.
Please note that this listing is by no means an exhaustive
inventory of all the common kinds of misconceptions about Charter carried
around by people (and disseminated ad infinitum by the company's market
detractors). It is a guide intended to expose and redress a consumer trend
which is begetting nothing other than more confusion, and ever-heightening
degrees of misinformation.
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon