- cross-posted to:
- mildlyinfuriating@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- mildlyinfuriating@lemmy.world
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You can attempt to opt-out, but this kind of thing should be illegal in the first place. https://www.spectrum.com/policies/your-privacy-rights-opt-out
I could opt out but i’m building a collection at this point
This is the best thing to do. Let them waste their money on printed, mailed ads, and use it to taunt them on the internet and expose how they badger and milk their
cattlecustomers.Not very environmentally friendly. I just send it all back, then they need to waste space and personnel on sorting their own junk.
I feel this is the most environmentally friendly thing to do in my experience because it was the only thing that stopped me from being spammed by Comcast, former house owners, etc. it’s amazing how quick businesses will stop sending you junk mail when you start sending it back.
chad
lol, I’ve done this, multiple times. the only thing that has changed was that my name was replaced by “Residential Consumer” for the subsequent spam.
Yup, and in my case they started sending door-to-door salespeople. They’re spending all the money to kill Google Fiber where I’m at.
Which only works if you have a product that doesn’t suck. They should spend more money building their network out so it isn’t 2002-era DSL oversubscribed 😂
Oh, is that how I triggered that?
It was like having a clingy boyfriend for a while.
This shouldn’t have made me laugh so much.
Call the number and ask for a pre paid return envelope to send a signed contract with.
Then fill the return envelope with all this crap.
Now they have paid 4 times for junk mailing you and they pay to toss out their own trash.
chaotic good, nice
“We don’t need your signature, it can be one over the phone. Let’s do it now”
The house is held in a trust so I need a physical document to sign for accounting reasons.
Spectrum still sends that much spam even if you are a customer already.
No, i dont want your tv bundle i literally havent had any desire to watch cable tv for over a decade please stop asking!
Fiber internet gang rise up! I would very much enjoy the death of spectrum
Yeah i went from a speed of 10 mbps upload to a speed of 300 mbps upload thanks to fiber
There is an actual technical reason for coax networks not being able to provide symmetrical speeds. It has to do with what frequencies (channels) are dedicated to data uplink, data downlink, and cable TV. Cable TV is still the cash cow for coax providers, and installing appropriate channel splitters network-wide to reallocate higher-bandwidth channels to data uplink would result in days or weeks of downtime for cable subscribers, not to mention the crippling amount of money in new hardware. It is a consequence of how the networks were physically built when providers thought that cable and download speeds were all anyone needed; it’s not just a software switch they can flip if they wanted to.
Spectrum still sucks, but asymmetrical Internet speeds are not one of the things they suck at on purpose.
That’s interesting. I knew coax wasn’t symmetrical but never know why.
It makes sense when you think about it, upstream is typically in the like 5-40mhz range, where downstream/tv is in the 40mhz-1ghz range. The splitting and routing is done at the analog level, similar to how a low-pass filter routes low frequencies to a subwoofer in a high-end audio setup.
You can’t just have a hardware low pass filter start filtering upstream traffic above what the equipment is designed for, and with frequencies that low there just isn’t the bandwidth for the throughput people want.
I mean, they have the money. They could build their own fiber network. They already have the permits, pole access, equipment, maintenance network, distribution network, utility boxes, etc. that they could leverage to build a truly modern network infrastructure in parallel to their outdated coaxial one if they wanted to stay relevant in this century, but they don’t. They stick with their shitty cable and its shitty uplink limitations and let much smaller third parties spend all that money to get their own permits, equipment, etc. and build their own fiber networks that can actually deliver the performance people want. Then Spectrum cries like the crybaby they are when everyone abandons their ancient infrastructure when competition arrives. Hell no I don’t want to stick around for your lame “gigabit” cable with a pathetic 20mbps uplink.
I had to yell at them on the phone to cancel when I switched to symmetric gigabit fiber last summer after over a decade of 200/20 Spectrum. They said “but wait we can offer gigabit too” and I said that what they were selling was theoretically impossible to match what I had. Garbage company selling inferior product. I’m glad they’re starting to see real competition in more and more places from smaller fiber companies.
It is a consequence of how the networks were physically built when providers thought that cable and download speeds were all anyone needed; it’s not just a software switch they can flip if they wanted to.
This is true of so much of our infrastructure in the US.
Not bandwidth speeds specifically but just aging infrastructure that was built out long ago and not properly maintained and/or updated over time
I’ve seen advertisements fiber internet is in my area (Frontier), starting price is $59, guessing the price goes up eventually?
I have gigabit fiber and am locked in with a price of $59 a month for at least 5 years.
Nice, was it easy to talk them into the 5 year or is it standard? Spectrum is $79 and getting tired of it. Any comments on the equipment costs or suggestions?
In my case it is the default and there is no need to negotiate the rate.
Oh nice 👍 are there monthly equipment charges? I do know there’s different equipment.
Nope, not for my ISP.
Thanks, you’ve helped a lot in convincing me to switch. 👍
At&t does the non-intro rate as standard for fiber. I’m not sure about other vendors, but it seems like maybe they’ve realized that most people are wise to their game at this point and have dropped the charade.
Good to know! So are there monthly equipment charges? I do know there’s different equipment for fiber.
It’s included with the total for me. I only have two items on my bill: the exact amount they quoted me for 500/500 fiber, and tax.
And I mean, it’s only been three months, so I’m not willing to get an AT&T tattoo yet or anything, but they are at least being above-board about everything so far.
Oh that’s better, I hate “modem rental fees”. Knowing there aren’t any seems to good to be true these days lol.
Oh it is $79 now, sure. But next month it will be $84. The next month after that it will be $89.
Doesn’t Spectrum offer fiber?
Only to business/enterprise customers AFAIK. It’s actually rock solid in terms of reliability in my experience with a couple dozen customers in the Midwest. Even their residential coax connections are fiber-uplinked from the nearest switch, and are reasonably reliable.
Edit: None of which is to suggest that they aren’t still a shitty company in terms of their other business practices. They once included guest hotspots with every new business installation that used their customers’ power to sell more Spectrum services to anyone within WiFi range.
My area (rural maine) spectrum only offers coax. State recently paid fidium to install fiber internet across the state. Was paying 65$ for *up to 300mbps (really 20) now a rock steady 100mbps for 25$
it’s so wild to me that america still views fiber as a new thing, it’s been standard in the nordics for like… 10 years maybe?
This is why marketing is a bullshit job.
As are modern sales.
There should be a different name for people at a store that answer questions about a product on request.
No one should be trying to convince anyone to buy anything as a job. What the hell is that? If you make a cool product/service/thing for a reasonable price, people will come to you. If you don’t, stop trying to pressure people into consuming it when they otherwise wouldn’t.
There’s different types of marketing.
One type is awareness marketing, which is exactly the type that’s the furthest from “forcing shit down your throat”.
Then later, when you’re searching for something and see their name, your monkey brain will prefer the “familiar” option.
And tbh I do have to disagree with “people will come to you”, it’s really hard to grow if people don’t know you exist.
And tbh I do have to disagree with “people will come to you”, it’s really hard to grow if people don’t know you exist.
I’m against the concept of unnecessary growth/metastasis. I prefer homeostasis/equilibrium.
Unless you’re bringing something profoundly superior to what exists to the table that will have people who hear rumors of it coming to you, there’s no need for a 76th brand of chicken sandwich.
We’re growing/metastasizing our species and a lot of other species into oblivion. It’s a shame our species is belligerently unwilling to consider a different strategy.
What about a thing that would actually change your life for some reason?
Would you prefer not knowing about it?
Of course there’s no reason for the 76th brand of chicken sandwich, but that’s also not what I’m talking about at all.
Marketing itself is fine and a healthy tool for growth, showing ads into people’s eyeholes every chance you get is not.
Marketing itself is fine and a healthy tool for growth
I reiterate, our species is growing/metastasizing itself and it’s habitat into oblivion.
This is a finite world with finite resources, and 3,000 or so assholes have already claimed most of its finite resources at gunpoint and are at this point swallowing one another’s empires whole in their desperation to keep growing/metastasizing on a conquered board.
We can’t grow/metastasize our way out of our species many crises caused by reckless growth/metastasis to begin with, any more than my country can solve its school shooting problem by handing every teacher and student a loaded glock.
If we cared about survival, if we cared about our children, we don’t btw, we’d be planning to reduce our species size and footprint for the next several generations to a scale this world can sustainability support without hundreds of millions living in squalor.
So you’re hating on the 3000 assholes who’ve already cornered the market and now you want a world where new companies possibly founded by someone no-as-assholish are doomed to stay unknown and fail?
People will keep choosing what they know, if you don’t allow new players to enter the market, these old massive conglomerates will keep on growing, keep on consuming the competition.
It’s a hyperbole, but only a small one.
New players largely can’t “enter the market” without being bought out unless they have very uncharacteristic in business leaders unwilling to sell to a conglomerate, that’s usually considered victory these days, and literally every company that grows to the point of being and agrees to be publically traded must do every sociopathic thing they can to increase profit or they will be sued.
I don’t think a new group of people playing at this sick game will be any better than the last. If they were, the market ensures they won’t be better for long by design. Growth isn’t the answer. Growth is the problem. Our species needs to shrink or it will continue to suffer until it perishes by its own hands, and that is what we will do. I don’t think there is a solution, but I do know if there is, it won’t be found in economic growth/metastasis.
That’s just saying the cure to a poison is to drink… More of the same poison.
Well in more technologically advanced sales, there are reps who understand the technology deeply and try to explain it to execs and other engineering folk who might be interested. This is a role I find pretty valuable, since some engineers don’t have good communication skills.
They aren’t even getting their target market right, sending me “move-in” offers when I haven’t moved.
I still get all that and I have Spectrum. It’s also common for the envelope to say it’s “important.” No, ads are not important.
Damn blurring out all the numbers must be more infuriating right?
Yes thank you for noticing my effort
Rip it up and mail the shreds back to them, no note or explanation. Usually that makes them stop.
But how will they know it’s from OP?
You leave the part with your name and address on it intact.
This ain’t your first rodeo, eh?
Nope. I have children and the hospitals they were born in were under the impression that I owe them money and it is on me to make sure the insurance pays them despite being in network.
Can I borrow your balls for a moment?
“Return to sender”
I actually bought a stamp that prints that specifically to return Spectrum’s trash.
Most people don’t know this but the USPS has their own official stamp for that purpose and any marked or drawn on letters they receive likely go to the trash. Try attaching a sticky note and putting it in the outgoing mail, or talking to the post office directly (although many offices go to great lengths not to give you time).
TLDR: Don’t write on the envelope or it won’t be returned.
I’ve received mail back with “not at this address” written on it.
Your postmaster/carrier likely just sucks.
That might be true, but it is also true that there IS an official stamp.
Words can’t describe the inner joy I felt making that call to cancel after I had Google Fiber installed. “No sir, there is no package or temporary deal you can offer me that’s going to change the outcome of this conversation.”
So ISP CSRs get commission? I assume they don’t, in which case they were probably super relieved. I work in a customer service call centre and I vastly prefer those outright cancellation calls to anything with strings attached because it’s less work for me, though in my case the company lets me just process the cancellation outright with minimal groveling.
wait til you realize the largest ad-tech company in the world is now your ISP tho
Somehow that still seems better than being Spectrum’s bitch
Hey, I’d just use VPN anyways. I sure as shit didn’t trust spectrum not to sell my data.
Look at the amounts of wasted paper! 😡
Free toilet paper
Got fiber and never looked back, 1gb both up and download at the same time(yes full speed on 2 different tests), no throttling, advanced email notifications for maintenance that’s past midnight. it’s so much freedom, no datacaps too !
lmaoo they remotely update router software whenever they feel like it here. that means losing internet for half an hour without any warning :)
Yes i had that same exact issue with my local coaxial cable Internet provider before switching
We don’t have any other options here :(
Lucky mate. Which service do you have and where? My apartment complex sadly has coaxial hardwired so no recourse other than xfinity :/
Small local fiber and wireless provider that worked with the large multi unit condo building I’m in
We’ve never had Spectrum and they relentlessly woo us as well. When we ignored the mailings, they started sending them in Spanish, as though they thought we simply couldn’t understand them. Like nobody could possibly resist them if they could read the advertisements, right? Waiting to see what they try next.
I’m a current customer and still get shit like the frequently, usually they want me to add cable TV and/or phone to my internet-only package. It’s really obnoxious. You’d think after me ignoring it for 8 years they would give up but nope, still at least once a month one pops up in my mailbox.
Just sleep well at night knowing that part of the reason your cable/phone/internet bills are so high is because your rates are subsidizing these morons to mail you full color glossy double sided bullshit advertising services at you that you already have.
Some of them are matte :P
Depending on the matte, it’s even more expensive
And then they can deduct it as a business expense. Yay! 😭🤣
I kind of like all the unsolicited junk mail. I use it weekly to line the bottom of all my parrot cages.
How many parrot cages do you have?
I switched to Fiber from Spectrum a few months ago. When I took the equipment back to the store, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t need to jump through any hoops at all to cancel; they just got my name, checked my ID, looked at the router serial number, had me sign a thing, and handed me a receipt. I was shocked. I had put an hour on the meter, and I only needed four minutes.
But less than a week later, I got my first “move in offer.” It’s honestly hilarious to begin with—“oh, ha ha, they honestly think their choke hold on the market is so strong that the only reason anyone would ever cancel is if they move out of the area”—but quickly got sad when I realized, actually, given the government-enforced monopoly they enjoy in my city, that’s probably true for most people.
The employee was gaming the system. If you’re canceling, they’re required to hound you. If you’re moving, it’s just a few clicks with no rebuttal from the system. The employee just didn’t want to hound you because they’re as tired of charter’s crap as you.
Unless you have some insider information, I think that might just be what they do anytime sometime comes in to the store instead of calling. There was a manager nearby, who seemed to know what she was doing the whole time.
I dunno. It seemed like a standard procedure to me.
Yeah I have insider info. The managers are the same. Most are normal humans that would rather focus on selling the service to someone that wants it. Charter is a complete mess right now. People are fed up with the terrible upper management.
Oof. That’s a rough spot to be in, terribly sorry and good luck. Thanks for being a normal human.
