sdelnay, excellent points.
On a further note, what amazes me about the industry (caveat emptor, in my experience only) is the larger companies drive down the prices more than the smaller ones. I won't mention specific companies, just generalities. This is a little off the original question, but pertains as to where I think the industry is going.
Company A has 200 customer per plant mile, owns, or has a large interest in much of the content they provide and pays less for the rest of the content because they buy in larger volumn. They get more advertisers and paid more for advertisements from both the total volumn of subs, but greater concentration per viewing area.
Company B has 40 customers per plant mile, rents content from company A, etc. etc., you get the picture.
Both companies offer similar products for similar prices. Company A uses it's muscle to drive contractor prices down out of pure greed, while company B is willing to pay a little better (not much) to get quality tech (rapidly dwindling in numbers) because they don't have ther resources to fix 3 or four days of a bad crew's hacked up installs.
The in-house tech's are getting paid junk money. The larger a company is, the more they treat their system like an assembly line. How can you reasonably expect to get "actual skilled laborers" and title them as a technician, then pay them like they shovel manure for a living?
It's time for an industry wake up call. If not, products like FIOS will make a much deeper impact much faster than anyone expects. FIOS is where I've put my money, and time lately, however, I really hope the cable industry wakes up. Competition is a good thing, for everyone. Before you can take care of your paying customer, you have to take care of your internal customers (employess and contractors). A happy, or at least not unhappy, employee is more apt to go the extra mile to take care of your paying customers. Jusy my humble opinion.
Re: Why is it so hard???
Member #: 20993
Registered: 1996-2001
Posted:
45
Name:
Russ
Occupation:
FiberGuru - splicer - Instructor
Location:
Hubbard, Oh
Personal:
Experience:
~23 years
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