Time Warner change irks customers
Premium channels now available only with converter box
By fanny s. chirinos Caller-Times
April 11, 2006
HBO's Tony Soprano might be able to fuhgeddaboudit, but Time Warner Cable customer Ray Saenz can't.
Time Warner has converted its premium channels from analog to digital, leaving Saenz and other non-digital subscribers without channels such as HBO. Previously on channel 4, HBO now is found on channel 550. Similarly, Showtime, formerly on channel 17, now is channel 564, and Cinemax, formerly channel 21, is 575.
The change became effective on March 31, ahead of the fourth episode of "The Sopranos" and "Big Love," a series on polygamy.
Time Warner made the change to enhance services and eliminate cable theft, said Paula Smith, spokeswomen for the cable company.
To comment
Time Warner Cable: 698-6200 or
www.timewarnercable.com/corpuschristi
Federal Communications Commission: 888-225-5322 or
www.fcc.org
Public Utility Commission of Texas: (512) 936-7000 or
www.puc.state.tx.us
Source: Paula Smith, Terry Hadley,
www.fcc.org
"The reality is we postponed this move as long as we could," Smith said, "but the number of homes that have unauthorized services made it unavoidable. It has been a gradual change. We sent out fliers to all our customers informing them of the change."
Saenz, an adjunct professor at Del Mar College and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, says he won't be fooled.
"They're almost the only show in town and they still expect me to pay for the security issues and upgrades, which I didn't even ask for," Saenz said. "It's one thing when the customer demands a change, but I shouldn't be penalized for their problems. They recoup the cost of the upgrades and make money by selling the channels. It's a win-win situation for them while the customer gets ripped off."
Saenz said he noticed his HBO and Showtime channels were snowy on April 3, but didn't inquire until Friday.
"I asked what I was paying for and they told me I was paying for both premium channels, but I'd need an $8-a-month converter box and I just stopped that conversation," he said. "That's part of the strategy - sales. Most people give in because it takes forever to get them on the line and it's easier to give in than to argue. I was happy with what I was getting and never asked to change. I just want what I'm paying for and don't want to pay more to get it."
Smith said most of the calls fielded by the company have been from people who were not paying for the premium channels. A letter notifying customers about the change went out on March 1 and was specific to customers paying for the channels, she said. Changes in service were staggered throughout the area beginning March 31, she said.
Smith said the company has received a number of calls but she didn't know how many. Grande Communications, which like Time Warner provides cable television, phone and high-speed Internet, referred questions to an official who couldn't be reached Monday. Grande's service does not reach all parts of Corpus Christi.
The Public Utility Commission of Texas has fielded a handful of complaints from throughout the state in the past few weeks but is not investigating or enforcing any regulations by the Federal Communication Commission, the agency that oversees cable companies.
"It's not entire clear what authority the Public Utility Commission has," said spokesman Terry Hadley. "Complaints are being logged and referred to the cable provider."
The FCC says it does not have the authority to accept or resolve complaints about cable rates. That is handled by the local franchising authority, which is the local city, county or other governmental organization authorized by the state to regulate cable television service.
The City of Corpus Christi has an e-Government division, but attempts to reach officials there Monday were unsuccessful.
The rates for any tier of service, other than the basic-services tier, and for any pay-per-channel programming and pay-per-program services are unregulated. Cable providers can charge any rate for these services, according to the FCC.
However, a cable company may not require customers to purchase any additional service tier other than the basic-services tier to have access to pay-per-view events or premium channels offered on an a-la-carte or individual basis. They also are not required to offer programs a-la-carte.
Contact Fanny S. Chirinos at 886-3759 or HYPERLINK mailto:
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