Friday, July 23, 2021

Free at last, free at last—Thank God Almighty, free… at Flex?!

I wish it was raining right now.  If it was, I’d go outside and stand under the downpour, arms outstretched like Tim Robbins in The Shawshank Redemption.  It was raining this past Saturday when I went online and canceled my Comcast Xfinity “Triple Play” bundle.

(But I did sign back up for Xfinity’s internet only service.)

I was honestly taken aback when they called me minutes later, feigning hurt & surprise.  I reminded them I called 5 nights ago to do this but agreed to think about it for a few days. 

What more was there to think about?  I was tired of paying $30.00 a month for a phone I didn’t use and $140 a month for 125+ tv channels I didn’t watch! 

A sullen Andrea informed me I had 10 days to return all remotes, wires & equipment.  “Just drop it all off at the nearest Xfinity or UPS Store.”  I asked if Comcast could come and pick it up, and she said “Mr. Morris if we sent our technicians out to every customer who wanted to return their equipment, it would be ALL we did.”  They must be getting a lot of cord-cutters then!

I said “Well, I don’t have an Xfinity or UPS store near me.  They’re miles away and I no longer have a car.”   She asked why not, I said I was too visually impaired to drive safely.  She said “’’We’ll send you a prepaid box, pack it all up and contact UPS to come pick it up.”

I said I was sorry for putting them out, she said “Oh you’re not—9 out of 10 people return their equipment this way.”   Then why—nevermind!

I got the shipping box Tuesday night, and it was ENORMOUSLY SATISFYING dismantling the Xfinity equipment underneath and behind my tv, sorting out the wires & cables and cord splitters and surge protector, what a real mess it was!  It looks so clean back there now, with TWO wires total—one to plug in my tv, and the other to plug in my antenna.

Wednesday morning I got up, called UPS to schedule a pick-up and was told it’d be $8.80 to come to my residence.  When I said I had a prepaid label, I was told this was a “residential pickup” fee.  I asked if I could drop it off somewhere instead, they said yes at a UPS Access Point.  The nearest dropoff was 1.1 miles from me.  Fine, I’d walk!

Now this is the God’s honest truth.  I went downstairs hefting that box and muttering to myself “Doug you cheap son of a—“   when a Port Authority bus pulled up RIGHT ALONGSIDE ME.  The driver opened his door and said “Sir can I give you a lift?”   Wow!

Then it occurred to me that ridership has taken a nosedive because of the pandemic.  I looked at the bus number above the windshield and said “Thanks anyway but you’re a 13 Bellevue, you turn up Balph in 2 blocks and I’m heading a mile straight to CVS.”  He said “Yes sir, I am now headed in that direction.  The 13 route was changed in December sir.”

This young man was so polite—what makes this even more strange, it’s been weeks since I’ve worn or carried a mask with me.  Yet that morning I felt the need to put one in my pocket.  So when he gestured I needed one to ride the bus, it wasn’t a problem.

Five minutes later I was there and dropped my box off.  I was so relieved to be free of that stuff, I almost skipped home.  When I walked in the door, my neighbor Opal was in the lobby and said “Just in time!”  and handed me a box—from Xfinity!   WHAT THE—!!

I called them and asked “What did you just send me?  I have no interest in even opening this.”   The woman on the other end said “Mr. Morris it’s ABSOLUTELY FREE I promise!  It’s an Xfinity Flex, we send them to all our internet-only customers!” 

She went on to explain it was like a Roku, it was a bookshelf device that contained apps to access Amazon Video, Netflix, HBO MAX, Pluto TV, Youtube, etc on my tv.  I said I didn’t need one, I have a smart tv with those apps already.  She said “But you WILL need it to access Peacock Plus—that’s a premium service you can only access for free thru the X1 or Flex!”

She told me that to set it up, I only had to plug it into everything like I’d signed up for cable again.  I said no thanks, but I WOULD like another one of those prepaid labels!

35 comments:

  1. Doug, you made the right decision. I cut my Xfinity cable tv last year after many years of Xfinity telling me that I needed to carry at least the basic cable tv in order to get the internet rate I was getting. Turns out not to be true any longer. I called them again last year to let them know that I didn't even use the basic cable tv as I got more channels with just the antenna I used than with the basic cable tv. They then gave me a discount on the internet good for one year and I returned all the tv equipment. I watch more Amazon Prime, MasterPiece Theatre, and Netflix than I do TV. The antenna I use for local TV gives me quite a few channels as well. Oh, Xfinity... you need to cut your outrageous prices!

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  2. Thanks for sharing Sue, this was great to read--and good for you as well! I'm now a proud member of your cord cutters club :^)

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  3. The highlights of this post are that you are almost Xfinity free, cept for Internet, and that the cool bus driver made the extra effort to be kind to a stranger. That made me smile. Breathe deeply and relax Doug. You hung in there and ya done good.

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    1. Haha thanks Patti--and yes that great bus driver was sort of the cherry on this goodbye-cable sundae!

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  4. Oh how I enjoyed this post. Congratulations Doug, you are indeed free! I think I've mentioned how much I dislike Comcast due to problems they caused us back when we had cable. When we cut cable I felt exactly like your descriptions here! I sometimes read Cord Cutter's News. https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/ You might enjoy it, although it sounds like you now have a really nice set up. I'm happy for you!

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    1. Bonnie, I honestly thought of you a LOT during all this as I know you went thru similar things--and guess what, I HAVE been reading Cord Cutters News, I KNEW you probably read that, haha! Thanks Bonnie :)

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  5. Hi Doug, goodness, Xfinity will not give up!! When we disconnected our cable we received letters every few months for years asking us to come back. We still do have our landline and internet with the same company.
    What a wonderful bus driver! When my Mum years ago worked the 3-11 night shift and had to take the bus home the driver would wait at the bus stop while she walked the block home then flashed our porch light . He said he wouldn’t leave until he knew she was safe. There are so many good people in this world.😌
    Take care!
    Robin

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    1. Thanks Robin and yes I am waiting for those Xfinity mails though maybe they won't be so bad as so many people seem to be turning to streaming now. That memory about your mom & the bus put a lump in my throat, I love reading stuff like that. A little kindness sure makes all the difference. :)

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  6. Good for you! I always enjoy it when I get to call up the cable company and tell them I'm through. Unfortunately due to a lack of options, I eventually come full circle and have had to join them years later down the road. If I get the time though, I hope to do what you did and just cut the cord completely.

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    1. Thank you Ed, and I hope you do too--I went thru this before, in 2015 when I moved and was forced to sign a 2 year contract when I had to come back. Please let us know if & when you're able to cut that cord too. Y'know, even if I DO wind up missing cable channels--Youtube TV is 85 channels and a dvr for only half the price of cable. Xfinity better wise up.

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  7. What a saga your TV has been.
    As I don’t watch much anymore, I still just use the (inside) antenna. Really, I only watch (Australian) ABC (akin to the BBC), and not much of that. Okay, I’ll admit to peaking at the footy now and then over on channel 7.

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    1. Hahaha, it has been a saga hasn't it? Well peter, until very recently I didn't know I could watch TV with an indoor antenna. So, peeking at the footy? I'm guessing that's Australian football? I'm off to Google!

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    2. Yep, that’s Australian football. Go Bulldogs.

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  8. Those Xfinity people are a bit cheeky, sending you new stuff just as you sent back the old stuff.

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    1. River you're exactly right--and cheeky is the perfect term :^)

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  9. Congrats on your decision to cut the cable, Doug. Havn't had cable myself since moving from my high rise apartment about twenty years ago. Steaming is definitely a growing trend. Your adventure was a fun read. I could well imagine your look of astonishment when you returned to find a surprise parcel from Xfinity.

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    1. Thank you Florence, I'm sure it was a blah read but I was just so glad to finally get out of that noose! Wow you haven't had it 20 years--good for you! And yes I'm sure Xfinity sees streaming as the future more than anyone :^)

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  10. My goodness! I cannot believe your luck with the transportation and free, too. Wow, you are a lucky man. But I would also return stuff I did not order and want. So, good for you.

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    1. Gigi I carry a bus pass in my wallet, but I had no idea a bus went to that UPS dropoff location until this bus pulled right up next to me! But youre right, I AM a lucky man! :^)

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  11. Dear ApacheDug and Friends, tv died back in 08, neither my husband nor i cared to replace it. Strange thing, it was as if God Almighty was making plans... anyway, since then, (13 years, wow, time flies) haven't missed it for two minutes.
    What i did notice, a year or so before it died was, a rather sudden change in program sound effects; whenever someone was punching someone else, the sound was unnaturally heightened. Also, with atleast one program - and probably others - toward the end (when the butler's motive was explained) the background music was turned up to the foreground, and you couldn't hear parts of the dialog. Why's that? Because the media reprobates absolutely detest mr and mrs joe sixpack, for no other reason than simply existing. Oh well, reprobates do what they do.

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    1. Sue I'm not sure what to say to this, but I DO know the volume goes up when commercials come on--they even admit that.

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    2. Dear ApacheDug, Law and Order was the program, where they kicked up the background music. Very annoying - Bingo! Maybe the reason was to get you to watch the re-runs/the 24-hour L&O marathon.

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  12. They are relentless! They make it as difficult as possible to disconnect. Good for you for sticking to your guns and being firm. You'll have to let us know how it goes. You are an inspiration!

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    1. "Relentless"--why didn't I think of that! Anyway, you're 100% right Margaret, they make it difficult alright--I'm just glad it's over. The sad thing is, I LIKED having cable and a DVR... but they made it too expensive and we now have more options. :^) Thanks for the kind comment, M!

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  13. I am still using cable because I also need high speed internet, and they arranged it so that if I get rid of one I still pay almost the same. I stream most of my favorite shows but look forward to one day also cutting the cord from Comcast. Congratulations to you for your leap forward. I loved your description of your adventure, and I especially loved hearing about the bus driver! :-)

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    1. Thank you very much DJan, and I appreciate you sharing that as something very similar happened with me (my price almost remaining the same). I said I'd go with Verizon Fios then as my building is wired for that, thanks anyway. (I wasn't bluffing, but I was tired of these games.) They told me my price would be 64.00 total if I stayed and I said okay. But they all seem a bit dishonest, don't they?

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  14. I know it’s not Trek, but to quote an Admiral, “It’s a TRAP!”

    I cut the cord back in 2017 and haven’t looked back!

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    1. Good for you Commander Jase and OMIGOSH, haven't seen you in a couple light-years! Good to hear from you, hope all is good! :^)

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  15. You must really get Peacock TV. I just watched Dr. Death (it is a true story) and it was an eye opener. The guy was a butcher when it came to spinal cord surgery and killed two people and crippled 36. I have arthritis of the spine and I have decided to live with the condition.

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    1. Thanks David, I actually started to watch the first episode, I appreciate the recommendation. (I currently have free Peacock so I can watch the first couple episodes, to watch more I'll have to set up the Flex device.) I know you deal with arthritis, I'm very sorry for your condition but glad you don't let it stop you.

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  16. I’m so amazed at how you’re able to figure everything out. My eyes get crossed trying to figure technology out. Hawaiiantel is probably going to be raising their rates soon which is aggravating. However, I don’t think Comcast is any better.

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    1. Thanks Kay, now I'm curious about your Hawaiiantel and going to look it up; and you sure are right about Comcast!

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    2. Oops! 😬 I goofed. It’s not Comcast that we have here along with Hawaiiantel. It’s Spectrum.

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  17. Yay for the bus driver and yay for you, Doug. How awesome to be free of those monthly fees!

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    1. Thanks Kay! BTW, I just read your Spectrum correction--I'm betting in Hawaii you have to have cable?

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