Lately, the blogosphere has been blowing up with user horror stories with big cable companies like Comcast. But what if someone eliminated this pain? What if you paid, say $5-$10 extra per month on top of your bill to a 3rd party company, but it meant that, for any cable related matter at all, you would call up a super friendly, super helpful team member, and then they would go deal with all the cable company BS for you? A "cable company middle man", so to speak.
Ask HN: Would you pay $5 / month to Never deal with your cable company again?
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Re: Ask HN: Would you pay $5 / month to Never deal with your cable company again?
#2Not right out of the gate since I'd have a hard time trusting the 3rd party. If the reputation of the company was good enough, I'd consider it, but not sure I'd get the value out of it since I call Comcast 1-2 a year.
Re: Ask HN: Would you pay $5 / month to Never deal with your cable company again?
#3No.
Re: Ask HN: Would you pay $5 / month to Never deal with your cable company again?
#4I wouldn't want to give my details to the 3rd party. The cable company is likely to just advise that the contract signer has to call in. I know in the past I tried to deal with the elec. company on behalf of my girlfriend. Even though I lived with her and could verify any info, including ss number they wouldn't speak to me on the issue.
Re: Ask HN: Would you pay $5 / month to Never deal with your cable company again?
#5No. They aren't empowered to do anything on their own so they can't help me more than comcast can except take more of my money (which comcast is already empowered to do).
Re: Ask HN: Would you pay $5 / month to Never deal with your cable company again?
#6Nope, I would sooner get rid of the cable company (which I have done).
Re: Ask HN: Would you pay $5 / month to Never deal with your cable company again?
#7No.
Re: Ask HN: Would you pay $5 / month to Never deal with your cable company again?
#8Don't have a cable company. So its free for me!
Re: Ask HN: Would you pay $5 / month to Never deal with your cable company again?
#9I wouldn't want to give my details to the 3rd party. The cable company is likely to just advise that the contract signer has to call in. I know in the past I tried to deal with the elec. company on behalf of my girlfriend. Even though I lived with her and could verify any info, including ss number they wouldn't speak to me on the issue.
For cable/internet in my limited experience with Time Warner and Comcast (US), there is a "passphrase" to be used if account details are to be changed. This was the case for certain two years ago, but maybe things have changed now.
Also, the electric companies and cable companies are in fairly separate domains so I'm not sure your analogy is apt.
Re: Ask HN: Would you pay $5 / month to Never deal with your cable company again?
#10I wouldn't but I'm also not sure this highly technical audience is the best to ask. Most people here would find it pretty easy to lean on their technical chops to get their issue up the support chain.
In the past when I have called I have been able to quickly skip a bunch of steps like have you rebooted your router and get straight to the more technical support. My family members on the other hand would not be able to do this