We recently wrote an article talking about the merger of cable and internet companies Time Warner and Spectrum. In that article, we spoke about an instance where one of our staffers saved over $60 a month on their bill, by simply calling Time Warner. You can read that article here for more information…but this article is how you can save an extra $5 a month by getting rid of a service you are more than likely being charged for and don’t need.
Here is the low down as told by one of our staffers :
I recently switched over to a Spectrum rate plan for my cable and internet services. I had Time Warner cable and new that Spectrum purchased Time Warner, but I did not know that your rate plan was not automatically switched over to (in most cases) a cheaper, better rate plan. When I switched plans, I did have a savings of over $60 per month and gained a faster internet connection in the process.
When I switched plans, I was told to go into my local Time Warner office and pick up a new modem. What I didn’t know, is that on my bill, I was going to acquire a $5 monthly ‘Wireless’ charge for that new modem.
So here is the deal with the $5 charge and how most don’t need this service and should call and have it removed.
When I got home with my new modem, I plugged it in and hooked it up to my existing wireless router. I quickly noticed that my internet connection was horrible. All the electronics in my home wouldn’t connect to WiFi and if they did, they would drop the connection.
Well, after a bit of research, I realized that the new Spectrum modems (which are the size of a tiny boat anchor) have wireless capabilities built right into the modem. Although this feature is built right into the modem, Spectrum charges a $5 wireless fee on customers bills and they control the shut off option on their end.
So, when I got my modem from the Time Warner location, no one advised me that the modem was going to be shooting a wireless signal once I plugged it in. On top of that, I was not advised about any $5 charge on my bill.
Most everyone in America has some sort of wireless router in their home. When you plug in these new modems to your router and the wireless capability is turned on…there becomes a signal conflict between the wireless signal on your modem and your wireless router. This is what was causing my issue with WiFi at my home.
I went back into Time Warner to speak with them about this situation and there was actually a couple in front of me talking about how they switched to a Spectrum plan and were supposed to have faster internet, but it wasn’t working well. Well guess what? They were having the same issue I was having. I spoke up and let them know about the ridiculous $5 ‘wireless’ fee and how they need to shut off the wireless feature on the modem and simply continue using their router. The service man agreed and removed the feature for the couple.
If you have a wireless router all ready in your home, you DO NOT need to be paying a $5 wireless fee to Spectrum/Time Warner. Call them and remove that feature. Your internet connection will be faster and stronger the moment the feature is turned off.
You only need the $5 wireless feature if you do not have a wireless router and are using the modem to shoot out a wireless signal to your home or office.
Another slick move by the cable companies to dig a little deeper in your pocket!
