# Rogers Cable TV Packages



## Happyvdubber

Hi,

I am thinking about downgrading my Rogers Cable TV service to save some coin. 

Currently, I subscribe to the Digital VIP package (57.49) and have noticed my viewing habits tend to focus around the major Canadian and American networks. There are a few exceptions, notably TSN and that's where the problem lies.

At first, I thought I could subscribe to Basic Cable (29.99) and add the HD Specialty pack (8.95), which includes TSNHD as well as HD time shifting on the American networks, and save myself about $19/month; but the small print on Rogers website indicates that the HD Specialty pack is only available to VIP customers. When I googled to find out why, it appears that you 'need' the SD equivalent channels to obtain the HD feed (which is BS BTW).

So the question is, TSN really worth near $30/month? Ouch.

Has anyone found a way around this?

The Rogers website does not provide a side-by-side comparison of their cable packages. I would love to see a list of the additional channels you receive as you progress through each of the cable packages. Has anyone done on their own?


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## high octane

The only channel I want is TSNHD since I can download anything else free in HD

I found the same thing as you when I googled.

Clever marketing I'd say


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## Dana

I would try phoning them and telling them that you are prepared to defect to Bell/whatever cable competitor is in your area. When I did this in October, they offered me 1/2 off the VIP package for 1 year and gave us an additional HDPVR for free. Good Luck!


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## Happyvdubber

I'll be hitting the retention department in April when the "free" period expires on my HDPVR. I'd also like to see credits on my home phone and internet packages although that may be a stretch.

Does anyone know if I change my cable package to 'basic', am I still eligiable for the "better bundle discounts"?

$330 a year for TSN is a tough pill to swallow.


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## FrugalTrader

I'm on basic cable + hd pvr (free) and I get the better bundles discount.


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## canabiz

Happy, I am also on Basic Cable (Ontario) and I have regular TSN and occasionally got TSNHD for free (during certain promo period). I also have SportsNet (both regular and HD) and theScore (HD), which is more than enough for a sports fan like me.

I echo some of the previous posts and suggest you calling the retention department. If they do not want to keep you then I suggest you looking into Free-to-air or even getting content from the 'Net to save some coins.


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## Jungle

When you go basic cable, they include the digital access fee. $6.95? (gouge)
When you go VIP, they give you a credit for the digial access fee. 

I go through retentions every year, to obtain the best discounts. They won't ususally call your bluff; they'll offer a discount on your services. Just quote Bell's current promotions. Half the time they don't even check.


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## Happyvdubber

canabiz said:


> Happy, I am also on Basic Cable (Ontario) and I have regular TSN


How did you do this?


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## canabiz

Happyvdubber said:


> How did you do this?


It could have been a *grand-fathered* plan Happy. We've been in our current house for 3 years and I signed up for Rogers from the get-go, having been a pretty content customer prior to that. 

I have thought about cancelling cable altogether before because I don't watch a lot of TV, oustide of sports but this plan is pretty sweet and I don't want to lose it. Combined with 3 other services (Internet, home phone and some magazines) and I am paying just a tad under $100 a month, all in.


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## Happyvdubber

canabiz said:


> It could have been a *grand-fathered* plan Happy. We've been in our current house for 3 years and I signed up for Rogers from the get-go, having been a pretty content customer prior to that.
> 
> I have thought about cancelling cable altogether before because I don't watch a lot of TV, oustide of sports but this plan is pretty sweet and I don't want to lose it. Combined with 3 other services (Internet, home phone and some magazines) and I am paying just a tad under $100 a month, all in.


That's fantastic.

I'm pushing $150 for Digital VIP (free rental of the HDPVR), Home Phone w/ 2 calling features and Lite (3Mbs) internet service.


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## yupislyr

You get TSN/Sportsnet as part of basic cable on Cogeco down here. In addition, you get TSN2 and an extra Sportsnet as part of digital basic. 

One of the few good things about Cogeco.


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## PoorPablo83

One of my friends had a similar problem, this is the route he went:

subscribe to basic cable (we're with Shaw here in BC), buy a basic HD box (http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product...spx?path=66289f8841beef8d95a8572079db3698en02 on bestbuy for around $220 on sale, $299 regular) which gives you something like 10 channels in HD (ones like CBC, NBC, ABC, FOX etc etc), and he upgraded to a sports package that gives him sportsnet pacific and tsn, both in HD, for around $4 a month. So he has basic cable with 10 channels in HD and 2 sports channels in HD for under $40 a month. Even without the 2 extra channels he could have watched all the Olympics and every Hockey Night in Canada in HD. Not too shabby.


What shaw doesn't advertise, and I'm not sure if it's the same with rogers or in other areas, is that if you have an HD box, and only subscribe to basic, SD cable, you still get those 10 channels in HD. Also, you can hook up an external hard drive to the particular HD box I linked here essentially making it a PVR on the cheap (depending on what sized hard drive you buy of course)


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## Happyvdubber

Just a quick update, I called Rogers today and was very happy. Without needing to negotiate, they knocked 30% off both my Internet and TV packages for 12mths + they extended the free PVR offer for an additonal 12mths.

Digital VIP + HD Specialty Pack + HDPVR
3Mb Internet (Lite)
Home Phone + 2 calling features
= $125 taxes in.

I also metioned a couple of internet service outages in my area over the past month and they credited me with 1 months service fee (-$40)

I'm very pleased.


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## Jungle

Not too bad, did you speak with the retentions department?


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## lonelimey

In Feb I managed to get my complete package with Rogers down to $130.42 a month before taxes. This includes:

Internet - high speed express
Digital VIP cable with HDPVR and Setanta Sports ($14.99 extra usually)
Home phone - including the whole world plan (2c a minute to UK)
Blackberry cell phone with voice and data plan

It definitely pays to call them and express your disappointment at their prices compared to " a rival". My brother-in-law and I have a healthy competition going on to see who can get the best deal.

Edit: The above figure should read $120.42 a month


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## Sherlock

What a sad state of affairs that we are actually bragging about paying $100+ per month for cable/phone/internet as if that's a good deal.

I remember when cable was $9/month and I thought that was too expensive, and that was for close to 100 channels. I was recently gonna get Rogers basic cable for $30/month but then I realized that this package includes just the free channels that you can get anyways even without cable (at least if you live not too far from a US city), like CBC, NBC, FOX, etc. So what exactly would I be paying for?

I also find the whole concept of being offered a lower price by the retentions dept if you threaten to quit to be ridiculous. Why don't they just offer those prices immediately?

For internet I'm with Acanac who charges only $25/month for the first year then $35/month, and that's with no bandwidth cap, not Roger's ridiculous 5 gb/month cap or whatever it is. Acanac also offers a home phone for $10/month with free long distance within US/Canada.


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## Toronto.gal

It's 2gb per month, which I agree that it's totally ridiculous. Never heard of Acanac, but it sounds good, so I'll check it out!!


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## Shadow_6

A friend of mine had the same issuse recently. He looked at going all in with Telus, cable, HD channels, Phone, Internet they were going to beat rogers by $25 a month, which would have been $125 a month for a year. He went to rogers and asked them to match, they gave him everything he already had with them for $90 a month for 2 years. Seems they are willing to do whatever it takes to keep customers from switching to telus. Its not a bad thing to talk to them. I plan to do the same when my Bell contract is done.


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## Sherlock

I'm not sure if you guys follow the wireless markets, but yesterday a new entrant began operating (Mobilicity). They offer far better voice and data plans than Rogers/Telus/Bell. The big 3 of course waged a long legal battle to prevent them from being allowed to operate, but lost. A few months ago another carrier (Wind Mobile) got started. Between these two, I think the big 3 have some serious competition. I will soon be switching from virgin mobile to wind. With virgin, I am paying 30 cents per minute for local calls (both incoming and outgoing), and 90 cents per minute for long distance calls (both incoming and outgoing). With Wind, for $15/month you get unlimited calling to any other wind number and 100 free minutes province wide.

If you think you are paying too much for your cellphone plan I strongly suggest you check out the new companies:

http://www.windmobile.ca/
http://mobilicity.ca/
http://www.publicmobile.ca/


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## canabiz

I recently called in to see if Rogers would extend my current home phone promo ($10 off/month and SAF waived). They wouldn't but they knocked 20% off my cable package and extend the HD-PVR free rental for another year so it's all a wash in the end.

I may look at going the VoIP route down the road but for now we are still paying less than $100/month all in for all 4 services (home phone, cable, Internet, 3 magazines) and I am content keeping it that way. The monthly amount is also charged to my CC to earn points for future hotel stays so no sweat there.

Cheers!


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