The packages of Internet - Telephony - Television

The packages of Internet, telephony and television can be beneficial and save you money, but some drawbacks. If the hard times of the economy are juggling in order to reduce their costs, the solution can be found as close as your Internet service, telephony or television.

Intense competition for customers between cable and satellite providers of high speed fiber optics, AT & T U-verse and Verizon FiOS has caused the reduction in rates of Internet service, telephony and television. The prices of packages of the three services fell 20% last year, a reduction that comes to $ 80 a month.

These fares are good apparently only the first or second year of service. However, providers are increasingly unwilling to raise rates after the promotional period, at least in the places with the most competitive markets, said Doug Williams, an analyst at Forrester Research telecom.

A new study by the National Research Center for Consumer Reports (Consumer Reports National Research Center) reveals that subscribers were very satisfied with the services of Internet, telephony and television of the best telecom providers. However, they also found some problems with packages that include a high incidence of complaints about billing, technical assistance and contributions of triple-play packages of some providers.

However, the packages seem appropriate for many households, especially if you are a customer of one of fiber optic transceivers or one of the top cable companies. By averaging the scores from readers for their Internet services, telephony and TV, Verizon FiOS and AT & T U-verse were the most successful suppliers in a consistent way, but Verizon was below average for customer service as clients of the three services (triple play).

Choosing

Check your options. Use our Ratings to see how their services compare with the competition. Only a few cable companies, most small, they were even close to matching the high satisfaction of customers consisting of companies with respect to the fiber optic Internet service, telephony and television. (Check with AT & T and Verizon fiber optic availability, although they are limited spreads quickly). Most cable companies are below the most prominent in total satisfaction, such as satellite television providers, whose services are included in the packages with DSL Internet service and telephone telephone company partners.

Test a package. With most providers, you get more services and save more. The packages also allow you to integrate other services such as show the number of those who called on the TV screen, which is provided with some packages and cable telephony. The triple-play offerings are often more attractive discounted, like the installation would not get free when you subscribe to only one or two services. Likewise, it could ensure low rates for a longer triple-play that if you sign up for individual services.

Do not discard the option to the letter. The access to less than three service providers allow any flexibility. For example, you could access the Internet and television services via optical fiber, perhaps with an introductory rate along with an economic telephone service Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP stands for English) as the third company Vonage, which was among the best phone service providers in our rating and price highlighted.

Distribute their services among several companies that also avoids the flaw in a computer network or delete all their telecommunications services at the same time.

While packages often ensure maximum savings, we find at least one case where the cost of a service provided by an individual was in fact lower than in a package.

Consider the safety call. Cable VoIP service and telephony fiber optics requires a battery backup during power cuts. Could get one with your service or purchase at a cost of approximately $ 45. However, these packages provide an average of 8 hours of operation, so you might not have phone service during a power outage that lasts longer.

The 911 emergency service also varies between technologies. The phone service fiber optic system uses the same reliable one traditional phone line. The latest telephone services by cable and other VoIP services and 911 depending on the provider that provides emergency services to their local address, a federal requirement. The agency also required to inform customers that the new VoIP emergency service "may be somewhat limited when compared to traditional 911 service." To add VoIP service to another fixed basic telephone service, which costs about $ 20, for use in calls to 911.

Settings with other attributes. As our Ratings show, vendors differ more than in the general satisfaction of its customers.
For example, the scores vary widely for the selection of TV channels. Service with fiber optic, satellite and some cable channels are offering all in high definition. However, the number of channels should not matter as much as with the programming that you could wish in particular, as in packages of professional league football NFL United States, exclusive of DirecTV.


In general, fiber optics and satellite have a service charge for severance, but no cable. In addition, some providers may offer to maintain the initial rate after passing the promotional period if you sign a contract. (We reject the offer).

Getting the best prices

Check the tariffs, then check again. Check the web site providers to find the best prices. Ask also for a customer service representative if the price you have offered is really the best offer for the company. Then, consider a check again, as we have found that rates may change, according to the representative who received the call.

Negotiate. It may be useful, particularly in areas where there is competition between cable providers and traditional phone company, as well as its promotional fare is about to expire. Ask for a reduced price or free extras, installation, or as a premium channel at no additional cost. If you accept these "gifts" will make sure not to charge them automatically to continue to receive when the introductory offer.

Ask about billing models. Before signing a contract, ask for a summary of all charges for the first month and beyond. Make sure that the figures include taxes and fees and charges at one time as you charge to maintain their current phone number. Try to get written information. Then check the numbers again matched against the actual invoices.

Adjust the extras. The typical download speeds of 5 megabits per second (Mbps) and loads of 1 Mbps with the Internet service is sufficient for most people, and often, and fiber optic cable beyond those speeds anyway. As a general rule, do not pay more for faster service unless you download or share videos often extended or other very large files.

Most of the plans based on fiber optics or VoIP include caller ID, answering machine and unlimited local calls or long-range United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and sometimes to other countries. Verify that these features do not disappear or increase the charges on your bill when the promotional period lead. If you make frequent calls to countries not included in this plan, evaluate the possibility to add an international calling plan.