Intenet Provider Promotional Rates: Trick or Treat?
Posted on August 27, 2008 at 9:29 am by William P. Demazzier
There are thousands of households with broadband connections these days from the single college graduate to the seventy five year old retiree. Most of us know why we need a fast connection to the Internet, but some of us don?t.
The Cable, DSL, and Fiber Optic providers have been selling these Triple Service packages that bundle television, phone, and Internet for tempting low monthly prices. Some coerce you with super fast internet connectivity for just $10 per month; however, some of these clueless subscribers fail to realize what happens a few months down the line. People must read the fine print!
So after your $9.99 service goes up to $29.99 six months later, and then you add the taxes, surcharges, and other fees, you begin to realize that ?being connected? isn?t that affordable anymore.
So you try to call the provider to cancel your service, but then realize you?re locked in for a 2 year contract, and if you break this agreement you have to shell out even more dollars! That?s easy money for the Internet providers.
With so many daily activities, many of us don’t even use our broadband connection on a daily, weekly, or sometimes monthly basis, giving these companies even more of a profit gain. While ignorance may be bliss, some providers are making their consumer’s ignorance the punchline in their catch advertising.
The key to not falling victim to this scenario is to know what you need, what you are getting in to, and how you can get out of it if you change your mind. Bottom line-read the fine print! When you consider that taking the time to read the agreement carefully could save you hundreds of dollars over a two year contract, the investment of a few minutes for review is priceless.
So, are promotional rates off limits? Absolutely not! Finding a provider that offers promotional rates without a long term contract is a great money saving tactic. Once the promo period has ended, you then also have the freedom to either stick it out with this provider or move on to the next.
At the end of the day you need to watch after your own pocket book and it is our responsibility to be the watchdogs over these high speed broadband providers. We need to find ways of providing affordable high speed for the entire US and start competing with the rest of the world that offer 5 times the speed at a tenth of the price.
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