Sunday, November 10, 2013

Cable providers like Rogers continue to make really cynical moves …

This one really chaps my ass …

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I have no desire whatsoever to subscribe to get movies. I get more than enough on Netflix, for which I happily pay every month.

But … Rogers knows how valuable HBO is as one of -- or arguably the -- premium cable channel(s) with original programming, so they make this expensive movie package the only way by which a subscriber can get this one completely unrelated channel.

Yes … our government (Canadian Radio and Television Commission) is once again asleep at the switch. This is a cynical cash grab by Rogers and there is nothing the consumer can do except pay through the nose to get access to this one channel. It is not available as a single channel.

The other incredibly cynical thing they do is to not make your info available in a consumable format. There is no summary of your current channel lineup and no way to just review your options. Instead, you have to click on buttons like “add more channels” and anyone who knows Rogers quakes in fear at the thought of accidentally authorizing them to rob you blind. What pops up is a live chat request.

You read that right … there is no transparent view of what you are paying for. You have to ask a Rogers agent for information about what you subscribe to.

Surely this lack of transparency should be illegal?

I remain convinced that they have the best technology currently available and as consumer unfriendly a set of practices as exists in the industry.