Set-Top Box Rental Fee

[TDesio]

Good Day,

I am quite un-pleased with the way we are being robbed by Verizon for our set-top boxes. I know this post will not make any difference but I feel I needed to be herd. I have had fios now for over 4 years and I am very happy with the service however, I took another look at my bill and noticed I am still being charged $8.99 per month per box. That means I have already payed them over $400 per box. I feel that there should be a cap on the fee or offer the customer an option to buy the box. Either way, as I said I know that Verizon being such a big Monopoly does not care about what me (one person) says but I just felt I needed to write this.  I will however start looking into new TV options such as a Roku box, I also noticed that the on-demand feature is now ony giving like 4 episodes free then you have to pay to see older episodes. Un-real!! What has this company become??

Thank you for letting me vent.

[CRobGauth]

Every provider works the same way.

there is a long thread under programming that discusses on demand

[bobbo527]

---

@TDesio wrote:

Good Day,

I am quite un-pleased with the way we are being robbed by Verizon for our set-top boxes. I know this post will not make any difference but I feel I needed to be herd. I have had fios now for over 4 years and I am very happy with the service however, I took another look at my bill and noticed I am still being charged $8.99 per month per box. That means I have already payed them over $400 per box. I feel that there should be a cap on the fee or offer the customer an option to buy the box. Either way, as I said I know that Verizon being such a big Monopoly does not care about what me (one person) says but I just felt I needed to write this.  I will however start looking into new TV options such as a Roku box, I also noticed that the on-demand feature is now ony giving like 4 episodes free then you have to pay to see older episodes. Un-real!! What has this company become??

Thank you for letting me vent.

---

It is not just Verizon, EVERY cable provider charges rental fees on their boxes. I think it is pathetic as well. The FCC had ruled that companies need to allow users to buy boxes but that was last year, pre-election. We know what direction they are heading in now so don't expect that to ever become reality. It's a revenue stream for big business they won't give up, and that is for ALL cable companies.

[CRobGauth]

BTW, you do have purchase options for cable card compatible devices.

[KLuong]

What are you talking about? Xfinity gives the set top box for free.

[CRobGauth]

You are saying I can get unlimited boxes for free from Xfinity?

I find that hard to beleive.

Or that there isn't some outlet fee instead of a STB rental fee.

[jonjones1]

---

@CRobGauth wrote:

You are saying I can get unlimited boxes for free from Xfinity?

I find that hard to beleive.

Or that there isn't some outlet fee instead of a STB rental fee.

---

https://www.xfinity.com/learn/digital-cable-tv/x1/equipment

Seems to be accurate. However I read there are qualifiers. Link above.

[CRobGauth]

So it looks like they have built the cost of a standard box into their price.

But DVR and extra boxes have a fee.

[jonjones1]

---

@CRobGauth wrote:

So it looks like they have built the cost of a standard box into their price.

But DVR and extra boxes have a fee.

---

Yep that is what they did. Charter in my area does the same with internet. A free modem but if you want one with WiFi then it will cost you.

and Charter has no free cable tv boxes.

[KLuong]

---

@CRobGauth wrote:

So it looks like they have built the cost of a standard box into their price.

But DVR and extra boxes have a fee.

---

When they say it's free that mean it's free. $0 add to the bill for rental fee. I don't really care if they factor it into their price as far as they make it straight.