# Cable card install cost?



## P1ally (Dec 9, 2010)

We just got a Premiere, and Cox (San Diego) wants to charge us $75 to have a tech come out and install the card.  I asked if we could pick one up instead, and the sales rep said "Yes of course!" but his supervisor said no. 

Is $75 insane for a cablecard install?


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## jakerock (Dec 9, 2002)

Yes.


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## Robbdoe1 (Dec 29, 2008)

That's crazy.

Robb


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## P1ally (Dec 9, 2010)

On the phone with them now, being bounced around from dept to dept


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## P1ally (Dec 9, 2010)

Uggggh this is so annoying. 3 people say yes, 1 guys says no. I told them the FCC requires them to allow self installs of cablecards (but not for another 9mo hehe). All the supervisors were busy, so one is going to "research the issue" and call us back. *sigh*


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## Riverdome (May 12, 2005)

Buckeye Cable in NW Ohio charges $100 per cable card - that's $200 for a S3 with two cards. Best I was able to do was get them down to $100 per device instead of per card. After watching the tech perform the install I was seriously ticked, no way I couldn't have done that myself!!


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## SoBayJake (Feb 6, 2002)

When I got some sets of CableCards that had install fees, I did all the work. 

Afterwards, I called back in to say "uhm, ya, I did EVERYTHING including plugging it in, and correcting the tech when he transposed numbers. I'd like the free waived please."

Luckily, I haven't paid an install fee yet.


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

Riverdome said:


> Buckeye Cable in NW Ohio charges $100 per cable card - that's $200 for a S3 with two cards. Best I was able to do was get them down to $100 per device instead of per card. After watching the tech perform the install I was seriously ticked, no way I couldn't have done that myself!!


$100 per card is nothing but straight out gouging! And to think that I was pissed when Charter charged me $35 to install 2 cards in my Series 3 Tivo. But it's this sort of stuff that is causing people to ditch cable TV and go OTA.

I think if Cable TV doesn't wise up soon they will be end up being only an Internet provider. I'm sure they will gouge us on that as well.


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## ryguyMN (Nov 11, 2010)

Comcast in Minneapolis: No charge for install.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

Resist said:


> $100 per card is nothing but straight out gouging! And to think that I was pissed when Charter charged me $35 to install 2 cards in my Series 3 Tivo. But it's this sort of stuff that is causing people to ditch cable TV and go OTA.
> 
> I think if Cable TV doesn't wise up soon they will be end up being only an Internet provider. I'm sure they will gouge us on that as well.


I sympathize but you are wrong. Customers who use CableCARD(s) (mostly TiVo users) are a tiny minority of Cable TV subscribers, less than 0.5% of their digital subscribers -- and they are a PITA to the Cable operators. What happens to us will have little, if any, bearing on the ultimate future of Cable TV.

TWC does an excellent job of delivering Internet to me, never even requiring any service or support. They do a terrible job of supporting my TiVo use on digital cable TV. Thus I will welcome the day that all TV is IP, even if it means higher Internet costs, which it will because of the increased bandwidth (read infrastructure) required.

To stay on topic: My install of 2 CC's (although I only wanted one m-card) cost $20 in July 2009, and monthly rental is $2.54 each.


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## Grey Griffin (May 24, 2007)

If your cable company publishes their rates look and see what they charge for home install of a cable box or a general home visit. The cable card charge shouldn't be any more than that. My company states they charge $20to set up a cable box and $30 to install a cable card. Most people I know have been able to get the cc install for $20 by questioning why there is a difference.


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## evilipoo (Apr 23, 2005)

Sad to say I paid $75 for the SD Cox Cable card install for my S4. I did not find a way around it. Someone posted that if you have the Service Assurance plan, you might be able to claim that it should be included in that and not have to pay extra, but this was after my install was complete, so I can't verify that.

Unfortunately, Cox San Diego used to be the best... Now they are a bunch of boneheads. It was a whole other circus trying to get the "free" tuning adapter. I'm just about ready to pare down to the TV starter and get everything else from Amazon On Demand.


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

Grey Griffin said:


> Most people I know have been able to get the cc install for $20 by questioning why there is a difference.


Maybe we should be questioning why we can't do the install ourselves for free. It's such an easy process. Makes me so angry that Charter charged me $35 to show their so called "tech" how to do it.


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## sdnative1 (Mar 7, 2009)

Resist said:


> Maybe we should be questioning why we can't do the install ourselves for free. It's such an easy process. Makes me so angry that Charter charged me $35 to show their so called "tech" how to do it.


The Cox tech support rep answered that question before I could ask on 12/10/10. He said that they did allow it at one time but so many customers had issues and many cards that had technical problems. I know installers usually carry more than a few cards for that scenario.

Looks like I'll try to wait until September 2011 when the FCC law of allowing self install goes into affect. $75 to install a cable card is INSANE! Perhaps Cox would like it if we leave their service as a customer all together.


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## dorksquad (Nov 27, 2006)

same thing here - verizon FIOS in Maryland - $80 to install a cablecard, and won't let the customer self-install. Plus $3.99/month rental.


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## SoBayJake (Feb 6, 2002)

dorksquad said:


> same thing here - verizon FIOS in Maryland - $80 to install a cablecard, and won't let the customer self-install. Plus $3.99/month rental.


You shouldn't have to pay the fee, unless they are doing something other than the CableCARD installation. Do NOT tell them you are giving an STB back, that could trigger the fee.

Just schedule a CC install, and nothing else. If you have equipment to return, take it to the Verizon FiOS store, or call them for a return box to ship it.


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## ebf (Mar 21, 2005)

ryguyMN said:


> Comcast in Minneapolis: No charge for install.


How'd you get it for free?? I paid $15 for an install truck roll in the Summer for my HD and was told it would be the same when I called this week to get a card for my new Premier.


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

dorksquad said:


> $3.99/month rental.


The cards started out being $1.50 a month in my area and now up to $2 a month per card. I couldn't imagine paying $3.99 each. Fricking gouging!


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## SCSIRAID (Feb 2, 2003)

Here in Raleigh, Cablecards are $4.14 per month each with a $42.95 install fee per card.


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

SCSIRAID said:


> Here in Raleigh, Cablecards are $4.14 per month each with a $42.95 install fee per card.


And people actually pay that out there? If so, then no wonder people are complaining they have no money. It's not the economy, it's their spending habits.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

SCSIRAID said:


> Here in Raleigh, Cablecards are $4.14 per month each with a $42.95 install fee per card.





Resist said:


> And people actually pay that out there? If so, then no wonder people are complaining they have no money. It's not the economy, it's their spending habits.


Well maybe that's the price of getting good customer support, such as sending engineers to SCSIRAID's home to debug the SDV-switching pixelation bug -- which was TiVo's fault, and was eventually fixed by TiVo -- and would never have been discovered by TiVo alone IMO. (Thanks again SCSIRAID. This has been the single biggest improvement in my TiVo viewing experience -- ever.)


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## terpfan1980 (Jan 28, 2002)

The sad thing is (for me) that when I checked on what Verizon will charge me for a CableCard install, $42.~~ is a bargain. I think Verizon had told me that they'd charge about twice that much


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## tiassa (Jul 2, 2008)

Dayum!! Gotta love RCN -- no installation charge (no self installation, tho), $1.50/mo per cable card, and No CCI bits except on premium channels (HBO, CineMax, Showtime and the like)


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## SoBayJake (Feb 6, 2002)

FiOS doesn't (or at least hasn't) charged for CableCARD installation. Do NOT request anything other than a CableCARD install at that time. If you do (such as removing a STB), then the fee will be charged.

More info here: See Section 11 "Does the TivoHD work with Verizon FiOS?"
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7097284#post7097284

(I realize it's older info, but it's held true for friends around my area, with FiOS lately.)


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

My company charges nothing for a cablecard install - in fact, we even provide the Premiere for a $25 activation fee and $13.95/mo with no contract!!

Drawbacks? None really, except you have to have our internet service to qualify.


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## JTL2 (Dec 2, 2010)

This is my CableCard drama, and I assure it, it is surely not Oscar worthy. I have Time Warner Cable here in Los Angeles County, we have "retail" stores where they require you to pick up your self-install kits (they charge to install or to mail them).

Last Friday, I went in to exchange my box for the CableCard. They were out of the multistream cards, so they setup a service call for Sunday afternoon. Now, I had formatted my cablebox, and apparently not correctly as the cable no longer worked. So I had to go two days without cable. Yeah, I survived, lol.

Anyway, the guy came by as scheduled installed the card, everything worked. I asked him about being billed for the service call, since I forgot to ask the lady at the "retail" store. He said I was going to be charged $19.95. So today, I called their 888-number, and they issued me a credit. The lady on the phone even mentioned there was a note on my account that said I walked into the store to pick up the card.

BTW, the card is $2.99/mo. And, since I was paying $17.99 for their DVR services, TiVo is definitely worth an extra $5/month.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

TonyTheTiger said:


> My company charges nothing for a cablecard install - in fact, we even provide the Premiere for a $25 activation fee and $13.95/mo with no contract!!
> 
> Drawbacks? None really, except you have to have our internet service to qualify.


and you turn off netflix, etc., right?


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## n8jones (Jan 5, 2005)

I have been successful in getting Comcast (Eastern PA) to waive installation on any cable box / cable card. Must be the nice way I ask


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## karmakode (Dec 18, 2010)

i just took out my cable card in my cable box and put it in my premier and presto it worked....no way im paying for something i can do myself


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## caddyroger (Mar 15, 2005)

karmakode said:


> i just took out my cable card in my cable box and put it in my premier and presto it worked....no way im paying for something i can do myself


Have you taken the cable box back yet. Most cable company's have clauses about equipment tampering which taking a cable cards out is. If you have not taken the box back you will be paying more then then installation charge buy paying monthly dvr rental.


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## Shanezam203 (Jul 28, 2007)

SoBayJake said:


> When I got some sets of CableCards that had install fees, I did all the work.
> 
> Afterwards, I called back in to say "uhm, ya, I did EVERYTHING including plugging it in, and correcting the tech when he transposed numbers. I'd like the free waived please."
> 
> Luckily, I haven't paid an install fee yet.


I agree & took the same approach. fees were waived, I just pay $1.50 monthly for the multi stream card.


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## cdoug512 (Feb 26, 2005)

Time Warner in Austin charges $2.65/mo for an m-mode cable card, no self-install, and $39.99 for a tech to come out and do it. To offset the cost of install, they did offer a year of Showtime or Turbo internet upgrade... neither of which I really desire.


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## Brighton Line (Mar 15, 2006)

I thought the new FAA ruling that is the cable company allows self install of cable boxes they have to allow self install of cablecards?
I know people have had issue with Cablevision but they have improved and I can not call up and bind the cards over the phone, no visit needed. If they do come for an install it is the same price as a cablebox install. 
They charge $2 a card and in NYC $5 for premium channels on a "2nd outlet". 
Still cheaper than a box and dvr charge.
FWIW


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## jakerock (Dec 9, 2002)

Brighton Line said:


> I thought the new FAA ruling that is the cable company allows self install of cable boxes they have to allow self install of cablecards?
> I know people have had issue with Cablevision but they have improved and I can not call up and bind the cards over the phone, no visit needed. If they do come for an install it is the same price as a cablebox install.
> They charge $2 a card and in NYC $5 for premium channels on a "2nd outlet".
> Still cheaper than a box and dvr charge.
> FWIW


The FAA just says you can't fly your TiVo over populated areas unless you are licensed and keep a minimum of 500' altitude.


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## caddyroger (Mar 15, 2005)

Brighton Line said:


> I thought the new FAA ruling that is the cable company allows self install of cable boxes they have to allow self install of cablecards?
> I know people have had issue with Cablevision but they have improved and I can not call up and bind the cards over the phone, no visit needed. If they do come for an install it is the same price as a cablebox install.
> They charge $2 a card and in NYC $5 for premium channels on a "2nd outlet".
> Still cheaper than a box and dvr charge.
> FWIW


Yes there is a fcc ruling about self installs but it does not take effect for 9 months after the date of the ruling.


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