Mostly, I'm happy with my Time-Warner cable service, as well as the Road Runner broadband Internet I have with them. However, in looking for ways to reduce my bills in light of my new gym membership (more on this in a later post), I discovered we are hardly using any of the channels we are paying for, and all our favorites are available in the standard package. So I called them up. After 10 minutes of navigating various menus and being on hold, I finally got a rep. When I told her I wanted to reduce my services to basic cable with the standard package only, she told me she would be able to take care of that. Then, after getting my name, number, address, and last 4 of my social, she informed me that all I had to do was return my DVR to the local office.

Wait, what? Okay, I understand. If I'm upgrading, I can receive house calls, but if I'm downgrading, I'm on my own, right? So, I said, "Okay, what if I want to cancel ALL of my services?" "Sir, you would still need to return the DVR to our office."

Typical.

Of course, now I understand that they don't let you keep the DVR with just the standard cable, and you must only get to keep it if you are subscribed to digital and/or HD services. So, because I hate phone services sooo much, I'm going to try the online chat service next. I've never had one of those keep me on hold for 10 minutes!