We have all seen it: that internet plus TV bundle that just sounds too good to be true. According to the ad or the phone agent, it looks like it would be cheaper to get cable TV than cut the cord. Just this week, one of our readers sent us a bill with this exact situation. Cox has an offer that sounded too good to be true. Cox TV Ultimate with Cinemax along with HBO plus Cox High Speed Internet Ultimate for just $154.99 a month. Sounds like a great deal, right? Tons of TV and a super-fast internet connection.
If you guessed that there were a ton of hidden fees and taxes, you guessed right. When you add the fees and taxes the $154.99 bill jumped to over $255 a month.
The first big hit came with the set-top box and DVR fees. This customer had four TVs and just the rental fee for these TVs added up to $34 a month. The DVR fee was $12.99 to rent the DVR, but they also ordered the option to record six shows at once, which cost an extra $19.99 a month. That means the cost of the DVR service was $32.98 a month.
Total costs for box rentals and DVR service was $66.98 a month.
Let’s not forget about fees and taxes. On this bill, the Broadcast Surcharge to watch channels that are free over the air with an antenna was $7.50 a month. The regional sports surcharge was $4 a month.
That brings the total TV fees up to $11.50 a month.
Cox is not done yet. There is even a $9.99 a month Wi-Fi Modem Rental Fee to use the internet. (This fee can sometimes be avoided by buying a modem, but rarely do the cable companies promote that option.)
That adds $9.99 a month on top of the advertised price for internet.
We are not done. There are even more fees and taxes on top of that: $11.80 in fees like the franchise fee and taxes.
All the fees and taxes add up to $100.24 a month on top of the $154.99 advertised rate. This means if you have this package for 2 years, you will pay $2,405.76 in fees and taxes over the lifetime of the contract.
Over 2 years, this customer will pay $6,125.52 to watch TV and surf the web. So, the next time you hear that way too good to be true offer for a bundled TV and internet deal, remember all the hidden fees and taxes.
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