Good-bye HGTV. Hello PBS!

It has been one week since we ditched our $80 Standard cable package with the digital service (and additional $20 for the box with a built-in DVR) for the $16 Limited Basic. We had been going to do this for the last two months but I kept procrastinating by telling myself that I would do it on Monday. I just needed one more weekend of the Food Network and the last few remaining episodes of Project Runway on Bravo and one more weekly Top 20 country video countdown. The turning point was February's bill which was for $145. $45 is for the cable modem which we kept but $100 just to watch TV? $1,200 bucks for the whole year down the drain just on TV? When broken down that way, it wasn't worth it. I would rather spend that much on something else.

When I called last week to cancel, the customer service rep asked me why I was downgrading and I told her that it finally reached a price that was too high. In the past, Big A would put his Middle Eastern blood to good use and call and dicker until they lowered it to around $100 but we decided to just go with the cheapest option. As she was trying to process my order, she said that she would have to call me back later because they were having computer issues. I nearly laughed out loud. Comcast employees having computer issues?!? It was a good ploy to add one more day on to my bill anyway except that we spent the next day (my off day) going to the local Comcast office and turning in the DVR box (we still have the basic box on the other TV which is either free or just a $5 fee but enables us to buy movies if we want) and having our account changed there. The next day, the service technician came out to make changes to the outside cable box and pick up the box which we had returned already.

We have been to this Comcast office a few times over the past couple of years to upgrade the cable boxes and it has usually been a great place to people watch and eavesdrop on their complaining about their cable bill or that their cable was shut off and they were trying to make the rep feel sorry for them, I guess. This time, there was a sign made up in Word and taped to the door stating that if you wanted to pay your bill at this office, there will be an additional $1.99 fee added to it. What a great way to keep the freaks out of the office. Now they just have to call the 800 number where the operators can set the phone down and play Solitaire while the customer vents.

Over the past week, I can't say that I've missed the 130 extra channels (although because we still have one box, I can torture myself by scrolling through the channels I don't have access to and seeing what is on them). I've made do by watching some of the regular network channels or a lot of stuff on PBS like This Old House or a show on how to build a good solid drawer (o.k., that was a bit dry and I ended up turning it after 10 minutes but I did learn a lot such as why manufactured dressers have the face plate on the front...I was this close to wanting to make my own dresser. Thank god I finally came to my senses) or shows on the Canadian channel or the Chicago station. I've even watching a bit of the local access channel. The only time when I realized that there was absolutely nothing on the 20 channels we have was Saturday afternoon and I told Big A that this Limited Basic option was going to get me out and about more than even getting a dog did.