Let's Compare FIOS Charges
If you watch very little TV why do you pay for all the DVR's?
I am biased. We cut all TV channels, bought an HD over-the-air antenna for network channels and stream everything else using Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and Chromecast. We also shut down our account completely and set up a new (internet only) account with my name on it instead of my husband's. That way we got all of the HUGE new customer discounts.
i tried to knock my service down to basic with fast net because my bill just kept going up. I basically kept calling until I found someone to deal.
I got basic phone, hubby still wants a landline (pick me battles), 100/100 net and the same HD package, no clue which one but the lowest one. They threw in a new fast router fro free. $147 a month.
Our bottom-line cost now is $132. That's for internet, TV, and phone. We have multi-room DVR and one HD set top box. When we re-upped for that price, it included Showtime and HBO, which added roughly $8/month. The $132 reflects $30/month in discounts: $10 discount expires in May but the other $20 is an ongoing multi-room discount we lucked into years ago that will last as long as we keep the same plan.
we have the triple play with phone, 75/75 Internet which is actually hitting 90, and extreme hd tv. They also threw in showtime and hbo. We have one tv with a normal dvr. We just renewed, and I had to argue with them, but we are around 145 all in.
Other than the DVRs, your bill doesn't seem that outrageous to me...we pay $12.99 for a basic DVR though.
I have one non DVR box and my other TV is nothing more than a small channel changer that looks more like a car 'radar detector' I don't remember how much it costs, but it is less.
I have a VCR (you can get one at the thrift store-but I don't know if they are compatible with new TVs) if I really want to record something...otherwise many things are available online within a day.
I have just one DVR now. I had the multi room and switched the other one. They charged me $19.99 for each month for the ten years I had it ($2400).
We pay $87 for phone and internet. We have Netflix, Prime, etc so we don't need cable.
We don't have FIOS but we pay about $75 for internet through a cable modem plus an extremely basic channel lineup. I bought a modem for about $70 so I wouldn't have to pay monthly charges for the modem. I made sure to buy a modem that would work on my carrier (Time Warner). We get channels up to and including Channel 13. We hardly ever turn the TV adapter on, but it would cost more not to have it. No DVRs. We stream a lot from Netflix and occasionally from Amazon Prime.
Tom_Reingold said:
We don't have FIOS but we pay about $75 for internet through a cable modem plus an extremely basic channel lineup. I bought a modem for about $70 so I wouldn't have to pay monthly charges for the modem. I made sure to buy a modem that would work on my carrier (Time Warner). We get channels up to and including Channel 13. We hardly ever turn the TV adapter on, but it would cost more not to have it. No DVRs. We stream a lot from Netflix and occasionally from Amazon Prime.
Does that actually work, buying an outside modem? I'm curious b/c maybe I should do that as well, for FIOS.
Just today I re-upped my Internet-only package through FIOS - it had gone up $15 per month about 6 months ago after the deals expired. She offered me a lower price if I locked in a two-year contract and as I'm fairly certain we're going to use it for two years, she was able to save us $180 per year. So, that's good.
We are Internet-only now. I was paying $120/month for Internet and phone. When I called she told me I was "grandfathered in" to internet so slow they no longer offer it (thanks a$$holes). They couldn't compete with the rate Cablevision was offering by a long shot. ("We may not be the cheapest, but we are the best!" she chirped.) I now pay half of what I was paying before (without phone). When I called to cancel the Fios, then they tried to negotiate. Too late! I had already had Cablevision installed.
this thread will be more useful to the OP and others if we offer real numbers for FiOS service. What speed internet? Which TV plan? DVR? How much for the package? That's what I tried to do.
There have been several threads on this. This one goes back to 2014. https://maplewood.worldwebs.com/forums/discussion/id/110735-FIOS-Costs-
We pay 180 bucks.
...
Fios TV & Internet Bundle
Your bundle includes Fios TV Extreme HD which includes 2.99 for basic service, Showtime, HBO and Fios Internet 50/50
Bundle Price(3/7- 4/6) 27.99
Additional Services & Equipment
Equipment
(Rent): HD Set-Top Box 2 @ 8.9917.98
(Rent): HD Multi-Room DVR19.99
Subtotal(3/7- 4/6)$37.97
Fees & Other Charges
Taxes, Governmental Fees & Surcharges
NJ State Sales Tax2.66
Verizon Surcharges & Fees
Video Franchise Fee4.06
CATV Universal Access Fund.57
Regulatory Recovery Fee - Federal.08
Regional Sports Network Fee3.48
Fios TV Broadcast Fee1.99
Subtotal 2.84
Alternate View of Fees & Other Charges
RobinM2 said:
TV Plan: For TV Extreme HD (legacy) $79.99 - $20 loyalty discount good for one year so actually $59.99.
Internet Plan: 20/5 MPS (legacy) $30.99 (the bill then said they are giving me 25/25 upgrade, so that is what I actually get, probably because no one gets 20/5 any more.
Equipment:
Multi-room HD DVR $19.99
HD DVR $16.99
Non-HD STB 6.99
We have a Triple Play bundle ($114.99), but other than that I'm not immersed in the details of how we got here -- wife handled the original purchase -- so doubtful I'll be very helpful with any follow-up questions.
TV Plan: TV Extreme HD, $59.99 (no discount, but same end result as yours)
Internet Plan: 50/50, $25.00 (includes a $10.00 discount)
Multi-Room HD DVR: two rooms, $8.99 total (includes a $19.99 credit)
DaveSchmidt said:
but other than that I'm not immersed in the details of how we got here -- wife handled the original purchase -- so doubtful I'll be very helpful with any follow-up questions.
For instance, I don't know why others are being charged for a set-top box while we are not.
DaveSchmidt said:
DaveSchmidt said:
but other than that I'm not immersed in the details of how we got here -- wife handled the original purchase -- so doubtful I'll be very helpful with any follow-up questions.
For instance, I don't know why others are being charged for a set-top box while we are not.
First 3 are free and then you pay for the rest. At least that's how it is on my bill I think.
bat_chain said:
Does that actually work, buying an outside modem? I'm curious b/c maybe I should do that as well, for FIOS.
It's not an option with FIOS but I believe if you have no set-top boxes or DVRs, there should be no equipment rental fees.
Yes, it works for us. As I mentioned, we have Time Warner. In fact, I've installed two of the same model in each of our homes, each of which has Time Warner Cable.
Our FIOS - we have a very old plan
Your bundle includes Fios TV Select HD which includes 2.99 for basic service and Fios Internet 15/15
Bundle Price
$94.99
3/7 - 4/6
Your monthly price.
Additional Services, Equipment & Discounts
Equipment
(Rent): HD Set-Top Box
8.99
Discounts
Valued Customer $25/12 Mo
-25.00
Fios Internet 25/25 Upgrade
.00
Subtotal
- 6.01
3/7 - 4/6
Equipment and additional services to personalize your Fios service.
Fees & Other Charges
Taxes, Governmental Fees & Surcharges
NJ State Sales Tax
.63
Verizon Surcharges & Fees
Video Franchise Fee
1.12
CATV Universal Access Fund
.15
Regulatory Recovery Fee - Federal
.08
Fios TV Broadcast Fee
1.99
Subtotal
$3.97
So after all that we are at about $93 for TV/Internet and 1 HD set top box
Your bundle includes Fios TV Ultimate HD which includes 2.99 for basic service, Movie Package Ultimate HD, HBO, Fios Internet 75/75 and Fios Digital Voice Unlimited
Bundle Price $159.99
Additional Services & Equipment
Services
Nonpublished Listing
4.75
Equipment
(Rent): 3 TV Equipment Package
26.97
Also - $15.29 of ancillary fees & taxes
Seems we are getting a much better deal on the equipment than others here. DVR storage is huge and can be accessed from other 2 units. We upgraded the equipment for free about a year ago. The best part about that is that they didn't want the old remotes back so now each TV has 2 remotes...
Fios TV, Internet & Phone Bundle
Your bundle includes Fios TV Preferred HD which includes 2.99 for basic service, Fios Internet 100/100 and Fios Digital Voice Unlimited
Bundle Price
104.99
2/22 - 3/21
Your monthly price after the discounts shown under Your Discounts were applied.
Additional Services & Equipment
Equipment
(Rent): HD DVR
16.99
Subtotal
6.99
2/22 - 3/21
Equipment and additional services to personalize your Fios service.
Fees & Other Charges
Taxes, Governmental Fees & Surcharges
NJ State Sales Tax
3.62
911 System/Emerg Resp Fee
.90
Verizon Surcharges & Fees
Video Franchise Fee
2.33
CATV Universal Access Fund
.32
Federal Universal Service Fee
3.66
Regulatory Recovery Fee - Federal
.08
Fios TV Broadcast Fee
1.99
Regional Sports Network Fee
4.99
FDV Administrative Charge
.99
Subtotal
8.88
Keep it coming. This is very interesting. Some people have discounts of $25, some seem even more. Info is power. The more we know, the more power we have to negotiate.
Interesting. Here's mine... believe the equipment is for 1 whole house dvr, 1 regular dvr, and 2 standard HD. No idea how they have quantum and HBO charges on here... need to get on that. Also 42.30 in taxes (!) for about 275/mo. all in. Insane now that I look...
Fios TV, Internet & Phone Bundle
Your bundle includes Fios TV Extreme HD which includes 2.99 for basic service, Showtime, HBO, Fios Internet 50/50 and Fios Digital Voice Unlimited
Bundle Price
$119.99
DVR Service
11.00
Verizon World Plan 300
10.00
(Rent): 1 TV Equipment Package
6.99
Discounts
Verizon Connections Discount
-10.00
Subtotal
$17.99
Basically after the taxes and everything is added up, it works out around $160 a month.
In looking at the posts here regarding the equipment, if you have not upgraded your set-top boxes in over a year, you should look into it. Like I said, we traded in our 3 DVR units for 1 newer DVR unit (model VMS1100) and 2 satellite units (model IPC1100P2). The trio is cheaper and works better than what we used to have. We didn't need a service call to our home, simply set-up the exchange over the phone and then took the old boxes to a Verizon location near Irvington/Newark and exchanged them for the new units. The satellite units are also much smaller, BTW.
https://www.verizon.com/support/residential/tv/fiostv/receivers/equipment+issues/questionsone/vms1100.htm
I have a single STB with DVR. Upgrading will cost more, but I'll get more storage with it, and that's great, but I can live without it. I am intrigued, however, by lanky's statement "works better than what we used to have"... How many times do you have to mash the remote control buttons to get the STB to do anything? If it's less than 10, it may be worth the upgrade.
Ours all work fine in terms of remote buttons and STB response - could it be a problem with your remote? One thing I don't like is the "landing page" when turning on the unit. Just take me to the last channel I was on without all the on-demand ads already...
Are you certain a replacement STB DVR will cost more?
ridski said:
I have a single STB with DVR. Upgrading will cost more, but I'll get more storage with it, and that's great, but I can live without it. I am intrigued, however, by lanky's statement "works better than what we used to have"... How many times do you have to mash the remote control buttons to get the STB to do anything? If it's less than 10, it may be worth the upgrade.
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I am very frustrated with paying for so much for FIOS Cable when I watch so little (mostly I find I'm using NetFlix, Amazon, or casting online content using Google Cast). Every time I try and change to lower my bill by downgrading my channel package, they say it will cost more - more to get less, so I haven't. I just got so frustrated I told them all I want is the basic local package, which according to my bill should be $12.99 a month. I will just plug directly to the wall and send back the STB. They had to put a work order in because the system would not let them give it to me. But looking at all the prices I could find at different places online, I noticed maybe they've been charging me more for the equipment than they charge others, so I thought it would be good for us to crowd source information about how much FIOS is charging people. I will start:
TV Plan: For TV Extreme HD (legacy) $79.99 - $20 loyalty discount good for one year so actually $59.99.
Internet Plan: 20/5 MPS (legacy) $30.99 (the bill then said they are giving me 25/25 upgrade, so that is what I actually get, probably because no one gets 20/5 any more.
Equipment:
Multi-room HD DVR $19.99
HD DVR $16.99
Non-HD STB 6.99
I am doing this because, at one place online it said that a Multi-Room DVR is only $15, and I think the more info we share, the better we can negotiate down what we pay or make sure we aren't getting over charged and if over charged, get a refund.