Free Internet/Cable Screw Up

[Shrugged]

So I recently moved into a new condo, my provider appears to have made some mistakes in stopping/changing my services during the transition.

According to my online cable/internet profile, I no longer have internet or digital cable. But they are still fully working in my condo. Its not under the previous person either as I'm the first to move in.

I even received a call from the provider asking why I canceled and why I'm no longer interested in their services? I played along and told them that I was using services at work and wanted to 'escape technology at home'

Its been a month now and Im anxiously awaiting my first bill to confirm my suspicion that Im getting away scott free.

Is there anything that could go wrong here if I continue on using these services and keeping mum? Can cable/internet providers do anything about it 6 months from now when/if they realize I haven't been paying for cable/internet?

Could I just play stupid forever?

 

[Twister]

Can it be that the condo comes with internet as a package?
If its cable, they will likely see your modem on the cirquit and possibly shut it down. They can prove you used bandwith and ask you to pay.
You can play stupid and say I thought my wife/girlfrined hooked it up?

 

[Chimpanzeethat]

Same thing happened to me when I was in a downtown condo for 18 months. I took it...happily...after years of being burned by Rogers. If it happened again, I'd have no qualms about ripping them off because they are one of the biggest ripoffs going. ENJOY it. I don't think they'll come back and ding you for it.

 

[Shrugged]

If its cable, they will likely see your modem on the cirquit and possibly shut it down. They can prove you used bandwith and ask you to pay.

Thats my only concern is the internet... Im wondering if any lights will go off if they see me going over the download limit? In which case I assume I just do my best to make sure I dont!

 

[gcostanza]

Set $60 aside each month in a jar, and if they don't bill you for internet in a year, see a few ladies with the money, and start putting money in the jar again.

 

[Shrugged]

Set $60 aside each month in a jar, and if they don't bill you for internet in a year, see a few ladies with the money, and start putting money in the jar again.

and this is why I come to terb for advice.

You my good sir, are a genius

 

[needinit]

If you haven't got a contract with them with your name and signature on it or some other confirmation of services (for the new location indicating you do have internet at that location)...I don't think they can ask you to pay for it later. They would just disconnect you if they found out

 

[gcostanza]

and this is why I come to terb for advice.

You my good sir, are a genius .

Opposite.*






*Bizarro World George

 

[Linds]

I cancelled my cable years ago, coming up to 11 years to the date. I bought the cable tool (funky screw driver) from a site I googled, then hooked my cable back up. Rogers has come by and disconnected it atleast 3 times, so I reconnect it a few days later. Best part is you can remove the filter they connect at the side of your house also, so you have all the channels instead of what they offer, only shitty part is that there is still nothing to watch on tv, so I usually watch everything I want online.

If you live in a building, unless your in with the super intendant, your shit out of luck. The tool btw is only $30.00. I would like to rent space out at the Rogers Centre and sell the screw driver to all who are interested, however I dont think Rogers would allow me lol

 

[Perry Mason]

I cancelled my cable years ago, coming up to 11 years to the date. I bought the cable tool (funky screw driver) from a site I googled, then hooked my cable back up. Rogers has come by and disconnected it atleast 3 times, so I reconnect it a few days later. Best part is you can remove the filter they connect at the side of your house also, so you have all the channels instead of what they offer, only shitty part is that there is still nothing to watch on tv, so I usually watch everything I want online.


If you live in a building, unless your in with the super intendant, your shit out of luck. The tool btw is only $30.00. I would like to rent space out at the Rogers Centre and sell the screw driver to all who are interested, however I dont think Rogers would allow me lol

If I understood you correctly, that is called theft and could land you not only with a conviction, but even in jail.

In other words, Linds = thief... and you brag about it?

Perry

 

[my2cents]

I cancelled my cable years ago, coming up to 11 years to the date. I bought the cable tool (funky screw driver) from a site I googled, then hooked my cable back up. Rogers has come by and disconnected it atleast 3 times, so I reconnect it a few days later. Best part is you can remove the filter they connect at the side of your house also, so you have all the channels instead of what they offer, only shitty part is that there is still nothing to watch on tv, so I usually watch everything I want online.

If you live in a building, unless your in with the super intendant, your shit out of luck. The tool btw is only $30.00. I would like to rent space out at the Rogers Centre and sell the screw driver to all who are interested, however I dont think Rogers would allow me lol

Ya that would be theft and the cable company could come after you since you knowingly are making an effort to reconnect. Since rogers comes out to disconnect each time you reconnect they know you are stealing it. I suspect they could get you on theft if they wanted. In the example where the service was canceled and then is still operational it falls on rogers to do the disconnect. So if rogers did not do the disconnect for the cable tv it is their loss. I had the same thing happen for the tv cable and was never billed. I don't know about the internet service if you have cancelled and it still works as my expereince was only with the cable.

 

[larry]

none of this advice is for sure. you can continue to use it for free. they could discover it and bill you. you could refuse to pay. they could pass the bill to a collection agency. your credit rating could drop like a stone. and for what? $50 a month? think about it.

 

[Cassini]

Cable companies give away their service for free, and use cable scanners to find the people who are using it. After they detect you using the service, they will send you a nice "sign up or disconnect letter." At that point, you are addicted. They get easy sign-ups worth lots of money.

Cable scanners can be defeated. The simplest way is to simply make sure all TVs, VCRs and Internet Modems are turned off, WITH A POWER BAR. The scanners work by detecting the tuners mixer signals. For some reason (I suspect cable company influence), many devices leave the tuners on when the TV set appears off.

If you really want to play safe, physically disconnect the cable. Also, you could consider a signal amplifier. Some of the signal amplifiers specify output to input signal gain, and you want one with extremely low (negative) gain levels which correspond to attenuation. Output to input gain is a standard specification for CATV equipment. (Scanners won't work properly if the cable companies amplifiers have the wrong gain levels.)

The best solution is to simply turn everything off.