I’m Steamin’ Mad at My Cable Company

Living in Toronto, that means I have to deal with Rogers as my cable tv provider. Being the bohemoth that it is as a H-U-G-E company, I’m never surprised when things go wrong, but it always pisses me off when it does. I decided to order up RDS, the French-language sports channel in preparation for the upcoming NHL season. RDS rules in this respect because they show all 82 of my beloved Habs‘ games during the season, and since I live in Toronto instead of Montreal, Rogers makes me buy this annoying theme pack of channels in order to get RDS. I don’t even mind the fact that they make me buy three other French channels, my issue is simply that they give me three lame-ass channels that I don’t like. I keep telling them that I’ll take three other channels, ANY OTHER CHANNELS FOR THE SAME EXORBITANT PRICE, with no success.

So imagine my surprise when I checked out their website yesterday and saw that I could order this other theme pack that had RDS in it, and 9 other channels for $2 cheaper a month. Yes, you read that right, I could get 6 more channels than the lame-ass theme pack, 4 of which I would actually watch in addition to RDS. Hot diggity, I told the chickie to sign me up pronto. I got home last night and what do you think I saw when I flipped on RDS? Nothing, zip, zilch. Okay, that’ s not entirely true-I saw the stupid little on-screen notice that said I had to order the channel. Duh, I thought I already did.

I called them up again tonight to ask WTF, and they said that the theme pack with the other cool channels for the cheaper price wasn’t available in my area. Sigh. The only package I could get that would give me RDS was the lame-ass theme pack. Double sigh. I again reiterated my position that I didn’t mind getting three other French channels if only they would give me ones I would watch, but to no avail. Blast!

This type of behaviour from Rogers always pisses me off, because they’re already getting a ton of my money for my cable, internet and now wireless services each month, and all they give me as a measly 10% off each month. That’s not even enough to cover the taxes! Sheesh. My dream would be for them to say “Hey, we’re going to give you 150 channels for $100, and you get to pick whichever channels you want.” Could you imagine that? I would be in heaven! One hundred and fifty channels that I could watch at any given time! Things that I would actually WANT to watch! Oh the giddiness, oh the joy. Could you imagine that dear readers? Actually getting what I paid for? I know, I know, I’m getting a little punch-drunk over here, thinking that a monopoly, er, rather, my wonderful cable company, would give me what I want instead of dictating what I want. <wink>