The Best Guide to Cable Packages and Alternatives

Time Warner Cable Packages

Time Warner Cable provides a wide array of different options at various prices. They are especially well-known for their quality customer service.


Time Warner is different from most of the other companies involved in selling cable today. Unlike AT&T and Verizon, which started out as communications companies that moved into cable, Time Warner, as you can tell from its name, started out producing news and entertainment and gradually moved into distributing it. As a result, Time Warner has a quite different corporate culture than most cable companies, and it shows in a few respect.

Comparison

First, Time Warner tends to focus more on customer service than other cable companies. Most communications companies basically go out of their way not to actually talk to you (and they set up mazes on their customer service answering machines). Time Warner almost goes out of its way to get you to contact them if you have any problems. As a multimedia company, they have a very different approach to dealing with customers.

This same difference applies also to the way that they advertise. Communications companies try to confuse customers with different packages with hidden catches to make you purchase more than you really want to. Time Warner, on the other hand, is extremely upfront about its prices and services, even going so far as to tell you exactly what a bundle will cost after your first year (you’ll notice that other companies will fail to mention this).

However, as a result, Time Warner tends to be a little more expensive than other cable companies, usually running about $10-15 more per month for comparable service. However, knowing exactly what you are getting upfront and being sure that you’ll have a good relationship with your service provider will be worth it in the end for most people.

Cable

Time Warner does a good job of putting together channels and channel packages that viewers will be interested in. Like most cable companies, they not only have the standard and premium cable channels, but they have put together their own channels including a number of shows that can be watched for free or pay-per-view.

They also offer some nice features, such as television “On Demand”, which enables you to choose when to watch your shows, the ability to pause and playback “live” TV, parental controls that enable you to block channels and, most interestingly, a built-in DVR feature that enables you to record high definition television and to play it back later.

Internet

Time Warner has two different speeds of internet. The first is the older, “EarthLink” high speed internet, and the second is their newer, “Road Runner” service. They are approximately the same speed, though Road Runner is their own brand and is a little faster than EarthLink. It is also about $4-$5 more expensive than Earthlink, though, depending on your package, might be the same cost once all the savings are factored in.

Telephone

Time Warner Cable’s telephone has some important difference worth noting. First, because they are based out of California, they have special prices for that state that they don’t have anywhere else (it may be that the infrastructure there is better). In addition, “nation-wide” includes the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada, which, admittedly, shows they are a little confused about their geography, but is a good deal nonetheless.

For more information, please feel free to visit their official site.

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