Bundled Relationships

It's amazing how popular one can be when one doesn't 'bundle.' Our phone, internet, and TV service providers (three separate companies) know we could be giving them more money if only we'd use all of their services, aka 'bundle'... something they go to great lengths to remind us. Every. Single. Day.

It was charming at first, with everybody thinking of ways to entice us to carry their 'bundle,' but lately it's like a relationship that's gone bad. If these companies were suitors we'd know how to deal with them.

With the phone company, we've made it clear the last 6,554 times they've called that we prefer a different provider for our internet and TV. Yet they still call. They send mail and email almost daily. They even send people to the door.

How is that not stalking? Since we have a business relationship with them already, they apparently can pester us all they want. If an ex-boyfriend did that, the judge would issue a restraining order in a heartbeat. If it was a boss, we could potentially sue him or her... and their little company too!

For our Internet Service Provider, counseling is needed. They know our address, it's where they send the bills. Yet every week we get offers in the mail addressed to 'Resident' offering a better deal than we got. This philandering company gives total strangers a better deal than us, and makes no effort to hide it. This behavior needs to change.

For our TV provider, I'd just send them to self-esteem camp. They have great service and excellent programming. At camp they could learn to be satisfied with being the best in their area, and not try to be all things to all customers.

Being older and wiser, we have suffered through enough service changes to know how painful they are. You can't just dump a service provider. They will find ways to stall, drag things out, and make you jump through hoops. ("Ha! We didn't say 'Simon says' so you have to pay us for another month.")

Getting new service established hurts too. You have to schedule somebody to come to the house. ("Someone will be there in February of 2015. If you're not home when they come, we'll have to reschedule you in April.")

The most frightening thing is that all the media companies are trying to merge. If they succeed we'll have to carry their bundle, and if they treat us badly we'll have nobody else to turn to. At this rate we may have to elope with the mail carrier!