Hmmmm, you lose a 6 million dollar lawsuit on October 2nd and on October 27th say that, “Whoa! Lookit how much it costs to carry TV stations! We didn’t notice that before.”
Fuck you, you sexual harassing, basketball team destroying, nepotistic, cocksucking piece of shit cable company. I wish nasty things on the Dolan family. Horrible, nasty, wicked things. My anger is too much for me to be creative enough to make up things horrible, nasty and wicked enough to befall you.
Anybody here know a good class action lawyer? Because I’d sure as hell like to be the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit detailing how it is unlawful for me to pay for the Dolan family’s crimes. Only, if they lose, they’d only raise my rates again.
That six million dollar loss represents less than one-tenth of one percent of Cablevision 2005 total revenue. I really don’t think the lawsuit has anything ot do with your rate increase. Instead, I propose that the reasons behind the rate increase are twofold:
I doubt you need to file a lawsuit. Just call the state board of public utilities in your state and tell them that you want to be heard the next time Cablevision applies for a rate increase. They will probably explain what you need to do.
Although I doubt that Cablevision will be allowed to charge the judgment against their customers. I doubt that they would even ask for it, since it would only lead to bad publicity.
Actually, Biggirl, Cablevision wants to bring to basic cable that bastion of year-round programming, The NFL Network. Because, you know, 22 weeks of live football aren’t enough. Instead, we need those 6 or 8 NFL Network exclusive games, and 24 hours/day of alternate NFL programming.
Lookout SNY and ESPNews, the NFL Network is coming.
Actually, Time Warner and Cablevision are actively fighting the NFL Network. NFL Network wants to be in the basic package, when these two cable companies want to relegate it to expanded and/or sports packages. On this one issue, I side with the the cable companies
I am guessing that all rate increases must be approved by the Public Utilities Commission and I am also betting that the settlement is not included in their rate base.
Well, of course they’re not saying the increase is because of the lawsuit. The Dolans aren’t stupid. They’re greedy, vile, manipulative, self-serving sons-of-bitches but not stupid.
I have no great love for the semi-monopolies of cable, telephone, power, etc. however…
Where the fuck do you think ANY judgement comes from? Do you REALLY think that the companies will lower salaries, or that they have some Scrooge McDuck vault of cash? Whenever someone thinks that a class-action lawsuit will stick-it-to-the-man, I remind them that the cost will be put into the price people pay for the product.
You want to sue the drug companies? The price of drugs will go up.
You want the grocery store workers to make more? The price of groceries will go up.
Now, if it is a fully competitive marketplace, and you only sue one company, AND the competition is ONLY based on price, THEN it will be difficult for the sued firm to recover their costs in a price increase.
The cable example, however, is a No-Shit-Sherlock-Situation (NSSS). they need to find a few million, they can:
A) Raise Prices
B) Cut Services
C) Take it out of their own pocket.
You could always do what I did and switch to satellite when you have had enough. It’s really not that great of an imrovement but it helps my mental stability to think of how I am sticking it to the man. Well Time Warner anyway.
A customer who cost more to serve than they contribute in revenues is not a customer, they are liabilities. Every businesses greatest dream is that such people go to the competition.
Boards and upper management of huge companies only represent a tiny fraction of “business people”. Normal business people are too busy trying to convince people not to tolerate bullshit poor service for 10% less cost than a higher quality provider.
There was a big article in the Times about the NFL Network, which is almost $1 a subscriber (not to it - all subscribers.) Cable companies don’t want to raise their rates because NFL is overpriced, so are refusing. And the NFL morons are now trying to get the FCC to force the cable companies to take it. So, I agree - in this case I’m with cable.
