What’s the Deal?
Residents go one-on-one with Spectrum at recent Town Hall Meeting
STORY AND PHOTOS
BY STEPHEN VRATTOS
Towers on the Green was
packed the evening of
October 26. Every seat
was sat in and residents lined
the walls—even the bar area
was as fully congested as if it
were Happy Hour—all to meet
with Spectrum representatives
and get a better understanding
of the new proposed contract
recently introduced at the Open
Board Meeting in September.
Spectrum sales rep for North
Shore Towers, Robert Bianchi,
who helped negotiate the deal
with the NST Board of Directors
and Management, was joined at
the dais by Spectrum Account
Manager Tatiana Correa to answer
residents’ questions. But
first, General Manager Glen
Kotowski recounted the new
contract’s genesis.
BACKGROUND
For twenty years, North Shore
Towers had contracted with Time
Warner Cable to provide television
service to the co-op’s residents. The
current contract was in year two of
a 7-year deal and still had five years
remaining on it, when Charter
Communications purchased Time
Warner Cable and changed the
name to Spectrum, opening the
door for the NST contract to be
renegotiated.
Under the original deal, participating
residents received cable
TV, including its “Preferred TV”
package of channels, Showtime,
plus internet service with a band
width of 100 megabytes for $49.95
a month. The deal did not include
HBO, The Movie Channel or
phone service, which cost an additional
$29.95 a month, making for a
monthly cost of just under $80 plus
taxes and fees for all three services.
Spectrum’s initial salvo in the
There was some confusion
and misunderstanding, concerning
the new Spectrum
plan, due to rumors and misinformation
promulgated on certain
internet sites. Herewith are some
of the more prevalent questions and
the factual answers.
Question: How do I contact
Spectrum, if I have questions
concerning my account or need to
make an appointment for installation
or service?
Answer: Call the company’s 800
number: 855-243-8892
Q: Will Spectrum charge me for
installation or service calls?
A: No. All installation and service
charges are included, except
in those instances where the fault
is with the customer (For example,
the customer spills water on the
cable box).
Q: What if I never had DVR or
phone service with Spectrum?
A: Call Spectrum to schedule
installation or arrange a switch in
service—You’re now entitled to it
as part of the monthly rate.
Q: What about upgrades?
A: No. Cable box upgrades and
any other such upgrades are free.
Q: I get billed in the middle
of the month; will I be charged
double when the plan starts at the
beginning of the month, November
2017?
A: No. Your account will be
adjusted accordingly during the
transition and you will be credited,
if applicable.
Q: Will I be able to keep my
email address?
A: That depends. If your internet
address is proprietary, i.e. serviced
and charged through another company
such as Verizon, no. You will
have to get a new email address
with Spectrum or a free service,
such as GMAIL or AOL. The
advantages of moving over to the
latter type of service is that it’s free
and you will not have to change
it in the future, if the provider
for NST switches. In the case of
GMAIL, they have an easy way of
notifying everyone with your old
address of your new address.
Q: I don’t need all three services;
do I still have to pay the bulk rate?
A: Yes. This great package
is predicated on full participation
of the North Shore Towers
community.
Q: What kind of DVR service
is included; can I get “Whole
House” or enhanced DVR with
this package?
A: The DVR allows for a maximum
of 2 shows being recorded at
any given time. The “Whole House”
or enhanced DVR service, which
at one time was offered by Time
Warner Cable, but had already been
discontinued by the time Spectrum
purchased the company, is NOT
available with this bulk package.
HOWEVER, those residents who
already have the service are “grandfathered”
into the new deal and
can continue to receive it for an
additional fee.
Q: I’m a Snowbird; can I shut off
service while I’m away and have it
reinstated upon my return in the
spring?
A: No. Again, this advantageous
deal is predicated on full
CONTINUOUS participation of
the North Shore Towers community
Q: Can I use my Spectrum phone
number in Florida?
A: Yes.
Q: Will my Life Alert System
work with Spectrum?
A: It should. BUT double-check
NST General Manager Glen Kotowski recounts the backstory behind
the new Spectrum deal
Q & A
12 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ December 2017