Adventures with Charter Cable Burbank, Bastard Stepchild Division

Why is Charter Burbank the Bastard Stepchild Division? Well, some may like the service nationwide, but we are basically the asshole of the nation when it comes to their service. We pay the same rates, or higher, as everyone else in the country. Unfortunately, we get only 1/2 of the HD channels as listed on the Charter Communications nationwide website as supposedly being available on their system. Why? Our “head end” hasn’t been upgraded in years. Our cable boxes? Leftovers from everyone else -- nobody here has EVER received a brand new cable box or DVR. Charter is supposedly introducing Tivo service, but we are literally LAST on the list to receive them nationwide. Our service and performance history is the worst in the nation. Two miles away, in LA city proper, Time Warner provides the cable service -- for less price per month they get 40% more HD channels and the non-HD channels are 20% more English language. Their internet service is faster and has considerably higher reliability.

Of course, since it’s cable and we live in an apartment, we are SOL. Our apartment faces north. We have zero options for switching to satellite. Our local city council/Franchise Authority refuses to allow AT&T to install U-Verse or Verizon to install FIOS. So lucky us, we are stuck with a government mandated monopoly, for which the city council members are probably getting a kickback from Charter. Read the rest of this entry »