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FED UP WITH OPENBAND...

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Below is a copy of an email I sent to Kelly Mattingly who is the customer support supervisor... I feel like OPENBAND's latest "UPGRADE" basically is holding us hostage to pay for a service that was included in our fees. We need to get the whole community involved to get openband to changed their new policy or to get them out of here completely. Also, I haven't heard much from our Board here in Lansdowne on this situation and would love for them to chime in. Everyone who reads this should send an email to Ms. Mattingly Kelly.Mattingly@MCDEAN.COM and show their own frustration.

Dear Ms. Mattingly,

I am responding to your recent email to Mr. Lewis regarding this new "upgrade" to our service that basically holds us hostage on getting your device in order to view channels that we previously got for FREE. It may seem like a small $1.99 fee for every DTA device you have over 2 in your house, but for some of us who live in homes where we may have 6+ outlets, that adds up to a significant amount over the year and definitely longterm, ESPECIALLY, since the whole FREE internet, basic cable and phone was a selling point to be in this community and what OPENBAND boasted here. I honestly think this is a scam and a "backdoor" way for your company to make money on what was previously contracted as FREE. This is just another reason that most homeowners here in lansdowne are fed up with open band and are demanding a change. I would not be surprised to hear that their will be an "UPGRADE" to our internet and phone as well and have to pay a fee for that FREE service. We should have had a vote in the community or meeting to discuss this, rather than a notice basically saying tough luck this will happen. It is poor business practice and you have definitely took a huge step closer to the edge of commiting "contract suicide" here in the lansdowne community. You need to reconsider this policy and have it changed.

ANOTHER DISGRUNTLED OPENBAND HOSTAGE>

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Permalink Reply by johnf on February 28, 2011 at 3:39pm

Mike,

I share your frustrations. I also recommend you email the board.

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Permalink Reply by Mike on February 28, 2011 at 8:00pm

Gonna try to attend this weeks meeting... hopefully they have answers.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Saraceno on March 6, 2011 at 9:14am

Good letter Mike, can you write a similar letter to those who control oil/gasoline prices?

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Permalink Reply by Mike on March 6, 2011 at 3:23pm

If I knew who to write to... I would

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Permalink Reply by Erika Hodell-Cotti on March 7, 2011 at 2:52pm

The Loudoun County Cable/OVS will be meeting on March 9, 2011to vote approval/deny OpenBand's franchise.

The meeting will take place at 7PM @ Loudoun County Governement Building - 1st Floor Conference Room (adjacent to the BoS Board Room). Details can be view on the Broadlands Forum (see link below);

http://www.broadlandshoa.org/hoaforum/showthread.php?t=23278

The Commission & the BoS would benefit from input of current OpenBand customers. I would encourage you and others from LOTP to attend. The SW HOA does not support any (conditional) franchise.

Best,

Erika Cotti

President, Southernwalk HOA

Dulles District Commissioner

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Permalink Reply by Raj on March 8, 2011 at 9:16am

Mike,

Great letter. We just bought a house in Lansdowne and can't believe these types of exclusivity agreements still happen! I sent Kelly M. a couple of emails already. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to support the removal of Openband.

Raj

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Permalink Reply by Mike on March 8, 2011 at 1:08pm

I think the best thing would be to try and attend the meeting that Erika (above) was talking about....

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Permalink Reply by Manny on March 10, 2011 at 11:44am

I just sent an email complaining about this so call upgrade and the associated costs to the homeowners. I am astonished that the Board did not take a more active role in this matter. These boxes are horrid - the remotes are slow and in at least one of my TVs not very compatible. This new upgrade has made 3 very serviceable TVs in my home essentially useless unless I agree to rent these devices. I also need to add a second remote to the two TVs that are using the adapters.

Finally, before this issue I was not paying attention to the quality of services that we were getting for the price - I was annoyed by the lack of flexibility when it game to sport broadcasting but not enough to really care. Now I am interested in OpenBand issues and the value added to our association with this cable provider - a point that I made clear in my email to Ms. Mattingly!

Thank you for raising this issue!

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Permalink Reply by Ed Kummel on March 10, 2011 at 6:29pm

Honestly, I can't agree with this letter....From what I remember, OpenBand doesn't offer *ANYTHING* for free...If you were pulling down channels on a TV that you were not paying a converter box for, then this was just a byproduct of the existing OpenBand service of sending a signal to your house that you are paying for. Also, if your additional TVs are digital ready, then you don't need the converter boxes. Please see this page for details:

http://openband.net/help/video.html#dta0

Honestly...I believe if you want more, then you should pay more...simple as that! If you want OpenBand to supply you with as many DTAs as you want for free, OpenBand will need to make up the cost by raising the rates for everybody, and really, I don't want to pay for your extra boxes...pay for what you use! This is what is called "Basic". Anything beyond basic, you have to pay for!

As for switching providers...I guess none of you have ever used Verizon, CableVision or ComCast, have you? If you want to experience outages, delays in replying to tickets and poor off-shore phone service, then yeah...any of the above is what you want. Look, I want a static IP for my internet connection...so I pay extra for it...I have a DVR, so I pay extra for it...I don't expect to get these things covered in my basic cost...These are things I want above and beyond the basics....therefore I have to pay for it! I don't have long distance on my phone, so I don't pay for it...simple as that! Now, if *YOU* want to pay for my long distance, then great! But I wouldn't ask that every citizen of Lansdowne pay for me to have long distance...this would just be rude!

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Permalink Reply by Anne Denzin on March 12, 2011 at 9:37am

Wow Ed!

We are supposed to get basic cable with the HOA dues that we pay, but now we have to pay $1.99/month for each tv over their quota of two for basic cable. I really think that CNN, The weather channel and Nick are part of basic cable.

I have a digital tv, and it needs a converter box.

But I love the comments by a former OpenBand employee on this LTM article:

http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/cable_commission...

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Permalink Reply by Mike on March 12, 2011 at 1:08pm

Ed,

I don't know if you were just born angry or you just had a bad day.... but you are missing the point. COMPLETELY.

NO ONE is asking for openband to pay for anything extra, you clearly are adding more to this. What myself and everyone one else I have spoken to have an issue with is the fact that we already PAY... again let me state this WE ALREADY PAY... in our HOA dues for BASIC cable, phone and internet. I think maybe you can agree to this... maybe. So in this BASIC things we already PAY for are the channels we have been used to getting. NOW openband is saying in order to continue these BASIC channels we already had... we need to get boxes and any more then two will cost $1.99/ month. SO, hopefully you are following and understand that we are expected to pay and ADDITIONAL $1.99/month for a service we are ALREADY paying for.... you see that? We were sold on the premise that these BASIC channels were included when we purchased here. Now they are saying it's different....I understand that if we want MORE channels or a DVR... then we must pay... b/c I already do. I have an HD/DVR I PAY FOR and 2 additional BOXES.... so I am not complaining or asking openband to pay for this personal upgrade. I am saying, as is most other people besides you, that we should not have to pay an additional fee for something that is supposed to be included in our HOA payments already. FOLLOW? And as for paying for additional boxes and it costing openband... Belmont has the same situation but comcast is giving away all the boxes a home desires.... GIVING THEM AWAY.... at no cost or no increase in price of service. I think maybe you should try to understand things a little better before you slam people for there concerns.