Consumer Alert: Several Rate Hikes Set To Hit Spectrum TV & Internet Customers In New York
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – If you're a Charter Spectrum customer in New York, that's not a typo on your cable bill, you've been hit with the company's latest rate hike.
Spectrum, which services over two million customers in the Empire State, has announced that the price of television and internet packages are both rising this month – likely costing many New Yorkers at least $8 more a month.
Customers in New York are already fuming over the added charged expected to arrive in the company's next bill.
I understand that increases are frustrating. We recognize that you want the best price and we work hard to ensure that we only adjust our pricing when it's necessary, based on the cost of increased programming costs. If you need any assistance, please reach out at any time. -STS
— Ask Spectrum (@Ask_Spectrum) October 2, 2019
Spectrum has three tiers of cable packages – Select, Silver, and Gold – each coming with a different selection of television channels.
The cable company is hiking the price of each package by $7.50.
For the least expensive pack, Spectrum's Select service, that's an increase of over 11 percent for sticker-shocked customers.
The surcharge just to get broadcast TV stations – like CBS – is being raised too. Spectrum will now charge $13.50 for your local channels, a hike of $1.51 each month.
Anyone renting a cable box will have to cough up an extra 49 cents for each receiver in your home.
The charges don't end there…
Spectrum customer who only use the company's internet will be charged $4 more monthly. Standard internet will now cost $69.99.
A Spectrum spokesperson argued that this is the first price increase since 2016 and the added pain in your wallet "reflects the rising cost of cable programming over the past three years."