Reality Sank In

So. I’ve done it. I’ve taken the bold step of killing my home phone…and with it went the Internet and cable.

I know. I know. There was a collective gasp in horror. Not for the death of a useless home number, but for the demise of cable and, gasp, the Internet. How will I live? Well, I didn’t even survive half a day.

Before the pixels on my computer screen were even cold, I was back negotiating with the cable company.

A few months ago, my cable bill jumped to $250 when my “deal” expired. I immediately called and negotiated another deal. At the time, I had intended to dump the phone and just have the web and cable. However, it was actually cheaper to have all three than just the two. The bill went down to around $140 and I gained HBO. That’s cable pricing for you.

For the past two weeks, my cable was intermittent at best and I’d lost the on-demand function and even my DVR stopped working. There was a storm so I gave them some time to figure things out. Then, even the cable listings went away so I called to schedule service. The earliest was 3 to 5 Sunday, four days away. While I hated to give up my Sunday afternoon to wait for the cable company, I agreed. And truth be told, I spent those two hours sitting on my roof with Jack and some friends. At 6 p.m., I called to ask why no one had shown. Despite having a message on my phone saying I was scheduled, I was told I’d never been scheduled. I played the message for her. Still no joy. I told her that if someone wasn’t there that evening, I would be calling to cancel the next day. No one came. I canceled.

They didn't give up easily. They asked to reschedule. I said no. I did, however, ask how much it would be to keep my Internet only. Nearly $60! No way. Cut the cords. Cut them all!

I told a couple of co-workers and, yes, there was shock and dismay at my rash action. I think I even sweat a little. Then, off to the gym I go, where I really sweat: equal parts from the treadmill and the realization that my Internet would really be gone. The phone, I never use. While I love having cable, I don’t actually watch it that much. Anything I want to watch I can find on the Internet and download. Wait! The Internet! I may need that. I couldn’t rely on the random unlocked account. I couldn’t rely on my iPhone. I had to get it back. Not just for Family Guy and True Blood. I need it for work. I need it to shop. I need it to find my way around.

So, it seems, that thing – the WWW – that was once a nice thing to have has become a necessity. And that thing – the home phone – that was once a necessity doesn’t even rate as a nice thing to have anymore. As for cable, I can take it or leave it and be none the worse for wear for either choice.

I’m not alone in cutting the cord. My friends recently cut the cable cord but still get free basic cable out of the wall and they don’t have a home phone. One of my sisters hasn’t had a home phone for years and says she doesn’t miss it. A co-worker cut her collective cord and within a few weeks went back to reconnect. It didn’t take me even that long. The headline here is the reaction of co-worker after I canceled the cancellation.

After chatting online with the cable company, the price was down to $40.  Then I called and my Internet is back on. This time, however, it’s only $31. I can live with that, for now.