Cable theft?

Question

My husband and I do not purchase tv services from anyone; although our townhouse was all set up for it when we bought it.
Lo and behold we plugged a tv in & we have service.
It's very basic, and does not even have a channel guide...only about 20 channels. We rarely watch tv anyway; can we get in trouble by watching?
What if I do want service? Will they find out that I have had it all along and report us to someone? Yikes.

Answer 1

that's not cable theft. that's your cable company's fault for not disconnecting the last customer's cable. however, if you do order cable through them they'll find out about the service still being there. if they finally do catch on, you should order cable then and not offer information about it being there previously. if they do ask if you had cable through them, say, "no, otherwise i wouldn't be calling you." lol. if they try to get into how long you've lived there and why the cable is on now, tell them you don't know anything about that and that you're just trying to get service through them.



who cares? cable company's are charging an arm and a leg, especially comcast.

Answer 2

check with your property management - you may be receiving cable that they purchase in bulk for the units and the cost would be included in your rent.



There really isn't any way for the cable company to realize that you're watching the service, especially if it's the analog signal (i.e. you don't use a receiver but plug the coax from the wall to the TV directly). If it is the analog signal, though, this service will only last until Feb. 2009 as all cable and satellite broadcasts will then be digital and need receivers to decrypt the signal. The cable company can, however, stop the service at will if it's not subscribed to, so it could be here today and gone tomorrow.



If this is a service included with your rent and you want more channels ask your property management how to go about it. Oftentimes you may need to call the cable company directly to order a box, but some managers have boxes that they will give you for your unit.



If it isn't a service your management provides and you want more channels, call the cable company directly and ask them about it. They can explain to you the cost of setting up the service and, if you decide to go ahead with it, send you receivers to get their full programming.



ETA: Nini, are you aware that one of the many reasons that cable and satellite prices are so high is because there are a lot of people committing what's called signal fraud (i.e. theft of services)? Part of it is to compensate for the loss in payments that a thief would otherwise have to pay, part of it is that companies are forced to constantly come up with new technologies to prevent such theft. If you're stealing cable, you're part of the problem you complain about.



Kristina, I don't mean you when I say that, just so you know. You happened to come across this problem and it's likely that it was an error on the part of the cable company. If they ask about the services, be honest - tell them that you plugged your tv to the cable outlet and saw that you had service (you don't have to tell them how long you've been watching, though, if it's been a while). Companies would rather sign you up as a customer at this point rather than prosecute (they're not out for blood like people make them seem), so you don't have anything to worry about.

Answer 3

Quote: Laura

"ETA: Nini, are you aware that one of the many reasons that cable and satellite prices are so high is because there are a lot of people committing what's called signal fraud (i.e. theft of services)? Part of it is to compensate for the loss in payments that a thief would otherwise have to pay, part of it is that companies are forced to constantly come up with new technologies to prevent such theft. If you're stealing cable, you're part of the problem you complain about."



Laura, your logic is flawed. When someone walks into a record shop and steals a CD the shop has taken a loss, they paid for a physical product and recived nothing in return for it. To compensate for this higher prices must be charged for other products.

Applying this logic to a scenario where the product is an electronic or digital signal doesn't make sense, when someone plugs in their cable illegally no monetary loss occurs. The cable company is broadcasting that signal regardless, the wires are running to your house regardless, the programming is being produced regardless. And your argument that cable companies must constantly spend money on new technology to fight theives is absurd... what technology?

No Laura, the reason you pay through the nose for cable is because cable companies practice something called price gouging, this is the act of charging more than is necessary for a product or service. Oddly enough this practice is often instituted by companies that hold a monopoly position in their respective market.

Regardless of my stance on the issue, your reasoning doesn't flow.





RJ

Answer 4

Basic service is normally the major over the air channels in your neighborhood. The cable service might just be a line shared with someone else who is paying for premium service that requires a cable box. So the Cable company will not be checking for thief of service.

If you have a new tv, 1 year old or less, with a Quam tuner you will pick up tons of more channels. My new TV picks up over a hundred more channels than the old TV.

Answer 5

Comcast would be your option, if they aren't interested as the victim of the theft you don't have a ton of options...I would just drop it at this point, cause you don't want your neighbors finding out, could get ugly.. You did your good deed, but if comcast isn't interested in it, there isn't much you can really do..

Answer 6

no you have regular cable its free i think