This is kinda long, but chock full of information you NEED if you are a cable customer at Centennial Ridge.

I don't know if you have recently seen the "DirecTV coming May 15th" signs. I largely ignored them because I am a cable person. Boy, I am glad I re-read that flyer they put on my door.

Here is some NEED TO KNOW information for cable people like me that conveniently got left off the scant information they DID give us:

1) On May 15th you will no longer receive MediaWorks Cable. If you have not PROACTIVELY called DirecTV to sign up for new service, you will spend the evening looking for your rabbit ears.

2) Just because the management has severed their contract with MediaWorks, does not mean you are officially cancelled with them. You are REQUIRED to call MediaWorks and cancel your individual account. Otherwise, they CAN continue to charge you even if you don't receive service anymore.

3) Cable is one of those bills that you pay ahead of time. (i.e. the payment due on May 1 is for the whole month of May's service). Therefore, most of us have already paid thru May 30th even though we will only have service until May 15th. You have to PROACTIVELY call MediaWorks to arrange for a refund for those 15 extra days. You can do that in the same call as the cancellation.

*****THE MANAGEMENT HAS NOT HANDLED THIS FOR YOU. YOU HAVE TO DO ALL THIS FOOTWORK YOURSELF******

4) Here is how the DirecTV will work: Centennial Ridge has banned all TV dishes. Therefore, they will install one or more satellites and then each apartment will get a line that runs from that. It is NOT a cable line and cannot be used as such. However, every time the weather is bad... you WILL lose your signal... as will everyone else in your complex

5) Currently, DirecTV is waiving their hook up fee. Although those with bad credit will have to pay a $50 deposit. However, you will be REQUIRED TO SIGN A ONE YEAR CONTRACT with them. If your lease is up in less than one year, you will have to take the DirecTV with you. Much like a gym membership, they will only break the contract if you are blocked from having DirecTV at your next place. But who doesn't allow DirecTV? Also, when you move they will give you a dish for free if you need one in your new place (you will not have one here at "The Ridge"). This is called their “Mover’s Connect Plan”. There are some stipulations, so be sure to get more info on this when you call… especially if your lease at the Ridge is less than one year.

6) Since DirecTV is a dish service, there will no longer be a cable internet possibility within the walls of Centennial Ridge.

7) You will have to PROACTIVELY call either BellSouth or EarthLink to get set up with DSL.

8) Currently, neither BellSouth nor EarthLink is offering deals for those of us from Centennial Ridge. You will be required to pay all hook up, access and up front fees.

9) The only internet service you can get is DSL (or dial up).

10) DSL will require a phone line. If you are a strictly cellular person with no landline, you will have to get one put in before you can have/get DSL. With BellSouth, there is a charge for this hook up (which is separate from the DSL hook up fee)

11) Currently BellSouth has a mail-in rebate deal to get the DSL modem free. But you have to front the money and wait for your rebate. Otherwise you also have to pay for the modem on top of the hook up fees. I don't think they require a contract though.

12) You will need to clear a day off work for these guys to come do their hook ups. Both BellSouth and DirecTV only have slots from 8am - 12pm and 12pm - 4pm.

13) Currently DirecTV is offering Centennial Ridge only three weekend days to do this on. Those are Fri, Sat and Sun May 18, 19 and 20. Those slots are filling fast though. Otherwise they only offer Tues, Wed and Thurs spots.

14) DirecTV plans: are available on their website at www.directv.com (note the single "t"). Supposedly the Ridge management office has a coupon to take $10 every month. But some people say they don't. You can get this coupon online too.

15) DirecTV plans are for one TV only. Any extra TV's you want service on will cost you an additional $4.99 per month (over and above the plan price).

16) I spoke to Clark Howard himself directly on his show about this. This is the gist of what he said:
They CANNOT legally lock us into DirecTV. We have the right to go to another dish provider. However, it IS their right to ban us from having dishes... which kinds of counts Dish Network or any other service out. You can petition the management... but I am sure you can imagine how that will go over. It is also their right to ban all normal cable outlets from coming in to go over the lines that MediaWorks once used.
Specifically he said “it’s their land so it’s their prerogative on what happens there. That’s the price of renting.” (Same goes for the BS with the gas company... you do know that most other gas companies charge far less than GNG which we are locked into)

17) It is also their right to make this change with little or no notice. Since there is no law that says they have to provide us with any service.

18) I am a TiVo user. I had bought some expensive routers to make my TiVo work via my cable internet connection. That is now useless to me. My TiVo will not work unless I get a phone line. I, personally, have about 2.5 months left on my lease. I am not paying incredible hook up fees and signing contracts for such a short time.... so I am screwed and just have to do the rabbit ear thing until I can get out of this POS place.

I guess I will be seeing all of you at the pool a lot more often then.

Sorry this was so long, but none of this info was on that sheet they sent out and I thought it was valuable info to properly navigate the latest in the ways the Ridge can screw us.

I just do not understand… do they not want any of us to live here?