Hathway needs Cable Connection to give Internet?

[IsildursHeir]

Apologies if duplicate, i did not find a thread which discusses this.
So I wanted a new internet connection in Goregaon East and I applied for Hathway. They Initially they took the form and cheque, and promised to do the installation. However, later they called back and said they cannot install broadband since "I don't subscribe to a cable connection from them". They did, however, promise to refund the money.
This sounds like an extortion scheme to me. As a customer, I should be having a choice to subscribe to internet without subscribing to cable connection (Yes, I know I am in India, but still....). I am not sure if such extortion is even legal?? Just wanted the advice of this forum on if I can do anything (more than angry tweets) to get these horrible guys to do something, or do we just have to take this lying down???
It's now 2 weeks I am trying to get a broadband connection in Goregaon. Can't believe I live in India's biggest metro....

 

[AmitT]

[font="'times new roman'"][color=rgb(51,51,51);]IsildursHeir, that is not true. I don't subscribe to Hathway cable service but only get internet from them. I have Tata Sky on my television sets.[/color][/font]

 

[IsildursHeir]

Thanks for responding. I thought as much. Issue is, if the official representative makes this demand, one has no options. Do you know if I can write to anyone reporting this? I already wrote to TRAI, but I am pretty sure they have not dusted their computers in a while ...

 

[AmitT]

I think the Hathway rep may be misinformed. Call up their callcentre and check. As a backup, if cost isn't much of an issue, I have a suggestion. Subscribe to cable TV for a month and then have it disconnected.

 

[skyrocker]

Hello guys i stay at Malad east and thinking of going for hathway.i have cable connection from hathway.and i would like to go for speedway 512kbps plan.which offers 512kbps from 9 am to 12am and 2.5mbps from 12am to 9am.my concern is as i stay on rent will still they provide net connection and what is the average time of verification and setting up of connection.thanks in advance.

 

[AmitT]

If you have an existing cable connection, they don't need you to provide any additional verification as you already have been verified by Hathway. The only exception is if the cable connection is in the name of your landlord then you might have to take the landlord's consent to get the connection. Pretty straightforward in my view. Check with Hathway.

 

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[chocos]

I have Videocon D2H and a Hathway internet connection.
Initially upon disconnecting my cable, my cable operator told me Hathway might disconnect my Internet if I dont subscribe to their cable services. To which I replied that it is illegal for them to do that.
I then spoke to the Hathway engineer another day and asked him about this, and he said you cable operator has a monopoly to serve this complex with Hathway. It is he who might disconnect your services, because he owns the cabling from the street to the terrace.
This was 10 months ago, my internet is still working, despite the threat of disconnection from both ends.
If my cable operator does disconnect me, I plan to take him to court and get the TRAI involved, because these petty cable monopolies are illegal.

 

[AmitT]

Chocos, you are right about this being a cable operator problem. I know shetha had a similar problem but I don't know if the cable operator finally relented. The deal is that Hathway has to share some part of the revenue with the cable operator for the last mile and often they can't agree on what that amount should be.