Question for Vacation Home Owners

[JPTracker]

I have a question regarding phone, internet & cable charges for vacation homes at ski resorts.

Jay is currently going through a transition with the new ownership & new hotels they are building. I own a Slopeside condo at Jay and until recently Jay has always taken care of the phone, internet & cable for us. We have been paying $40 per month. Jay's contract with Comcast is currently up and we are seeing our rates increase from $40 to $95 per month.

My questions for other owners are:

What resort are you located at?
What is your monthly fee for phone, internet & cable?
Who controls the contracts, the owners, the associations or the resort?

Many of fell that this increase is unreasonably when these units are only occupied for 30% of the time and we would like to know how it is handled at other resorts.

 

[thetrailboss]

Sounds like the problem is with Comcast. They are very expensive. If Jay doesn't help you, a call to the Vermont Public Service Board might.

 

[Vortex]

I am at Sunday River. Our cable is part of our association dues. My complex is not mangaged by the mountain, but the assocaition pays the cable fee to the mountain. We have wireless internet in our common room. I am close enough that I get a weak signal in my unit. So I get free internet sort of.

Phone we are on our own. I do it seasonally. We all have cell phones we use for long distance. We like to have a land line in the winter to basically leave messages or get them from friends. Phone fee is $11 when not in use. $19 per month when I use it. I have no long distance or any thing special. I use a phone card or my cell for anything beyond the local exchanges.

Getting Sat tv or other options may be an issue due to condo rules, ie allowed alterrations. If you can get a DSL line, get a magic Jack you will have phone and internet. You can sling box it to your house and piggy back it off your home cable system.

$90 is a bit high, but phone is usually low $20 dollar range for basic servie. DSl around 40 So you are in the 60 range and cable... Sounds like its in line, but still many dollars.

 

[hammer]

Getting Sat tv or other options may be an issue due to condo rules, ie allowed alterations.

Just wondering on this point...I thought that condo associations could not legally prevent people from installing satellite dishes...

 

[Vortex]

We do not allow a Sat dish at my nh one without written approval. Ie Condo's are supposed to have a pleasing apprearance We do allow them of the roof, but it needs to have multi access if people want to buy in and it still has to be aprroved. Our units were put up pre cable and pre Sat. That is all part of our bylaws registered with the state.. Only one bld in our complex has a dish on it.

 

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

can you opt out of the services, or does the condo association rules require you to subscribe for these services?

 

[JPTracker]

can you opt out of the services, or does the condo association rules require you to subscribe for these services?

If you are in the rental pool you are required to have them otherwise you can opt out.

 

[Geoff]

My cable feed is bundled in with my condo fee. If I want a digital set-top box, those are $4.00/month each. If I want add-on programming, that is much more. I'm on my own for phone & internet. VTel at Killington is fairly inexpensive though I unplugged years ago since I don't rent my place. Around $20.00/month. If you're a seasonal internet customer with Comcast, you can get service for $33/month after taxes and cable modem rental. After 6 months, it goes up $15.00 but most seasonal people would turn in the cable modem and set-top boxes in May.

 

[Glenn]

I'm amazed at the cost of cable. I priced out cable and interweb at our VT place. I want to say it was about $80 a month. I can't justify that for a weekend house.

 

[RENO]

We own a condo at Killington. Our cable is part of the condo fees also. About $20 a month for cable. Just added WIFI recently for $5 month also. We're on our own for the phone, but we don't rent so we cancelled it and just use our cellphones.
Never heard of the resort controlling these things? Usually the condo association and you at least should have a say in the decision... Good luck JP!

 

[JasonE]

We do not allow a Sat dish at my nh one without written approval. Ie Condo's are supposed to have a pleasing apprearance We do allow them of the roof, but it needs to have multi access if people want to buy in and it still has to be aprroved. Our units were put up pre cable and pre Sat. That is all part of our bylaws registered with the state.. Only one bld in our complex has a dish on it.

Be careful - federal law passed in the late 90's significantly restricts homeowners associations ability to limit satellite dishes and other antennas. If the owner or lessee of a condo or apartment can attach a satellite dish in such a way as to not damage the building and can do it in direct contact with their unit, you cannot legally stop them from doing so. For example, if a condo owner places a dish on a mount that sits on the exterior porch outside their unit, and the mount is held down with blocks or sandbags (so that there is no damage to the building), you cannot order them to remove it per federal law.

 

[Vortex]

Its in the bi laws. They were sent in in 1987. All sats in our area, to get reception have to go on the roof. We are in a valley. We don't have porches or balconies. The point that there are laws is relevant and point taken. We have town house type condo units. All exterior parts of the condo's are also considered common property. We only own the inside. I have never told anyone they can't have a dish anyway. I just want to know and make sure there is no damage.

 

[tcharron]

I have a question regarding phone, internet & cable charges for vacation homes at ski resorts.

Jay is currently going through a transition with the new ownership & new hotels they are building. I own a Slopeside condo at Jay and until recently Jay has always taken care of the phone, internet & cable for us. We have been paying $40 per month. Jay's contract with Comcast is currently up and we are seeing our rates increase from $40 to $95 per month.

Wow. 95$ for basic cable?

 

[ski220]

phone, internet & cable for us..

Wow. 95$ for basic cable?

Bundled service. Typical bundled pricing.

 

[tcharron]

Bundled service. Typical bundled pricing.

Well, that's different. :-D So just change to basic non-bundled price, and keep basic phone from someone else.

 

[JPTracker]

The $95 price is actually not Comcast but a price from Jay supplying everything. The price from Comcast was around $120. One of the problems Jay has is that when these units were built 20 years ago all the utilities were put underground and the phone and cable were buried without conduits and needs replacing. A second problem is that all the phone and cable is routed through the old hotel which is going to be demolished next summer. This is forcing them to replace everything this summer. The $95 includes a monthly maintenance fee to help pay for these upgrades.

If we want to stay in the rental pool we can't opt out but they are still open for suggestions on alternatives to there current plan.