One more reason Time Warner befuddles me

Three days ago I wrote this:

Oh, and at $109.95/month, it’s not even that great a deal. Last month, my combined Time Warner cable/internet and Verizon Voicewing service came to $118.18, including taxes and the extras like the HD DVR. I can guarantee those extra fees are going to total more than $9 when tacked onto this new package, so once again Time Warner – you lose. Should have made it $99.99 and the deal would have actually looked somewhat attractive.

Today, my cable bill arrived. Do you think the amount was the same? No! While my Time Warner bill last month was $88.34, this month it was $101.99! So I pulled out April’s bill… $115.94. March? $86.94. No two months are ever the same!

Ok, so what happened? Here’s the breakdown.

March
Digital Cable: $39.95 (special rate for 12 months)
RoadRunner: $26.95 (special rate for 6 months)
Cinemax: Free for 6 months
Total: $86.94 (including DVR, cable modem, taxes, fees, etc.)

April
Digital Cable: $39.95 (special rate for 12 months)
RoadRunner: $41.95 (Oh no! Special rate go away!)
Cinemax: $12.95 (even though I cancelled it so I wouldn’t start getting charged, it still shows up on my bill this month)
Total: $115.54 (including DVR, cable modem, taxes, fees, etc.)

May
Digital Cable: $39.95 (special rate for 12 months)
RoadRunner: $41.95
Cinemax: -$12.95 (refunded charge from April)
Total: $88.34 (including DVR, cable modem, taxes, fees, etc.)

June
Digital Cable: $39.95 (special rate for 12 months)
RoadRunner: $41.95
Cinemax: Gone
Total: $101.99 (including DVR, cable modem, taxes, fees, etc.)

So now, the $109.95 starts to look more attractive. In another 5 months, presumably my cable bill will go up too. The “Surf and View” plan is $89.95/mo which is $8.05 more than what I’m paying now for the special rate combined package (before addons, taxes, and fees).

So, if I upgrade to “All the Best” I’m guaranteeing that for 2 years my home phone service will cost an additional $20/mo. The normally priced “All the Best” package is $119.95/mo, putting the Home Phone pricing on par with the $30/mo I’m paying now for Verizon Voicewing, which I have to believe has about the worst customer service I’ve ever dealt with.

I don’t normally like getting locked into a multi-year contract, but the prospects of getting another internet provider out here (I’m looking at you, FIOS) in the next two years is highly unlikely. For the cost savings, it might be worth it. Thoughts?