Josh Elledge - Chief Executive Angel
If Comcast’s sky-high prices don’t outrage you enough, their horrible customer service should. But this news should smooth things over!… according to Comcast’s Executive VP, David Cohen, top officials of the company are, “deeply disappointed” in their customer service track record. And, although it may take a few years, they are aiming to one day be able to “honestly say that a great customer experience is something we’re known for”.
Admittedly, I could barely write that without laughing out loud. Although it may take a few years?? Comcast has been around for decades – and they’ve never truly cared about their customers. They own the marketplace in countless areas – and they know it. Comcast is actually known best for two things: high prices and horrible customer service. Among other difficulties, customers have suffered through numerous unannounced price hikes; been labeled with curse words on their bills; and have been forced to verbally run the gauntlet when trying to cancel… even to the point where some have reported having customer service reps flat out refuse to cancel their service.
I personally got fed up with Comcast years ago. I wasn’t waiting around for them to improve their customer service back then, and I certainly wouldn’t now either. Even more so, I wasn’t holding my breath that prices would ever drop back into a reasonable range. Which, by the way, is not something that Comcast says they are aiming to improve, only their “customer experience”.
So years ago I began my search for a reasonably priced television service that would give my family the shows we like most…
I tried a few of the alternatives, starting with Dish Network, which was fine… at first. Then, even though I’d been told it would remain the same low rate for the full two year contract, it didn’t. The bill increased a little after the first 6 months… and then in the second year, the price jumped to just a few dollars shy of double what I’d been paying. And they flat out refused to do anything about the price increase, regardless of what I’d been promised. Turns out, they have no responsibility nor liability to uphold what their “authorized sellers” say. To be fair, in the years since, I’ve noticed Dish has been more upfront about the price increase once an introductory offer expires. However, they don’t disclose how high the price will go. And you’re agreeing to pay for another full year at whatever that amount happens to be, so buyer beware!
Next I decided we weren’t taking on any new television services – or their price craziness, so I tried the typical cord-cutter’s top 3: Netflix (which, I have to say, we love), Hulu Plus, and Amazon. We didn’t care much for the latter two. They didn’t seem to have things we wanted to watch, so they were cut again pretty quickly. Netflix we kept. And, for a long time, that’s all we had.
From time to time, I’d look into other possibilities, such as Roku or Apple TV, but they didn’t seem to fit what we wanted. Although there was supposed to be a lot of free content, you still needed subscriptions to various services and channels, and that added up. Plus, by then we’d learned how to find some free content on the internet with our laptops. But our home entertainment situation still wasn’t ideal. We found we were renting movies often, sometimes shows disappeared before we had a chance to watch them, finding older content was spotty, and, at times, we ran really low on decent Netflix content we hadn’t already watched. So I never stopped looking for a real solution.
Then, one day, it happened…
I went to a “women’s expo day” my church hosted, and there, humbly set up in the corner was… the Shatterbox. When I saw it, I thought I heard angelic choirs sing. Okay… it wasn’t that dramatic. But it was pretty surreal. What I’d been looking for all these years was sitting there, hooked up and working, waiting for me to discover.
What is Shatterbox? The sellers and geniuses behind Shatterbox own Northside Computers in North Muskegon, Michigan. Simply put, Shatterbox is a small device, about the size of a paperback book, that allows you to stream free content on your television. And it’s optimized for what it does. Almost any free show or movie anywhere in cyberspace can be found. Of course, Shatterbox isn’t the first box like this, but it’s a step above other similar devices. You choose the show you’re interested in, and it looks for stream feeds for that show. No endless searching or paying to belong to individual content sites.
Now for the questions I asked – and you’re probably thinking…
Is there a high monthly price? Nope, in fact, there isn’t a monthly price at all. Shatterbox is a one-time purchase. You buy the box, and that’s it. No monthly fees, no contracts, nothing.
Is it just all obscure shows no one’s ever heard of or wants to watch? Nope. Because Shatterbox taps into the sources that are already out there cataloguing free content, there are literally thousands of popular shows and movies, including current ones, live tv, sports, news, kids’ programming, and on-demand older shows and movies. I really enjoy the nostalgia of re-discovering old favorites and introducing my son to them. Of course, not every show, event or movie is included – but if it’s out there, Shatterbox is designed to find it.
Is it easy to use? As with any new technology, there is a small learning curve in getting used to controlling the box and 
finding what you want. But it’s not hard. And discovering all the great things Shatterbox will do is fun. I like that I can pause, rewind and fast-forward shows. I can also access the internet, listen to music, check the weather, view/use any personal apps (like Netflix or Pandora), and more. I’m geeked that I can stream both a national radio station and a non-network inspirational show I love, right through my television, instead of having to use my laptop. Plus, due to its small size and minimum cords, it’s highly portable. Move it from room to room, take it on vacation, loan it to a friend… well, maybe not that last one… you’ll probably fall in love with it and have a hard time sharing.
What about local channels? Local channels are a bit trickier. There are ways to get them – or you can watch the available feeds for national stations (like CBS, NBC, ABC). The Shatterbox will run the internet, so if your favorite local station streams their broadcasts, you could possibly watch that way. Talk to the good folks at Northside Computers for options that could work for you if local channels are a must-have.
What about support? The support Northside Computers provides for Shatterbox is top notch. They are available to answer questions, walk you through learning how to use your box, trouble-shoot, and even repair your box if needed – all no additional cost. Plus, they are constantly updating the software that Shatterbox employs, and when you turn on your box, it’s designed to automatically run those updates and improvements.
What about content control? Is it safe for kids? With Shatterbox you can find thousands of hours of age-appropriate content and even set parental controls. However, like any internet-connected device, I still recommend keeping an eye on when kids are searching and watching. Northside Computers will guide you through setting up parental controls that are right for you family.
How is it different from other streaming devices? Unlike many of the devices out there, Shatterbox will run your favorite apps, but you don't necessarily need them. It finds so many free streams of popular shows and movies that you can avoid paying for additional apps and subscriptions.
This all sounds great, but is this even legal? Yes. Shatterbox is totally legal. The difference between legal and illegal is that you are streaming content, not downloading it. When you stream content, you are not holding onto it. You are using it in the way intended, consuming personally, and it is “leaving” again. Downloading, on the other hand, is when content is kept on your local device, which is illegal since you can then alter it, redistribute it, profit from it, etc. The Shatterbox just streams content, which is the ultra-important difference, legally-speaking.
Bottom line… What’s it cost? The Shatterbox is currently selling for $250 for your first box, and $200 for any additional boxes. And that’s it. No monthly fees. No fees for help or service. No contracts of any kind. You may want to consider one per television, as the boxes hook up directly, but you can move a single box easily as well. To order one of your own, CLICK HERE.
If the ability to CUT THE CORD is what you want, consider this little box – and SHATTER IT!
One last note… You do need solid internet connectivity. Because the box streams content, if your internet is spotty, weak, or extremely slow – Shatterbox probably won’t work for you. I’d hate for you to buy and try, and be disappointed. But, if you already can do things online like watch videos or play games – your internet should be fine.
Disclosure: This article was personally written by me (Rachel Underhill) and has been contributed to SavingsAngel.com as “special content” specifically for our friends and fans. The content in this article is my personal experience and opinions regarding various companies and devices. It in no way reflects SavingsAngel.com’s corporate position about any particular company or device. I have an affiliation with Northside Computers and Shatterbox for which I receive special consideration and compensation for assisting with promotion. That said, I really do love my Shatterbox and would not promote it if I didn’t believe it’s a great product and a good fit for cost-conscious families like mine.
