--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Americans hate their cable companies…" description: "\"Americans hate their cable companies - for bumbling installers, on-again-off-again transmissions, peculiar channel selections, and indifferent customer..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/virginia-postrel-2867_able_americans-hate-their-cable-companies-for_1735525.jpg" --- # Americans hate their cable companies - for bumbling… ![“Americans hate their cable companies - for bumbling installers, on-again-off-again transmissions, peculiar channel selections, and indifferent customer service. The only thing cable subscribers hate more than the cable company is not being able to get what it delivers: multichannel selection and…” quote by Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/virginia-postrel-2867_able_americans-hate-their-cable-companies-for_1735525.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/virginia-postrel-2867_able_americans-hate-their-cable-companies-for_1735525.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/virginia-postrel-2867_able_americans-hate-their-cable-companies-for_1735525.jpg) > “Americans hate their cable companies - for bumbling installers, on-again-off-again transmissions, peculiar channel selections, and indifferent customer service. The only thing cable subscribers hate more than the cable company is not being able to get what it delivers: multichannel selection and good reception.” [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Consumers resent cable due to poor service, limited channel choices, and unreliable reception, leading to greater frustration than the provider itself. **In simple terms:** People dislike cable because of bad service and limited options. Key Takeaway Improve service quality and channel variety. Themes customer service technology media frustration Mood annoyed critical Type complaint observation When to use this quote - home entertainment - customer support - policy advocacy - technology upgrades Key Concepts consumer dissatisfaction service reliability media economics Questions to Reflect On - What would make you switch providers? - How can companies rebuild trust? A Different Perspective Even with better service, high costs may still deter users. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cable/) [Cable Companies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cable-companies-1470653/) [Cable Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cable-company-1470654/) [Cable Subscribers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cable-subscribers-1470656/) [Channel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/channel/) [Companies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companies/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Customer service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer-service/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hate Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate-cable-1470652/) [Indifferent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifferent/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Peculiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peculiar/) [Reception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reception/) [Selection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selection/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/) [Subscribers Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subscribers-hate-1470655/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Than](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/than/) [The only thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-only-thing/) [Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing/) ## Related quotes > [I just don't know that we're as filled with hate as cable news leads us to believe. It's hard to hate up close.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-c-pelosi/i-just-don-t-know-that-we-re-as-filled-with-hate-as-cable-news-leads/) [Alexandra C. Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-c-pelosi/) > [Cable companies aren't bad because they're parts of unwieldy media conglomerates. They're bad because they're monopolies (even where they are no longer legally exclusive)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/cable-companies-aren-t-bad-because-they-re-parts-of-unwieldy-media/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [“Florence peered out her living room window. What a dismal day. No sun, just sullen gray clouds like yesterday. And no sign of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/florence-peered-out-her-living-room-window-what-a-dismal-day-no-sun/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You have a most pressing offer from the cable company…It is a time sensitive offer, you know. I thought you would be grateful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-keire/you-have-a-most-pressing-offer-from-the-cable-company-it-is-a-time/) [Vicki Keire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-keire/) > [A father and two sons run Adelphia. It's a cable company. And they took from that company a billion dollars. A billion. Three people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/a-father-and-two-sons-run-adelphia-it-s-a-cable-company-and-they-took/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [In South Jersey, as in many places around the country, we only have one cable company to choose from so there is no competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-van-drew/in-south-jersey-as-in-many-places-around-the-country-we-only-have-one/) [Jeff Van Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-van-drew/) > [The legend of a cable company trying to break the Internet makes scary bedtime stories for children of telecom geeks, but it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-rielly/the-legend-of-a-cable-company-trying-to-break-the-internet-makes/) [Michael O'Rielly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-rielly/) > [You will never ever, in any circumstance, win any struggle at any time. That being said, we have a long way to go. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-waterman-mcchesney/you-will-never-ever-in-any-circumstance-win-any-struggle-at-any-time/) [Robert Waterman McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-waterman-mcchesney/) > [The issue for the major companies is how, is how when and where to make their content online. So you look at these major…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-e-sloan/the-issue-for-the-major-companies-is-how-is-how-when-and-where-to/) [Harry E. Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-e-sloan/) > [Evidence and economic theory suggests that control of the Internet by the phone and cable companies would lead to blocking of competing technologies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-ammori/evidence-and-economic-theory-suggests-that-control-of-the-internet-by/) [Marvin Ammori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-ammori/) > [“if you add up the cash on the balance sheets of Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and Netflix, it approaches $300 billion—enough to buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-vogelstein/if-you-add-up-the-cash-on-the-balance-sheets-of-apple-google-amazon/) [Fred Vogelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-vogelstein/) > [Disclosure of the full monthly costs that consumers pay is the first step to ensuring that cable companies stop taking advantage of consumers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-van-drew/disclosure-of-the-full-monthly-costs-that-consumers-pay-is-the-first/) [Jeff Van Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-van-drew/) > [We were the ultimate consumers of the thing, and we thought, "Every college kid is going to go berserk. High school kids - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jancee-dunn/we-were-the-ultimate-consumers-of-the-thing-and-we-thought-every/) [Jancee Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jancee-dunn/) > [Its impossible to control the reception of your work - the only thing you can control is the experience of writing itself, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-edwards/its-impossible-to-control-the-reception-of-your-work-the-only-thing/) [Kim Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-edwards/) > [The infinity of All ever bringing forth anew, and even as infinite space is around us, so is infinite potentiality, capacity, reception, malleability, matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giordano-bruno/the-infinity-of-all-ever-bringing-forth-anew-and-even-as-infinite/) [Giordano Bruno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giordano-bruno/) ## More by Virginia Postrel > [The low point for neon came in 1982, when Holiday Inn did away with its signature 'Great Sign,' replacing the neon extravaganza with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-low-point-for-neon-came-in-1982-when-holiday-inn-did-away-with/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > ['The Matrix' is a movie that is all about glamour. I could do a whole talk on 'The Matrix' and glamour. It was criticized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-matrix-is-a-movie-that-is-all-about-glamour-i-could-do-a-whole/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Science is about exploring the unknown and cannot offer guarantees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/science-is-about-exploring-the-unknown-and-cannot-offer-guarantees/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [“Design is not style. It’s not about giving shape to the shell and not giving a damn about the guts. Good design is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/design-is-not-style-it-s-not-about-giving-shape-to-the-shell-and-not/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Persuasion has become a kind of force. The more the advertiser knows about what consumers want, and the more desires the product and packaging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/persuasion-has-become-a-kind-of-force-the-more-the-advertiser-knows/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [When credit is cheaper to use and easier to arrange, people do use more of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/when-credit-is-cheaper-to-use-and-easier-to-arrange-people-do-use/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Glamour is a beautiful illusion - the word 'glamour' originally meant a literal magic spell - that promises to transcend ordinary life and make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/glamour-is-a-beautiful-illusion-the-word-glamour-originally-meant-a/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [A standard 'well woman' checkup can last as little as 10 minutes, hardly time for any in-depth discussions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/a-standard-well-woman-checkup-can-last-as-little-as-10-minutes-hardly/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [When I was in college, I wanted to be editor of 'Reason' when I grew up. It was an impractical ambition, especially since the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/when-i-was-in-college-i-wanted-to-be-editor-of-reason-when-i-grew-up/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [A lot of consumers actively enjoy advertising, especially fashion print ads and clever TV commercials. The nostalgic cable channel TVLand features not only vintage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/a-lot-of-consumers-actively-enjoy-advertising-especially-fashion/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [“Functionality still matters, of course. But competition has pushed quality so high and prices so low that many manufacturers can no longer distinguish themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/functionality-still-matters-of-course-but-competition-has-pushed/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Like the skyscraper, the automobile, and the motion-picture palace, neon signs once symbolized popular hopes for a new era of technological achievement and commercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/like-the-skyscraper-the-automobile-and-the-motion-picture-palace-neon/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [When 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' premiered on the WB Network in 1996, American culture was in trouble. Americans were bowling alone, pursuing individual interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/when-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-premiered-on-the-wb-network-in-1996/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [The glamour of air travel - its aspirational meaning in the public imagination - disappeared before its luxury did, dissipating as flying gradually became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-glamour-of-air-travel-its-aspirational-meaning-in-the-public/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Behind the criticism of fashion as an artistic medium is a highly ideological prejudice: against markets, against consumers, against the dynamism of Western commercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/behind-the-criticism-of-fashion-as-an-artistic-medium-is-a-highly/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) [Explore all 147 Virginia Postrel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. 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