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Aaron’s Furniture in Tyler

August 25th, 2012

Have you ever stopped in a store or some public location and just stared a big-screen TV and think to yourself, “I only wish” because of the price? Well, most people have probably thought that at one time or another. How cool would it be to order that TV and the Sunday Ticket?

Unless you can’t get the Cowboys games where you’re at, getting Sunday Ticket should be the second step, with the first being getting that hug HD TV.

Again, there’s a problem: the price. However, there is a solution: Aaron’s Furniture.

At Aaron’s, you can rent, buy or rent to buy and can count on Low-Price guarantees. You will pre-approved automatically with no credit check required. You can set up whichever monthly payment plan works best for you whether it’s six month, one year, 18 months or two years.

If you’re looking for furniture, electronics or appliances, Aaron’s is the place for you. Located all over East Texas, including one on South Broadway in Tyler, Aaron’s is easy to find and is available for all your furniture and electronic needs.

If you’re renting an apartment for about 6-12 months, you might want to consider Aaron’s. If you don’t have the money upfront and you only need the furniture or appliances for a brief period, why not rent? It’s a win-win situation because nobody beats Aarons; nobody.

Now, let’s talk about how great it would be to watch whatever NFL game you want, whenever you want.

Participating in the Nielsen Ratings

November 4th, 2010
Nielsen Ratings Tyler TX

Nielsen Ratings Tyler TX

I like television a lot. I realize this should be sort of an embarrassing confession for someone who has aspirations of appearing deep, intelligent, or very religious but its true. And I am a relatively intelligent person of faith. I should say that: first off, with work, and a three year old little boy, I’m pretty busy, so while my television is often on, I don’t pay super close attention all the time. Secondly, while I enjoy TV, I’m not indiscriminate about what I watch. I have often been appalled by the A- moral, even hedonistic messages presented on television, so I was pleased to receive a packet from the people at the Nielsen ratings group asking me to participate in the ratings polling this fall. This is something I’ve never done before.

Now I have to say that were it not an opportunity to put in my two cents regarding what is or should be on television, I would certainly not go to the trouble of participating. I don’t actually watch much network TV. I watch a lot of cable news, (Fox in particular), ESPN, the History Channel and the Travel Channel. Of course the boy watches Nick and Nick Jr. I had always assumed that the ratings groups simply monitored what their control groups watched for a week and assembled the results into a report of some kind. It had never really donned on me to question how they monitored my viewing.

Seems like kind of a stupid assumption now that I know otherwise. In actuality there is a fairly detailed log for selected viewers to fill out. It runs day-by-day, evening-by-evening for a whole week. The participant enters the names of the times, programs and channels he watches, as well as the number of people watching with him and their ages. Frankly the whole thing is a bit intrusive but it gives the viewer an opportunity to express an opinion to a venue that actually matters.

TV Tyler Texas

TV Ratings in Tyler Texas

In spite of the fact that completing the logbook is a little too much like homework I plan to my best to complete the survey. It seems like a more reasonable approach to influencing the networks as well as the cable and satellite providers than boycotts and angry letters of protest. I would encourage anyone else on Nielsen’s list this fall, to participate as well. At least this way you know someone’s listening to your opinions. For more information on Nielsen and how they gather viewer response, try visiting their web site at http://en-us.nielsen.com/content/nielsen/en_us/industries/media.html.

The Tyler Suddenlink Saga Ends

May 14th, 2010

For those readers who’ve been following my Tyler Texas Suddenlink saga I would like to offer this afterward. (Sorry Donny, I just want to be sure to offer our readers some proper closure). I eventually contacted the Suddenlink rep who offered to assist me in negotiating a better deal on my cable and internet service. After pulling teeth to get to talk with someone with decision making authority, I appreciated that a representative of the company was taking an interest in my case. Fortunately, most of the conversations took place via e-mail as well, so as not to take up any more of my time. The central problem I had was that each person I spoke to seemed to tell me something different. (I must have talked to five or six different people). This seems to be symptomatic of dealing with a large company like Suddenlink, with so many separate departments and entities, that they tend to function like separate businesses. The trick is to find someone who can cut through all little bureaucracies and make a definitive decision. Admittedly this is much easier said than done.

After a couple of emails I was told that a local supervisor would contact me to discuss my service. I spoke to the local super briefly over the phone and we came to an agreement. First off she compensated me for my time. Secondly, she offered to look at my account and see whether or not I could be given the advanced tier like I was originally offered by the disembodied voice I spoke of in my last article. As it turned out she was unable to offer that package at my current rate, but she did offer me thirty days free trial. I thanked her but declined. I’d rather not get used to having the additional channels and then have to either let them go or start paying eleven dollars a month more for them. With my tendency toward procrastination, I’d probably just end up keeping them. So in the end I didn’t get everything I wanted but at least I received satisfaction.

What does the future hold for Suddenlink and me? Long term it’s difficult to say. Having found some people there who are willing to assist me has made it easier to consider sticking it out and acquiring additional services over the long haul. If my service continues as it is now, I may be a Suddenlink customer for a while. To review my story, look for the following titles in this order, on this site: Direct TV or Suddenlink, Which One, Hard to Decide Hmmm? and Suddenlink Internet Service in Tyler Texas. Also, visit Suddenlink’s website at www.suddenlink.com.

Suddenlink Internet Service in Tyler Texas

May 4th, 2010



Not long ago I wrote an article about my transition from Direct TV to Suddenlink Cable and Internet. It was a difficult and emotional decision, but one that required a practical solution rather than a comfortable one. At the time my article first appeared I was satisfied with the customer service I had received. While my television picture was not what I was used to, I was prepared to live with the difference for the time being… that is until receiving a call from the Suddenlink promotions department about a week into my new subscription. The magical disembodied voice on the other end of the cellular call offered me all of my hearts digital desires, five plus movie channels, digital HD boxes, a digital recorder, ten meg internet and an overall more fulfilling life, all for about the same price or only slightly higher than what I was currently paying. After an extensive interview, I settled, not on the full movie channel option, (my lifestyle does not allow for my becoming a professional shut-in), but instead on the advance tier option, (supposedly around two hundred channels if I understood the voice correctly), a new digital cable box and the ten meg internet. I was pleased beyond words. I had essentially added a service to my home while paying less money for it! My monthly rate had just gone from ninety one dollars, to eighty four dollars. The installer was scheduled to arrive on Tuesday morning with my digital box and all my missing channels. Little did I realize that in a few short days the corporate machine would put the skids on my new found enthusiasm.

Saturday morning while participating in an annual school fund raiser, I was interrupted by a call from my new television and internet provider, advising me that the wealth of services the voice had promised me a mere four days previous could not be provided, for reasons that were murky at best. “What? I don’t understand!” I protested. “Your office called me!” A long and painful series of negotiations and holding periods followed. At the end of the call most of my promised goodies were restored but only at a significant rate increase. My eighty four dollar a month rate had just gone up to ninety seven dollars! I determined then and there to carry my fight to the cable giant’s corporate office!

On my way home that afternoon, I called back. I informed the customer service rep that he would not be able to solve my problem and that he should immediately transfer my call to his supervisor. He evidently did not believe me because he first attempted to explain the charges on my account… unsuccessfully I should add. I finally broke in “Would you just transfer me please?!” When “Sarah” in the Minneapolis office finally picked up, I did my level best to suppress my frustration, and explained the situation for at least the fourth time. After looking at my account Sarah assured me that the local office had made a mistake and that I did indeed qualify for the eighty four dollar rate, with one proviso. I would have to scale back my internet from ten megs to eight. After consulting with my tech-y friends, (including Donny Eisenbach), I agreed to the small concession. When I arrived home from school I called the number Sarah had given me.

I have now had Tyler TX Suddenlink’s services for nearly three weeks. I have spent four hours on the phone with the company’s reps, have been through a series of rate changes and have yet make a single payment. When I called the customer service number one last time to request the change in my internet service, I was informed that the company was no longer offering the eight meg service. Furthermore, the representative informed me that I was due to receive my digital box Tuesday morning, and that my monthly bill would be ninety one dollars a month. I have come full circle. Like a character in some great epic I have fought my way through. Now I find myself asking, “What was it all for?” The fact is, no one knows, not the company’s local office, not the mysterious voice that promised me the world, not Sarah in Minneapolis and certainly not the Suddenlink corporate center. All I know is Tuesday afternoon I’m back to digital TV at the original rate of ninety one dollars a month.

For more information on Suddenlink, see their websites at www.suddenlink.com.

Direct TV or Suddenlink, Which One, Hard to Decide Hmmm?

April 23rd, 2010

Well, I recently did something I didn’t want to do. I moved from Direct TV Call Now: 888-652-1609 (a service I am very fond of), back to Suddenlink Cable.  It was a difficult decision, but one I had to make as a grown adult, rather than a very, post adolescent television addict, (I confess I may be walking a fine line on that last one). My leaving the former was less the fault of Direct TV and due more to the fact that AT&T has failed to supply my residence with an internet option. When I say my residence I’m not misspeaking. There are actually those in my west Tyler suburban neighborhood, who do have AT&T as their internet provider, but for some unknown reason the company has been unable to supply me with bandwidth, lo these many years.

So what am I to do? With two writing jobs, a teaching career that is increasingly relying on an internet component, and a very active young son, I simply can’t run out in search of a hot spot every time I have to submit an article or enter a test grade into my grade book. This brings me to Suddenlink Cable. Their DSL internet is terrific! But I simply don’t want to pay for both Direct TV’s and Suddenlink’s services, not on a private school teacher’s salary.  So I made a grown up decision. I filled the DVR with my son’s favorite shows and cancelled my much beloved TiVo and my familiar satellite service, and subscribed instead cable and DSL.

The folks at Suddenlink where actually very helpful. The gentleman who set up my account was gracious enough to finagle the best deal for me; the installers were right on time, and did a fine job. So am I happy with my new arrangement? For now yeah I’ll get used to it. I can’t promise it will be a permanent solution, but it filled a more pragmatic purpose than my old situation did without really affecting my quality of life. At the end of the day however, I’m still morning the loss my TiVo subscription.  I just hope that time does indeed heal all wounds.

For more information on either Suddenlink or Direct TV, see their websites and phone numbers www.suddenlink.com or Direct TV. Then make the choice you find best meets your personal requirements.