Scam Roku Service

[Jim_PTC_GA]

My wife and I finally had it with our local cable company when they took Turner Classic Movie channel and moved it to a premium sports package to make us pay for anouther service we do not want. I won't say what our monthly cable bill is/was but it's more than most car payments I or her have ever had. So we decided to switch to a tv internet service to cut the tv bill by 2/3rds.

So we got one of those Roku things. Now I'm not the most tech savvy guy and had trouble activating the Roku. The Roku when powered up gives you a code to go on the internet and type in to activate the device. I typed the code into Roku's website and it wouldn't take it. So I called the number on the Roku website for help.

Here the scam began. It seems the number listed takes you to a 3rd party company. CALIGEEKS. I only found this out much later. The guy on the phone was polite and professional, someone I would like to help me anytime. He set up my Roku and walked me through the functions. Very helpful. Then he explained that Oct 2nd due to changes at the FCC Roku now charged a fee. $79.00 for 5 years of service, $99.00 for life time service. I don't plan on dieing soon so I went for the lifetime service. The service guy emailed me a form to sign and I did. Boom $99.00 gone for a Roku access that is free.

Roku access if free. If you go this route do not fall for this scam.

I'm loving the Roku by the way. I do have to pay for access to certain channels through the free Roku. Lots of news, Movies, and best of all Turner Classic Movie channel. It did cut our bill "Allot". Its just difficult for me to learn new tech stuff like this. Give me a pickpocket or a guy with a hardluck storie and I can spot the scam. This tech stuff I'm blind.

[perry kete]

I have had Roku for over a year and I have NEVER paid a service fee or membership fee. I also have downloaded several other FREE move channels as well as music channels and never paid for any of them. I set my system up thru my computer and never called any number. I think the scam is the number you called and not the Roku tv. I like the system.

[Wayne Sheldon]

Well, as a communications systems contractor, and my dad a cable television pioneer (he was designing systems back in the 1950s). I worked for many years alongside the cable television industry. So I can argue both sides of that fence. I eventually got out of that industry because I hated the BS and lies told by cable marketing.
Roku is a newer thing. I haven't tried it myself, however, I would like to. One thing about it I do know, is that SOME Roku services do charge a fee. However, many (at least at this time?) do not. I suspect that as time moves along, most Roku services will be forced to charge a monthly service. We operated several small cable television systems in areas that major cable would not or could not go. WE had to pay monthly intellectual property rights fees to show "free" broadcast channels on small systems where broadcast reception was not good enough to enjoy.

I cannot imagine that as much money as we had to pay for the "right" to carry "free" channels on our small systems, that the holders of those same intellectual property rights would ignore the internet systems that are hundreds times larger.
But that is just my silly opinion.