Legal Battle with Cable Companies
Donation protected
Hello,
I'm Vincent owner of MTLFREETV.COM. I like to think I'm a simple guy; I wake up in the morning, go to work, and have a 9 to 5 like everyone else. A few years back, I discovered alternatives like Netflix, YouTube, streaming and it ultimately lead me to the Apple TV. As I'm sure you know these set top boxes can be combined with XBMC or Kodi to give access to content. So I decided to share my knowledge as I was positive others were in the same situation as I was in. So I told my friends, I made YouTube videos to communicate my knowledge and I opened a small shop in the West Island of Montreal. A small business, never to make millions, but to keep busy and help with the bills (maybe even a nice dinner). But never in my wildest dreams to compete or even take on cable giants in a massive legal battle. I mean come on … I’m only open 4 days a week …
So now it gets interesting. On May 19th a morning like no different than any other I'm greeted with 7 PHONE BOOK sized documents! Apparently my business which sells devices that are no different than any cell phone or computer is the reason why every single cable company in Canada is losing millions of dollars. Makes sense right? Not because consumers can have Netflix for a fraction of the price. Not because they are tired of paying hundreds of dollars for maybe one or two channels or shows they really want. Not because they offer terrible customer service. And definitely not because these companies refuse to adapt to a changing (and increasingly) more mobile market. Also they conveniently skipped over some of the bigger players like Ebay and Amazon who probably sell 100s of these boxes an HOUR. As you can guess these huge companies would rather crush and bully a small guy like me then brag about it in the newspapers than take on "someone their own size", deal with the true reason for their decline, offer customers suitable rebates or viable incentives to keep them happy.
So I've opened a GoFundMe account to help with this huge case they’ve put on me. The goal is set at 30,000$ because I'm honestly shocked at how far they can push this. The entire case might run me well over that (which is kind of scary). But ultimately I feel it's a crucial battle since the cable companies apparently picked easier targets to bully in the hope we fall, so they can then use that against bigger players too. Then with this victory they plan to run the gauntlet and work their way up (but only after building momentum). As you know, if there are no alternatives these companies have shown a history taking advantage of the lack of competition and jacking up prices. (Look at our cell phone industry, their history with Netflix and virtually any new entrant to the industry)
So that's my story. Anything helps. I appreciate you reading this far and have a great day.
Vincent Wesley
I'm Vincent owner of MTLFREETV.COM. I like to think I'm a simple guy; I wake up in the morning, go to work, and have a 9 to 5 like everyone else. A few years back, I discovered alternatives like Netflix, YouTube, streaming and it ultimately lead me to the Apple TV. As I'm sure you know these set top boxes can be combined with XBMC or Kodi to give access to content. So I decided to share my knowledge as I was positive others were in the same situation as I was in. So I told my friends, I made YouTube videos to communicate my knowledge and I opened a small shop in the West Island of Montreal. A small business, never to make millions, but to keep busy and help with the bills (maybe even a nice dinner). But never in my wildest dreams to compete or even take on cable giants in a massive legal battle. I mean come on … I’m only open 4 days a week …
So now it gets interesting. On May 19th a morning like no different than any other I'm greeted with 7 PHONE BOOK sized documents! Apparently my business which sells devices that are no different than any cell phone or computer is the reason why every single cable company in Canada is losing millions of dollars. Makes sense right? Not because consumers can have Netflix for a fraction of the price. Not because they are tired of paying hundreds of dollars for maybe one or two channels or shows they really want. Not because they offer terrible customer service. And definitely not because these companies refuse to adapt to a changing (and increasingly) more mobile market. Also they conveniently skipped over some of the bigger players like Ebay and Amazon who probably sell 100s of these boxes an HOUR. As you can guess these huge companies would rather crush and bully a small guy like me then brag about it in the newspapers than take on "someone their own size", deal with the true reason for their decline, offer customers suitable rebates or viable incentives to keep them happy.
So I've opened a GoFundMe account to help with this huge case they’ve put on me. The goal is set at 30,000$ because I'm honestly shocked at how far they can push this. The entire case might run me well over that (which is kind of scary). But ultimately I feel it's a crucial battle since the cable companies apparently picked easier targets to bully in the hope we fall, so they can then use that against bigger players too. Then with this victory they plan to run the gauntlet and work their way up (but only after building momentum). As you know, if there are no alternatives these companies have shown a history taking advantage of the lack of competition and jacking up prices. (Look at our cell phone industry, their history with Netflix and virtually any new entrant to the industry)
So that's my story. Anything helps. I appreciate you reading this far and have a great day.
Vincent Wesley
Organizer
Vincent Wesley
Organizer
Dollard-Des-Ormeaux, QC