Grrr

Archived discussion from Toril-2.
Pheten
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Grrr

Postby Pheten » Thu Dec 04, 2003 12:12 pm

So I'm going to be moving again here real soon. Anyway I've had highspeed cable internet for almost the past 2 years and I thought I was going to have to go back to dial up for where I am moving. To my surprise I won't have to DSL will actually be available there! Anyway after looking into it the company I will have to go through is centurytel, I compaired them to qwest and verizon (we have both companies in my area but not exactly where I'm moving) and god centurytels prices/deals suck.

Qwest = 29.95 a month, no install fees, no modem fees and they have a promo going where you get a sony game pack, no catches.

Verizon = 1st month free, 29.95 for 2nd 3rd month, 34.95 after. No install fee, no modem fee, no catches.

Centurytel = first 3 months = 19.95, after that it goes up to 49.95 a month (christ!) modem fee = 120 dollars, comes with 60 dollar mail in rebate but after reading the fine print.. if you discontinue service short of using it an entire year they charge you an additional 200 dollars because you accepted the 60 dollar rebate, WTF?!

Wonder if I call up and tell them what other companies in the area are offering if they will give me a break=/

Oh well shouldnt be complaining as any DSL is better than none but still...

-phet
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Postby mynazzaraxxsyn » Thu Dec 04, 2003 12:46 pm

After having cable for 2 years and then having to go back to 56k (I actually had to buy a new modem when I moved) I would be willing to pay those prices pheten. dial up SUCKS!
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Postby Sarvis » Thu Dec 04, 2003 1:40 pm

Frankly, not a huge fan of DSL either. No Cablemodem in your area?
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Postby Pheten » Thu Dec 04, 2003 1:52 pm

Negative, quite frankly Im amazed they have DSL, out in the boonies
othelil
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Re: Grrr

Postby othelil » Thu Dec 04, 2003 4:40 pm

I'm sure you already know this but I'll repeat it anyway just in case. It completely depends on the area. Some providers suck in some areas when they are great in others. If it's a possibility, ask people who are living very near you (who would be sharing your CO) who they use and how happy they are with the service.

Barring that, I've not heard of Centurtytel, so I've nothing to say about them. Smaller local joints (is this them?) can be great for service, speed and price if they're run well, but are just as likely to have someone who doesn't know what they're doing and be at the opposite end (again, asking is good).

I've heard good things about Qwest but never actually used them. Verizon I've used and they get a postively terrible rap in some cities, but where I used it the speed was phenomenal and extremely reliable. I had a 1.5 mbps connection and I was speed-testing extremely close to that nearly all the time. But I know in some areas their service is pathetic and that's where their bad rap comes from.

A good place to start if you've never been there before is http://www.dslreports.com. They may have some area specific information for you, and you can always post a request asking for some. They have great reviews of what's out there.

Hrmm. Long. Well, hope it helped.

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Ragorn
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Postby Ragorn » Thu Dec 04, 2003 4:54 pm

The telecom industry is plagued like no other industry by little Brand X companies who own monopolies of service in small areas and charge outrageous prices. I can assure you, the company is well aware that its prices are higher than average, and most likely believes it is taking advantage of the fact that it has no real competition in the area.

I live in an apartment in a college town, and we have the same problem with our cable service. We had Adelphia, but with cable service, only one provider can be active at a given time in any location. So this little shitbox company rolled in and bought up the rights to several apartment complexes in town. Their service is exclusively analog (no interactive features like a browsable program guide or pay per view), there is literally one package you can sign up for (no choice of channels), and they charge $46/mo. for a very basic 50 channel package. Their customer service is infamously poor, because you simply have no choice but to deal with them. Many apartment complexes here don't allow satellite dishes, so if you want television at all, you have to put up with however this company chooses to operate.

What can you do about it?

Contact the Better Business Bureau if you have a legitimate complaint. High prices aren't necessarily legitimate, but if you have installation problems, periods of nonservice without reimbursement, contract infringement, or customer service issues that the company is unwilling to resolve, you can file a claim with the BBB. Alternately, you could file a report with the Public Services Commission, which is essentially the same thing. Either agency will address your issues with the company and advise you of the company's response. You'll only get limited results this way... after getting a letter from the BBB, you're more likely to have some of your issues resolved, but don't expect things to be perfect. Unfortunately, in a lot of cases, there's just nothing you can do about shitty telecom companies except hope for an alternative.
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Postby thanuk » Thu Dec 04, 2003 4:58 pm

Heh, Verizon DSL rules. When the mud was hosted on roadrunner, my connection was so fast that I could speedwalk across astral as a warrior. I'd just walk passed juib, demo, mariliths, whoever, I was in and out so fast they never had time to attack. Very useful for CRs, at least it was until a certain crazy Yourapeein screwed it up for meh! Prick.

I dont know what this has to do with anything, I just like telling that story. Call verizon and see if they are going to be expanding into your area soon?
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Postby Gurns » Thu Dec 04, 2003 10:08 pm

Check into wireless ISPs in the new area. Those are cheaper to start up, so folks in various places are setting them up to compete with the DSL/cable monopolies.

The problem, even if there is a wireless ISP: if your residence is surrounded by trees or tall buildings, you're probably out of luck. You'll need line of sight to the tower.
Ragorn
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Postby Ragorn » Thu Dec 04, 2003 10:58 pm

I have Verizon DSL also, and every so often my connection will grind down to 33.6k speed for no particular reason. Then, 10 minutes later, it'll kick back up again.

It's absolutely impossible to get consistant internet service in the town I'm in though, regardless of your provider. Who knows why.
- Ragorn
Shar: Leave the moaning to the people who have real issues to moan about like rangers or newbies.
Corth: Go ask out a chick that doesn't wiggle her poon in people's faces for a living.

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