I went out to meet a client's IT guy to troubleshoot some wifi issues. After sorting that out, we looked at speeds. 7 down, 1 up TOPS. WTF? I know cable one's lowest offering is 100 now. I had the client call cable one and ask what was up. He gets a guy on the phone and this is how it went down:



Client: I would like to upgrade to a higher speed

Cable One: I see your modem is subscribed to our 5Mb plan

Client: My IT guys are here and they say I should be getting at least 100Mb

Cable One: We do offer higher speeds but what do you plan to use it for? Lots of streaming?

Client: We do a lot of remote work from our office and transferring documents between work and home.

Cable One: So lots of uploading?

Client: Sure...if that is what that is.

Cable One: Higher download speed really will not help too much with that...you are probably ok to stay on the current plan you have. (at this point me and the IT guy are shaking our heads)

Client: How much is the 100Mb service?

Cable One: $55/month

Client: And how much am I paying now for 5Mb?

Cable One: $55/month

Client: Well then give me 100Mb!!!




MORONS!!!!!!

Awesome!

You know what's sad? Some company's those operators start off at a higher salary than the people who install the devices, cable, climb poles and what not.

KOT

They all suck. From the people manning the phones to the people installing. All of them.

There are at least 2 decent ones in the world that I know of. :)

You got me beat

Yup, one of the reasons why I left. Was at this guys house with wifi problems, can't figure out why because he had the "best of the best" router. AC3200 from Netgear. And also had two plug in repeaters. House built with in the last 5 years or so.

But since it was customer's own equipment, couldn't touch it. I had a feeling that I could've fixed it in just a few minutes. I hate having my hands tied like that. He had the cable provided modem in bridge mode and the Netgear right next to it with a cordless phone next to it all. All in a large solid oak cabinet on the ground level. I asked if he had a cable outlet on the upper floor. His reply was yes, so I said lets move it all up there. Nope, can't touch it.

KOT

That is my current situation. I only have DSL 6.0 MB available at my house do to my location and would pay the same price as Uverse "High Speed" if I didn't call and complain to their retentions department. Doesn't make sense. I guess its supply/demand - less supply of slower speeds therefore higher costs?

What ticks me off is that they do nothing to reward customer loyalty. They offer deals and discounts for the first year to new customers, but after that, it's f**k you very much. and if you won't take all of their services so they can "bundle" the price, they punish you again.

And why are DirecTV and Dish the only 2 providers that make you sign a 24 month agreement? Even for those who have been a customer for 20 years?

I know Comcast doesn't, just not sure about others though.

KOT

Charter made me last time. But like DTV, the price went up to full rate after the first year. At least dish will now lock your price for 3 years with a 2 year contract.

Since you're new, you got that rate. Me on the other hand is still paying the same amount... Oh wait, I forgot it bumped up a few dollars this month. That with or with out the Hopper 3 system. So I was getting that change no matter what.

But there again, $135 a month for the highest package (with out premium), whole home DVR, 3 active TVs. No way of having a recording conflict. Whom am I to complain.

KOT

Comcast and FiOS both do agreements in the New England area if they are in the same towns as competition to one another. It's strategic. Most people just mention switching providers at the end of the contract and get a new contract without the hassle of transferring services. It's one of the only ways FiOS and Comcast can keep customers from rolling into one of those "new customer 12 month deals". However, there's a lot of towns that have ZERO competition, so those customers are not a priority and get totally screwed.

I got a rude awakening when my U-Verse internet rate went to $62/month, from $35. I wasted a shyteload of time on the phone with just about every department they have and nobody gave a rat's ass that the hardware they provided worked like crap, that I had wasted a lot of time on the phone with "tech support" and doing THEIR job and everyone said "That's not my department" or "There's nothing in hte notes for that call" about the recurring theme of "My WiFi stops, then re-starts and I need to reboot the router almost every day". I think they might drop it to $55, but no lower. Time Warner doesn't even have a decent rate but ATT will drop their shorts and smile for new customers. If I leave for a month, I can get the new guy rate- thinking about it.

One big upside to going back to cable internet is that you can provide a Surfboard modem and any router that you want. It may not save you money, but you can be assured that it will work. That is worth something in my book.