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Thread: Which Teleco sucks the least?

  1. #1
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    Which Teleco sucks the least?

    As I mentioned in another post, I will be in town this summer. My girlfriend has put me in charge of Internet. (or, more accurately, I suppose, I refuse to use her terrible Internet)

    Comcast quoted the gf a good price, but has gone up $15/month from that quoted a price. I told her she should jump on that price while it was available, but it was more than whatever the cheapest from Verizon was and her Internet is fine for her. It is impossible for her to use the Internet and for me to be on a Skype call at the same time. I use Skype (or other communications technology depending on who we are recording with on a particular day) all the time for what is going to be my job for the summer...podcasting.

    She currently has Verizon and we could just get a faster tier there potentially. I currently have Comcast and it is fine, but the pricing structure is clearly different in Baltimore (as I am paying more for less), so I can't just say "this is what I want" and get the best price.

    Clear sounds interesting, but I'm a little concerned it won't be fast enough for my needs.

    I have had problems with Charter and Time Warner in the past, but would be willing to give them another shot with sufficient recommendation.

    I have heard good things about AT&T U-Verse, but if I remember correctly it is on the expensive side...or at least it was when I lived in Madison.
    I am not a lawyer...yet.
    Music Manumit Podcast - remixable Creative Commons music!
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  2. #2
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    Re: Which Teleco sucks the least?

    If she already has Verizon and it works as expected and is reliable, I would upgrade to another tier. However, customer service at Verizon is worse than horrible. I worked there for over 10 years and can attest to it, especially during the heavy workloads of summer coming. When services go out they are extremely slow to respond and restore the service, during summers sometimes up to 3 weeks delay. Cable companies tend to care for their customer base in a more timely manner, but not always.

    If FiOS is available, it's the fastest you will find and probably cheaper than Comcast. It's reliable once installed properly and you also get a beautiful TV picture even in non-HD channels.

    It's mostly up to the best service in my book. Verizon sucks for customer service, but when the service is working it normally works extremely well. However, that can also be said of cable companies as well.

  3. #3
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    Re: Which Teleco sucks the least?

    I haven't really checked out the other options that you mentioned. But, I would definitely concur with TBABill that if you could get FIOS over there, you'd probably be pretty happy with it (too bad it's not available where I am).

    I've had Comcast for a long, long time here, and I really have had great service and no complaints. They are a little sketchy with their pricing structure, though, as you say.

  4. #4
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    Re: Which Teleco sucks the least?

    It also depends on your need. DSL will not provide the kinds of bandwidth you will get from Comcast, but it will be cheaper. DSL is not well supported in terms of manpower both in the call centers and number of technicians on the street. Landlines are expensive and VoIP, cable companies, cheap cell phones and other methods of communicating have done significant financial damage to telco's. The only reason they remain profitable is because they are propped up by their wireless sides. Without wireless we probably wouldn't have many telephone companies, at least without some form of subsidy to help keep them open. FiOS is almost cost prohibitive to put in the ground for Verizon without huge population density, which leaves more rural areas without much choice. When they do go to those more rural areas the cost per home skyrockets. It seems, however, that they're still expanding in some areas even where the cost would be much higher for the capital investment...probably just to help re-capture some customer base.

    In my area I stick with the cable company. Having worked as a tech and manager for Verizon, I know about the services, issues and costs, and my best return on my investment is with cable. Yours may vary, especially if DSL is reliable and your speed requirements are not super high. DSL is cheap so if it works well...

  5. #5
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    Re: Which Teleco sucks the least?

    Quote Originally Posted by drmrgd View Post
    But, I would definitely concur with TBABill that if you could get FIOS over there, you'd probably be pretty happy with it
    It doesn't appear like I can. From Verizon the best they have is 3.1 to 7 mbps for $44.99. That sounds like a terrible price to me.

    I'm waiting to hear back from the Comcast rep about the fact that we don't want cable, so we'll see how that changes the price.
    I am not a lawyer...yet.
    Music Manumit Podcast - remixable Creative Commons music!
    My neglected blog: http://douglasawh.wordpress.com
    My website: http://opensourceplayground.org

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