Switching from DSL to Comcast cable Internet: Holy Moly!

[MillCreek]

I had been a Verizon customer since the 1980's for landline phone, dial-up and then DSL Internet.  A few years ago, Frontier bought out Verizon in Washington and Oregon.  I kept my landline and DSL and never went for the FiOS fiber-optic service after I looked into some of the issues.  For about a year now, I had been paying $ 35/month for high-speed DSL at 7 MB down.  No real problems until about two weeks ago.  Overnight, without any notice or explanation, my Net went from 7 MB down to 3 MB down.  I am primarily a web browser with the occasional Netflix movie, so they did not throttle me due to bandwidth hogging. 

Many phone calls, emails and chat sessions to Frontier ensued.  I learned that they apparently don't make notes on the account, so every time I called, I had to explain the problem again.  Most of the emails and chat sessions resulted in being instructed to call instead.  They kept trying to tell me that my line only supported 3 MB down, and I never had 7 MB down.  I actually emailed them a scan of my bill showing that I paid for 7 MB down and some speedtest runs showing 7 MB down actual performance.  After elevating this to the regional VP, who in turn sent it on to tier three support, the ultimate answer was they could not figure out why it went from 7 to 3 MB down, they could not return it to 7 MB speed, but I would have to keep paying $ 35/month for half the original speed unless I wanted the fiber optic service for a larger monthly fee.

After looking at my options, I went with Comcast since I already have cable TV with them.  For $ 20/month for the first six months, and then $ 30/month thereafter, I could get up to 20 MB down from them.  I signed up with them, bought a Motorola wireless gateway off Amazon, and 10 minutes of self-installation and activation later, am now consistently getting 25 MB down and 4 MB up and a strong wireless signal throughout both floors of my house. 

Interestingly enough, in a final chat session with Frontier, they were able to quickly and efficiently process my discontinuing of the DSL service.  They don't seem to have customer service issues with terminating them.  Huh.  I should have explored my options and switched over years ago.  But with the DSL service working correctly, there was no motivation for me to do so. 

So I am getting 3-10X the speed as I did from Frontier and at a lower cost per month.  I will take that deal any day.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

when, not if , you run into comcastic/craptastic service let me know  i have some phone numbers and email carpet bombing lists.  my email has been out at home for 3 weeks

[Scout26]

I get AT&T's crappy DSL for $35 a month.  Since I don't get Cable or have a Landline, so I won't do a "bundle".   I keep looking at Comcast, but it's not any less expensive and their CS horror stories keep me from pulling the trigger.

[RocketMan]

We've been with Comcast for about eight years now.  From a customer service standpoint, we have not had any real issues with them.  On the few occasions there have been problems with their service, they have rectified things quickly enough and without argument.  I certainly hope we are not the exception that proves the rule.
However, we do not consistently get the 20mb speeds that are advertised.  The fine print states that 20mb is not guaranteed, only the maximum possible on a shared pipeline like cable Internet.  I suspect the slower speeds are due to streaming video and porn downloads that start about the time everyone gets home from work and finishs dinner.
It may also have something to do with the age of the cable infrastructure in this area.

[Doggy Daddy]

As a reference for anyone who wants it, I just ran speedtest on our Cox cable connection.

21.79 Mbps down and 3.55 up.  Not sure what it costs.  Wifey pays the bill.

[lupinus]

Given the choice I vastly prefer cable over DSL. More speed for the same or less money, and I already have cable but haven't had a land line for a couple years now.

Charter sucks, a lot. And I don't use a single one of their online things they offer because their programs suck even worse then their CS. And they like to charge service visits when they have to come out to fix something screwed up on their end, but reverse it with minimal arguing. But that's not the internets fault I suppose.

[rcnixon]

Remember that "it's cheaper to suck".  The reason that ISPs and cable service companies give bad service is that it is cheaper.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Russ