Electronics

[Didiville]

I currently have xfinity and was looking into fios internet and tv. Xfinity has jumped my bill so much and will refuse to offer a better deal.  If anyone can share their experiences it would be appreciated. I have heard verizon will add more fees on the bill then they ever tell you.

[Winkk]

I don't think it really matters, both companies have the upper hand over customers.  FIOs may be cheaper to start (as a new customer) but it will eventually go up.  The customer never wins with either company.

[Sweetbay magnolia]

I have had very good service with Verizon.  Much better than Comcast.

A relative, a veteran of the telecom industry, tells me Fios is preferable, for technical reasons.

Of course I think it is still too expensive, but I have been able to successfully re-negotiate my rate to keep it at the current level when the "contract" comes due.  

I've had a few hardware issues which have been resolved promptly and courteously by the on the ground serviceman/linemen.  We have an underground line to the house, but the "box" and drop are on a pole (older neighborhood).  One time the overhead line iced up and sagged, one time the box was invaded by ants and failed, but both were fixed quickly and at no charge.

I've had the service for five years and I think we've had two short outages due to storm activity.

Just keep an eye on the bill.  SOP, anyway.

[Pook]

We have Verizon at home for internet only as I won't get tv from them and we have Xfinity at our vacation cottage and I have to say that I like Xfinity best.  There is never an issue with outages in internet or tv where some who have Verizon there have outages in both tv and internet service quite often with the excuse given that there are mountains surrounding the area.    I also have found their customer service to be way better than Verizon's.  When we first got Verizon  the price was more than we were told due to "fees" not mentioned.   I would think that even if you switch, after a year the price will start to go up.  I know some who go back and forth every year to get specials but I sure don't want to deal with that!   

[aggravated]

We have landline, internet and TV through Verizon.  I love the TV cable.  They do shuffle the "tier" of what is included now and again and we get stuck paying for a higher tier so I can watch Hallmark Mysteries and Movies.  It is not, however, by any stretch of the imagination, economical.  Never has been.  Husband said he is receiving notices that they are contemplating not providing email support?  Don't understand how that happens when you are paying for internet.

[Krimpette]

I've had Verizon FIOS since they first installed the cables in my neighborhood.  I had DISH before that.  I would never give up my FIOS.  Very, very pleased. I have TV, internet, phone.  Issues have been very minimal over the years.

[ValuSkr]

A couple months ago I switched to Comcast (Xfinity) after many years with Verizon (FIOS).  I wasn't unhappy with Verizon's service, but their monthly charges had gotten too high.  I negotiated off-and-on for several months but their concessions were a pittance.  Comcast offered a good deal (voice and internet only) so I finally bit the bullet.  The transition was a bit rocky, but all's good now. 

I will say that Verizon has a lot of extra fees and charges that Comcast doesn't.  So when you get a quote from Verizon, ask them to tell you everything - i.e. what will be the bottom line on your monthly bill.

It's nice to have a choice of service providers - many people don't.  I'm thinking it may be necessary to switch every two or three years just to keep charges at a reasonable level.  Annual increases that are much greater than the inflation rate have become the norm, and that rubs me the wrong way.

[bridal_diva]

This is true! I had them for years, and was happy when I moved to a place where Fios wasn't allowed to dig for their fiberoptic cables. I will admit ttheir reception was the best I had ever seen,and the internet speed exceptional but if you called customer service, it could be hours before anyone picked up to talk with you or call you back. And the bill crept up just about every month after starting out at $89.00 before the taxes and fees.I also had to sign a contract that was unbreakable unless you did move somewhere w/o their service.

[bridal_diva]

I don't have a choice where I live. The condo assn has their hands in Optimum's pocket for sure. I won't do the dish since I face a large park with huge pine trees. Besides I was told their outages are excessive.

[SXMGirl]

We switched from Comcast to Verizon many years ago.  I think that our bills are outrageous, but our reception and customer service experiences have been very good.  I often think of switching back until I remember all of the problems with reception that we had with Comcast.  Also, when I was teaching, I had a student who had one parent working for Comcast and one for Verizon.   They had Verizon in their home.