Electronics

[Reba055]

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@Nightowlz wrote:

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@MariotaMurielle wrote:

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@Nightowlz wrote:

I don't know we also have AT&T. Do you mind me asking how much you  pay monthly & what the speed is supposed to be on your AT&T U-Verse? I have AT&T but not U-Verse. AT&T keeps calling. I'm sure they want me to switch to U-Verse internet. U-Verse TV is not available in our area. MY MIL switched over to this when they called her. She won't like not being able to keep her bill at a lower rate. We have AT&T HSI Elite for $52 per month. Suppose to have Download speed up to 60 Mbps & Upload speed up to 512 Kbps.

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Nightowlz, I never heard of AT&T HSI Elite or download speeds of 60mbps and upload speeds of 512 kbps. I currently have 12mbps for $59/month.  before my promotion expired I was paying $39.95/mo. for 12mbps.

what they offered me when I called was 18mbps for $52/mo.

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I don't know why AT&T has AT&T High Speed Internet & AT&T U-Verse Internet packages. Only to confuse consumers so you can't figure out what's the best route to go. The chart (below) AT&T has on their site under Internet DSL Service compare plans. I checked the AT&T U-Verse Internet & they show 3 different plans with rates for the 1st year in these amounts $35, $45 or $55. The $55 per month plan is for speeds up to 45 Mbps so I don't understand why the plan they offered you would be 18 Mbps for $52?

Looks like they started the U-Verse & want everyone to switch over to it instead of using their DSL service so they can charge more money. I will have to check the rates & speeds vs what I have to see if I want to stay with it or switch to U-Verse. May not have a choice as I think AT&T will eventually have us all on U-Verse.

I think the one speed where I have 60 is supposed to be 6.0 not 60. I saw it both ways on AT&T's site but think the 60 is an error.

DSL Elite

Price good for a full year! Downstream speed up to 6.0 Mbps.

$20.00 per month*

Plan details

Perfect for:

Streaming video Online gaming Home networking

DSL Pro

Price good for a full year! Downstream speed up to 3.0 Mbps.

$15.00 per month*

Plan details

Ideal for:

Online gaming Home networking Sharing photos

DSL Express

Price good for a full year! Downstream speed up to 1.5 Mbps.

$15.00 per month*

Plan details

Great for:

Social networking Sharing photos Downloading music

DSL Basic

Price good for a full year! Downstream speed up to 768 Kbps.

$15.00 per month*

Plan details

Good for:

Downloading Small Files Email & Web Surfing

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Never heard of ATT having anywhere near that download speed either (45). Maybe they have something in a specific area??  Be careful when you talk to them. What they advertise and what you actually get are two separate things. 18 Mbps sound more like what they offer. Then you might get 5-10. That's what I've found from those who have it here. They always switch back to Comcast.  

[geezerette]

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@Venezia wrote:

@geezerette - We have our TV with DirecTV and I called them up, since they're always promoting "bundling". I couldn't believe it, when the rep told me "I'm sorry.  We have nothing to offer in your area at this time."  What???  I said to her "It's supposed to be via satellite.  We have a perfect, unobstructed view of the southern sky."  (Our TV reception is excellent and, when we first had it installed about 15 years ago, the techician couldn't believe what a clear shot at the sky we had.)

Got the same reply "not at this time".  After speaking to her, I found out that (at least in our area) DirecTV and Fairpoint are connected.  No wonder they wouldn't offer anything different - they already have all of our money.

My friend has Dish network (TV and internet) and her internet is appalling.  Very slow (makes mine look fast) and is data capped, so once her allotment runs out, she ends up with dial-up.  She pays a LOT for that service ($192/month).  She barely uses the internet, so she must have a very small allotment of data.  I tried to get her to do a speed test once and I was on the phone with her for ten minutes and it still hadn't loaded up!

It really is time the government brought in laws to regulate all of this.  I know they're trying, but it seems the progress is way too slow (almost like my internet service).

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@Venezia,

Thanks for the DISH information.  We have them for TV service and are always getting promos for internet as well.  I read the fine print about the data caps, which I know nothing about since I have no idea how webpages or anthing else translates into data amount.  I wasn't sure about the speed, but it's faster than what I get.  However, I've had some of the younger, more tech-savvy people tell me that the satellite internet is great--at first.  Then, they switch you over somehow to where more people are pulling the signal and your speed goes way down.  Add to that, the weather affects the signals.  My husband keeps bugging me to try DISH, but I'd rather hassle with my local company than sit on hold or have to try to fix my problems over the phone with a big corporation.

We've also gotten various promotions for service and when I call for more information, they say exactly what they've told you:  "Not at this time".  In our case, our address is that of the town we live near, but we don't live within the city limits.  Everything stops at the end of the city limits.  We don't even get decent cell phone reception at our house, and I can see a tower from my backyard!  I'm glad I'm not into all this digital stuff that much--I don't feel like I'm missing out that way.

What angers me is that everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, is pushing you to use the internet for everything.  I really wouldn't mind that, IF we had three things: 1-easy to use internet access, i.e. computer operating systems/browsers, that type of thing.  2-reliable, affordable, easy internet service everywhere, like electricity.  3-safe internet, so that I know no one can steal my information anywhere along the line.  When using the internet becomes as easy and safe as that, like using the TV (back when you didn't need cable or satellite), then I wouldn't mind doing more things via internet.  I'll be dead and gone before that happens, though.

[tockerman]

i have comcast they are high changed plans and now save money. customer is good only had trouble with them one time. after that nothing bad happened to me. pay about 150 a month for all three itmes. not sure how fast speed is on internet. but works well for me. live in midwest. I have other  choices but do not want to change too much of a hassle. 

[ECBG]

AOL.  Occasionaly something won't load but it's the site not responding.

[Nataliesgramma]

We have Time Warner for internet ..but have Direct TV. AT &T is the other option, but their service is horrible....

[Gemspirit]

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@millieshops wrote:

@GemspiritComcast is great except when it's not!  I have probably spent 16 hours on the phone in 2015 with them --and I use them only 6 months of the year!   Because my HOA uses Comcast I hesitate to do anything except try to work with them.

The service is better this season - I don't lose my Internet more than a few times a week instead of a dozen times a day, but no, they aren't [erfect.  Just OK.

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II hear you. I should've clarified~We use Verizon for our one house line and mobiles. Then COMCAST for Internet and tv. As I eluded we pay more. But, it's worth it. During hurricane Sandy a few years ago, we were truly grateful that we used two different companies!

[INDIANA BONES]

Time Warner for Internet, Cable and land line.   When the promotion ends and the rates go sky high I call and cancel.  Within 48 hours they are calling my cell to offer me another promotion.   I am not happy with the Cable but have no issues with the Internet and land line phone. 

[RedTop]

Here in southern WV, Frontier Communications is our phone and Internet provider.   Suddenlink also has a strong presence in the area as an alternate internet provider.  

Frontier offers a bundle "deal" for phone, Internet, and Dish Network which has appealed to many customers here, but I am not one of them.   I have had service with DirecTV for more than 15 years, and have never been disappointed with my service, my bill, or anything related to my television programming.   The people I know who left DirecTV for Dish, found out in less than 60 days, that their program options were not the same, and service was not the same, so they switched back to DirecTV as soon as possible.   There is no deal tempting enough to draw me away from DirecTV.   

[shaggygirl]

I'm in Ct. and for years had Comcast but the cost kept going up, finally got AT&T U-verse for landline/internet/tv at a much lower cost, then Frontier took them over and it's been downhill ever since. I can't tell you how often I have to restart one or the other of the cable boxes  either because the signal is lost or the picture freezes up while the sound continues then suddenly the picture speeds and catches up, over and over again. Doing the restart on the box of the problem tv fixes it but it's a pain. Just a couple of days ago practically the whole state lost the TV signal for about 5 hours, a lot lost their landline & internet as well. Never had these problems with Comcast nor AT&T. If it wasn't for the higher cost as well as what a general pain in the butt it is I'd switch back to Comcast. Frontier did sent out an e-mail apology for the inconvenience of the problem a couple of days ago....big deal!

[MariotaMurielle]

thanks for all the replies. it looks like I'm not the only one in this situation.

Comcast in our area has a reputation for terrible customer service and that's a big deal to me. I refuse to deal with companies you can't rely on for service or support.  as for AT&T, I have to admit that their CS has always been outstanding and the same goes for DirecTV.

I called AT&T again and spoke to a supervisor. unfortunately that didn't yield any more than my original call last week. again, the best they said they could do is to increase my internet speed for $52, rather than the $59 that my slightly slower speed went up to after the promo period expired. she did say that she would put me on a "priority" list for customers requesting special offers. I really don't see anything coming of that in my future .

since our AT&T and DirecTV services are bundled, I called DirecTV also to ask about any promotions available to existing customers and of course, there are none.

to help offset the cost a little bit I changed our DirecTV programing to one level down. of course that canceled several channels that we liked to watch, but we can live without.

I guess like everything else, the price of things go up and we pay the price. I will keep my eyes open for any better deal that might come along in the future but for now, this seems to be the best I can do.