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Mine has stayed the same. Someone else asked earlier, but do you have a wireless modem? And is it encrypted? If not, someone (a neighbor) might be getting free WIFI from you (and hence a significant increase in usage). Perhaps doesn't apply, but if it does...
Theoretically, I haven't been able to check my usage in 8 days:
This is posted in my Usage window tonite: "
"Cable modem usage has not been processed since early April, 2011. However, Long Distance usage is still available. We are reviewing the data and will update the usage after it has been verified. Thank you for your patience."
On April 13, it said this: "Cable modem usage has not processed since April 6, 2011. However, Long Distance usage is still available. We are reviewing the data and will update the usage after it has been verified. Thank you for your patience."
So I take it the usage that was posted on my account on April 6, 7, and 8 were all just guesses? Will I see a 'revised version' later on?
The "Current Detail" was blank on April 11.
It was there again on April 12.
It was blank again on April 13.
It is still blank today, April 14.
Does anybody else monitor their usage and see this unusual stuff going on?
Does anybody else monitor their usage and see this unusual stuff going on?
Yep, that is the normal crap for GCI. They told me 3 years ago they are working on correcting their billing system. I called them a couple weeks ago and asked why they can't put both my accounts on one bill. The response was that they are working on it. BULL****! I have helped convert the city of Chicago HUD billing system, much larger than GCI, and it only took about 2 weeks, and there were only about 5 of us doing it. The state needs some competition to come in and get these buttwipes to straighten up.
The state needs some competition to come in and get these buttwipes to straighten up.
There are several companies providing the competition you seek. Clearly that is not the solution.
But defining the problem correctly might be a better angle than throwing out mindless insults to GCI (and their competitors). There are two problems as I see it. (Mind also that I see this through the eyes of a industry insider with 4 decades of experience.)
1) The biggest problem is that we simply are not a big enough market to get the benefits of any "economies of scale". That is part of living in Alaska, and something we might be damned thankful for! If you want 5MB unlimited Internet for $12 a month, move to Los Angeles and suffer those consequences!
2) The secondary problem is that most of GCI's competitors, and to a lesser degree but still a significant one GCI too, are old style "telephone company" corporations with the same mindset of 30 years ago and executive management that grew up with that mindset. They tend to operate as a "public utility" rather than as a "business offering a service to the public".
Item 2 is hard to describe. Look at Dilbert cartoons! Scott Adams began writing Dilbert while he worked as an ISDN Applications Engineer (ISDN stands for "It Still Does Nothing", aka Integrated Services Digital Network), and originally it was all telephone industry inside jokes generalized just enough that others could laugh at us.
GCI (unlike Alascom, AT&T, ACS, or any local telcom in Alaska) has broken away from that mold more than any other telecom provider. And... as someone who worked for Alascom building the infrastructure in Alaska is pisses me off to no end that GCI is the company in that position; but the fact is they are the ones who are doing the best.
I called them a couple weeks ago and asked why they can't put both my accounts on one bill.
I will 4-EVER have a 'bad taste in my mouth' from my experience with GCI, starting with the 'surprise' $200 overage on my bill a couple years ago and ending with the big fat lie they told me about the cost of my services when they convinced me to try cable TV to adjust my internet rates. If they put the cable on the internet bill they would not be able to bald-faced lie to you about the total cost of the package and seemingly get away with it over and over and over again.
(Oh, and another rant-aside-topic on this-- they "can't" give you a computer-generated paper printed receipt for anything they discuss with you about your services in person at their store. This was what happened to me when they SERIOUSLY tricked me into getting a TV / Internet package by lying to me about what they were going to charge me.)
Well, that's just my theory as to why they Just Can't Fix the Bill. I even got a quote going to pay in person that my total bill was $84.00 when in fact I found out five days later it was actually $284.00 or so.
The endless bull**** they dish out is not an accident, not stupidity, not incompetence, but simply deliberate behavior designed to let them stick their hands deep in our pants pockets and grab a few extra handfuls of money besides the exhorbitant rates they are already getting.
And where ya gonna go otherwise? They will ride this wave for as long as they can because they know it's only good for a short while anyway.
I know I'm just stuck on one topic here even though I have been reading in other topics on this forum too, but it is one place I can help others in putting out the word about something that needs to be out in the open and not hidden.
Okay, I got one more quote to go get to finish here:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Floyd_Davidson
And... as someone who worked for Alascom building the infrastructure in Alaska is pisses me off to no end that GCI is the company in that position; but the fact is they are the ones who are doing the best.
They may be 'doing the best' right now as being the best choice of the bad choices we have. The pathetic thing where I live is you can be the BEST there is around locally but still be REAL BAD.
Now, I'm not talking about wanting to pay "$12 per month" for unlimited internet, I would be quite happy to pay $100 and in fact was at one time paying more than that, but getting unlimited is no longer an option; you pay through the nose and STILL have to watch your back, and oh look, now you CAN'T SEE what your usage is now until they decide it's time to show you.
I wonder what they're "fixing" back there behind the scenes while they "Review" and "Verify" their data. My unexplainable huge fluctuations in my usage might be mighty interesting information to have on hand pretty soon if I see some more interesting and unexplainable fluctations in the near future.
I do not think it has to be true that because we live in Alaska we need to put up with being shafted on certain modern-day services even in the bigger towns.
In fact I think it can and will change fairly soon. The DISHONESTY of GCI is I want to keep on the forefront here. I have seen many reports mirroring my own experience with this company. (Okay, when I say "many" I really mean "a few." But I know there are a lot of people who just do not speak up. No, I can't prove it.) I do not mean to throw out 'mindless insults' about GCI but to report specific things they do / don't do, say / don't say.
Having an informed public may help the situation greatly. This forum seems like one good place to gather some comparative information about our GCI vs . . . everywhere else, and other people's experiences with them who have concerns about their internet usage restrictions.
The endless bull**** they dish out is not an accident, not stupidity, not incompetence, but simply deliberate behavior designed [...]
To be honest, I think most of it fits between stupidity and incompetence!
Quote:
Now, I'm not talking about wanting to pay "$12 per month" for unlimited internet, I would be quite happy to pay $100 and in fact was at one time paying more than that, but getting unlimited is no longer an option; you pay through the nose and STILL have to watch your back, and oh look, now you CAN'T SEE what your usage is now until they decide it's time to show you.
I wonder what they're "fixing" back there behind the scenes while they "Review" and "Verify" their data. My unexplainable huge fluctuations in my usage might be mighty interesting information to have on hand pretty soon if I see some more interesting and unexplainable fluctations in the near future.
Virtually all of that is abject incompetence at the middle management level, and utter stupidity at the executive level.
The fact that it is unreasonable to offer any form of unlimited access is valid, but the business of jerking the customers around over it is unacceptable.
Quote:
I do not think it has to be true that because we live in Alaska we need to put up with being shafted on certain modern-day services even in the bigger towns.
The poor implementation is not necessary. Being so disorganized with customer service that people like you feel that you've been lied to is a failure at the executive level (and abject incompetence at the middle management level).
Quote:
In fact I think it can and will change fairly soon. The DISHONESTY of GCI is I want to keep on the forefront here. I have seen many reports mirroring my own experience with this company. (Okay, when I say "many" I really mean "a few." But I know there are a lot of people who just do not speak up. No, I can't prove it.) I do not mean to throw out 'mindless insults' about GCI but to report specific things they do / don't do, say / don't say.
Having an informed public may help the situation greatly. This forum seems like one good place to gather some comparative information about our GCI vs . . . everywhere else, and other people's experiences with them who have concerns about their internet usage restrictions.
I am basically in agreement with the sentiments you and Ed Nephler are expressing in that sense. But to be honest I do not see any reason that it will change. None.
"We don't care, we don't have to...we're the phone company." Ernestine the telephone operator (played by Lilly Tomlin), Saturday Night Live, September 18, 1976 .
This will be good for all of us, I'm sure:
____________________________________
NOTE found on online account 4-16-11: During March, we implemented a new, more sophisticated usage collection system for our cable modem services. However, we have determined that the system requires further review. Until that review is completed, your monthly data usage for your cable modem service will be billed at whichever is the lower amount: the current cycle usage or the February cycle usage. We apologize for the inconvenience.
____________________________________
The February usage was before the 3x increase in usage occurred. So how bad can it get? . . . . Really.
___________________________________
When I started chiming in here, I was hoping to get some feedback from other GCI users whether they experienced the same usage increase as I did, or no change. (Maybe other people don't look at their account each month, but once you've burned yourself with 'overage,' -- believe me, you'll look! Unless you just moved on to a better way.)
GCI APR 21, 2011: GCI implemented a new usage collection system for cable modem services in March. You may notice an increase in your reported usage. This is because the old system was under-reporting. If your current usage exceeds the amount included with your plan, you will be billed at whichever is lower: your current usage or your February usage as measured by the old system. This is to provide you the opportunity to better understand your usage and make any necessary adjustments.
______________________________________
I am happy to report fair notice has been given by GCI as to what is going to happen next.
This would kill me living up there as I download over 40 gig per month sometimes in a few days. When you FTP large files down and up, for work projects it doesn't take long at all. I would have to get a dedicated line at the pricing they charge. Still I don't understand in the anchorage/mat-su area why internet is so expensive. the bandwidth is large enough on the coax cabling they use and it is just the backbone that I could see the excess charges. I don't know what kind of trunk lines they have into canada.
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