Internet/ISP options (Louisville: sale, rentals, credit card)

[eok]

What else is there besides Time Warner and AT&T? Which is worse? I signed up for Time Warner because I had AT&T before I moved here, and didn't like them at all. But my 50mbps Time Warner service is erratic. Some days it spends most of the day trying to reconnect, and connecting for a few minutes or an hour, then doing it again. Also I couldn't believe how incompetent Time Warner seems to be. When I wanted to activate my modem, I got a huge runaround, as if they never heard of such a thing before. And they said they were going to charge my credit card automatically every month, but didn't, and imposed a $7.50 late fee because I didn't know I was supposed to pay it manually. They even said the automatic monthly charges were required, or I would have to post a deposit. They only charged the first month automatically, and imposed the late fee the 2nd month.

But AT&T, I had for years, before moving here, and they kept doing things wrong, almost constantly. When they needed to replace my outside line because of too much DSL noise, they said they were going to bury it around the outside of my yard, so it would be ok for me to dig in the yard, for other projects. But they left the wire lying there for months, and then finally buried it a few inches deep straight across my yard, where they had promised not to. And I had very erratic very slow speed, almost constantly, which they were never able to fix for more than a few weeks at a time. And I kept having to deal with stupid errors almost constantly, such as when they promised rewards for jumping through particular hoops, but failed to deliver those rewards. And those are just a few examples, of almost constant incompetence from AT&T, which is why I signed up for Time Warner this time. Big mistake.

What I want is basic reliable high speed internet service with no hassles. If I can get that, I don't care about anything else. But is it just a pipe dream?

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by eok

What else is there besides Time Warner and AT&T? Which is worse? I signed up for Time Warner because I had AT&T before I moved here, and didn't like them at all. But my 50mbps Time Warner service is erratic. Some days it spends most of the day trying to reconnect, and connecting for a few minutes or an hour, then doing it again. Also I couldn't believe how incompetent Time Warner seems to be. When I wanted to activate my modem, I got a huge runaround, as if they never heard of such a thing before. And they said they were going to charge my credit card automatically every month, but didn't, and imposed a $7.50 late fee because I didn't know I was supposed to pay it manually. They even said the automatic monthly charges were required, or I would have to post a deposit. They only charged the first month automatically, and imposed the late fee the 2nd month.

But AT&T, I had for years, before moving here, and they kept doing things wrong, almost constantly. When they needed to replace my outside line because of too much DSL noise, they said they were going to bury it around the outside of my yard, so it would be ok for me to dig in the yard, for other projects. But they left the wire lying there for months, and then finally buried it a few inches deep straight across my yard, where they had promised not to. And I had very erratic very slow speed, almost constantly, which they were never able to fix for more than a few weeks at a time. And I kept having to deal with stupid errors almost constantly, such as when they promised rewards for jumping through particular hoops, but failed to deliver those rewards. And those are just a few examples, of almost constant incompetence from AT&T, which is why I signed up for Time Warner this time. Big mistake.

What I want is basic reliable high speed internet service with no hassles. If I can get that, I don't care about anything else. But is it just a pipe dream?

Welcome to the duopoly. My best advice, if your finances allow, subscribe to both. What you have is two crappy providers. Hopefully between the two, one or the other will be working at any given time. If one is down, at least you have a backup until the other gets fixed. It also gives you leverage with them too. If your service is not working talk to a supervisor and give them an ultimatum. Fix it within 24 hrs (or maybe 48 hrs if they need it) or disconnect it. When you give them an ultimatum like that it's amazing what they can do for you. You can follow through with your threat because you have a back up. They want to screw their customers, but they don't want to lose them.

[censusdata]

Your choices are dumb and dumber. My twc service is erratic and they doubled the price from when they bought out Insight

[eok]

I'm wondering if the erratic connection is because it's supposed to be 50mbps. If I asked them to lower it to one of their more common levels of service, would it be more likely to be reliable that way?

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by eok

I'm wondering if the erratic connection is because it's supposed to be 50mbps. If I asked them to lower it to one of their more common levels of service, would it be more likely to be reliable that way?

No, but it might save you money if you are not actually getting the speed you are paying for.

[veggienut]

Originally Posted by censusdata

Your choices are dumb and dumber. My twc service is erratic and they doubled the price from when they bought out Insight

They have a sale going on right now.

Also, there are locally owned ISP here but I don't know anything about them.

IgLou Internet Services

[olderandwiser456]

Originally Posted by eok

What else is there besides Time Warner and AT&T? Which is worse? I signed up for Time Warner because I had AT&T before I moved here, and didn't like them at all. But my 50mbps Time Warner service is erratic. Some days it spends most of the day trying to reconnect, and connecting for a few minutes or an hour, then doing it again. Also I couldn't believe how incompetent Time Warner seems to be. When I wanted to activate my modem, I got a huge runaround, as if they never heard of such a thing before. And they said they were going to charge my credit card automatically every month, but didn't, and imposed a $7.50 late fee because I didn't know I was supposed to pay it manually. They even said the automatic monthly charges were required, or I would have to post a deposit. They only charged the first month automatically, and imposed the late fee the 2nd month.

But AT&T, I had for years, before moving here, and they kept doing things wrong, almost constantly. When they needed to replace my outside line because of too much DSL noise, they said they were going to bury it around the outside of my yard, so it would be ok for me to dig in the yard, for other projects. But they left the wire lying there for months, and then finally buried it a few inches deep straight across my yard, where they had promised not to. And I had very erratic very slow speed, almost constantly, which they were never able to fix for more than a few weeks at a time. And I kept having to deal with stupid errors almost constantly, such as when they promised rewards for jumping through particular hoops, but failed to deliver those rewards. And those are just a few examples, of almost constant incompetence from AT&T, which is why I signed up for Time Warner this time. Big mistake.

What I want is basic reliable high speed internet service with no hassles. If I can get that, I don't care about anything else. But is it just a pipe dream?

Where do you live? Does location make a difference in service? I am thinking about a move to Louisville, and internet is important to me, as it is for others. Maybe some on this thread can share what they know about locations in the Louisville area and TWC service.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by olderandwiser456

Where do you live? Does location make a difference in service? I am thinking about a move to Louisville, and internet is important to me, as it is for others. Maybe some on this thread can share what they know about locations in the Louisville area and TWC service.

Mainly, it is ATT and Time Warner. The good news is TW has been bought by Charter, and they will have a plan for 40/month that gives you around 30mbps by next year.

Iglou is local but I think thy use TW lines...the good thing about them is that the do not charge any hidden fees, equipment rentals or anything else. And since they are local, their customer servixe is better and easier to reach.

In parts of the IN suburbs, Frontier is a great service and value. They do not service the Ky side of the river. Both DISH and DirectTV offer satellite internet..I do not think it is viable if you stream videos or game. It is perfect for light internet users, emailers, and people who read newspapers online.

[olderandwiser456]

Originally Posted by Peter1948

Mainly, it is ATT and Time Warner. The good news is TW has been bought by Charter, and they will have a plan for 40/month that gives you around 30mbps by next year.

Iglou is local but I think thy use TW lines...the good thing about them is that the do not charge any hidden fees, equipment rentals or anything else. And since they are local, their customer service is better and easier to reach.

In parts of the IN suburbs, Frontier is a great service and value. They do not service the Ky side of the river. Both DISH and DirectTV offer satellite internet..I do not think it is viable if you stream videos or game. It is perfect for light internet users, emailers, and people who read newspapers online.

Great info! Thanks! I had Comcast when I lived in SE Michigan, and TWC in New England. Same issues everywhere with the lack of competition and poor customer service.

$40/month for 30 mbps is a good price. I'm a cord cutter (retired though, not a millennial, LOL). My current service with TWC is $40 for 15 mbps (for first 12 months), rising to $65 once the 12 month special ends next month. Big price for a modest speed. I use it for streaming Hulu and doing a lot of surfing on news sites, but when I move, I would likely stream movies, so a faster speed would be welcome.