Internet Service Providers? (lease, how much, attorneys)

[Botwin]

I desperately want reliable internet service. I've been with TWC for years and can't take it anymore. It is never working properly and I have spent hours on the phone, usually on hold, and occasionally with a real live person trained to be as rude and unhelpful as possible.
I have Centurylink for my business and have been even less impressed with them.
Anybody found an internet provider in the triangle who provides reliable service and customer service?
Thanks!

[frankpc]

For a wired connection you really don't have many options besides TW and your Telco. Even Earthlink uses the physical assets provided by TW so while the tech support may be better, the physical connection is really the same.

Clear is offering wireless "4G" connectivity in the area so depending on where you live and your connectivity requirements you can give them a try.

Frank

[SFspiderman]

Who knows how much longer Clear will be an option. They're slashing their workforce by 15% as they continue to struggle to add customers and are quickly running out of cash. They're just now deploying in NYC and with San Francisco and LA coming online by the end of the year, it's make or break time for Clear.

[roguesmom]

for internet. i had to make the switch in order to keep vonage as my new phone service provider. we already have TW for cable & as a result of the switch, upgraded to digital. while the pic on digital is better, it seems we have lost alot of stations. it didnt help that on the evening of the day we got the upgrade/internetwhen i called a 1-800 number to figure out why we didnt have a pic on tv. i must have called some national #, they couldnt find my record in their database! not terribly happy with that. finally, i got some twc person who told me the channel on the tv needed to be set at '3' to get a pic...helloooo i would have thought a tech would tell me that!

ok so rant over. although we now have twc for internet, i havent yet cancelled earthlink. ive had mindspring & then earthlink for 10+ yrs. i was happy enough with earthlink with the exception of 2 things: our modem went down out of the blue & we had to wait 4 days for EL to ship a new one. EL will only support their own modems. the other thing is the email issue with EL....they use 'total access' as an email program and to be honest, im not sure how or if that will work with TWC. on the upside, i was always pleased with earthlinks customer service.

not too long ago, we tried to connect the WII to the internet. we dont have laptops so im very new to the whole wireless thing. i bought a router from walmart & when i connected it, i couldnt see my EL email in the usual way. i wasnt thrilled with that & when i contacted EL, they said they would only support earthlink routers. my options for that werent cheap so we packed the router back in the box.

i cant remember if you wrote who your phone service provider was, but if you run the phone through the internet, you need to check with your new ISP to see if they support it. otherwise, you could get caught like i did - 6 days with no phone, no internet!

[igolfchip]

Originally Posted by SFspiderman

Who knows how much longer Clear will be an option. They're slashing their workforce by 15% as they continue to struggle to add customers and are quickly running out of cash. They're just now deploying in NYC and with San Francisco and LA coming online by the end of the year, it's make or break time for Clear.

Not sure any of this is relevant. As long as Clear is in business and providing service, its a great deal. If, for some reason, they ever go under (unlikely), you're back to square one and have more negotiating leverage with other providers to earn your biz.

[Botwin]

I had vonage for awhile, and hated it...( I promise, I'm usually really easy to please!) So we don't have a landline anymore, we just use our cell phones now (Sprint, who btw I LOVE)
I had never heard of Clear and just googled it....I am reading about it, but must admit, I am technically challenged....how does it work? Do you need a landline? Is it just for laptops, or can it be used with desktops? If I were to cancel internet with TWC, could I still keep cable? (Wouldn't want the kids to go through Spongebob withdrawals)

[jeffs555]

I had never heard of Clear and just googled it....I am reading about it, but must admit, I am technically challenged....how does it work? Do you need a landline? Is it just for laptops, or can it be used with desktops? If I were to cancel internet with TWC, could I still keep cable? (Wouldn't want the kids to go through Spongebob withdrawals)

Clear is a wireless connection and doesn't need a landline. It uses a lot of towers like cell phones do. For the home you usually get a box similar your cable modem box, that hooks to your computer or a router. You may need to orient it in your house to get best reception from the tower. You need to check on their site to see if they have good coverage at your location.

Yes you can get TW cable tv without internet(or get cable internet without cable TV)

PS I don't have Clear, but everything I read says their tech support is just as bad or worse than TW.

[codyhopkins]

My area has TW and CenturyTel which took over from Embarq. (I am used to Comcast which is pretty good in my other neck of the woods.) Wow, is all I can say about Centurytel. They are very very very difficult to deal with. I attempted to sign up for a package of phone and DSL. Well, nearly impossible. Whoever took my order did not input "the codes" correctly. Near as I can tell Centurytel is a billing machine, bill bill bill bill, deliver services, clearly not their bailiwick! I got a price for my "package" but the person quoting the price left out the outrageous price of $20 per month to rent the dsl modem. The modems cost Centurytel less than a hundred bucks but they want to collect a lease fee of $20 a month! A quick internet search reveals that this technique (I think they call it bait and switch?) is commonly used by them, and lots and lots and lots of people have complained. (God forbid the 37 State's attorneys general where Centurytel does business take a look at something like this! Oooops, what was I thinking that might actually help the citizens of the state,plus Century tel probably throws them some dough anyway!) Remember, near as I can tell, Centurytel not so good at hooking your dsl, or your phone, but do not worry they know how to generate BILLS. And, if they have provided you with absolutely no service whatsoever, they bill for that too!

[aldamon]

Originally Posted by jeffs555

PS I don't have Clear, but everything I read says their tech support is just as bad or worse than TW.

People at dslreports are saying they're getting hit with caps and throttling well. Not sure if it's happening here, but I'd stay away unless it's a last resort.