Confused about cable/internet/phone choices! (Raleigh, Morrisville: credit, house, promotional)

[annesg]

Hi all--we're moving to our house in Morrisville in a month or so and I'm lost as to what to choose for phone/internet/tv options. We had Verizon FIOS in Florida, and I realize that's not an option here.

We're looking for HD, DVR (ideally), whatever high speed internet that works, not too fussy about that, and we need a land line for our security system. We have had satellite in the past (Directv) and it was okay. I don't have any preferences that I know of, I just want the best price and the best service. Ideally I wouldn't have to do more than a 12-mo contract.

Any ideas? Experiences? Thanks!

[saturnfan]

Roadrunner form Time-Warner's great.

Their cable TV's good, but the DVR is as reliable as a Yugo.

[ljd1010]

We also have TWC for phone, roadrunner internet and cable. We were able to get a phone plan that allowed us unlimited long distance to call family in RI - with a very inexpensive plan added to enable us to call our daughter/grandchildren in China. Initially, during our set-up, we had some difficulties which required multiple calls (and being placed on hold many times for as long as 37 minutes and then getting disconnected!!). Now that things have been rectified, the service is fine. We didn't want a satellite dish, also tried calling Verizon, only to find out they didn't service this area.

[Lori1961]

We just moved to Raleigh and have TWC/Roadrunner. I have to say that things have been pretty smooth. Our internet works great! As far as problems with the DVRs, we had Comcast in California and had the same issues there. I thought about getting a dish but with the weather here, I did not feel like fighting that issue.

[apexguy]

I have had DirecTV for the past 6.5 years (ever since becoming a homeowner). Absolutely love it...the best HD out there. I think over that time period, I may have been out of signal from weather for all of about 2 hours TOTAL!

I regretfully switched to TWC for internet and phone since they had such a good offer. Prior to that I had Bellsouth DSL and Phone. The DSL worked great. Of course my TWC promotional period ended and I have HAD major problems since getting services changed, billing, etc. Their customer service is an absolute joke. One day someone says they are sorry for the mistake and credits my account while the next day I get a call regarding the same past due amount with no record of a credit and they harrass me over their mistake. After about 2 hours of my time, it is finally right.

Im a big fan of DirecTV..the HD quality is simply unbeatable.

[lottamoxie]

I had TWC for the TV cable portion as well as H.S. Internet. I dumped the TV cable and went with DirecTV since I was able to double the number of channels, get HD with my new TV set, and pay slightly less than what TWC was charging me.

I have Earthlink cable for Internet (with is still essentially TWC), but negotiated a $29.95/month price, which I then renegotiate whenever it is set to expire, which is every 6 months.

I used to use MCI for my landline but I dropped that altogether and went with ViaTalk for VoIP. I got a $199 for 2 years deal. With taxes it comes out to less than $10 a month and that includes as much long distance as I need.

To further reduce my phone costs, I did away with a monthly cell phone plan and now only use a prepaid with Tracfone wireless. I don't use my cell phone that much and my cell expense has thus dropped from $480/year down to about $80/year.

Ka-ching!!

[CalicoskiesNC]

I've been a TWC customer for years. We have digital cable w/dvrs and Roadrunner. Roadrunner is great. We haven't had any trouble with our dvrs, we have 2. Does whatever I ask it to do. When it doesn't, its my fault. We did add an extra drive to it so we can record everything in HD without running out of room. No complaints at all about TWC, works great, very reliable @ my house and I've only had pleasant experiences with Customer Service.

[RDSLOTS]

Originally Posted by annesg

Hi all--we're moving to our house in Morrisville in a month or so and I'm lost as to what to choose for phone/internet/tv options. We had Verizon FIOS in Florida, and I realize that's not an option here.

We're looking for HD, DVR (ideally), whatever high speed internet that works, not too fussy about that, and we need a land line for our security system. We have had satellite in the past (Directv) and it was okay. I don't have any preferences that I know of, I just want the best price and the best service. Ideally I wouldn't have to do more than a 12-mo contract.

Any ideas? Experiences? Thanks!

Very happy with our DSL and land line service through AT&T (formerly Bell South) here. Negotiate with them over price and service(s) -- worked for me, but I have been a most loyal customer for years. We got DSL and the phone for what Vonage wanted for the phone service, so it CAN be done.

Likewise, we are loyal DirectTV customers too, and love it. Great customer service. TWC couldn't get our business if they gave us their services -- just bad experiences, with their pricing, and worst customer service I have ever encountered.

[Boomerrang]

Originally Posted by annesg

Hi all--we're moving to our house in Morrisville in a month or so and I'm lost as to what to choose for phone/internet/tv options. We had Verizon FIOS in Florida, and I realize that's not an option here.

We're looking for HD, DVR (ideally), whatever high speed internet that works, not too fussy about that, and we need a land line for our security system. We have had satellite in the past (Directv) and it was okay. I don't have any preferences that I know of, I just want the best price and the best service. Ideally I wouldn't have to do more than a 12-mo contract.

Any ideas? Experiences? Thanks!

No doubt Time Warner Cable is the way to go. Get a bundle deal and save a bundle. Excellent HD DVR service and great customer service support. We have be thrilled over our service.

[annesg]

Thank you so much, everyone, for all the wonderful (as usual) input! I'll run everything past my husband and see what he wants. I suspect he wants as much sports as his wallet will allow. I, on the other hand, must have Noggin and other kids' channels.