Fios, Comcast, or forget it and just get the $40 box? (Pittsburgh: sales, credit)

[By~Tor]

Hey yinz! - - It's been awhile...

The house is good, the band is gigging and we have a new baby (June 23rd) in our home! - - Now, there's the update, but here's the dilemma:

Since we've been here, we've had Comcast triple-play bundled cable, phone & internet. No REAL "problems" with it, but the cost is staggering, with 3 TV's hooked up to it. Well over $180 a month by the time all's said & done.

I'm looking at the prospect of doing one of the following, and I hope you can offer me your input to help me make this decision:

1 - Reduce my Comcast service to nothing more than internet and basic cable on 1 TV and then get the Over-The-Air Converter boxes for the others...use only the cell phones for phone service.

2 - Switch to Verizon FIOS "starter" package, again, on one TV only, and same thing with the phone & web service.

3 - Since there's already a DirectTV dish on the roof from the previous owner, get DirectTV to re-install the wiring to all 3 TV's, and keep the internet service thru Comcast.

4 - Say "screw it all", and just go with the over-the-air box, watch cable shows on Hulu or steal from Pirate Bay, and pay only for internet service alone.

I've heard Fios has the best picture quality and faster internet speeds, but I'm having no issue with Comcast's services...just the pricing.

Basic factors to consider: Yes, I do watch a bit of TV in the evenings and love my football and hockey...but to save over a bill a month, I'd give it up and just find "alternative ways" of watching what I wanna' see....

Ok - - thanks for your help, and I'll look forward to the responses!

-Mike

[Blackbeauty212]

I had DirecTv and absolutely loved the bill, i had HD/DVR with all premiums for 105 a month after taxes, some years I would go all in for the NFL package just so i could watch my Steelers every game....

Only downside to DTV was Customer Service and thank the lord i didnt need to call often...I learned to call durning banking hours to get the Top Tier reps that know their ****....

Quality of service was very reliable even in heavy snow and rain Ive had perfect HD picture and sound....and on the off chance weather did effect my service i had plenty of fresh programming on my DVR to out last the mother nature.

[MeinGlanzendMotorrad]

FiOS. Forget every other option if you have FiOS available.

[BrianTH]

FiOS is definitely the best technology, now and particularly in the future.

How much of this you want to pay for in the first place--that's really up to you to decide.

Edit: Oh, and congrats!

[Mugatu]

My Fios story -

I switched from Comcast to Fios a year ago, and Fios blows Comcast away. The picture quality, on-screen interface and internet speed are all light years ahead of Comcast.

However when I first switched, I had the worst time with my bill for the first few months. Basically the Fios phone sales reps make up whatever price they want to get you to sign up, then when your bill comes, it's wrong, and you have to wait on hold for 45 mins to argue with a manager to get the price you were originally promised. There's no record of the price you were originally quoted, so the manager will just say "blah blah, the sales rep was not authorized to make that deal", then you yell back "fraud", "bait and switch" and "better business bureau" until you get the original price. It takes about 3 months to sort out the bill until it starts coming in at the correct price. Good times!

I honestly almost had them pull the damn equipment back out of my apt after the first month I was so pissed, but the product itself is so good, and the installer that came out did a great job, so I hung in there and gave it a chance. And everyone I talk to that has Fios had billing issues as well.

My bill has been correct now once that nonsense was finally resolved, and I do love the service. The internet speed rocks. And the price I had to fight for is considerably cheaper than Comcast for a better service.



So all in all I do reluctantly recommend Fios. Their product is an A+, their customer service is an F-.....so it rounds out to about a C overall. If you know going in you'll deal with billing issues, but want the best quality tv and internet, then go for it!

Either that, or go with option 4. Screw it all! I'm tempted to do that from time to time just to save some money. But I don't think I'm quite ready to cut the cord yet.

[Blackbeauty212]

I hear that Verizon Fios Customer Service is pretty bad however, that's what made me look the other way.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212

I hear that Verizon Fios Customer Service is pretty bad however, that's what made me look the other way.

I 100% agree. I eventually got so fed up with them that I actually did cancel entirely and switch to Comcast. Comcast can be pretty bad, too -- but they are much more willing to give you a credit or discounted rate if you complain loud enough. The biggest advantage of comcast is that there are actually local offices where you can go see someone in person if you really need to.

FWIW, I also had 3 or 4 times in my 18 months of service where the internet connection went down on their side. One time it took them 3 days before they got it fixed, because their default answer for everything is "we'll send you another router." It was very fast when it worked though.

As for TV, I can't recommend Dish Network enough they actually have good customer service, not just tolerable. They also don't charge extra for HD and are just generally cheaper.

[FreightTrainRunning]

Is Verizon ever going to finish Pittsburgh's FIOS build out? My neighbors across the street (literally) got FIOS a year and a half ago but we still don't have it. Frustrating.

[MeinGlanzendMotorrad]

Probably not, no. I had it in Overbrook, every neighborhood around me has it, but nada in Perry South.

[lifepgh2op]

Go with FiOS. They gave me more than one digital cable box for free. Also, free multi-room DVR for life. I haven't had any issues with my billing and I haven't had to use their customer service yet. Comcast is way too expensive for the quality and services offered.