Internet access is a hassle
April 20, 2007
I can’t believe how difficult it is to get Internet access in Blacksburg of all places. I have two options, neither of which I particularly like. I can go with Comcast and all the attendant problems there or I can go with Verizon, which I’d really rather not do because we don’t want land-line phone service.
I can order service online through Verizon, but I’d essentially be paying twice the price they advertise for broadband (because I’d have to buy phone service I don’t want).
There’s theoretically a discounted price for me from Comcast, but I can’t access that price online and when I call Comcast to order, they demand the land-line number before I can proceed past the first station in their automated phone-maze.
I can’t believe I have to order internet access via phone service anyway. Sheesh!
Posted in Diary
content rss
April 21st, 2007 at 7:10 pm
I know that this isn’t a “popular” opinion but we are happy with our Comcast service. We have their all bundled up package (phone, TV and Internet access) and we works just fine. There were a few buggy problems as each bit was installed, but after a couple of days of fixing it, everything works dandy.
The biggest drawback to the phone service is that in a power outage, we lose phone service but I figure that’s why cell phones were invented.
Don’t be afraid.
April 22nd, 2007 at 7:51 am
I ran into this same problem with Comcast’s phone menu just two days ago. The only reason they want a phone number is so they can route callers to the proper call center. For instance, when I entered my number here in Georgia, they transferred me to a call center that (incorrectly) assured me that Comcast didn’t service West Virginia.
Anyway, I ended up just entering someone else’s phone number in the town where I’m moving (specifically, my realtor’s phone number). That got me to the right call center, and everything went smoothly from there.
April 22nd, 2007 at 8:43 am
Oddly enough, a different 800 phone number got me past that and I’m signed up through Comcast now.
One of the very first things on the Thudfactor site — pre-blog — was a very long multi-page rant about my efforts to get Comcast to repair an unreliable piece of infrastructure equipment so I could have reliable service. I spent a dozen hours on the phone and because of their poor technical support process, and each phone call I had to start over from the beginning. That was when Comcast was outsourcing to @Home, now defunct.
April 22nd, 2007 at 5:52 pm
We were early adopted of @home which became attbi which became comcast. We had nothing but trouble with @home, a bit less with attbi and hardly any with comcast.
Here’s a tip…add the comcast trouble line to your cell phone because when the power goes out…it’s nowhere to be found.