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Saturday, May 31, 2008

Venting!!!

I need to vent!

Most of you know Jason and I play World of Warcraft. It's something we both enjoy and enjoy doing together. Because of this past time we have, we have always had Mediacom cable internet. I will start off saying that we NEVER had an issue with the service for the almost 4 years that I have lived here.

BUT...(you saw that coming) since March of this year, we have been having problems. The internet is slow, it comes and goes, it hiccups. It makes simply surfing the web irritating and don't even get me started on what it does to our gaming experience!! I have been very patient, I have been trying to stick it out because like I said, the service was perfect until March.

So tonight I decided to get on WoW and play a little. My friend Heather got frustrated with me I think because she was trying to talk to me and I couldn't even see what she was saying because it never came through to my screen. After 4 times of being kicked off, I got fed up and gave up. I decided to call Mediacom and see if they know of any light at the end of the tunnel.

I've called them before about this issue and it's like playing Russian Roulette. Sometimes the person I talk to knows exactly what I'm talking about and they are very understanding and apologetic. Other times, like tonight, the person has no clue what I'm talking about and they make me go through the useless motions of restarting my modem, restarting my computer, and eventually they schedule a technician to come to our house so he can tell me there's nothing they can do because there is a problem with the lines coming out of Decatur.

Tonight was the last straw. Now I will admit I am frustrated, and I told the guy I was. But I did NOT yell, I didn't get rude or pushy. But after 5 minutes of him arguing with me and basicly calling me stupid, I told him I would be looking in to our other options and promptly hung up.

SOOOO if anyone knows anything else we can do, that will give us the same performance as cable internet, PLEASE speak up!! I emailed our local DSL provider but the fact that the internet comes through a phone line makes me think it's going to be just like dial up and if that's the case, we might as well stick with our in and out cable. At least when it's working, it's fast and effective for our gaming.

I HATE how we have ONE choice in our area for cable internet and that's Mediacom. Why can't there be 2 or 3 companies here so they have to compete and in turn provide better service to their customers? They know they're my only option so they don't have to be polite on the phone, they can argue with me and tell me I'm stupid and if I choose to go elsewhere, it's my loss because I end up with a slow connection speed.

UGH!

10 comments:

Heather said...

First I wanted to say I wasnt frustrated with you last night. I know your internet problems, first I thought you were just switching toons. Second time, well I figured out LOL I'm sorry if that came across cause it wasnt suppose to. Hugs. I didnt want to retype everything. I dont know how to tab up what I typed to send again. I jsut went into detail about my weekend hehe.

As for the call with that rude customer service rep, I'd ask to speak with a supervisor or manager next time. Wonder if they made upgrades and workin the bugs out. Or need a new cable line and faster modem. I have no idea.

Last time that happened to me, I had a cable guy come out and look at the cable line on the pole. He said they needed to replace something but the 2nd it happened to me I had to get a newer model of modem. Sorry I cant be much help. Wish I was a techie for you! HUGS!

Keri said...

The problem with our internet is something with the lines...the major lines from the next city over to us. We've had techs here and the last time he finally told me he honestly has no idea when it will be fixed or how they're even going to fix it.

I've been trying to be patient and loyal but I think I'm done after last night's phone conversation.

Anonymous said...

Keri, don't be afraid of DSL. That's what I run. I can't get cable. Yes it is slower than cable, but still EXTREMELY fast compared to dial up. I played EQ using 1.5Mbps DSL. You can also get 3Mbps DSL for a little more money, but I'm so satisfied with 1.5 that I haven't bothered to upgrade.

Keri said...

These are our options for DSL...and they're all jibberish to me. LOL


Bluffton/Craigville DSL:

* Order TODAY! *
$24.95/month with FREE use of DSL modem!

$24.95/month for 1Mb/512kb DSL
$29.95/month for 2Mb/512kb DSL
$34.95/month for 3Mb/512kb DSL
$39.95/month for 4Mb/512kb DSL
$39.95/month for 1Mb/1Mb DSL
$49.95/month for 2Mb/1Mb DSL
$59.95/month for 4Mb/1Mb DSL
$69.95/month for 4Mb/2Mb DSL

* All Packages Include 6 Month Contract.
Handling and Activation Fees not included.
* $10.00 Single service charge will apply for DSL only service.

Rich and Darcie said...

I found your blog via a couple of other blogs, so I'm delurking becuase I have a suggestion for you. Is AT&T UVerse available in your area? We just got it 2 weeks ago and absolutely love it. It comes through the phone line (fiber optics) and is WONDERFUL. We had a the same problems as you with spotty internet and finally threw in the towel with our cable company (Comcast). If AT&T is in your area check into them. Their prices are comperable or better than cable. Hope this helps.

Anonymous said...

Keri- I love my DSL. Give it a try!! It's not as slow as dial up, much faster and more dependable. I've had it for years and I think it's been out two or three times in that whole time.

Keri said...

Hey Rich & Darcie! Thanks for unlurking! :)

Anonymous said...

verizon wireless internet service - 12.99 for 6 months and you can get it in the car while you are driving if you have a laptop!!!! It is AWESOME!

Anonymous said...

You're in luck! I speak gibberish! The first number is your download speed, the faster the better obviously. The second number is your upload speed, not as important when you are surfing, but very important when blogging and uploading lots of pics! Again, the faster the better, so the $69.95 option means download at 4 Megabits per second and upload at 2 Mbps. For comparison, fast dial up is 54 kilobits per second. Not even remotely close!

Keri said...

YAY Don!!

But how does that compare to cable, which is what we are used to?

I'm trying to find out if we can get Verizon DSL as it is much cheaper.