Rant thread in 3, 2, 1...

So, I'm moving into a rent house in the city that I work in. The area has a population of around 10-15k people. Not big, but big enough. After looking around, I'm seeing that my choices of internet service are remarkable slim, and pathetic at that. AT&T is the only 'large' company that offers service in the area, and only offers 'basic' service consisting of 768kbps down. ($24/mo) My CELL PHONE is faster than that, and it's FREE. Then there is another company, a smaller, local company. They offer 1.5mbps/256k-up. ($30) Not bad, but I don't have much faith in smaller service companies in fixing problems or addressing concerns. Last, there is cable. Offering 6mbps for $40/mo. I've found very few good reviews of the local cable company, and have had cable internet in the past (comcast, late 90s) without much problems technically.

My issue is this, I'm moving from a town of LESS than 900 people. It is approximately 15 miles from this city. The provider there offers DSL service from 3mbps to 12mbps. How is this even possible? What really makes me angry is that company doesn't operate within the city to which I am moving limits.

So, thinking just maybe I could get some real information from AT&T. I try talking to them, to find out if they offer anything higher, or are planning to. After talking to four different people, none of which knew anything about how DSL works, I gave up when they attempted to transfer me for the 5th time.

Anyone know if there is ANYTHING I can do? I'm going to continue looking around, asking around, and probably pestering AT&T to see if I can actually find someone who knows anything useful.


/rant

...what. Small businesses are usually renowned for having better service. They can't afford to shrug off customers like major ISPs can.


Just advice, and that is about dealing with customer service people. Not everyone you talk to is in a position of knowledge or authority, so it's common to get told one thing and then get told another by someone else. Solution: Any time you talk to someone, write down their name and the date and time you talked to them. This is especially useful if you get promised a deal or a bargain by one representative, then follow up with another at a later date who has no idea what you're talking about. This is how my roommate managed to get us $30 cable at 15 (we actually get 25) megabits from Comcast, even though we were supposed to already have been a subscriber to get the deal. She wrote down all the names and times of the people she talked to that promised her the deal, so when she had to talk to other representatives that said "no," she could say, "I talked to XX on this date, YY on that date, ZZ on that date, they ALL said I could get this deal." At which point they said, "oh. okay."

And if you can, record the conversation. It's a verbal agreement and can be considered a legally binding contract. Now, whether or not the person agreeing has the authority to make the decision or whether or not it would ever hold up in court doesn't matter. If someone tries to shoot you down, you can say, "I have a recording of an earlier conversation where I was promised XX price or deal. That's a legally binding contract." Most people won't bother fighting that argument.

The other thing to look into, which I doubt is possible considering you're in a small town, is to see if there's good 4G coverage (you never know, maybe a nearby city got it) and tether with a phone. This will work if: you have good coverage, have a 4G phone/provider or are willing to switch, the phone/provider has some way of tethering. This would work if, for example, Sprint had 4G coverage, you bought an EVO and tethered through Android (which you don't have to pay extra for), because Sprint's 4G data plan is unlimited.

Just throwing it out there in case you happened to need a new phone anyway. I was thinking about doing this while I'm in Boston for 6 months, but there isn't enough 4G coverage yet.

Unfortunately no 4G here, i currently tether using my TP2 on 3G. Which is useful for browsing but I can't play games on it, or download big files (whole games) via steam.

I finally managed to get someone who knew something about the hardware. It would seem they just haven't added the necessary equipment in my area (nearest router box is 2.2mi of road, dunno about wire) so they couldn't help me beyond that. There's one more ISP here.

It's a small company, but I found one good review of them (only review I could find) so I figure I will give them a shout and see what they say. They only offer 1.5/256 where I was hoping to get 5/512+ but I guess I can't complain too much.

Just out of curiosity, how did you get a free cell phone? Employer provided or something?

Generally when considering moving to a new area, checking my ISP's is right up there under area taxes and property value.

Sorry to hear your situation mate. I agree with emon, go with the smaller cable provider.

When you're getting nowhere with customer service, you need to ask to speak to a supervisor. And keep doing so until you do speak to someone who does know what they're talking about and has the authority to do anything. Eventually, you'll get someone who knows what they're doing.

Well, I pay for my phone service, but I use my phone for internet on my laptop. However, it's free. Some people consider it stealing, but I was more than willing to pay for it. I asked the lady if the TP2 offered tethering. She said no. Then I searched online, and found that it does. So, Free.

Well, bad sign thus far for the local DSL company. The building they used to be in is seemingly abandoned. Google Maps shows a new location, but I can't seem to find it (thinking it might be off on the address though, as there is a radio tower near the address, and the ISP also offers wireless internet.) Tried calling their number, to which a recording comes on giving me options to choose (sales/tech supp/billing ect) but they just ring a few times and then go silent. So who knows.

I really don't want to be forced to go with AT&T or 'maybe' it works Cable net. Does anyone know if 768kbps DSL is good enough for 2(or more, I'd like 4) people to play games on? Or XBL?

I'm starting to hate where I live.

That's not really free though, you are still paying for the data plan.

My 3mb down DSL (AT&T) is hardly enough, my average download speeds are 250-350kbps. I mean you should still be able to play games and what not but it's not ideal. It's pretty reliable though I'll give them that.

In my town of 15k people, you can get a basic DSL plan for $50 a month. Thats 1.5 down, 256 up. With a 5 gig monthly limit. Unlimited bandwidth from 12-6 am, but still. 5 gigs?

Wow you are getting ripped off lol

DSL shouldn't have a cap... find a new ISP.

Dude just get satellite internet. Like me.

It beats dial up, okay? Kinda...

You can have a 5000mbps connection and still have a horrible time gaming. Bandwidth != latency.

I had 40 Mb down/2 Mb up on cable but I just temporarily moved in with my parents while I look for a new apartment so there goes that.