23 replies to this topic

[cw68]

After 11 years of having some form of AT&T internet I'm getting rid of it. I don't have cable TV but am thinking about getting it again.

What do y'all have and do you recommend it?

Just looking for a little feedback...

[tsukiji]

I still have Comcast for basic cable and internet. It's a little pricey but not unreasonable if you disregard discounted, new subscriber programs. I haven't had much off a problem with service outages -- handful of times over the past 10 years. And it's zippy enough for me.

[Deb aka Resume Lady]

We've had Comcast for years and love it. Yes, it's a little more expensive... especially since we can't do the bundle. The phone service is horrific -- always sounded like we were under water, calls dropped... after numerous visits by Comcast staff and numerous calls to try to resolve it, we finally dropped the bundle and went just with Internet and television service. It costs more than the bundle; fancy that -- I have to pay more because they can't get their act together to give me the telephone service they're selling. But it is great service for Internet and TV. No problems.

[john]

We had UVerse for all three but recently ditched cable... we were paying well over $100 for channels we don't really care about. I think it was like $60 just to have "basic" cable. Whatever it was, it was crazy - considering we could get it free with an HD antenna. We have been cable free since January and it hasn't been a problem yet.

I dislike how it's always a great "deal" for a year then they jack up the prices.

[tsukiji]

We've had Comcast for years and love it. Yes, it's a little more expensive... especially since we can't do the bundle. The phone service is horrific -- always sounded like we were under water, calls dropped... after numerous visits by Comcast staff and numerous calls to try to resolve it, we finally dropped the bundle and went just with Internet and television service. It costs more than the bundle; fancy that -- I have to pay more because they can't get their act together to give me the telephone service they're selling. But it is great service for Internet and TV. No problems.

I'm in the same boat -- basic cable and internet are fine but I avoid IP telephone like the plague. I'll just fine with a regular land line, thank you very much Comcast.

Internet is a little expensive but the quality of service so far isn't pushing me to (slightly) cheaper DSL.

[4thgenFolsomite]

We don't have cable, but have had AT&T landline for years. Just signed up for internet. I think they gave me a new phone program (went from $47 a month to $35) and added the internet for $15 a month (so a net increase of $2 to $3 a month for one year). They said they would give me a rebate for the modem they're sending. At the end of the year, they said to come back and see if they have any cheaper (like slower speed, etc.) internet packages. I don't download movies, etc., so my needs are pretty basic. I'll keep my fingers crossed this works out, but its got to be better than the dial-up service I've been tortured with for the last 15 years.

[Steve Heard]

Comcast for many years. Had a few outages, but nothing major. Every now and then it slows down. Worst thing that ever happened was when a repair guy showed up and fixed a problem out in the street, then the following month my bill had a charge on it ( I think it was over $100).

When I called on it, they said it was for repairing the cable, which wasn't covered since I had tampered with it.

It took me a couple of calls but I finally convinced someone that the cable box outside has a padlock on it and I don't have a key, so I could not have tampered with it.

[mando]

After 11 years of having some form of AT&T internet I'm getting rid of it. I don't have cable TV but am thinking about getting it again.

What do y'all have and do you recommend it?

Just looking for a little feedback...

Why are you ditching Uverse? Knowing this might help hone in a useful recommendation.

[cw68]

Why are you ditching Uverse? Knowing this might help hone in a useful recommendation.

I have been having problems with my service for a while. Slow speeds at first, which seems to be (mostly) fixed. But the big problem is only my iMac can regularly pick up the wireless. My phone, laptop, kids' Kindles, boyfriend's laptop usually can't, even when a couple of feet away.

I have tried three times to fix this and after spending an hour each time, it's never been fixed. I have asked three times to get a new router. Nope. They require me to reboot the router, do a factory reset, etc. and each time I do this my internet goes out, I have to log back in and start all over again with a new agent. Last week, when I was chatting with my third agent, I told him that if it wasn't fixed in five minutes (or if he just didn't agree to send me a new router) that I was canceling my service. I got kicked off while he did another factory reset. I'm done.

[mando]

I have been having problems with my service for a while. Slow speeds at first, which seems to be (mostly) fixed. But the big problem is only my iMac can regularly pick up the wireless. My phone, laptop, kids' Kindles, boyfriend's laptop usually can't, even when a couple of feet away.

I have tried three times to fix this and after spending an hour each time, it's never been fixed. I have asked three times to get a new router. Nope. They require me to reboot the router, do a factory reset, etc. and each time I do this my internet goes out, I have to log back in and start all over again with a new agent. Last week, when I was chatting with my third agent, I told him that if it wasn't fixed in five minutes (or if he just didn't agree to send me a new router) that I was canceling my service. I got kicked off while he did another factory reset. I'm done.

Sadly, I know what you are talking about. Lately, however, the problem seems to have gone away and my connections have been super stable. It might have been from moving my wireless network printers to wired connections, but who really knows. The best solution short of switching providers seems to be to set up your own non-Uverse wireless access point.

I am thinking about killing the cable TV part of my service to save money. I'm fine with using Hulu+ and Netflix but the family still wants the live stuff (American Idol, Amazing Race, etc.) and I can't seem to get around to setting up a decent antenna.

Good luck.

[25or6to4]

We've had Comcast for years and love it. Yes, it's a little more expensive... especially since we can't do the bundle. The phone service is horrific -- always sounded like we were under water, calls dropped... after numerous visits by Comcast staff and numerous calls to try to resolve it, we finally dropped the bundle and went just with Internet and television service. It costs more than the bundle; fancy that -- I have to pay more because they can't get their act together to give me the telephone service they're selling. But it is great service for Internet and TV. No problems.

I have a theory why the bundle is cheaper.

When the cable goes down, you can't call to complain.

BTW, I'm also a Comcast TV & Internet customer, landline is with AT&T.

[tsukiji]

BTW, I'm also a Comcast TV & Internet customer, landline is with AT&T.

That's what's been working for me so far -- it may be more expensive this way but so far it's the price I've been willing to pay for the quality of service across these services that I don't consider otherwise available. Which is not saying service is ideal, just not as bad as the alternatives (as a whole) from my perspective.

[cw68]

Sadly, I know what you are talking about. Lately, however, the problem seems to have gone away and my connections have been super stable. It might have been from moving my wireless network printers to wired connections, but who really knows. The best solution short of switching providers seems to be to set up your own non-Uverse wireless access point.

I am thinking about killing the cable TV part of my service to save money. I'm fine with using Hulu+ and Netflix but the family still wants the live stuff (American Idol, Amazing Race, etc.) and I can't seem to get around to setting up a decent antenna.

Good luck.

What do mean mean by non-Uverse access point?

The kids and I are good with no cable except for college football season. It was a pain last year. My antenna works well, but it is oddly placed (only way to get channel 10). My boyfriend would appreciate me getting cable, though, so I might get it before football starts up...

[mando]

What do mean mean by non-Uverse access point?

Basically, buy a wireless router (Linksys, Netgear, Dlink, etc.) at the store, hook it up to your Uverse gateway, and use that to provide your home hotspot. You can turn off your Uverse wireless and all its headaches. I'm sure there are a few other details to consider that others would be more fluent to provide; e.g., you may have to disable certain routing functions on the additional router vs. the Uverse gateway.

I'm almost certain that there will be a how-to out there just a Google search away. Here's just one random one I found: http://forums.att.co...ay/td-p/3007909

One last note on this. I recently received a mailing from AT&T advertising a new wireless set-top box (i.e., cable receiver). This may not be compatible with a third-party router solution. Should be no problem for the wired boxes.

I hope this does not set you off on something more difficult than it sounds. I have not tried this myself, but have heard of others doing so.

[The Average Joe]

Comcast for internet. Certainly fast enough. I did buy a beefy wireless set-up as we are heavy users...the price is a bit on the high side if you ask me tho. No home phone (and i don't miss it one bit). Dish for the TV. Best thing about Dish is the 30 second skip button. Makes commercials a breeze to ignore. Click 6-8 times and you're done. Also great for speed watching football on busy weekends. Ball carrier is down, skip 30 seconds and they are just coming up to the line for the next play...awesome when you are pressed for time! Much better than fast-forwarding.
Seems like most of the pricing and service packages are pretty much the same when you pencil them out. Just got Uverse availability a few months ago and called to see what kind of deal they would offer. Pretty lame, and not enough incentive to change.