 Review by chakey 
UPDATED: 1.1 years ago
member for 4.2 years, 1404 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Easton,Northampton,PA
 $155 per month
 about 5 days
 "20mbps down and 2mbs up, best service available"
 "Very rare outages and price"
 "The fastest, most reliable service--but you pay for it!"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
ORIGINAL REVIEW (updates below)
I've had RCN Cable/Internet (Power CI) package for $106/mo. for 9 months now. It includes digital cable expanded tier, HBO's,10Mbps/800kbps internet service, wire maintenance and rental of a modem.
I went from Verizon DSL at my old house in NJ and nearly died when I saw my speeds jump 15x's. I've downloaded some files from Apple and Microsoft that are clocked in at 1.3 megs/sec. That's ONE MEG every .7 seconds! RCN seems committed to always having the fastest service available. They are currently testing 20Mbps/2Mbps for use in the future. I am paying for the Mach 7 service and get Mach 10 for free for a year.
Installation people were nice and provided all the info and equipment we needed. Installation was, of course, free.
I've called customer service several times and they were always helpful and the hold times short. I've read some horror stories, but I've had good experiences.
Of course, I'd be happier with a cheaper price, but my alternative it one way cable from Cablevision for the same price and Verizon DSL which is 10x's slower and $10 cheaper.
****UPDATE: 3/14/06
Price increases!!! It seems that every month my cost increases. I am up from $106 a year ago to $135 this month. It seems to creep up a few $$$'s each month. We did receive an upgrade to all of the premium channels (without asking us) but since we have HBO, that is an additional $18/month. Seems a bit steep for the Sopranos. When their 6th season is over, I'm dropping it!************
****UPDATE: 7/30/06
I figured out that part of the price increase that we experienced was that my year of free Mach 10 was up. I downgraded to the Mach 7 (which has the same 800kbps upload) and saved myself the extra $10/mo. What I really want is more upload speed. It makes no difference to me to have the extra 3Mbps down. We still have all the premium channels. The best part about the premium channels is their on-demand movie and show offerings. We have not been to Blockbuster in months! Bye-bye Netflix!
Back in April my internet connection suddenly dropped to 2 or 3 Mbps for about a week. I really didn't notice until I ran a speed test. I called RCN and they had a tech out the next day. The tech added some filters before the modem and replaced some wires on the outside of the house. He was extremely helpful and everything has been smooth since then.
When I tell people that I live in an area with (booming God voice) "Cable Choice", they stare at me blankly and usually say "WOW! It must be so cheap and reliable." They are disappointed when I tell them that I am paying $125 monthly. The real difference seems to be in customer service. When I had Patriot Media in NJ (who was RCN before that) they were not very swift. It seems that the customer has some more pull in an area where there are two companies. The other minor difference is that both cable companies in the area have to put up billboards for advertisement. Whee...***************
*************UPDATE 9/13/06 -- I just learned that 20/2 service had become available in my area. I called a sales rep and we worked it out so I was only paying $15/mo more than before (dropped HBO). After rebooting my modem, it was smooth sailing. Speed tests are averaging 16/2. The higher upload is fantastic. **************
*************UPDATE 7/14/07 -- I've moved to NJ and am in Fios country now. I'm getting the same channels as RCN, and faster internet for $50 less per month. No love lost here....***********************
Followup comments:  dorakc
join:2004-08-20 | RCN cost RCN has done away with the Power Packages for bundles services. Give them a call and have them switch you to the latest package that they offer for your tier. I had the same issue and customer service treated me right. | |
| | | |
| Forums » comments on review of RCN CABLE |
|
RCN CABLE
(17)
·