Review by Iscream 
member for 4.2 years, 2382 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 1.6 years ago
 Staten Island,Richmond,NY
 $152 per month- (12 month contract)
 about 7 days "excellent, stable service" "their billing is the worst nightmare one might have" "if there would be any, slightest real competition - they'd be much better"
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(ratings match consensus)
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Sept. 20, 2011 - almost nothing to update here... the service works. The stability is the same, not better, but also - not worse than 6 months ago. As I've figured out - as long as I don't touch them (no changes to services purchased) - they (VZ) don't bite me... thus no billing errors - nothing to fix, no need to call their support.
March 11, 2011 - I've adjusted the "reliability" setting - it appears my connection is more stable now (although it still slows down or drops time to time, once or twice a week).
The Tech Support is still virtually useless for me.
Feb. 3rd, 2011 - my FIOS is DOWN second day in a row.
Verizon's automated nightmare system says that "there is an outage in your area".
The TV itself works, but not demand channels nor Internet access nor even "gadgets".
It's impossible to get hold of anyone at support - the line plays a music and keeps saying "all our reps are busy serving other customers" (or something close to that).
I'm a network admin - I can't access my networks from home 2nd day. My mobile is AT&T - they really suck in my area (0 to1 bar on average) - I have their MicroCell installed which doesn't work now because FIOS Internet is down... - I'm literally out of phone (4 lines), news and most other "regular" connectivity based "needs" now at my residence's address (Staten Island).
At this time I've downgraded my reliability ratings because FIOS is everything for me - phones, network access, etc. Should I think about getting back my TWC as a backup line?
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I'm one of the first FIOS customers - since late 2007. The service itself, technically, was and still is very good. I've canceled their triple pack a year ago and using only video (all channels, sports excluded) and internet (double-pack) 35 up/50 down; VoIP for voice (phone) - it saves a major amount of taxes charged to the service (because majority of taxes fall on the phone service).
I have two HD DVRs (one with home-media) and one HD STB. I'm using my own router (Apple's Airport) as a primary one, Verizon's one sits on its own sub-net.
On the downside I must admit Verizon's horrible billing coupled with similar absolutely horrible support's follow up systems. Whenever I change anything in my programming - it then takes 2 to 3 months to fix their over-charging billing. I've spent countless hours with their operators on phone fixing/investigating their billing issues. Their billing "mistakes" vary between $20/mo up to $150 month depending on ones luck (or absence of). Why did I say that their support follow up system is horrible? - because after spending those hours with their personnel on 'fixing" the issues - next month everything starts over and over... at least 3 months to actually fix their mistake! Each time it takes at least two phone calls...
Their whole billing system is made to cause people to forget about calling them unless the problem is really painful and "striking"... I'm not yet telling how horrible and misleading is the bill itself... how different are their paper and WEB site bill's printouts... add to that the fact that when I call their support - the operator views their own, different from the above, version of the bill...
It's "amazing" how a company can manipulate a system so many years and stay in [public] business while "cheating" on small amounts right and left.
Unfortunately, the only "alternative" choice I have in my area - it's to go with Time Warner Cable - I've been with them 7 years and I'd love to stay with them ever, but TW Cable's Internet speed and video programing stability leaved to wish for better. But - there never were any issues related to billing with TWC and their customer service was an order of magnitude better then Verizon's. If/when TWC may offer a similar service to FIOS - the next day I'll be back to TWC. The only reason I'm staying with Verizon - it's because of FIOS and primarily because of its Internet part.
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