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 Review by ddg4005 
UPDATED: 31 days ago
member for 8.2 years, 3402 visits, last login: 1 days ago
 Bronx,Bronx,NY
 $43 per month (12 month contract)
 about 11 days
 Verizon
 "Easy ordering and I got $15 dollars off using the Freedom package."
 "Uneven tech support; line not hot by target date. Home page needs some more content."
 "Despite a delay in activation I'm glad I switched from Earthlink!"
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Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings above consensus)
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When I read last month that Earthlink was laying off 1300 of its workers and closing 4 call centers I got scared. I didn't want to be stuck without DSL service in case they went under. Since I have 2 physical lines I knew I could have the second line provisioned without waiting for the first to be unprovisioned. That's when I called Verizon.
The sales rep was was very friendly and assured me that I would get the first month free and the last 5 months at $30 a month even though I wasn't signing up online. She gave me an activation code and later on I received e-mail confirmations stating my order was being processed. My install kit arrived 2 days later and I was able to activate my e-mail account from work without using the software CD. So far so good.
When my activation date came and went (February 6th) and my line was still not up I called tech support a few times and received a few different answers. Finally this morning, after waiting 20 minutes on hold, I spoke to a technician who admitted the truth: Verizon had a backlog of activation dates due to a high number of orders placed over the Christmas holiday. My date ws was pushed back to the 14th of February but 10 minutes after my phone call ended my line was hot! Very cool!
I'm getting between 730-732 down and 136-137 on Broadbandreports.com's test servers (same as when I was with EarthLink). I haven't lost any throughput at all. I'd recommend Verizon to anyone looking for a broadband provider that'll be around in two years. I'm now a satisfied customer  .
It's only been about two weeks that my connection has been live and so far no problems. Not a hiccup, slowdown or outage. Verizon's news and mail servers have been reliable also. I'll continue to update this review from time to time.
Recently Verizon began offering an upgrade for all of its customers who live within 12,000 feet of their central offices. Download speeds are doubled to 1.5Mbits per second from 768 kilobits per second and the price drops from $50 dollars a month to $35. I ordered the upgrade on April 30th and was told my new speed would be ready 5 business days later. True to their word when I got home on May 7th my speed went up to 1516 down on most of the BBR test servers. Needless to say I am VERY SATISFIED right now. Since I am a Veriations customer also my actual price is $29.95 a month. You can't be that if you tried. Verizon got it goin' on right now!
It has been a month since my upgrade to 1.5 down and I'm happy to report that my service is still rock solid. Occasionally my browser will lockup, requiring me to close it and relaunch it. This could be due to the Verizon Control Pad application and MSN 8 software I've installed. Still for $30 dollars a month that's not much to complain about.
It's been nearly a year and my connection is faster than when I first ordered it. Typical up and down speeds are 136 and 1524 respectively. And I discovered that Verizon customers will be upgraded to MSN Premium from version 8 when it becomes available (a plus if you enjoy using it as I do). It just keeps getting better and better.
I just got upgraded on Friday from 128 up to 384. My test speeds fall between 366 and 372 depending on the server. A recent announcement from Verizon about new universal service fees ($2-$3 dollars) means a small price hike but hey, it be like that sometimes. The really good news is this month's early press release of a new 3.0/768 tier set to debut this summer. I don't know what the cost will be but my guess is no more than $50 dollars since Verizon will want to compete with the cable companies. Since I live only 5,000 feet from my CO I can't wait to get it!!
I ordered the faster service yesterday and was told that it would be on after 6PM. Naturally 6PM came and went but my speed remained unchanged. This morning I called Verizon and spoke to a rep who said I should wait another 24 hours. By the time I got home my upgrade was done; I'm now cruising at 2700+ up and 701+ down. The only downside is that my phone bill just increased by $10 dollars too:-( But that is a small price to pay for faster speeds. Verizon still rocks!
09/29/2004
So far everything is still good with my new speed increase. I routinely get test speeds of 2400-2700 down and 698-718 up. Not bad! My connection is also rock solid with no downtime that I can recall. Very good service for this Bronx resident!!
11/12/2004
I called Verizon's Encore center to get more information on the new pricing plan in place for the 3.0/768 package. Verizon will charge only $30 dollars a month if you opt for the year contract; it's $40 dollars for month to month service. Hopefully my account will be changed over to the new pricing plan even if I'm locked into a year-long contract; it'll only suck if Fios becomes available in my neighborhood during that time. Oh well...
12/12/2004
Verizon just keeps getting better. I am now back to paying only $33 dollars a month (as part of of the one year contract) for my service. I still retain the 3.0/768 speeds and I was sent a VersaLink wireless gateway. It's running in bridged mode currently and is every bit as fast as my old Westell modem. Now I'm not sure how accurate this is but I spoke to a Verizon Encore rep and was told that the VersaLink gateway is compatible with Fios. If this is indeed the case then I'm all set then! Now I just need fiber .
As usual Verizon's quality of service remains top-notch. I do feel for all the customers out there who've experienced problems though. I also wish (and hope) that Verizon increases the size of webmail inboxes from the paltry 30MB they now stand at up to at least 125MB. Are you listening Verizon  ?
06/25/2005
Verizon still impresses me with their quality of service and features. Although FiOS continues to remain unavaliable here in the Bronx I am content with level of service I'm receiving. A few months ago I fell victim to the infamous "slowdown" that has affected parts of Brooklyn and Queens but that seems to have been resolved. My speeds are back to normal and I've not experienced in reduction in speed recently. There's not much else to say except that I hope FiOS becomes available within the next 6 to 9 months.
There is a rumor floating around the Verizon forum here that a new speed tier will be introduced shortly. Since this has not been confirmed by anyone I've taken it with a grain of salt. If it turns out to be true (7.1Mbps/768kbps) then you can sign me up right now!!
06/04/2006
It's been over three years and I'm still very happy with my service. I read that the 7.1/768 trials did not go well so it's looks like there will be no faster tier offered :-(. I've contacted Verizon several times regarding FiOS but the only area in the Bronx that's scheduled to be lit is the Cruger Avenue CO. That's supposed to happen in August; hopefully other areas will be lit soon after.
Ironically Cablevision has been blitzing me with calls, notices in my mailbox, even a notice in the vestibule of my building. Come on Verizon, wire my area for FiOS!! I don't know how much longer I can resist Cablevision's offerings .
08/20/2006
Verizon continues to provide very good service. I switched from MSN Premium (which I now pay for separately) to Yahoo Premium last year and now like the service a lot. I haven't reinstalled all the cobranded crap since I don't need it but I've saved the links from the previous installation. I also bought an Actiontec wireless ADSL gateway two week ago and love it! The box replaces the less-than-stellar POJ Versalink that Verizon typically supplies. It's very stable and hasn't rebooted itself once (except when the lights flickered briefly; my block lost power for a second). I purchased the non-Verizon branded unit since I wanted a gateway that was completely non-proprietary. The only sore spot was the price: $97 dollars after tax at CompUSA!!. At least I didn't pay the $130 dollars Actiontec is charging at their online store.
Now I feel as though I'm getting the full value of my DSL service. It would be nice if Verizon increased the download speed one more time to 7.1 to remain competitve with Time Warner and Cablevision but hey I waiting on Fios at this point.
04/26/2007
I'm still a very satisfied Verizon customer after 4+ years. The bogus service fee has been dropped so I only pay $30 dollars a month. This makes the service an incredible value. My only complaint is the lack of a speed increase; while the cable companies typically offer 7-12Mbps+ down Verizon is stuck on 3 down for residential customers. It would be nice to have some more speed (can you hear me now Verizon?). Hopefully Fios will be available sooner rather than later in my neighborhood.
02/25/2008
I've been with Verizon for 5 years and the service is as solid as ever. Recently a new speed tier was introduced (7MB down) for $40 a month. Several calls to Verizon have yielded the same answer: it's not available from CO yet. I'll call again in two weeks but even without the faster speed I'm sticking with Verizon DSL until Fios arrives.
05/23/2008
I upgraded to the faster service today. The techs installed a second jack and connected it to the main jack at the back of my apartment. After testing the line I rebooted my modem and I was up and running at 7.1 down in no time.
My actual test speeds are 6.5 down and 700+ up. Files now download at 790KB/s and the line is very stable. Despite the increase ($42.99 a month) the service is defiinitely worth getting if it's available in your area. Now I'm a happy customer !
10/06/2009
I'm still very satisfied with the service. No outages or any problems for more than a year now. Earlier this year I signed up for Verizon's Freedom Double package that combined my DSL and phone service on one bill. I also received a $3 dollar discount off my DSL service which dropped the price to $39.99 from $42.99 a month (it expires in February though). As always I hope Fios will come to my neighborhood sooner rather than later.
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