 Review by gsuburban 
UPDATED: 217 days ago
member for 8.5 years, 37 visits, last login: 174 days ago
 Glendora,Los Angeles,CA
 $29 per month (12 month contract)
 about 90 days
 Verizon
 "Plenty of Polite Yet Unabled Tech Support"
 "None if You Don't Mind Less Actual Speed Than Quoted"
 "Expect Between 60% to 80% of Speed Package"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
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I have had Verizon DSL since early 2000. Had no real complaints about the DSL as it was mostly up and running. I did have upload complaints as the email servers apparently are capped or limited as I never received better than about 80% of my provisioned speed. Downloads in the past were close enough, about 95%.
Now, I have moved to Verizon's ATM DSL in order to obtain their 1500/384 speed package and to move from 10MB to 30MB in email storage. I made a call to change from 768/128 to the 1500/384 and was told it couldn't be done as I don't qualify. More calls and in a nut shell, most at VOL didn't know how to move an existing DSL to the new DSL. I got it done with about 40 hours of my own telephone time to VOL and sifting through all the support people who didn't know how to get the ball rolling.
I finally got the newer speed package and the newer modem/router. Got things connected and find the upload speeds on email (port 25 SMTP) cannot stream above 190kbps. To this day, I have been calling for this issue to get resolved. My last in the know person said Verizon could be limiting their email servers to prevent them from be burdened from all of the new customers they cannot provision with the current set up. That's what I was told but I didn't buy that since I know that Covad/Earthlink can provide equal speeds via email or internet browsing. I am still calling them, and they are still calling me back saying they checked all and all is good as it will get.
This would all be somewhat ok to deal with except for the fact that I have been told so many times "we don't support email" or "we don’t support attachments". This type of reply is totally off base for the issue. 1. My emails with or without files attached streamed to Verizon too slow. Attaching a larger file only was for trouble shooting since most emails are so small, they obviously upload rather quickly and their gone. Put some meat and potatoes to the email such as, calendar graphics or a .pdf file full of nothing but text and the mail upload a tad faster than the 128 speed I used to have. To go farther, I put a 4MB file with the email and got a hold of a software program (DU Meter) that give you the real time transfer speed as you use the network/internet. I got average readings of 190/kbps rather than the 384 in email uploads and uploads via file transfer, not using email, using port 80 on a website were 413kbps. The download speed varied from 700 to 1370 never exceeding the 1370. Some days the downloads were in the 400's.
So, I am not impressed with all of the positive ads I see on T.V. and in my phone bill envelopes. I really believe I need to find a local V.I.P. at Verizon and explain the issue. I'm sure they don't plan for this and I know they don't intend to have people give up gobs of speed over tech issues.
Sure need a name and address to Verizon in the Los Angeles, CA area. I'm in the Glendora/Covina area outside of Los Angeles. I wonder what they would do if I requested the next faster speed package 3000/768? Would my speeds stay the same or would they increase? I'd bet they will increase but not to the speed of 3000/768.
p.s.
I know there is overhead and all the techy that slows DSL however, I am 1 mile from the CO and my previous speed package was pretty close to the speed package which tells me the issue is not the wires from CO to the house. Maybe the "old frame relay" is better than the ATM.
01/23/06
Updated to 3000/768 in June 2005. Guess what? My email upload speed increased but not at full 768 speeds. I was at 190 when given 384 and told Verizon could not increase the upload speed. Now that I changed from 1500/384 to 3000/768 the up and down speeds increased. Download is very good, 3000 kbps and the upload went from 190 kbps to 400 kbps. This should tell you that most of the issues I had brought forward were on their end, not mine.
One note, my sync (DSL) was not consistent and I lost connectivity about every 20 minutes or so. This pain took Verizon about 3 technicians and 2 months to figure out. They got it fixed and again, all of the inspections and hand held diagnostic equipment continued to tell Verizon my residence hardware (phone lines, interface, router, network card etc) were above 100%. In fact, the tech told me my phone lines qualify for as much as 6000 kbps or 6 Megs. Again, what is recorded in Verizon’s "blue prints" about the type of hardware being used in my area is wrong and the tech said this is a problem.
Now all is well and happy...until FIOS that is.
07/16/07 Update
As for the comment "get a life", yes I do have a life however, on DSL reports I stick to the subject. Not many readers would be interested in anything but DSL on this web site.
Also, I guess not many people, with those comments, care about getting their moneys worth. Like Ethanol gasoline for example. It costs the same and delivers less energy than real gasoline thus, gas mileage and power will slightly be reduced. On a one to one ratio it would be less of an issue however, when 300 million plus vehicles are filling up with Ethanol and get less mileage and power, it adds up very quick as to the gouging the public gets and the corps who receive the monies reap. I figure the same with DSL or any other utility. Bottom line is, the future is "pay more for less" and at work it's "work more for same pay" theory. If anything, our future should be getting more for less, history has shown this over and over. It's all engineered from the top to gouge.
On to the DSL update. Verizon of California has not assisted in the upload speed. They are now using Yahoo and MSN/Hotmail as a default email system which should tell us something about their own mail server’s ability. If you want only Verizon involved, you have to manually set it up. I'm on the 3.0/768 deal now and down speeds are just fine. Up speeds are about 390kbps of the 768 provision using the email ports? File transfers are just fine at around 790kbps. This confirms my issues; email servers are limiting the data speeds, not the DSL pipe. I have sent letters and Verizon assigns a corporate mouth piece to contact me and in the end, claims all are as good as it will get. What they fail to see though is, increasing the speed package does increase speed but email is still set to give only 55% of what the up speed is. Now that is gouging and totally irresponsible since they are aware of this and the design. Not a good plan as someday they will find a well off customer who will bring them a lawsuit for cheating customers. Verizon should advise the consumers of their email up speeds being less than the provisioned pipe speed. By the way, Verizon/Yahoo and Verizon/MSN email is slower than the plain wrap Verizon email.
Jan 23, 2008
Without any help from Vol, I found a link on their website which makes a change to windows and the LAN settings/configurations. Once you restart your computer, uploads will likely double in transfer speeds up. Mine went from on average 400kbps to 770kbps. All without the help of anyone at Verizon dsl help/tech support. I happened to be looking for information about FIOS and stumbled on this fix. What makes it worse is that this information is on Verizon's website, the same people who I have been calling for 8 years as to slow email up load speeds. I have contacted them and they are providing me with a fair credit after I asked them for about 400 hrs of my wasted time with tech support for 8 years.
Attached images and files
Followup comments:  blippo
join:2002-11-03
Richmond, VA | Verizon Sometimes your lucky you get 50% of what they advertise. I might be switching back to cable | |
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IronWalt
@nc.charter | Question?? Do you have a life???
A job, friends, anything that occupys your mind other than email upload speed? How pathetic!! | |
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Banton
@verizon.net
| Verizon FIOS Customers not happy with SMTP Port25 blocked Wondering anyone out there or already there any class action law suite against Verizon blocking the SMTP Port#25 for all residential customers.
Don't we pay for using all the features of the Internet that including your rights to host and transfer mail from your computer instead of wading thru the website with 100s of popup ads? I had no problem before with SBCNet DSL, COX or Comcast cable before.
Atleast I expect them to openup the port#25 for the asking, as I know what I want and what Iam asking for... | |
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gsuburban
join:2000-02-29
Glendora, CA | Re: Verizon FIOS Customers not happy with SMTP Port25 blocked Verizon does not block port 25, SMTP. Email software such as outlook/outlook express work with Verizon. | |
| | | FergyA
join:2008-01-11
Azusa, CA
| Re: Verizon FIOS Customers not happy with SMTP Port25 blocked FIOS indeed does have several ports blocked such as those for HTTP and SMTP, I think maybe even FTP. They only block incoming data on these ports though so email clients still work fine, but hosting your own server is only possible if you use a different port. Even then, the FIOS license agreement has a clause in it stating that you are not allowed to host a server of any kind, even for personal use, so technically you aren't even supposed to do that either. | |
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gsuburban
join:2000-02-29
Glendora, CA
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| I believe this is a DSL discussion area however, any ISP will use DHCP for IP #'s so anyone who is looking to host a web site or perform remote access will have to pay for a static IP. This is usually an extra fee.
Ports are not blocked by Verizon DSL. Maybe the Gateway/modem/wi-fi/switch they send most customers but not the network servers on the WAN. Anyone knows this and any ISP who does choose which ports will and will not flow data are not going to be in business long. Users must have the port choices from end to end. Could be true some ISP's will "filter" email in attempt to catch spam and virus but that is not blocking, that is filtering meaning they allow traffic but the filters will delete junk if they have the programs correct. Lately, they don't and the filters catch legitimate email which is a big problem. | |
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