Review by elray 
UPDATED: 1.1 years ago
member for 8.9 years, 396 visits, last login: 3 days ago
 Santa Monica,Los Angeles,CA
 $15 per month (12 month contract)
 about 45 days
 Verizon (ex GTE)
 "Cheap"
 "Offshore support, combo modem-router"
 "All cheap DSL providers are lame; buy a backup service."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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In September we activated Verizon DSL on their $14.99 deal as a backup to our TW Cable service, when our long-favored CLEC MMInternet failed to offer us a competitive package.
(Note, that they did offer us such, but only after we cancelled, not when we asked.)
There were a number of issues involved in getting the service to work. Verizon was not particularly friendly or helpful, even stubborn at times. But in the end, they credited us for non-working service, gave us an extra month free, and sent a free modem when ours wouldn't configure. Where there were issues with the line itself, the repair technicians were extremely motivated to assist - previously they were flummoxed with the CLEC service.
The 128/768k service is not fast enough for everything one might want, but it is wonderful to have when the faster cable-modem goes out of service 3x a week.
2008 Update: Verizon sucks. Read on.
Out of service Feb 28-Mar 7.
Spoke with over a dozen clueless twits 'round the world.
Most insisted the 3-month-new modem was defective. It wasn't.
The same set insisted I buy a new modem.
One idiot tried to sell me on an "insurance" plan.
One brighter tech (Mexico City) eventually agreed that the modem test routine was inconclusive, that the modem was probably not defective. Despite this, subsequent contacts yielded more demands to replace the modem. Eventually, a "Level 3" tech (Canada) was willing to overnight a free modem; I figured that was the only way to convince them their test was faulty. Indeed, once the "new" modem/router (ActionTec) failed in the same manner as the original, they FINALLY agreed to post the ticket to "chronic". The "chronic" fellow (GTE Long Beach) isolated the problem in about 15 minutes as a faulty port in the central office, and it was replaced overnight.
Verizon issued a one-month credit for this disaster. Whoopie.
Good thing we have a cable modem.
October 2008: Verizon upped our out-of-contract rate to 21.99 with our August bill. When we called to cancel, retention offered us either $14.99 for 12 months backdated to August, or 4 months free then $21.99. We declined. They countered with five months' free and 21.99 - a net price of $12.82 before niggling charges.
The service remains fairly reliable, as long as you don't use their DNS servers. 768K streams Netflix fast enough for instant viewing. Overall, I'd still rather pay a little more and use a competitor, like DSL Extreme or Sonic.Net, but sticking with Verizon gives us the option to upgrade to FiOS whenever it comes around, without any ETFs.
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