how-to block ads
|
»next review in page
Review by nsmwhite 
Posted: 3.2 years ago
member for 3.2 years, 0 visits, last login: 3.2 years ago
 Miami,Miami-Dade,FL
 Contract price not specified.
 Covad
CLEC party: BellSouth
 "Steady connection and service"
 "nope"
 "Good service so I am Back!"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Well I am back with Cyberonic. After 6 months away I am back. I moved to a new address and It was great to have high speed connectivity. With six people online in this house thru wireless, we needed a fast connection. The saleswoman signed me up right away, and said there was a good chance I could get up to 6 Mbps. That’s what we wanted 6 Megs.
Installation was as easy as it could be - it took about 15 minutes. After installation, for whatever reason, my upload speeds are only about 500K and chat w/ tech says the telco equipment is running in safe mode and it will take up to a week to get information. No complaint about the download speeds of ~ 5.2 Megs.
What I like about Cyberonic is real people answer the phone as soon as you call. I have them for several years with no major problems. The few times I've needed tech support, they've been competent. And I'm happy! I'll post follow-ups if need be.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CYBERONIC INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS INC |
 | »next review in page (previous review)
Review by karltoy
Posted: 3.3 years ago
member for 3.3 years, 0 visits, last login: 3.3 years ago
Chicago,Cook,IL
$59 per month (12 month contract)
 about 10 days
Ameritech
CLEC party: Covad
"Reliable line and service"
"Some install issues but solved quickly"
"Great price for Covad dedicated"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
I ordered Cyberonic DSL dry line or dedicated line. The monthly service fee $59.95 for what should be 6 megs download speed /768k upload. My actual speeds are about 5 megs download and 480 upload. That’s Covad Telesoho static IP.
This Cyberonic ADSL service is actually very good and I am very happy with it all together. I have been using Cyberonic DSL in my workplace for several years with no problem.
The only problems I've encountered were part of the install process. For some crazy reasons while installing my line for DSL they crossed my line with another pair, causing in a double dial-tone. I called Cyberonic and they fixed it a day after. I guess things can happen. Since they resolved their issue very quickly, I have no complaints as of yet.
Cyberonic customer service is very friendly, I called to find any recommendation to purchjase a wireless LAN router and the replaced my Brodxent router with a Netopia wireless capable router. So they saved me a few $$$ there.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CYBERONIC INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS INC |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by murray9000
Posted: 3.3 years ago
member for 3.3 years, 3 visits, last login: 1.7 years ago
Oakland,Alameda,CA
$55 per month
SBC
CLEC party: Covad
"they used to be great under mci/worldcom"
"they suck now"
"AVOID CYBERONIC."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings well below consensus)
|
after 3+ years i've also jumped ship. uptime was just phenomenal while cyberonic was using mci/worldcom and i didn't have any probs initially after the switch to covad but after a few months of 6mb/768k service with the new briteport router i ran into problems. oddly enough i could ping google.com and common public dns servers, resolve hostnames and even telnet to smtp servers on port 25 and successfuly send mail via smtp but i couldn't surf at all, couldn't ssh anywhere and 'curl google.com' crawled at 200 bytes/sec. the first tech i spoke to [after the typical 30-60 mins of frank sinatra] repeatedly asked me to tell her what error message my browser was reporting. that was pretty disappointing but i suppose not uncommon for front-line phone support. she told me my problem would be escalated so i called back the next day [saturday], listened to more sinatra for about an hour and then spoke with a tech who was much more helpful. he had covad restict my line speed to 3mb and then 1.5mb to see if it would make a difference and also had me reconfigure my old efficient networks router. noise margins went up to 18-19db [healthy] and CRC errors stopped but the exact same problem persisted. i was then told that a covad tech would be dispatched to the CO the next business day. sounded fair to me, so i played along. i called again on sunday to check on the status of the trouble ticket and listened to more sinatra and was told that a covad technician was scheduled to head out to the CO on FRIDAY, not monday. very disappointing but the cyberonic tech agreed that this was unacceptable and told me that my ticket would be escalated again for quicker action by covad. well these so-called escalations had gotten me nowhere so far so i called again on monday to check the status of the ticket again and was told again [after another 20-30 mins of sinatra] that a covad tech would be checking the dslam at the CO on FRIDAY. i promptly cancelled my account. i don't expect any isp to fix problems immediately, some things just take time and that's a crappy fact of life but being lied to multiple times is unacceptable. they shouldn't have told me that a covad tech would be dispatched to the CO on monday if they did not have the means to make that happen.
i used to praise their service and recommend cyberonic to friends/coworkers looking for broadband but now i cannot stress more that cyberonic should be avoided and will treat you like a jerk if you get caught up in their bermuda triangle techsupport. this might be the right isp for you though if you're a big frank sinatra fan.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CYBERONIC INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS INC |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by netguru23
Posted: 3.4 years ago
member for 3.5 years, 0 visits, last login: 3.4 years ago
Chicago,Cook,IL
$49 per month (month by month)
about 21 days
"Reliable service."
"Not cheap."
"Not worth the extra $$$. Go with AT&T or cable."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
I got torched by Cyberonics when I recently moved. 2.5 yrs ago, I signed up for monthly contract at $49 which is $10 more a month over the annual contract ($39/mo for yr).
I called to say I no longer need service and I get informed they moved me to an annual contract. They stated notification came in a postcard thru USPS (uhh how reliable is that?) I never received this postcard. Regardless, how could they change the type of contract (from month-to-month to year) without acknowledgement from client?
So, cancelling my month-to-month service now costs $250!!! I spoke with their support/sales/billing dept and got an explanation that a postcard is sufficient for changing contract type.
Over the years, I have recommended Cyberonics to multiple friends/coworkers. Now, no way. It's not worth the extra cost plus when you cancel, bend over and prepared for some crazy logic they will use to charge you.
Use AT&T or cable. Same uptime but much cheaper!!! Using RCN now, no problems so far and cost combined with Cable/Phone/Internet (~$100/mo) is much cheaper than all services individually.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CYBERONIC INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS INC |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by curtisr
Posted: 3.5 years ago
member for 3.7 years, 3 visits, last login: 3.3 years ago
San Francisco,San Francisco,CA
$49 per month (12 month contract)
about 30 days
"Fairly reliable DSL"
"Totally unreliable SMTP (email)"
"I'm on DSLReports to look for a new provider"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
I've had it w/ Cyberonic. I've been with them for probably 5 years, and initially had reliable service (but poor support). In the past 2 months, I've experienced very unreliable SMTP (outgoing email) service. I've been on hold for the past 20 minutes, waiting for a technician.
I highly discourage subscribing w/ Cyberonic.
BTW, it's a whole another fiasco trying to perform the hardware upgrade they recommended. Let me just say that after dealing with incompetent techs for a month, one finally said I didn't really have to start using the new hardware they sent. It now sits in a closet.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CYBERONIC INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS INC |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by sinkoman
UPDATED: 3.5 years ago
member for 4.2 years, 3 visits, last login: 3.5 years ago
Berkeley,Alameda,CA
$45 per month (12 month contract)
about 9 days
SBC
CLEC party: MCI
"Reliable and still cheapest"
"none at this time"
"Static IP, 768k upload, good for VPN"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
updated 6-9-06
Finally, after waiting for so long for Cyberonic to pump up their speed, my MCI DSL was transferred to Covad a few months ago. I decided to take the opportunity to upgrade to 6.0/768 for additional 6/mon. So I am paying 45/mon for Covad 6.0/768 with static IP addresses. The migration from MCI to Covad went as trouble free as it could. I was down for almost because my old Efficient router wasn’t compatible. I used the instruction on Cyberonic site to configure the Britport router and called the Toll Free number that was provided.
I have noticed from the CYberonic Forum here, some customers had tough time to switch over because of various reasons but I consider myself one of those lucky ones. As I also noticed here, Cyberonic still one of the cheapest Covad resellers. Everything went as expected and great. Great job Cyberonic. I have been a happy customer for more than 2 years. Highly recommended.
============
I have had Cyberonic DSL for about 13 months now, and overall I have been pleased with the service. It has been mostly reliable and is still the cheapest DSL service in the area. I have Cyberonic/MCI paying $39 monthly. The connection speed is 1.5m /767k with 1 Static IP. I need the static IP to connect to my work VPN. Had some complications with the mci outages in my area but able to get those fixed. I am happy, for now, and Cyberonic credited my account. I like Cyberonics customer service, they listen to you and admit to the problem if their fault. Prior to Cyberonic, I had another ISP that kept blaming my house wiring, modem and any other things except theirs. I am thinking to switch to Cyberonic/Covad 6.0/768 for an add ional $20 but cant afford it at this time. I need to watch my dimes and nickles to survive. I recommend Cyyberonic because they are inexpensive and service is good.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CYBERONIC INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS INC |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by keysgo
Posted: 3.5 years ago
member for 3.8 years, 3 visits, last login: 3.5 years ago
941229
$49 per month (12 month contract)
Covad
CLEC party: Covad
"Best Covad reseller - Fast and cheap"
"none"
"Switched from MCI 1.5/768 to Covad 6.0/768 paineless"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
I have Cyberonic for several years and I still think they are one of the best. I had other service providers but none as good as Cyberonic. A few months ago, I have received notifications that Cyberonic switching my DSL line backbone to another provider to offer faster speed and better bandwidth. Right away I jumped on it, and signed up for the service. For the speed of 6 megs by 768kilobits, I am getting approx 5.3 megs by 500k.
The switchover went painless. I only experienced very minimal downtime and my MCI service switched to Cyberonic/Covad. The self install kit came prior to installation and a phone 800# provided to help. The only problem was the 800# went to some Indian help desk and was hard to understand the instructions but worked out fine.
Cyberonic is one of the finest. The service is very solid, tech support is magnificent if call not transferred abroad (lol). I think they did an excellent job transferring an keeping it up. Good luck!
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CYBERONIC INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS INC |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by marcoesc
UPDATED: 3.5 years ago
member for 9.4 years, 55 visits, last login: 113 days ago
Scotts Valley,Santa Cruz,CA
$49 per month
about 18 days
SBC
CLEC party: WorldCom
"NONE in 2006, prior it was FLAWLESS hotswap from DefuncTV; amazing speeds"
"UNCHANGED: phones are always busy, they don't return calls or answer e-mails, empty promises, BOTCHED SERVICE DOWNGRADE"
"The king is dead. Poor service at a premium price. Look elsewhere."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings well below consensus)
|
UPDATE (5/2006): After several years of high quality service, I just cancelled my Cyberonic DSL. I've long been a Cyberonic supporter, and wholeheartedly recommended them to friends. (Never mind the fact that they never came through and gave a referral credit...just another empty Cyberonic promise!)
For me the end came around their recent change in service providers. I received a VIP postcard describing the upcoming change and registered online, received a confirmation e-mail, and then NOTHING. A week or so later, my line went dead.
Just as with many people on this site, I spent hour after hour trying to reach technical support. Left the messages, but we all know what happens with those. (I don't think Cyberonic *ever* returned a phone call or answered an e-mail in my years as a customer.) When I finally got a support rep on the line, he patiently spent over 90 minutes walking me through manually reconfiguring my modem (since they did not send me any instructions prior to the switch.) After extensive hands-on, I was again up and running.
For me, the last straw was their inability to deliver the promised faster speeds. I chose to upgrade to their 6.0/768 plan, but the faster speeds never arrived. This lead to even more time wasted on hold, trying to get a support rep. Followed by FOUR different promised dates for the speed upgrade, each one of them false. Finally I spoke to a sales rep, who thought that 6MB may not be available to me (after many promises it was coming)...the rep promised to get a definitive answer and call me back...yet another unreturned call from Cyberonic.
So despite many hours wasted with Cyberonic tech support, and high levels of frustration trying to get my promised service, Cyberonic never came through. Lies, broken promises, only to deliver a severely degraded service. (After the change my speeds were slower, Web latency much higher, some sites were unavailable, and they TOOK AWAY USENET ACCESS.)
Finally I called Comcast to see what they could provide. They sent an installer *the next morning* who hooked up our cable internet. I now get consistent downloads of up to 16Mbps...over ten times faster than Cyberonic...plus tech support that answers the phones.
I was really loyal to Cyberonic, hyped them up whenever possible, and encouraged friends to use their services. In response, they never followed through on their referral program, degraded my level of service, and totally left us hanging when our DSL unexpectedly went dark.
BUH-BYE Cyberonic. It was nice while it worked. At least with the old Cyberonic, I knew I was getting great bandwidth at a good price, in exchange for diminished support services. Now that they've cut the bandwidth and reduced the quality of service, why is it that we're supposed to support this "little guy"?
CYBERONIC is a ZERO. LOOK ELSEWHERE for quality broadband.
---
UPDATE (2/5): It's been over two weeks since I was switched to bridged mode, and the tech support guy (Ken) promised to set up my three e-mail accounts the SAME DAY if I e-mailed the request directly to him. I did so, and sent THREE followups, and still no e-mail accounts. Cyberonic makes promises to get you off the phone (we'll have someone call you back; send it by e-mail, etc.) with no intention of keeping the promise.
Today I called to try and get in touch with the sales department. When I signed up, they were offering an affiliate program. Since I produce an Internet-distributed TV show, I can influence a lot of people looking for broadband with fast uploads. So I'm interested in the program. (Though with this customer service, I'm having second thoughts...)
The program info was never sent along with my contract, as was promised. A second phone call to the sales guy asking for the info, and it never arrived. Two unanswered e-mails. So today I called the toll free number, and was dropped immediately into Frank Sinatra Hell (hold). Almost an hour later the phone is answered, I request the affiliate information, and I'm told "you must speak with sales; this is technical support." CRAP!
I'm given another direct line to sales: 888-359-4545, which is continually busy.
I've lowered my pre-sales, tech support, and value ratings because they are not delivering on pre-sales promises, tech support doesn't follow through, and while the bits are fast, this is getting more and more frustrating. Kind of like dealing with Telocity in the early days. Arrrrrrrrrgh.
UPDATE: Dealing with Cyberonic (especially Tech Support) requires extensive persistence and insistance. Persist in listening to the blasted Frank Sinatra CD loop. And insist that they put you in touch with a tech NOW, rather than leaving a message.
With my DSL working nicely, I wanted to establish the static IP address I was promised. On 1/17 I sent an e-mail to dsl@cyberonic.com requesting "Would you please send me my static IP address and configuration information? My service number is 831-XXX-XXXX, name MY NAME"
The morning of 1/18 I received my first e-mail reply, which said "You're currently on step 5. Step 5 is the Installation. If your router has already been delivered you may follow the instructions in the package and install your DSL router...If you would like to configure your router to utilize your Static IP address please contact Tech Support to configure your router."
Great...I had e-mailed them asking for tech support to set up my Static IP address, and they replied telling me to ask tech support to set up my Static IP address.
I sent right back another e-mail, to the DSL and SUPPORT e-mail addresses, saying "I am ready for you to configure my router to use my static IP address,
as referenced below. Please do so."
1/19 in the afternoon I got an e-mail back with my IP address, Gateway IP address, and DNS servers. But no instructions about switching my router, or what I was supposed to do with this info. (I know what to do with the numbers, but doesn't it require Cyberonic to switch over my router?) I've got numbers, but am not in bridged mode yet to use them.
So I sent another message back, asking "Thank you Sheila. What needs to be done on your end to switch my router from dynamic IP to the new settings? The last Tech Support email says: " If you would like to configure your router to utilize your Static IP address please contact Tech Support to configure your router." Here we are. How do I configure my router?"
I got another e-mail right back from Sheila saying "Sorry for the confusion. Sam is the one handling your Cisco router. He will be in on Tuesday. You will get answer when he comes in."
OK, fine. But on Monday my service stopped working. Guessing that perhaps tech support had switched me over to bridged mode early, I entered the IP info for my system. No luck. So around 3pm I called for tech support.
Several calls with busy signals, then finally someone answers saying "Cyberonic, please hold" and immediately put me on hold. I hung up and called right back, about ten busy signals, and then got through again, same woman answered, and before she could put me on hold I said "Tech Support please!". "Please hold" was the answer.
(Note that the following times are not exaggerated; I made notes of them)
A fifteen minute wait, and the call is answered by someone who asks for all my information. I explain the problem, and ask for tech support; they ask me to hold for tech support. Another thirty minutes later, another person answers the line. I asked "are you tech support?" and they answered "ummmmmmm..." and proceeded to again ask me for my information and problem. I again explained it, and he said "please give me your name and number and I'll have someone call you back." This pissed me off, and I let him know it. "I've been on hold for 45 minutes to leave a message? HELL NO. The first person should have done that. And besides, your support people don't return calls. Put me in the support queue." "Please hold" and I'm back to Frank Sinatra.
Another 15 minutes and a woman answers the call. Again I explain my situation and give my contact info; again she looks me up in the system. Asks which equipment I have (it's the Cisco 678) and says "please hold for a Cisco tech."
I then wait another ten minutes, for a total of 75 minutes into the process, before my call is answered by Ken in Tech Support. Explain the problem. He logs right into my router, says a few magic words, and says "there we go, you're up and running." Cool! While I have him on the line, I ask him to put me in bridged mode and set up my static IP address. Again no problem, a few magic words, and we're good to go. So he proceeds to read me my IP info, which is ENTIRELY DIFFERENT from what Sheila had sent me a few days earlier. Put in the correct info and I'm running fine and with my static IP address.
Since I had Ken on the line, and he is clearly competent. I asked him to e-mail me the correct IP info (for my records) and to set up three e-mail accounts for me. He was happy to do so, but he asked that I send the e-mail requests to ken@cyberonic.com and he would do it later that day. I sent off the e-mail and now it's a week later, but I've heard nothing back.
Cyberonic offers good service, and they have talented people there. But their contact process is a clusterfark. Contact via e-mail is either not answered, or they provide incorrect information. We've all commented on the tedious telephone process with Cyberonic, but I can't help but wonder why THREE people had to ask for my full information before transferring me to the fourth, who was able to help. How many of their people there are spinning around in circles, clueless, passing along the customer?
I'm happy with the DSL I'm getting, and know that I can get support from Cyberonic. But I won't trust them to return a call, nor will I depend on e-mail support. My advise to everyone else if you have tech problems is to get ready for time on hold, INSIST upon speaking to a tech, and then again INSIST upon speaking to a tech. Waiting 75 min for tech support during crunch time is not unreasonable. But waiting almost an hour to be asked to leave a message is incompetent.
I have downgraded some of my reviews, as Install Coordination is pretty poor (too many phone calls, incorrect info on their Web site) and Mail/DNS/News (still don't have mail working, DNS seems sometimes shaky, and they have incorrect news server info on their support site), and Tech Support (competent, but only after you fight your way to a real tech.)
-----
Original review:
I'm a Telocity/DirecTV refugee who learned of Cyberonic through the forums here at DSLReports. I produce live music TV programming, and push a lot of bits around the Internet. So I've long been interested in service with decent upload speeds at a reasonable price. DirecTV was only giving 128 up, which meant uploads of no faster than 11KBps.
Cyberonic was kind enough to waive the setup fee for a big group of us from the boards here, and negotiated "HotSwap" transfers. This meant, in theory, we could be switched with a downtime of only a few hours, compared to several weeks via the normal process. I received my self install kit about a week ago, and waited for my DirecTV service to die.
This morning when I fired up the computer around 9am, the Internet connection was not working. Hot swap in process. I ran some errands and returned at 11am to try out the new service.
I unplugged my old Telocity "brick" and plugged in the new Cisco 678 DSL router sent by Cyberonic. I just used the existing phone and ethernet cables. And things didn't work.
Looking for a manual to the router, I found Cisco only includes CDs for documentation. And you can't browse them without installing several pieces of software. Pretty annoying, but I eventually got into the manual and saw the instruction saying "Connect the Ethernet CROSSOVER cable between your PC and the router". D'oh! This needs a special Ethernet cable, provided. Swapped the cable and I was live, with blazing speed.
Logged on to an FTP server and uploaded a show of mine...solid 70KBps up! WOO HOO! DSLReports speed tests show a solid 1300 down, 650 up.
This is great! I hope they can keep it up, and stay in business!
Marco
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CYBERONIC INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS INC |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by kcepull
UPDATED: 3.6 years ago
member for 6.8 years, 12 visits, last login: 165 days ago
Roswell,Fulton,GA
$49 per month (month by month)
about 42 days
BellSouth
CLEC party: Covad
"Once it works, it rocks"
"You have to be V-E-R-Y patient [Terrible since switch to Covad]"
"Cyberonic has gotten slammed with DTV users switching"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
[ === Updated 4/10/2006 === ]
I have been a very happy Cyberonic customer for 4+ years now (with the one exception being how hard it is to get a hold of tech support and having to listen to Frank over an over again!).
In late January, I received an e-mail stating that they were switching me over from MCI to Covad, and that I would receive an e-mail within the next week letting me know when the cutover would happen. I should also be receiving a new DSL modem, and had the opportunity to upgrade my speed to 3MB or 6MB for only $6/$10 a month. Sweet!
My joy was short-lived. At 12:01am on 1/31, I got an e-mail saying my cutover would be THAT DAY. I had not received the new modem yet, nor any information about how to reprogram my existing one. As I have web/email servers, a smooth cutover was important to me, and was now impossible without any advance notice.
After many, many calls to tech support, here's what's happened:
- I finally received the new BritePort modem 3 days after the cutover.
- I had 1.5M/768K service before. If we try to connect at that speed with the BritePort, it drops the connection after an average of 10-15 minutes. Sometimes, it will automatically reconnect, but not often.
- If I use my "old" Efficient modem, it is much more stable (going for days instead of minutes before dropping, which is still unacceptable), but it will only connect at 1.5M/500K. Even at that speed, it is unreliable.
- They tried "safe mode". They tried dropping my speed to 1M/500K. Better, but still not stable (and not as fast as I've had for 4 years!)
- They sent me another BritePort modem. Same problem.
- After 2 months, they finally sent out a Covad technician. He confirmed that my wiring was fine, and headed to the CO to check things there. I called in to check the status later, and was told that there were "line errors" on my line that "shouldn't be there", and they were replacing the DSLAM card on Monday.
- They replaced the card on Monday, but it didn't change a thing.
After suffering through this for 2 months, I'd had enough. They 'forced' me to switch to Covad. They couldn't get me the same speed that I had before (much less 'upgrade' me). The entire communication process during the cutover was terrible (to be expected). Even after multiple requests for some type of credit for all of my problems, nada.
So, they got the boot.
Last Thurday, I called AtlanticNexus (www.atnex.net). They offer 3.5M/384K speed, INCLUDING a static IP address, for $46/month (including all of the fees and taxes). $10 to ship a modem to me (if I need one, which I do). They were 'very confident' they could get me the promised speed. I held my breath and said "Do It".
They had me cutover 24 hours later!
It has been working at FULL SPEED all weekend long with no hiccups. I've even gotten a couple of calls from them to check with me to make sure everything is OK. (It is.)
Oh, and this is using the same BritePort modem that Covad couldn't get to work. (I haven't gotten my new modem from AtNex yet - it should be here today.)
Bottom line:
- Cheaper rates than Cyberonic
- They've always answered the phone (no Frank on hold)
- They have 24x7 technical support
- They manage their own backbone - they aren't a reseller
- They did what they promised, in record time
[ === end of update === ]
I'm one of the DirecTVDSL customers that have been forced to find another provider. I just got my DSL service back, after being down for 10 days. Overall, a very frustrating experience. I'm giving Cyberonic the benefit of the doubt because they have gotten slammed with all the DirecTVDSL (ex-)customers wanting to switch. They haven't been able to handle the load, and all customers have suffered because of it. I think they should have stopped taking new orders until they could catch up.
Here's my log of how things went:
12/20/02: Called and spoke with Tony. He explained the service offerings, and faxed me over a 'contract' for month-to-month service at $49.99. He would not guarantee 1.5M/768K service, saying I was 12000 feet from the CO, and would most likely get 384K up (but still 1.5M down). The contract said I got 20 e-mail accounts, while their web site said 5 (?). Installations were usually taking 2-3 weeks.
12/21/02 (day 0): Faxed back the completed contract to Tony.
12/27/02 (6 days): Called to find out what the status was. I was told they had received my fax, and were setting up the account. It should take about 2 weeks to set everything up, they would mail me the pre-configured router, and they should be able to 'hot-swap' me from DirectTVDSL to Cyberonic with just 'a couple' of hours of down time.
1/3/03 (13 days): Called to check status. The line had been tested and was "OK". (Was this necessary? I had DSL already, so the line should be good, right?) They should be provisioning the line 'next week' on the 6th. Gave me my IP address, subnet, DNS info, etc.
1/7/03 (17 days): Called to see when the 'hot swap' was going to take place. The router hadn't shipped yet. Should be 'a few days' still.
1/10/03 (20 days): Called again to check the status. The router should ship Monday (1/13). They got the 'final' information from the carrier on Friday (today), and the cutover usually occurs 3 days after that.
[From this point forward, contacting Cyberonic is almost impossible. I've omitted all the details, but basically it takes hours of calling and redialing to get through, then 20-30 minutes of listening the same Frank Sinatra CD on hold until I either give up or get through. I tried e-mails, but only one was returned, and that was saying to call them!]
1/13/03 (23 days): After getting many, many busy signals, got through to see if the router shipped. Nope. They placed the order to BellSouth to do the cutover, but BellSouth had not committed to a date yet.
1/14/03 (24 days): Again, took a couple of hours to get through (busy). BellSouth has found 'a problem with the line' and they are waiting to hear back from BS. Should be 'a day or two'.
1/16/03 (26 days): Line problem has been fixed, and the cutover is scheduled for 1/23 (Thursday). The router should ship Friday (1/17) or Monday (1/20).
1/21/03 (31 days): After talking with 3 different techs, was told that the line was going to be 'pre-tested' on 1/23, not actually cut-over. The cut-over could be that same day, or as late as the following Monday (1/27). The router hadn't shipped yet, even though cutover was as early as 2 days away...
1/22/03 (32 days): Came home to a dead DSL line. Apparently, someone unhooked me from DirecTVDSL (a day early?). Called Cyberonic, and was told the router STILL hadn't shipped. It should ship tomorrow (the day of cutover?!), and wouldn't be overnight, so I wouldn't get it until Monday, even if the line got cutover sooner. I sent an e-mail requesting 3 (of my 5 or 20) mailboxes be created. (They weren't.)
1/23/03 (33 days, 1 day w/o DSL): Left a message with the receptionist (?). She said someone would call me within 45 minutes. (No one did.) I called back later and was told the router still hadn't shipped (!). However, when I got home, it was sitting on my front porch. I plugged it in and got a green Power and Test light, but a yellow Link light. Tried recycling power, etc. No luck.
1/24/03 (34 days, 2 days w/o DSL): Requested that the router be switched to bridge mode so I could control everything with my LinkSys. Was told it would be switched the next day (Saturday), and that the line was supposed to be up by 11:30pm that night. (It wasn't.) Had him create the 3 mailboxes I had requested via e-mail 2 days earlier.
1/27/03 (37 days, 5 days w/o DSL): After 30 minutes on hold (Frank CD is broken or dirty, so I get 'spurts' of music), they still showed an install date of 1/23, but WorldCom hadn't updated the status yet. The WC help desk was closed, so he would have to call them tomorrow. I told the tech that they had 24 hours to get an answer to me, and CALL ME, or else I would start looking elsewhere. Gave him my work and cell phone numbers.
1/28/03 (38 days, 6 days w/o DSL): Supervisor (?) called and left me a very short, curt message that WorldCom was still configuring their end, and I should be up within 48 hours. That night, I got 3 green lights, and the router indicated it had established a connection to the other end at 1500 down, and anywhere between 615 and 704K up. However, I can't ping the router from outside, nor can I get anywhere from inside. Called and left a voicemail message requesting a switch to bridge mode (again).
1/31/03 (41 days, 9 days w/o DSL): Still can't get through on the main number. Frank CD is dead - when the phone isn't busy, it rings, something answers, then silence. Finally got through by calling the sales number (answered after first ring, imagine that!). He took my name and number and said he would have them switch me to bridge mode within 2 hours. One hour later, someone called and left an unintelligible message on my answering machine. I tried to call back, but couldn't get through. 2.5 hours later, I got through on the sales # again, and they took my name and number and told me the tech would call me back (he didn't).
2/1/03 (42 days, 10 days w/o DSL): 11:20pm: Dialed and someone actually answered the phone and put me immediately on hold. They came back after just a few minutes. I explained the situation, and they said they would try to find the tech that called me. After a few minutes, a very knowledgable person came on the line and had me telnet into the router to check a few things. After just a minute or two, he determined the IP address programmed in my router was wrong (first octet was 64 instead of 66). He had me fix it, and lo and behold, we had service! He switched me over to bridge mode, and I configured my LinkSys. Took 10 days to determine, and about 2 seconds to fix. Unfortunate (for me) that I was down all that time for such a stupid reason.
Current situation (2/3/03): The line is working fine. Speed is indicated at 1500K down and 704K up. DSLReports shows about 1164 down and 500K up, but I'll take it! Their mail servers are up and down a lot. When they are up, they are very slow, and reject some inbound mail ('admin block'), and won't send outbound ('relaying denied'). So, I've got my mail coming to my mail server directly.
Bottom line:
1. They shouldn't charge the $99 setup fee. Their competition doesn't, or if they do, give you 'rebates' or a price break on the first 'x' months of service. I had asked about the group that was getting the fee waived, but was told it had disbanded. It hadn't, or else I would have gotten in on that deal and saved $99 bucks!
2. Once it works, it seems to work fine (based on less than 48 hours of service, mind you).
3. They have gotten overwhelmed by the DirecTVDSL shutdown. Not Cyberonic's fault, so I'm trying to be understanding. However, they definitely need to improve their processes. They need a way to check on your order status (the web!?)without tying up their technicians so they can actually get some work done. Their phone system needs a lot of work. They need to communicate status to their customers better. I had to REQUEST my IP information and mailbox setups. It should have been all done as part of the account setup.
I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt, and give them 3 months to improve and grow to handle their newfound customer base (thank's to DirectTVDSL!). If they haven't by then, it's time to shop around...
[Update 2/14/2003]
Up for 2 weeks now. No problems. Speed hasn't been a problem. I DON'T use their mail server (way too slow). Their DNS servers are very slow, too. Sometimes I even get timeouts on them. Anyone know of a good DNS server near Atlanta?
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CYBERONIC INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS INC |
| »next page (previous review)
 Review by FUBARinSFO
UPDATED: 3.6 years ago
member for 3.7 years, 33 visits, last login: 140 days ago
Oakland,Alameda,CA
$50 per month (month by month)
SBC
CLEC party: MCI
"Speeds used to be good for money T1 down/ 1/2 T1 up"
"Outbound email blocked by Spamhaus.org for last three months"
"Do not subscribe until they fix the spam blocking problem"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
To update this post, the spamhaus.org problem was eventually fixed sometime late last year. My last email complaint to them was in the middle of November 2005. Either the problem got fixed then, or I simply stopped sending them notices.
In any case, I've terminated my service with Cyberonic.com. As a result of the switchover to Covad backbone from MCI/uunet, my transfer speeds have been cut in half, at least. I will handle this in another post, but from the looks of others on BBR the subject of the botched and mangled changeover to Covad seems to have already been pretty well documented.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CYBERONIC INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS INC |
|
|
CYBERONIC INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS INC
