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Review by cc4cc4 
UPDATED: 5.3 years ago
member for 6.9 years, 2 visits, last login: 5.3 years ago
 Covington,Newton,GA
 $59 per month (12 month contract)
 about 9 days
 BellSouth
CLEC party: BellSouth
 "Incredible customer support"
 "None"
 "Best ISP in Georgia, hands down."
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I signed up for Speed Factory based on the little I had heard from people on the Internet and the great reviews here. The support and sales staff is terrific and the install was very quick and done with virtually no down time.
Speed Factory has done everything they possibly can to resolve my previous complaints. My problems with ping fluxuations is for the most part gone. It has been explained to me that the News bandwidth has been doubled and this seems to be the case. As with many other networks, it seens that a small number of users have ruined it for everyone else.
I'd give my full recommendation to Speed Factory based on the unheard of level of customer support they give. You will not find an ISP in the Georgia area with better service and support.
Update - Still with Speedfactory over a year after writing the above review. Have since switched to 3.0 mb platinum service, and still remain extremely happy with speedfactory. The news service has since been fixed and is quite good, downloading now at fast speeds. You won't find a better ISP in Georgia, give them a call.
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Review by Ishinusmc
Posted: 5.3 years ago
member for 5.3 years, 0 visits, last login: 5.3 years ago
Powder Springs,Cobb,GA
Contract price not specified.
"great name, nice guys (mostly) local,"
"cost more, little attitude, do not go the extra inch"
"great in the beginning but time moved on and so have I."
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This was the first company that I went with for high speed internet. I thought there name was cool and they were local to me so I could just drive to them and pay what I needed too, and be up and running. Well first off they wanted 250$ for their modem, they said they weren't making any money on them, but i bought mine on ebay for 112$ shipped (go figure). Service wise I was always really happy, after I got it up and running, was some hassles about the tech guy coming out to the house to set it up, but when they said it was gonna b a few days I was like just tell me wtf to do over the phone and the guy did and it was easy as pie. I was with SF for almost 2 1/2 yrs. bell south was little cheaper but i was always loyal to SF, untill now. I finally got tired of paying more than everyone else for the same speeds and more than the guys with higher speeds. I remember talking to the tech guys up there and them saying "that there was no way to go higher than 1.5 on DSl" well we see that was a load of crap and it is possible. My top d/l speed was 156kb a sec, now its 388kb a sec, and yes i know this comparison isnt the same because I had 1.5 dsl and now have 3.0 cable but even at 3.0 dsl it wouldnt equal the speeds i get now with comcast and comcast cost 45.95 with their modem that you rent and with existing cable(basic) service, compared to SF Speed Home Platinum $39.95 / $59.95.
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Review by Brian_M
Posted: 5.4 years ago
member for 5.4 years, 18 visits, last login: 2 years ago
Tucker,Dekalb,GA
$49 per month (12 month contract)
about 6 days
BellSouth
"Speedy live, Excelent CS (fast to answer, well spoken/educated)"
"limited support hours, supposidly slow usenet (might have changed, I don't use it)"
"I'm Very happy with the serive and would gladly recomend it to anyone."
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Ordering: This was a somewhat more intrusive method than my DirecTV DSL (which was all over the phone/internet) in that I had to DL, print, sign and Fax a copy of my request. Beyond that, I was kept well updated for the Short peroid of time it took to go live. I had to sign a 12 month contract (then month by month) with penalty for early cancelation at $49.95/month. I think my original deal included 3 half-priced months (it's been nearly 2 years now). Service is the basic 1.5/256 w/ dynamic IP, and has been fine, if slightly less than others.
Install: Heh, they sent a USB modem that was never opened and promplty replaced with a Zxytel unit. I had to do the work myself since their support plain doesn't help with anything they don't supply.
I've had the service for 18 months now and suffered exactly 1 outage that was their fault. Bellsouth has done their part to screw things up 3 times now though (how they keep choosing MY line to mess with is beyond me, Speedfactory got all these issues resolved for me in a good ammount of time AND offered me prorated prices). I have had a couple connectivity problems after installing a wireless router, which support helped me troubleshoot (kinda ~ they mearly told me that they had 2 mac addys, and told me the refresh time on their servers is about 30 minutes), so about once a month I'll have to shut down my modem for half an hour. Beyond that I'd heard of limited speed to Usenet groups (that I don't use), so if this is an issue for you, check ahead of time.
I'm moving out of the area in 2 weeks, and disconnecting was as simple as sending them an email with my request and the date I'd like everything turned off. It looks like DSL is finally making its way into the backwoods near my in-laws though, and I'm going to recomend they give Speedfactory a call... I feel the service and support are good enough for even my very tech-UNsavvy in-laws (yes, I like them... so this isn't a plot to drive them nuts.. lol).
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Review by mojo316
Posted: 5.4 years ago
member for 5.4 years, 0 visits, last login: 5.4 years ago
Marietta,Cobb,GA
$59 per month (12 month contract)
about 6 days
BellSouth
CLEC party: BellSouth
"Quick install, savvy support reps, low hold times"
"Solid ISP with competitive prices."
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After dealing with BellSouth for my previous DSL service, I can say it's been a pleasure dealing with a smaller more personal ISP this time around. I moved into a new house recently and ordered Speed Factory's "Gold" service with 5 static IPs soon after it was made available. First of all, their $59/month is the best price I could find for DSL with 5 statics. Not only that, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were none of the "junk fees" that I was so used to seeing on my BellSouth DSL bill.
These guys are also good because I don't feel like I'm wasting my time when I want to call in to have a question answered. The few times I've called, they pick up the phone within 1-2 mins max, and the person who picks up almost always knows the answer without having to defer to "level 2 support" or any of that crap.
Overall, a wise choice, IMO, and one that I'm going to be recommending to my friends from now on.
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Review by murchman
UPDATED: 5.5 years ago
member for 10.3 years, 977 visits, last login: 5.2 years ago
Acworth,Cobb,GA
$49 per month (12 month contract)
about 7 days
"No PPOE, Great Customer service, no spam, great speed, and it just plain works"
"None"
"If you want DSL that just plain works all the time and has great speed and latency go with speed factory"
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I left Bellsouth for Speedfactory because BS could not solve packet loss issues and kept telling me they don’t support the program packet loss. Speedfactory has been nothing short of perfect for me, no PPOE servers to worry about, basically a static IP as they use DHCP and it always gives me the same IP address. I was able to use the same speed touch home Ethernet router that I used for Bellsouth so there was no hardware charge.
Installation was simple I called them faxed the documents over and in a week I was on their network, my total dawn time was less then an hour.
***Update 5-20-04***
Well I am buying a new home at th end of the month in Cherokee county which is serviced by Alltel and as such I will not be able to stay with SF :-(
Speedfactory has been a great ISP and I will not be a happy camper leaving them, the service always worked and when I did have a question or an issue tech support was a model of perfection.
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Review by weijia
Posted: 5.5 years ago
member for 5.5 years, 3 visits, last login: 4.3 years ago
Marietta,Cobb,GA
$49 per month (12 month contract)
BellSouth
CLEC party: BellSouth
"Very reliable service. Customer service helpful. Will go extra mile."
"Website rather sparse."
"Well worth it if they are available in your area."
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I have been with Speefactory for about 9 months now (1.5mb/256). Throughout this time I don't recall the connection dying even once. Recently I have been having trouble with the USB modem (I think my motherboard was dying). I called tech support, and they gave me a new Ethernet modem for free, and even let me keep the old USB modem! If you are lucky enough to have Speedfactory service your area, do not hesitate to give them a try!
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Review by cliad
Posted: 5.6 years ago
member for 5.6 years, 4 visits, last login: 5.5 years ago
Jonesboro,Clayton,GA
$59 per month (12 month contract)
about 5 days
BellSouth
"Local company with friendly and knowledgeable staff"
"None thus far!"
"What you see is what you get."
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DSL wasn't an option for my wife and I when we moved into our new home several years ago. A steady decline in service from my cable company and multiple phone calls/mailers from Bell South telling me I now qualified for DSL prompted me to seek other high-speed options. A co-worker recommended dslreports.com and I stumbled upon Speed Factory.
I liked what I read about them here, so I perused their site and then gave them a call. The Speed Factory Rep. was very helpful in explaining their services and company history. I was looking for speeds similar to my cable modem (3Mbps), so I decided to sign up for their Platinum service.
I sent my order in on a Monday and received my install kit Friday afternoon. Being a long-time cable user, I had some worries about the DSL install. The instructions were actually very clear and easy to follow. I was up and surfing in no time at all. My speeds are comparable to that of when I was using a cable modem. Sometimes they are slightly higher on speed tests--I'm guessing it has something to do with the distance to the test servers.
Overall, I can honestly say switching to DSL was easy and painless. I'm saving a few bucks each month as well--so the wife is happy. I have since bid farewell to my cable company and hello to satellite TV, but that's another review not meant for this site.
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Review by gw25295
Posted: 5.6 years ago
member for 7.1 years, 4 visits, last login: 5.6 years ago
Alpharetta,Fulton,GA
Contract price not specified.
"Promotion prices are not honored"
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I tried to sign up with Speed Factory since they were offerring a $54.95 price for 3Mx384K only to find out that the price had changed and was now $59.95. No problem, I thought, since the promo now included a free static IP and two months at a reduced price ($29.95 for the first two months, and $59.95, thereafter). But to my surprise the promo price came up as $39.95 and not $29.95. I called the company back only to be told that they were changing the prices and would not honor what was stated on the website. Two strikes and I wasn't about to stick around for the third. I took this as a big hint of the future and decided to go elsewhere.
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Review by atldsl1
Posted: 5.6 years ago
member for 5.6 years, 0 visits, last login: 5.6 years ago
Marietta,Cobb,GA
Contract price not specified.
BellSouth
"Customer service is the best by far!!"
"None that I've found"
"Best value for DSL services in town"
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My experience with Speedfactory has been wonderful. First of all, it is a pleasure to call an ISP (or phone company for that matter) that actually answers the phone with a living person... no long waits on hold, or voicemail messages with no return calls.
The customer service is top notch. The order entry process went without a hitch. My modem showed up and I was walked through the install process in about 15 minutes.
I have had several questions since the install and the technical support department has been very patient with me... I am no computer expert. They have bent over backwards to help me maximize all of the features that speedfactory makes available.
I have been extremely pleased with the connection reliability. With my last provider, I always had connection problems - none with Speedfactory. I am also very happy with the speed of the connection.
I would recommend Speedfactory to anyone shopping for an ISP.
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Review by Tahnka
Posted: 5.6 years ago
member for 5.6 years, 2 visits, last login: 5.6 years ago
Marietta,Cobb,GA
$65 per month (12 month contract)
about 5 days
BellSouth
CLEC party: BellSouth
"3.0/384 Speed"
"Tech support was live but wasn't 100% knowledgable and doesn't go the extra mile"
"At 1.5/256 their service is slightly less valuable than Bellsouth. At 3.0/384 they offer dsl speed that isn't available elsewhe"
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I moved to Speedfactory from Bellsouth simply because I was tired of using Bellsouth (but for no particular reason) and I'm considering moving my phone service from Bellsouth to VOIP; so I thought that if I was going VOIP that I should move off of the Bell gear. I purchased the static IP option for the 1.5/256 residential ADSL. I will preface this review by stating that I had Bellsouth for 3 years and only had to call tech support once. I never had any problems with Bellsouth and their speeds were exactly what they said they would be; So Bellsouth was good to me.
Unless you have a pressing reason to move off of Bellsouth; there's really no reason to move to Speedfactory. Speedfactory does not give any additional value over Bellsouth; in fact they give a little less value for a little more money.
For the initial installation; they did absolutely nothing to help me install. The router appeared with a sticker on it that had my IP info and that was it. They didn't even include a piece of paper that stated where I could get that IP info from (I just "happened" to notice it on the bottom of the router). With Bellsouth, when you do not opt for the professional install, you at least get a few pieces of paper with instructions on how to set it up. Their lack of install info was not a problem for me since I knew what I was doing and all of the info that I needed was on that sticker; but for a non-technical home user they would not have had a clue as to what to do: I suppose that's their way of forcing people to pay the $99 professional install fee.
Bellsouth had an online interface for creating your additional email addresses; Speedfactory requires that you call their rep on the phone in order to setup additional email accounts. The way Speedfactory handles their email less convenient than Bellsouth.
The "speed" from Speedfactory is EXACTLY THE SAME as Bellsouth. There is nothing "speedy" about Speedfactory.
Speedfactory told me that if you choose their base DHCP option that they close down almost all ports on your modem. The Speedfactory rep said that dhcp is "essentially for web surfing and email only". What about games? What about IM? I have no further info on the specifics of this since I went the Static IP route.
The Hawking router that they "give" you for a static IP address is a router only; there is no firewall: And speedfactory won't give you access to the router so that you can control your ports. Speedfactory told me that I should run my own firewall behind their router (like a business account would). I was not impressed by the fact that their routers are not router/firewall combo's like Bellsouth's is. For a business line; this setup is standard: But for a residential line their product is lacking.
The ONLY thing that Speedfactory offers that bellsouth does not is a true always on connection (Like a T1); which now that I think about it, is actually a security concern for most residential users. With PPPOE at least you could disconnect your line (without having to disable your NIC) and not worry about incoming hack attempts; with Speedfactory, ALWAYS ON, means you are ALWAYS EXPOSED to hackers. I opted for a Static IP because I actually want an always on connection for my VOIP (Voice Over IP); and I AM running my own firewall; but this always on wouldn't be good for regular residential users (I suppose that's why they lock down all of the ports for regular dhcp modem users).
The introductory price of $29.95 for the first 3 months was nice ($19.95 for dhcp users) and the "free" equipment is nice (free as in, you pay for it over the 12 months); but these niceties are nothing more than what you can get with other ISP's. It actually took them several years to catch up to the new-user offers that Bellsouth and Earthlink were offering.
As far as their tech support; so far they've been OK but nothing outstanding. One support rep gave me (drastically) incorrect info and the other support rep wasn't overly friendly or helpful. Once a problem was diagnosed as existing within my own hardware ; they weren't willing to help me narrow down which hardware it was. Of course, diagnosing my hardware is beyond the scope of their support; but still, if they had been just a little helpful beyond their scope then they would have at least had that to offer over bellsouth.
In my opinion, at 1.5/256 Speedfactory is nothing special. If you are looking for a new ISP (currently have nothing) then Speedfactory is fine; but if you're already on Bellsouth then there's no reason to switch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If Speedfactory reads this: If you guys want to be truly valuable then you need to offer speeds that are actually faster than Bellsouth (IE 1.5/512 minimum or even better, start matching the new 3mb down speeds from cable isp's) AND you need to offer a full suite of online tools for managing every aspect of my account (Like Bellsouth Does); AND you need to charge $5.00 less than you do now. Until you change those 3 items then there's no compelling reason to use you. Right now your service is "fine", but you offer nothing that is superior to Bellsouth.
~~UPDATE April 08-2004~~
Just a few days after posting the review above, Speedfactory has made available a 3.0/384 adsl service available for 5 additional dollars. I just signed up for this service. Of course I would have preferred for them to just automatically upgrade all of their customers to this, and that move would have most certainly made them superior to Bellsouth; but I understand the various reasons for feeling like one should charge more when they offer more.
NOTE: With the 3.0/384 service, Speedfactory has decided to go with PPP.
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Speed Factory
