how-to block ads
|
»next review in page
 Review by satcomlink 
UPDATED: 278 days ago
member for 8.9 years, 875 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Breaux Bridge,Saint Martin,LA
 $101 per month (12 month contract)
 about 3 days
 CenturyTel
 "Rock solid connection."
 "Don't have any at this time"
 "Good deal all around."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
I have a bundled service from CenturyTel that includes phone, dsl and tv. Phone service has unlimited long distance and all calling features including voicemail. My DSL speed is 1.5/256, and 120 channels with CenturyTel/DishNetwork. It was the best deal for my money.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
 | »next review in page (previous review)
Review by rpresley
Posted: 281 days ago
member for 6.5 years, 22 visits, last login: 240 days ago
O Fallon,Saint Charles,MO
$84 per month
CenturyTel
"Tech support usually helpful"
"Download speed 360-500 kbps on 1.5 mbps service"
"No other real choice"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
I hate Charter, my only alternative to Centurytel. I am on the outer limit of area served by DSL which may expain why my speed tests so slow. Rarely lose service. I do not use their email client. I pay for 1.5 meg service.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by BigVe
UPDATED: 282 days ago
member for 4.4 years, 1523 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Gulliver,Schoolcraft,MI
$49 per month (12 month contract)
about 6 days
"Stable connection."
"Price a lot higher than other ISP's for the same service.Speeds have gone to the bottom"
"Need A LOT more bandwidth here"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Finally have a choice besides dial-up(and satellite).Signed up as soon as it was available in mid March.19.95/mo. for first 3 mo.Modem supplied was a Netopia 3341 but i also have a Westell B-90.They both work equally well.I am VERY happy so far with my first 3+ months with Centurytel Dsl.Have talked to tech support online with some stupid questions i have had since this is new to me and i have always received helpful response.Also the technical staff that works for Centurytel around here i know somewhat and that i hope should make things easier if i have problems in the future.Only two outages so far.One was caused by a cut fiber cable and the other was login problems(PPPoE).I signed up for the fastest they offered 1500/256 and i have a constant 1250+ down and 205+ up so no complaints here(my dial-up was about 48/20 ) I am 14500' + from office.Had my line tested by installer and it is good for 6000+down/ 600+ up.I know that some areas serviced by Centurytel can get 3000/512 but i was told that it will be quite some time if ever for us here but i live on the hope.Have seen many negative thing from other users but i would recommend Centurytel.And YES tweaking do help.
Update 11-04-05
Now close to 8 months and have never had any issues worth mentioning with speed or connection.Speed is still around 1250/215 every time i test it.So bottom line is that i am a happy customer with Centurytel DSL just still hoping that they will lower prices to be more in level of other providers.
Update 2-20-06
Even though it works great i have lowered my rating on services as well as value for money.Centurytel keeps falling behind competition more and more.Have 1500/256 (1250/215 after overhead) and no way to get any faster package unless i purchase a business line then they upload goes to 512.Don't think its worth a 50+dollars one time cost and an extra $5/month.Come on C-tel wake up before you get run over.
Update 4-12-06
Still going strong.Actually my download and upload recently got a little faster up from 1250 to 1400 down and 215 up increased to around 265 up.Still like to know where upgrades to 3000/512 went.Otherwise i am a happy camper
1-24-07
Nothing major has happened except that my modem died.Was replaced the following day for free by Centurytel.Speeds still in the mid 1400's down and 250+up.Still hoping of a speed increase but that is wishful thinking.Lower price would be great too as this must be the most expensive Dsl in the whole US (maybe even the World)
6-23-07
Still working as expected so no complaints here.Going strong but we need higher speeds and lower prices to match other providers.
1-27-08
Working but bandwidth is lacking due to overload of customers and not enough BW to go around specially prime time.Looking in to IPTV so hopefully i am going to have enough steam for that to work reliable.Time will tell.Otherwise i can highly recommend Centurytel in this area since our techs are great.
3-20-08
Things are going downhills so my ratings have been updated accordingly.Still better than dial-up but it's getting closer.with pings between 500-1000ms and download speed less than 100
2-3-09
A little better now but major slowdowns later afternoon/evening hours.They also know their bandwidth problems but it look like i am in for a long wait....again.Why can't they just add bandwidth when they know it's needed and fiber is available to them? Speeds between 300-1500 down and always a stable ~260 up
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by huntdog
UPDATED: 282 days ago
member for 4.1 years, 1429 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Olive Branch,Desoto,MS
$99 per month
about 4 days
CenturyTel
"Price,bundled package long distance,Dish Network ,DSL"
"unreliable"
" works ok now and then"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
$99.00 month, 1500dn/384up
refurb modem Westell 6100-14
self install
local service is ok after you call the tech support, always seems to a problem with Centurytel equipment,after they reset switch it works well until the next storm or heavy rain comes though.
Good experience: quick to respond.
Bad experiences: continued speed problems
Centurytel is probably the worst provider in this area service is all out horrible Tech support is a joke,and Centurytel cannot or will not correct the problem,they bought out Lightcore and added to to the junk they already owned.
I have been in contact with Centurytel Tech Support for almost a year now ,having techs come to the house to tell me the problem is with their network( I've told them that along time ago) but nothing ever gets better,their Tech support call center phone system isn't any better either, I've been disconnected so many times while on hold because the phone system is overloaded, even the local voice service here is very poor,during peak hours you can't even make a phone call,you get the message " All circuits are busy now try your call again later" This happens on a regular basis.
Please see my test results:»/testhistory/1272154/d5012
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
 Review by tricouleur
UPDATED: 287 days ago
member for 8.7 years, 202 visits, last login: 165 days ago
O Fallon,Saint Charles,MO
$45 per month (12 month contract)
about 7 days
CenturyTel
"Good reliable connection and speed"
"Honestly haven't run across any yet"
"Good deal for the money, AND IT'S NOT CHARTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Switched from Charter cable modem and tv service in Feb 08. Has been a year now and wanted to post a review. Switched to the CT Bundle for Phone, Internet and Dish. Was happy to get away from Charter. Made the switch when I found out CT was offering 10mb package to my address, but was skeptical. Felt the need to post because of how pleasantly surprised I have been with the service. Have had solid connection since activation, no real problems. Got a new laptop for Xmas that is 80211.n as well as new Linksys WR160-n wireless router. Biggest surprise is the consistent near 10mb speed tests wirelessly on the laptop with the n router. Honestly can't say I have any complaints, and the Dish Network service is way better then what I had w/Charter.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by texadian
Posted: 299 days ago
member for 5.4 years, 63 visits, last login: 176 days ago
Denton,Denton,TX
Contract price not specified.
about 1 days
"service is always on"
"tspeed is10% of advertised"
| Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
The conection is reliable but the speed is never there.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by DocJDement
Posted: 310 days ago
member for 310 days, 1 visits, last login: 301 days ago
Boyd,Chippewa,WI
$25 per month
CenturyTel
"Finalyy extended far enough to reach me."
"While uploads are at the level being paid for, download speeds are roughly 20% of what they should be."
"If I had another choice, I would use it, but the only other reasonable option is cellular, and its no better and costs more"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Centurytel finally extended their service far enough to reach me. I know I way out on the end of the line, but if my upload speeds are exceeding the correct range, download should be, at least, close to the range being paid for. I have the 512 down / 128 up package, my downloads average 100kbs while my uploads are around 256kbs. Makes absolutely no sense, and they haven't been able to fix it.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by stevensan198
Posted: 328 days ago
member for 328 days, 0 visits, last login: 328 days ago
Superior,Douglas,WI
$50 per month
about 1 days
"cheap"
"they do not guarente internet speeds in WI"
"if i didn't have to use them i wouldn't"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
i orderd there 10meg package and never connect faster then 6meg best part is the rep gaurented me the 10 meg when it wasn't and i called i was told he should have never guarenteed me the 10 meg and that it is UP TO 10 meg if you are in the duluth,mn or superior,wi area and can get CHARTER do so they can gaurente there 10 meg matter a fact i had it and never connected below 10-10.7meg
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by CaboWabo
Posted: 329 days ago
member for 2.3 years, 18 visits, last login: 48 days ago
Saint Peters,Saint Charles,MO
Contract price not specified.
CenturyTel
"10 Mbps is real"
"Connection down more than up"
"Just a hair better than Charter"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
My last ISP (Charter) was down more than 60% of the time.
See review here: »Review of Charter Pipeline by CaboWabo
I switched to CenturyTel and was pleased to see I actually got the speeds I was paying for.
However, the DSL connection goes down way too often.
During peak hours (everyday for the past 3 weeks), you cannot get on the Internet. The connection is out quite often.
I do not live in the "sticks", I am in a heavily populated area with many businesses near-by. You would think Internet connection would be a given. It is not.
CenturyTel (as well as Charter) over-sell their service and do not have the infrastructure in place to handle the loads. Both ISPs are pretty horrible in terms of Internet connection availability in this area.
I may soon be switching to AT&T if they even offer it in my area.
I cannot believe in this day and age, I have to contemplate switching yet again, moving, or just not care that my Internet connection is down over 50% of the time.
Followup comments:  BigVe
join:2005-07-15
Gulliver, MI | Issues If you have problems then report it.NO chance you will see any AT&T in your area UNLESS they buy out Centurytel. | |
| 
Troger
@centurytel.net
| DSL Issues CenturyTel dsl does not work the same as Charter dsl. You have a dedicated pair right to your house. If CenturyTel had equipment issues, they would fix them. More likely your disconnect troubles are related to your cablepair or inside wiring of your home. Make sure you have dsl filters in all your phone jacks, computer, fax and sattelite also. If this doesnt fix the issue contact CenturyTel to come take a look. And yes, there will probably be a charge if they need to fix the wiring in your house. | |
| | CaboWabo
join:2007-08-01
Saint Peters, MO
 ·Charter Pipeline
 ·CenturyLink
| Re: DSL Issues Thanks for your response.
To clarify my own situation, Charter was via coaxial cable (e.g. cable modem) and CenturyTel is via the phone line (e.g. dsl modem). I am fully aware that these are different technologies, I have worked in the IT industry for over 15 years and have vast experience in this area specifically.
I do have the DSL filters on all my phone jacks, etc. The problem isn't the wiring in my house. I proved this when I had issues with Charter by having both Charter and a third party check the quality of all my lines. Even Charter technicians were completely perplexed when trying to troubleshoot in person. The word for word quote was "That's crazy! I've never seen this before."
In my Charter review, you will read that I even had new lines buried from their equipment through my yard and into my house. During that time, I had my phone lines checked as well because I knew if my problems weren't resolved I would be moving to DSL.
Charter is a whole different issue so I'm trying to keep that discussion in my Charter review thread, they just plain suck in my area (I can verify for TV and Internet in my area)
At any rate, CenturyTel is better than Charter - when it is online. And only because I can get the speeds I pay for.
However, it seems to go down just about as often as Charter. Just this past weekend, the connection was down a lot (showing red on the modem, and according to CenturyTel - indicating that the connection issue was definitely on their end) and would come back for less than 60 seconds before it went back down. This was confirmed via CenturyTel as well and it wasn't until later in the afternoon before it came back. Later that night, same issues and didn't come back until mid-morning the next day.
I'm convinced the problem is over-selling, on both Charter and CenturyTel's part. I haven't been proven wrong yet as I've had both inside and outside lines checked and all are of great quality (they're relatively new now.) My various machines range from 6 years to (at the time) less than 1 month old. All are high-end, and have various different configurations from servers, to desktops, to laptops, to notebooks.
It's quite obvious after all I have gone through, all the legwork, all the checking, there is nothing on my end that is limiting my connection. This is completely between the trunk and the company - though they hate to admit that. Charter tried to play that game with me even when I proved that it was nothing of mine causing limitations.
Again, thank you for your response. | |
| | | |
| Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
| »next page (previous review)
Review by wac
UPDATED: 343 days ago
member for 343 days, 17 visits, last login: 148 days ago
Fall City,King,WA
$61 per month
CenturyTel
"Mostly works. No port-filtering/capping nonsense."
"Poor coordination between wireline and internet units. Static IP overpriced ($20/mo.)"
"A good alternative to Comcast for this area."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
I had the 3M/512K plan for dog years and just upgraded to 10M/768K. More realistically this plan is the "as fast as we can manage to run a link over your copper" down and 768K up plan.
Actual results: 5545 Kbps down, 704 Kbps up. 31ms ping to SpeakEasy Seattle, 16ms ping to Google, 96ms ping to Atlanta. Their upstream for this area appears to be NTT America (AS2914).
The customer support folks I've spoken with are generally in-state and have been friendly. As with most providers there is some level of annoyance in talking to tech support if you know what you're doing and want to avoid the usual FAQ stuff that you've already done on your own.
I have an ancient SpeedStream 5667 (bridge) that came with initial line setup several years ago. I'm having to replace this out of pocket since CT insists on charging an ongoing $3 or $4 per month fee for something newer that actually has diagnostic output.
On the down side, every time I've had a change made to this line, like the recent speed upgrade, something has gone wrong. Today I wound up on an unprovisioned DSLAM port for most of the day during the upgrade. No one from internet group seemed to know what was going on with the physical lines so it led to an annoying 50 minute tech support call trying to get someone to make sure they weren't going to leave things in a broken state over New Years.
It took them several months to roll a truck to get my phone line out of the creek when a tree fell on it a few years ago.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
|
|
(12)
·