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Review by audreyapp 
UPDATED: 1.7 years ago
member for 9.1 years, 27 visits, last login: 1.7 years ago
 80000
 Contract price not specified.
 Verizon (ex GTE)
 "No longer in service."
 "No longer in service."
 "No longer in service."
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No longer in service.
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 Review by gmracing
UPDATED: 6.7 years ago
member for 8.9 years, 920 visits, last login: 4.1 years ago
Wheaton,Dupage,IL
$79 per month
 about 90 days
Ameritech
CLEC party: Covad
"Connection speed. ADSL 1500/380 = Average 1300/300"
"Installation was a 3 month nightmare."
"Bazillion is no longer in business..."
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No longer in business...
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Review by mrrick
Posted: 8.9 years ago
member for 8.9 years, 3 visits, last login: 8.8 years ago
Falls Church,Fairfax,VA
$49 per month
about 17 days
Verizon
CLEC party: Covad
"Very easy to set up (I realize that I may be in the minority here)"
"As pointed before, Tech Support very difficult to reach. They just changed CS number, maybe this will improve the situation"
"Great value. I hope they stay in business."
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I am quite happy with the service. The install was a relatively hassle free, with the Covad tech on the line a few times with Bazillion. After that, it was up and running with no downtime at all since Sept 15 install. $49 per month includes 608/128, unlimited 888 dialup, and 200 minutes of free long distance from any phone in the US. I have used the 888 dialup plus the free long distance from 3 different states - perfect each time.
They are on the Covad 'troubled' list, which means they aren't paying the bill. They appear to be tightening up (just changed their Support number to use their VoIP net), and hopefully will find a way to stay around. I recommend Bazillion to all my friends, with the caveat to sign up as I did: Pay $50 towards the install and go month to month, JIC we meed to jump to Covad.net
DSL overlapped Roadrunner cable for one week, and every test I ran showed DSL faster.
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Review by dklawson
Posted: 8.9 years ago
member for 9 years, 243 visits, last login: 1.8 years ago
South Lyon,Oakland,MI
$49 per month (month by month)
about 19 days
Ameritech
CLEC party: Covad
"Reliable connection, decent ping and transfer rates"
"Like everybody else says, you have to fight for tech support"
"Better than 56k, hasn't gone under (yet)"
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Getting connected with Bazillion was a pleasant surprise. I live in the Detroit area where Ameritech is having notoriously bad service problems. Nonetheless, they had my line tested within two weeks after my order was in. Covad was out the week following and my service was up the same day. I've had the service for about a month now and have only had one outage that lasted about 18 hours. Other than that the service has been very reliable. I think my transfer rate was about 139 both ways when I ran the speed tests from dslreports (service is 144/144).
Everything the other reviewers say about tech support is true in my experience. Its extremely difficult to get through to anyone. They have a ridiculous phone queue where you have to press '1' about every two minutes if you want to keep holding. However, to their credit, the people I did get through to were very helpful and patient.
Overall, I've been basically happy with the service. Its only $50 a month for a month-to-month contract with 400 minutes of free long distance a month (Speakeasy.net is back to $90/mth!). That is roughly the same price I was paying for 56k service with a second phone line. If your situation is like mine and your DSL options are severly limited, Bazillion is the most logical choice.
I am a little nervous with all the problems the DSL industry is facing though. But according to Covad, Bazillion is not on their 'distressed ISP' list (those ISPs that don't pay their bills).
Correction: I called Covad back after I wrote this review. The person I initially talked to at Covad was wrong. Two other Covad employees confirmed that Bazillion is on the distressed ISP list. Too bad. It was a good deal while it lasted.
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Review by criznag
Posted: 8.9 years ago
member for 9.2 years, 355 visits, last login: 4.1 years ago
Denver,Denver,CO
$49 per month
about 36 days
Qwest
CLEC party: Covad
"Awesome job getting me hooked up"
"Tech support is not great"
"If you want to get hooked up, go with Bazillion!"
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I'm going to try keep this short and sweet. Since I moved to my new house, I was told I could get no fast Internet. This was because I was so far from the Central Office, and that I was on a DLC. So for about 3 years I was stuck with this dial up at a 26.4 connection. Then I find out about something called IDSL. Being very exited I decided to look into it. When I first did, the prices were outrageous at around $89.95 a month for $79.95 a month with a year contract. I decided to pass for the time being. Then a little later I check again, and the price is down to $49.95 a month. This all started in July. I went with Flashcom/Northpoints IDSL service. I don't really want to get into it, but basically I was totally screwed over for months and months untill they cancelled my order, there were also facilities issues. Then I tried Flashcom/Covad, but I don't even think this order went through due to Flashcom.
So then I cancel and look around for other ISP's. I find a place called Bazillion. They looked great, you can't beat the 400 minutes of long distance a month and the month-month contract (For $50 more). I wanted the month-month because when I move to College I don't know if someone will continue the service. I first ordered with them September 13th 2000. They had a US West loop install date by September 21 2000. Now that totally amazed me, they had a date from US West so fast!!! I was so happy, and knew I was getting into something good. Turns out though, that my line kept failing there tests, due to facilities and other issues, so they eventually cancelled my order.
Then, not giving up(I mean come on I've been trying to get it for so long, calling day after day after day, why give up now?) I placed ANOTHER order with Bazillion/Covad. This was on October 24th, 2000. Again they had a US West get out there fast on November 6th, 2000. This time my line actually passed! (So I thought) I thought this because I got an E-mail for a Covad inside wiring date for 11/30/2000 between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Not wanted to wait I called and got them to change it to 11/22/00.
Then the scary part came, I got an E-mail a few days later saying that my line was not passing Covad's quality testing. I Was like OH NO!! I was pretty mad and contacted Covad. Turned out, to make a long story short they had to work out some thing with the phone company, but eventually got it working so my appointment for the inside wiring date was still on.
The day came, the Covad guy came and was very nice and knew what he was doing. He did all the inside wiring stuff, and luckily Us West did there part of the wiring job. He even gave me this sweet Business Class dsl Router instead of the modem I was supposed to get (He was out). So we power up the modem, and Oh no, the modem does not get sync. He tell's me that there is a need for a repeater on my line, and US West did not do that. I was like aww, but I knew I was close. Even though I didn't have dsl for the Thanksgiving weekend, I knew I was going to get it soon. After a few calls, I put in a trouble ticket with Covad, and got them to fix it. One day when I got home, I powered up the router and I got a link light meaning it synced up. I also got an E-mail from Covad with a new date for them to come out. I called and was like "If I got another date, and a link light, shouldn't this mean it is working? Does someone have to come out? Can you help me set up the router?" They said that someone still has to come out and install the router. I was like NO WAY!! My service is working, I guess I'll do this myself. So I configured the router myself, and I WAS UP AND RUNNING!!! I could not believe it, it was just too great. I called and cancelled the appointment for Covad to come on 12/5/00.
I have a dynamic ip from Bazillion, which is usually the same ip everytime. I usually get 132/132 off the speed tests from here, which is definitely great. I Want to add that Covad is just amazing. The people there are great and really nice, and will go out of there way to help you. I could not believe the speed and manner that they worked out this problem with the loop, probably correlating with the phone company (And we know how the phone company works). They got it working without the need of that repeater at my residence, and so far so good. Only thing I have a problem with is that my ping times seem kinda high, but I am working on getting that changed.
If you want a great ISP that will get you hooked up fast, I recommend Bazillion. The trick is you need to keep calling and make sure everything is good. The other trick is also just call Covad, I called them everytime and was not on hold for more then 2 minutes. I gave Bazillion a 3 for tech support, because for the few times I tried to call I could not get through, but when I did they were really nice.
This has been my dsl battle, if you are reading this trying to get dsl don't GIVE UP!!! I thought I had no hope, thought there was a conspiracy for me not to get high speed Internet, but I'm up and running now!
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Review by gpesce
Posted: 9 years ago
member for 9 years, 12 visits, last login: 4.5 years ago
Wood Dale,Dupage,IL
$49 per month
Ameritech
CLEC party: Covad
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Bazillion has been ok for me. They were actually the third company I
tried. Phoenix and Winfire dropped the ball. Winfire couldn't and
Phoenix didn't. As of today 11/24/00 the turnaround from initial call
to connection was about a month. They did screw up my emails, 2 are
working one is not. The customer service (both phone and email) are slow or non
exisistent at times. The 400 free long distance phone minutes are a
plus since I have two kids out of town. So far so good connecting at
120-140 down and 70-90 up with my IDSL. I am around 15000 feet from my
CO.
gpesce@bazillion.com
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Review by fstark
Posted: 9 years ago
member for 9.5 years, 33 visits, last login: 8.5 years ago
Irving,Dallas,TX
$49 per month
about 15 days
Southwestern Bell
CLEC party: Covad
"Incredibly fast installation! Great info when ordering"
"Calls to tech support go right o voice mail, but they did call me back"
"It's been great so far..."
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I ordered an IDSL line from Bazillion on Oct 31 after reading some of the reviews here on DSL reports. I was a little leary, but the choice was either Bazillion or Verizon, and they had worse feedback. The last review had Bazillion attempting to correct some of their problems, and there's no contract to sign, so I figured I'd give it a shot.
I talked to a brand new rep when I called in my order, and apparently this was his first day. Well, I put in a basic order for IDSL service with a DSL modem as the equipment. The rep was very polite and informative. He said that they were going to discontinue 144/144 service because they were losing money on it, but I have mine. Anyone know if they still offer it? I had read that Bazillion would make promises and never send anything on, but...
That afternoon I got a welcome e-mail from Bazillion and an e-mail from the person who took my order. Later that day I got an e-mail confirming SWB would be arriving in a week! It turns out SWB came a day early. I didn't hear any feedback from Bazillion or Covad, so I called Bazillion 2 days later and got voice mail. I came home from work that night and had a message from tech support saying SWB had problems with the line and they'd get back to me in 48 to 72 hours... Well, I get to work the next morning and Covad has scheduled an appointment to finish my install the next week.
Covad showed up today and took about 1-1/2 hours to install my line. They guy, Calvin, was pretty good and luckily I have 4 pairs running throughout my house. He said that his sheet said SWB ran into problems and couldn't approve the line, and to not get my hopes up. Well, he installed the router and ran into problems. Luckily he knew what he was doing. It turns out that Bazillion has some PVC's through Covad, but only have some of them working. My PVC started with a 5 or something like that. Calvin had run into this before; he got Bazillion and Covad's tech support on the line, changed the PVC to a 4-something, and BAM - I'm up and running. My 144/144 line tested at 115/99 around 11am, so I'm happy with the performance. But I just got it today, so my feedback on reliability, and mail/DNS/news will have to wait. Calvin said that he'd had a lot of problems with Bazillion at previous installations, but now that he knew what to look for he's had a much easier time with them....
That's all I can tell ya. I'll try and update as time goes on. 3 hours of service 2 weeks after ordering, and I'm VERY happy.
Frank
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Review by DrPepper2000
Posted: 9 years ago
member for 9 years, 21 visits, last login: 6.7 years ago
Altamonte Springs,Seminole,FL
$49 per month (12 month contract)
BellSouth
CLEC party: Covad
"Good price, good value with free calling"
"Absolutely the worst customer support"
"OK, but not for the weak of heart"
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I ordered IDSL since nothing else would work for me and at $49 not a bad deal with all the freebies. The initial installation was bungled three times due to miscommunication between Bazillion, Covad, and BellSouth. The second phase, handled by Covad was fine (I thought). At installation I had no service, the Covad tech called Bazillion and was told Bazillions server were non-functional, but to keep trying throughout the day. After 24 hours, still no service, so I called Bazillion tech support. Their response was that my bridge was misconfigured and I needed to speak to a 2nd level tech. I waited for a return call for 6 hours, when I called them back they said there would not be any 2nd level techs in until Monday, 48 hours later! On Monday, I waited no call. On Tuesday, feeling frustrated, I called the Covad coordination agent (big thumbs up for Diana Villeneuve), she got involved and we made an appointment for a level 2 tech to call me that night. No call. We did the same Wednesday. No call again. I spoke to Lori Lawrenson, administrative assistant to the CEO, and she said she would hand carry the request to support. Still no call. Covad's people were not happy and connected me with Bazillions head of support, Jonathan, he personally guaranteed that a 2nd level tech, Tony, would call me at a specified time. Guess what, no call. I finally got through the unanswered support line and asked specifically for Tony, and he actually called back. It took less than 30 minutes to discover the router had been improperly set up by the Covad technician, and that I was without service for over a week because no one could call me back and tell me which box to check off in my router setup! Since that time, it has been running very well with minor glitches. Bazillion needs to work heavily on their customer support and do the things they promise and they would become a respectable provider. They have a lot of problems right now and I hope they can resolve them. Time will tell if I remain satisfied with their service.
As of 11/17/2000, my connection has been working fine. I have my three email accounts operating, the news server is better than average, but has low retention. The free calling service required several calls to tech support to devise a work around but performed well. I have done the Windows tweaks here on DSLReports and my speed clocked at 134 down and 133 up. As long as I don't have to interface with the actual company, I suppose everything will be OK.
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Review by wilken
Posted: 9 years ago
member for 9 years, 34 visits, last login: 8.5 years ago
Eden Prairie,Hennepin,MN
$49 per month (12 month contract)
about 11 days
Qwest
CLEC party: Covad
"Really fast install."
"Slow during the day on weekdays."
"Its a pretty great deal considering their fee includes 400min of long distance each month."
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I ordered IDSL at 144k/144k, and the actual order-to-install time was pretty awesome considering Covad warns you that it normally takes 30 days or so from the time you place your order (my install took 11 days).
My equipment is the ENI SpeedStream 5271 IDSL bridge with a DHCP connection.
I did notice that during the day on a weekday, my transfer rate was nowhere near 144k (in fact it was more like 60k), but I think this was probably a function of net congestion because at night and on the weekend my transfer rate is about 135k.
Overall I'm very happy. I can't get ADSL where I'm at, and this is MUCH better than the 26400 connection my phone lines were giving me with my dial-up service.
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Review by teamwally8
Posted: 9 years ago
member for 9 years, 270 visits, last login: 4.3 years ago
Puyallup,Pierce,WA
$39 per month
about 144 days
Qwest
CLEC party: Covad
"24-7 tech,free long distance, dial up backup or traveling"
"install dely due to pots"
"works for me"
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Couldnt get DSL due to distance. IDSL is faster than dial up and is always on,but bandwidth is limited. Bazillion features incl on the road dialup, free long distance help off set performance loss. Covad tech was super.
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Bazillion
