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 Review by JerryC23 
UPDATED: 97 days ago
member for 10.1 years, 3487 visits, last login: 3 days ago
 Humble,Harris,TX
 Contract price not specified. (12 month contract)
 about 15 days
 Sprint
 "Easy self-install Excellant contact personal"
 "First contact person wasn't ready for work - had to leave 3 times (list, pencil, etc)"
 "Much better than I expected"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
=== 2008-2009 We left the Cable Company (Comcast) and took Embarq's BUNDLE of:
2 Phone lines, internet, additonal number for FAX and Alarm
The DSL speed not as good - but it And the service is adequate.(not great)
(see changes from originalupdates below)
The Sprint and Earthlink deal available thru Sprint online has met and exceeded my expectations.
:)
No problems since installation and damn few at that time.
The only problem was getting that last bit of tweaking done, in order to go from
90% efficiency to 96% effective of the "contracted" speed -
:)zoom - zoom - zoom
:D
512/128 $44/month
1 year contract
WinPoET
"instant connect" - actually not TOO bad for a "dial-up DSL"
I will decide later whether or not to upgrade to the 1.5M/512 $94/month
Better than "just satisfied" for now - very pleased
======
Update (should have done it sooner) - June 2002
- I did do the "1.5M/512 $94/month" - then changed to 1.5M/256 and saved $50
====
- Later had them add a static IP ($5.00/month)
--- Pings seem worse w/ static - but it doesn't bother me yet - speeds are 92% of advertised. - Still very happy 
Using a Linksys router, along w/ ZoneAlarm Firewall
[2-3 home computers and printer(s) on the LAN]
===2002 - - Aug and Sept and Oct changes due to Business changes ==
Changed to Business Grade 1.5M/384, dynamic IP - Since the company (GE Financial) is paying, I don't know the price\
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 Review by Ron B
Posted: 97 days ago
member for 7.9 years, 113 visits, last login: 1 days ago
White Salmon,Klickitat,WA
$50 per month (12 month contract)
"None"
"Dishonest business practices"
"Wish there was somebody else"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Tech Support:
Services:
(ratings well below consensus)
|
I live in an area where DSL and cable is not widely available. When Embarq advertised DSL in my town, I wanted to finally have broadband internet service but was apprehensive because of Embarq's widely known poor service. They had failed twice to get me phone service at a previous residence because their wires from the street to my building were bad; but still charged me two hookup fees even though it was their problem.
Because they are the only telephone and internet provider in the area, if I wanted internet service; I had to deal with them. The Embarq sales rep told me that DSL was available and a telephone/DSL "bundle" was cheaper than "Pure Broadband"(DSL only). He told me I would have DSL within about ten days. Ten days go by with no service so I call Embarq who now tell me that DSL is NOT available until some time in the future but they will be charging me for the telephone service that I did not want anyway.
Embarq screwed me over three times. I had to pay them $50(so far) and they have never provided me with a single second of telephone or internet service. I am not alone, many people I know have had similar "bundle" experiences. Embarq is the only real option for internet and phone service in this area and they take advantage of that every single day.
These are small communities we live in. The fact that Embarq takes advantage of this is a crime. They should be ashamed of the way they do business.
Followup comments:  | |
Ron B
Computer User
join:2001-12-14
White Salmon, WA
 ·Embarq
 ·Dish Network
| Re: I'm Confused... I don't know guy, how would you rate a company that is dishonest?
Embarq lied to me about services they cannot provide. They promised 3 Meg DSL and gave me nothing. Where I come from nothing equals zero; that's how I rate their service: zero.
Why didn't they just tell me DSL was not available until after I ordered the service? Because they wanted to sell me phone service whether I had DSL or not, that's why.
If you are confused, maybe you should do something about that. | |
| |
JerryC23
Character Counts 40,41,43
Premium,ExMod 1999-03
join:1999-10-08
Humble, TX | I read his comments...
If they are truthful & accurate,
then his rating seems warranted.
--
~~ "Don't mis-underestimate me, too" ~ | |
| | 
wardept
@direcway.com | They promised us DSL more than 2 years ago. we still don't have it. I cut the house phone off in June. | |
| 
Tarheels Fan
Premium
join:2006-01-05
·Embarq
| Please explain These are small communities we live in. The fact that Embarq takes advantage of this is a crime.
Can you quote me the statute that Embarq has violated?
Also, how can you rate Quality of Service if you have never had DSL. Thats like me saying, the quality of Time Warner is 0 b/c they don't service my area. I can see your point for presales, but the rest is uncalled for... | |
| |
Ron B
Computer User
join:2001-12-14
White Salmon, WA
·Embarq
·Dish Network
| Re: Please explain Downhill speed of my contract: 3.0 Mbps
Uphill speed of my contract: 640 Kbps
Actual downhill speed of my service: 0 Mbps
Actual uphill speed of my service: 0 Mbps
What should be the cost of this service?
Statute Embarq has violated? I'm not a lawyer; but how about fraud for starters. Isn't Embarq responsible for phone lines up to a building they provide service for? If so, why did I have to pay (two) hookup fees when their lines were faulty? Breach of contract maybe?
I have some questions: If Embarq did not have internet available, why didn't they tell me? Seems simple enough. Why does a phone/internet bundle cost less than internet alone? Why did I end up paying for phone service but not internet? Maybe these questions are related somehow.
I don't like being ripped off. Maybe other people might not care; I do.
| |
| | |
Tarheels Fan
Premium
join:2006-01-05
·Embarq
| Re: Please explain It sounds like maybe the system has been loaded with DSL but it is not ready to go. Unfortunately the CSR's do not know this, and shouldn't be the case. In any event, it does sound like DSL will be available to you soon. It takes some time to turn up a new dslam and get it tested.
As for stand alone dsl pricing, it is a new pricing implemented for those who do not want a phone line. I believe there is a promotional pricing offer for a year. I would give Embarq Joey your phone number and let him sort it out. There is no need to rant about how Embarq sucks, etc... Why not use the energy and try to get you service. | |
| | | |
Ron B
Computer User
join:2001-12-14
White Salmon, WA | Re: Please explain If you don't have something; you don't sell it. Business 101. | |
| | | | |
Tarheels Fan
Premium
join:2006-01-05
·Embarq
| Re: Please explain They do have DSL - so its not that simple... your lines apparently do not support it. Again, the only one being difficult is you. Take a breath and try to work it out with Joey. Obviously you have no other HSI choice, otherwise you wouldn't be here venting. Everything doesn't come to you on a silver platter, and sometimes you have to work with individuals to get what you want. Yes, Embarq is a big company, but it is run by hard working folks, just like you and me. | |
| | | | | |
Ron B
Computer User
join:2001-12-14
White Salmon, WA
·Embarq
·Dish Network
| Re: Please explain Of course Embarq has DSL; it's just not available to me so they shouldn't sell something they don't have.
Silver platter my a**. I've spent over two hours on the phone with the "hard working folks" of Embarq; about an hour and forty five minutes of that on hold. I've sent a few emails to the same "hard working folks"; all unanswered. Why don't they just cancel the account like I asked? They are not providing any service.
Embarq may be run by folks like you, but not like me. I don't lie and I don't cheat; that makes us different as night and day. | |
| | | | | | |
Tarheels Fan
Premium
join:2006-01-05
·Embarq
| Re: Please explain Since you decided to insult, I will no longer play nice...
You are not telling the full truth are you? You have never sent your # to Joey nor have you really tried to get your phone disconnected, as there is no rep who wouldn't disconnect your phone b/c dsl wasn't available. There is even a press off to have your service disconnected. So you aren't telling the truth. Your motive here is to vent, and you have successfully done that. Now, you are just plain lying. | |
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Ron B
Computer User
join:2001-12-14
White Salmon, WA | Re: Please explain Sorry guy; I don't lie.
Why don't you tell the truth; is it you or one of your family that work for Embarq? | |
| | | | | | | | |
Tarheels Fan
Premium
join:2006-01-05 | Re: Please explain Your other review smells of lies too. You claim to have an 800 FICO score, yet denied for DISH network.
Take your lies to another forum there d-bag. | |
| | | | | | | |
wardept
@direcway.com | I don't know where this guy lives but I am in NC and have nearly the same problems. He is NOT lying. | |
| | | |
wardept
@direcway.com
| I have been dealing with this horrid company for almost 5 years. Since dish was lumped in with their service I cut them off in June also. They just spent 60 cents to dun me for 49 cents after telling me I was paid in full. Tried to pay them on my bill payer and they sent it back. same thing with credit card on the phone. So I mailed a check to them. For 49 cents.
I will do without the internet when I go back home in Nov. rather than deal with this bunch of ********** | |
| | | | |
Tarheels Fan
Premium
join:2006-01-05
·Embarq
| Re: Please explain So you are complaining b/c you recvd a computer generated bill of .49? You think granny is in the back mailing those out. You could have called customer service and they would have just wiped it clean. You're just pissed b/c you choose to live an area that has no HSI. | |
| | | | | |
Ron B
Computer User
join:2001-12-14
White Salmon, WA | Re: Please explain "Take your lies to another forum there d-bag."
Pretty bold talk from somebody who lives all the way across the country who trash talks people over the internet. Good thing you have this forum to make you more of a man. | |
|
Ron B
Computer User
join:2001-12-14
White Salmon, WA
·Embarq
·Dish Network
| Final Comments After contacting Embarq_Joey through this site; I was able to cancel the order for Embarq DSL without being charged(so far). While I appreciate his efforts; he was the only Embarq employee; including phone and email "support" who was able to assist me. I stand by my statements that Embarq customer service is as bad as it gets. Their sales staff is dishonest; I found out through another local ISP that Embarq has minimal phone services they do not offer or inform potential customers about because they want to sell their "bundles".
My neighbor; who signed up for Embarq 3.0M DSL; canceled his service after a month because the speed never got close to 3.0M; most of the time it was between 500K and 1M. Selling services they do not have; hoping people won't find out. Not sure how you can't call that dishonest.
Embarq; if you treated me and my neighbor fairly; you would have two paying customers. By lying to us and trying to cheat us; you have none. Why do you do it? | |
| | | |
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 Review by dmk08809
UPDATED: 98 days ago
member for 8.2 years, 972 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Clinton,Hunterdon,NJ
$40 per month (12 month contract)
about 2 days
"Very stable, speed & latency is great, excellent tech support"
"Since the Earthlink migration there's no Netnews or dial backup option"
"Very reliable, fast, and a good value to boot. Highly recommended."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
August 2009 update: Nothing new to report -- still performing excellently and only had one short outage a month or two ago which was related to their upstream carrier Level 3.
February 2009 update: Still running smooth and am very happy. Had first outage in years last month which lasted only around 5 hours. Thought it was quickly addressed and resolved. No complaints here - speeds and stability are excellent. Just wish I could get the 10Meg package (still not available to me since due to distance and equipment from the CO).
June 2008 update: Still rock-solid and performing perfectly. Took advantage of the $5 cost reduction a few months ago with no issues whatsoever. Between the Embarq-staffed/sanctioned support in the DSLR forums and the overall service package this is by far the best ISP I've ever had to deal with. Kudos to Embarq for delivering and maintaining a top-notch service. I do however miss dial backup and Netnews which were eliminated as part of the Earthlink migration. Also it appears I'm just a little too far to get the 10Mbps service, but the 5/768 is a champ nonetheless.
January 2008 update: I wish all telecom services were this trouble-free and cannot remember the last time there was a significant service-impacting hiccup. Speeds are dead-on (5Meg down), first hop-latency ~7ms w/ Fastpath, and tech support is among the best I've seen anywhere. These guys know how to run network, keep their customers satisfied, and deliver a service! I do miss some of the freebie features such as netnews and dial backup that the Earthlink service offered before the emabarqmail migration, but that's small stuff in the bigger picture. I just hope they stay ahead of the capacity curve with the introduction of 10M service (not yet available in my CO apparently).
June 2007 update: Upgraded to the 768k upstream service from 640k. Am reliably getting ~700k upstream with the full 5M down. My line is pretty much maxed out now, with very little margin left for further upgrades. Guess that can be expected for a 9K ft loop running on ~45 year old copper. Working well and very pleased.
January 2007 update: 6 months and counting of broadband bliss. The 5000/640 service here has been ROCK-SOLID, never yet an interruption or slowdown even during peak hours. Bravo Embarq! My only wish/dream is that an even higher tier of service approaching 10M/2M was available. Maybe someday?
July 2006 update: I'm back w/ Embarq (nee-Sprint) DSL after an almost 6-month stint with PatMedia's cable modem service. Embarq is now price & speed competitive. I couldnt be happier with Embarq's 5000/640 service and have no regrets of returning to the DSL service I reliably enjoyed since 2001 when it became first available in Clinton, NJ.
The Zxytel 660 modem was shipped overnight and service activated the following day with ease. Seems like they have the provisioning process well-oiled. Customer service and support has been responsive, friendly, and eager to please. Some line clean-up (bridge tap removal) was needed to make the 5.0 service stable, once done its been blazing fast at 7-8ms latency to first hop w/ fastpath. Tech support at both the 800 number and the field tech were simply OUTSTANDING. Way to go Embarq! I really like what I see so far.
January 2006 update: Dropped Sprint's DSL service in favor of Patriot Media's cable broadband. Sprint was no longer speed or price competitive. :-( See review and story at: »Review of Patriot Media by dmk08809
Late-December 2001 update: 3+ months and still going strong! Extremely reliable, quite good speed. I'm still very pleased and am happy with this purchase, even despite Earthlink's affiliation with it.
Original post circa September 2001:
Summary: A pleasant experience overall -- I was up and running within 5 business days after placing the order. It would appear that Sprint Local generally has their collective act together in providing DSL service.
Background: I'm one of the Rhythms' refugees who was expecting to be shut off on September 10, 2001. Remembering the hassle it took to get my first DSL line from FlashCom (remember them??) & Rhythms, I was expecting another 6-month long nightmare to get it installed and operational.
Story: Ordered service on 8/25 via Sprint Local's web site. Received a phone call from a Sprint rep the following Monday 8/27 afternoon to arrange service details. Costs were $50/mo w/ 1yr committment, $50 setup fee, and $200 for the DSL modem (-$150 call-in rebate) for a 128 / 512K PPPoE connection. Since I have several phone extensions, it was determined that a splitter would be preferable to using the self-install microfilters. Service was promised to live and ready on Tuesday, 9/4 and a technician would be out at 6PM that day to install a splitter.
DSL modem (Efficient SpeedStream 5260) arrived on Wednesday, 8/29 via UPS second day air. Paperwork w/ usernames and instructions arrived Thursday, 8/30. Plugged modem in on Tuesday 9/4 around 3PM and had service! Splitter had not yet been installed, so all phone lines in house had a high-pitched hiss on the line while connected. Technician failed to show up on 9/4 by 6PM, so I called Sprint at 7PM. Was told a tech was dispatched and he should be there that night. No show by 9:30, calls to Sprint were greeted with an "offices are now closed" message. Oh well.. Disconnected DSL modem for evening, but was at least relieved to know that it worked.
Sprint Local tech shows up next day 9/5 in the late morning to install splitter. The splitter was installed, integrated into the outside network demarc box and clearly labeled. Apparently, they do not actually need to come inside the house to do any work so such scheduling logistics (and needing to be home) were not necessary. Came home that night, rehomed my existing internal Rhythm's DSL wiring to the new service. Plugged in cables, powered on and Viola! It worked!
So far its been very stable, delivering speeds exactly as advertised. I can only hope that it stays that way and remains as reliable as the Rhythms DSL connection was for the past year. As a result of the rapid installation, I was never without continuous broadband service despite Rhythm's unfortunate demise.
I'm quite pleased overall and can't complain. The service appears to homed directly into SprintLink's POP in Pennsauken NJ, right on their national backbone network. Earthlink as the backend ISP wouldnt have been my first choice for email, netnews, etc, but its at least tolerable. If Sprint Local actually showed up on-time as scheduled, they would have earned an A! Instead, I'll give them an A-.
My Rhythms-based DSL with 408k up / 896k down speeds will still be missed at $39.99/mo, but this sure beats the alternative of going back to a dialup analog modem!
--dmk08809, Town of Clinton, NJ: 908-735 exchange, appx 9,100 wire-ft from the Embarq local central office on Center St.
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Review by DrD
Posted: 108 days ago
member for 1.7 years, 393 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Harrisonville,Cass,MO
Contract price not specified.
"stable, quality service in the boonies as advertised at 3 Mb/s"
"Very satisfied"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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When we moved to the farm 6 years ago, DSL was first being offered by Embarq. Installation was a snap, with very few problems since then.
My gaming days are over. We are now downloading and streaming Internet TV quite regularly, and the DSL line has given us very few problems.
Followup comments: dustymars
join:2008-05-25
Lake Placid, FL | Embarq Satisfied and it is reliable. | |
| | | |
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Review by sadsack123
Posted: 117 days ago
member for 117 days, 1 visits, last login: 116 days ago
Erwin,Unicoi,TN
$110 per month
about 15 days
"very inconsistent service"
"reliable service but not as advertised"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
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paying for 5000/1500 the first 5 minutes of service is as advertised. Then after a few hundred tests and a few months of testing it is more consistent with 768/768 uncanny but the truth. I am going back to cheaper service of 1500/768 and save some money. good side i rarely lose connection and they do provide free security software. It is just too inconsistent with speed tests and when i use embarq speed test tools i am running at an average of 4700/748 and everyone elses which i consider this the most reliable im at 900/740. This is my 3rd isp provider having been with the dinosaur aol and and very good and consistent verizon service in another state. Stay tuned because they swear they can fix my problems will give it another month and cross my fingers. All things considered if they could give me consistent speed all the time i would give them 5 stars on everything
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 Review by Time
UPDATED: 128 days ago
member for 6.4 years, 1491 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Las Vegas,Clark,NV
$19 per month (12 month contract)
about 5 days
"Fast customer service, good uptime so far."
"1.5 Mbps is my only available option."
"The price is right if you bundle."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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The service has been great for the past few days, I'll have to update my review after the first month.
I ordered Embarq DSL early last week and had service live by time I returned home from a trip. The only downside is the lack of availability in my area, hopefully CenturyLink can produce better results.
------------------------
UPDATE: I couldn't live with 1.5 Mbps. I went back to Cox.
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Review by comitatus1
UPDATED: 128 days ago
member for 1 year, 53 visits, last login: 33 days ago
Oxford,Granville,NC
$29 per month (12 month contract)
about 77 days
"Great service. I am seeing very close to advertised speeds both up and down."
"Install coordination not good the first time around. Much better the second."
"It works and tech support has been very good. I am very pleased!"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Update 7/25/09
I have nothing but good things to say about my Embarq Extended Reach service.
I can count on 1 hand the number of times it has been down since installation, and those times were all regional issues and nothing specific to my line.
Way to go Embarq!
Update 1/2909
Well, I've had the service for almost a month and using it still makes me smile.
My wife, son and myself share the connection, and it is fast enough for my son to play WOW while my wife and I surf and download. I can even get on the Call of Duty servers any time I want and have my butt handed to me!
I consistently get 90-95 kBps download speeds. Not fast enough to wait around for a big file, but plenty fast enough to get even moderately large [2+gig] files overnight.
One thing is for sure, our usage has jumped quite a bit! We are up around 60 gigs a month, well above Wildblue's 17 gig limit. It's nice to actually use the Internet without the FAP bogeyman peeking at me over my router!
Further, the service has not been down once!
Great service. I recommend it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------
I had Wildblue so this is a big step up, even though the download speed is 768k compared to 1.5m. Latency is MUCH improved. Web pages "snap" like they are supposed to, even with everyone [3 users at my house!] is on the connection.
768k down is all that is offered right now. Hopefully that will improve over time.
The install process was a drawn out affair, and the original install date was missed by them. They got there act together, though, and got me hooked up the day after New Years Day. I appreciated the fact that they were working that day and that I didn't have to take another day off to meet them, since I was already off.
I got a Zyxel 660R modem, no router included. I could have gotten a combo unit, but I already had my Linksys with DD-WRT installed all setup the way I wanted it, so I stuck with the modem only unit. It works great. I have had it on for 64 hours and it worked flawlessly the whole time. I did reset it, at the direction of Embarq tech support, once because I wasn't seeing the right download speed, and it came right back up and now I am getting the advertised rates.
Embarq is a good company, but it is a huge bureaucracy. I have learned the value of patience in dealling with them. The online tech support is great, I would recommend that route for help with any issues.
Chris
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Review by QLR
UPDATED: 128 days ago
member for 159 days, 99 visits, last login: 5 days ago
Tallahassee,Leon,FL
$50 per month
about 5 days
"Great customer service"
"not easy getting naked DSL, long turnaround time starting service, high startup fees"
"OK service if you are willing to jump thru hoops"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
I got with Embarq back in October. I initially ordered 1.5M/512k DSL package with a featureless line; I was charged an additional internet fee for not bundling. I was irritated that the rep could not sell me DSL without the phone line. I was also turned off by the high setup fees ($68???) but from what I can tell Comcast isn't much better. Also, I ended up waiting for 5 days for service because I ordered it on a Friday
I eventually bundled the landline and DSL and upped the speed to 3M/640k for $60 plus fees. It has been mostly trouble free up to last week when, according to tech support, the modem died. (the internet slowed to a crawl, when I rebooted, the service never came back)... I liked that I was able to deal with CS in the most convenient ways (i.e. the store, tech support). Folks are friendly... they will kill you with kindness if you let them!!!
I finally saw that I can save some money, so I decided to call to cancel the phone line. But I ended up keeping it since they reduced the phone line features (it has caller ID only)making it $20 plus fees and reduced the DSL fee by $10, making it the same price as DSL alone before fees.
All in all service is OK. I considered Comcast, but I didn't want to get hooked on a price and have it change months later. Also I have had problems with my cable being out, and I don't want to deal with reliablilty issues.
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Review by nrf
UPDATED: 129 days ago
member for 6.7 years, 3273 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Morrow,Warren,OH
$49 per month (12 month contract)
about 4 days
Sprint
"clean line, full advertised speed, short provisioning interval"
"slow speed, weird scheme for netnews service throttling"
"Rocks but tossed them over voice costs"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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update - this review is now out of date, I suggest removing it.
the dsl service was great and reliable (but slow), but I no longer use them because of all the fees, taxes, and charges associated with the voice lines. I am now 'sprint free' and 'embarq free'. no phone wires running into my house!
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Review by (hidden by request)
Posted: 137 days ago
(review was emailed from domain gmail.com)
Las Vegas,Clark,NV
$35 per month (6 month contract)
Sprint
"It was OK for 10 years; good value lately for 512k up, 3m down."
"It has gotten steadily worse since Jan 2009, to no service at all."
"Once good, now very bad."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
I'm typing this review from Cox, which has been my provider since 4 PM
on Bastille Day (today). I had sprint/embarq for 11 years; and
eventually that service went into a death spiral, culminating in 2 weeks
of essentially no service.
My experiences with embarq may not be typical of Vegas; I was off the
"west-west Las Vegas" station which has been reporting latency "issues"
since March, with a supposed (recent estimate) fix time of August.
The service started to become remarkably worse in January. According to
the technician who was at the house last week, that is when the DSL
"service" -- which I guess consists of the servers and some amount of
line switching -- was sold to a 3rd party. We went through long periods
of no connection in the winter, followed by periods of terrible latency
-- sometimes it would takes 20 seconds to serve a page -- to last week,
when a connection would be found, but the wait time to serve a page was
effectively infinite.
Meanwhile, two trends have become noticeable: the help personnel have
remained nice and empathetic, and the communication of problems, from
the sainted CEOs above to the help personnel and users, has been flushed
down the toilet. It is no longer possible to get a ticket number, and
call the 2nd-tier technician back; you must always go through tier 1
support, and start afresh. Many times I was required to do "speed
tests", when it was obvious the latency was so bad I would never be able
to maintain an open socket on the embarq speed test page. The tier 2
phone techs could diagnose my dsl modem from afar, reset it, and found
no problems with the line; but they requested that a field technician be
sent to my house to check the integrity of the lines. One tier 2 tech
insisted that every bit of "telephone line" in my house had to be cat 5.
OK, they would make sure the field tech replaced all the line.
Except for one problem. The field techs have no way to receive a case
history of the phone tech diagnosis. Remember, embarq is a
communication company; but they have no way to communicate with the
field techs, by e-mail or otherwise, what should be done. And none of
them are allowed to know about any technical problems that exist in the
stations, until they insist on that knowledge.
In our case, the technician came to out house 4 hours after the
appointment time, and we told him what he was supposed to do: install a
line splitter and check the integrity of the wiring. He did install the
splitter, and found the line quality was fine, then plugged his own
laptop and modem into the dsl port... and got the same problem, terrible
latency. He then called in to find out if there were hardware problems
on the other end, and was subjected to the same annoying menus we faced,
and spent a bizarre amount of time getting through to tier 2 support.
He kept probing them till they acknowledged that gosh, the station he
runs off has been having problems since at least March, and wasn't
expected to have a fix soon.
The field tech was quite angry by this point, but kept his outward cool.
He did suggest that unless we got a clear sign of improvement soon, we
should "seek other options". I called the help desk again, humored the
tier 1 techs with more unreachable speed tests, told them what the tech
(who had been there an hour before) had found, and finally cajoled my
way into tier 2. Point blank I asked about the latency issue, and for
the first time, the phone techs looked to see if there were reports of
slowdown for my part of Vegas. And lo! They were stunned to see the
outage had gone on for over 4 months, with no clear completion date. I
finally got what was supposed to be a more direct number.
A day after the technician left, service partly came back; and now we
were overjoyed, codependent, victims of the Stockholm syndrome. Then we
went back to no service. I called the direct number, found it was
incorrect (sent me to Embarq business service), got in the queue for
tier 1 support. At 6:30, the queue was at least 22 minutes.
Shortly after I called Cox, got installation today, on time, and am
typing this now.
Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, I'm free at last.
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I'm Confused...
Hmmm
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