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Review by dbslayer 
UPDATED: a few minutes ago
member for 95 days, 130 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Covington,Saint Tammany,LA
 $59 per month
 about 58 days
 "Fast, reliable, stable, Online support via forum and twitter"
 "Phone support"
 "Extremely happy customer after 42 days of service"
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Highlights
Charter phone support has to be the WORST experience I have ever had.
Charter online support has to be the BEST experience I have ever had.
This rating reflects my experience with the online support process.
Note: The “Charter Direct” forum support staff are the PRIMARY reason I am a Charter customer AND a very happy Charter customer. These same Charter support people also provide support via twitter. Follow Umatter2Charter on twitter or just post to the “Charter Direct” forum at dslreports.com site. This forum is private between customer and Charter.
UPDATE: It has just been in the last hour I posted this review and then realized I should point out the "Charter Online" support person I did all my discussion with is Umtr2chtr2 .. they have several in their team.
General Overview
I wanted primarily a fast, reliable, and stable connection no matter what the price.
I pay about $13 / month more for Charter Internet which includes $5 for modem rent.
I was a Bellsouth DSL ( AT&T now ) customer from 2000 until 2009.
Both Bellsouth/AT&T and Charter are stable and reliable, but AT&T (6Meg) is not nearly as fast as Charter (20Meg++).
My choices are Cable or DSL.
Install Process
The first 23 days were a waste of time when using the “Phone process”.
Using the “Online process”, the 39 days from my first post to the “Charter Direct” forum to my completed install was long, primarily because my neighborhood is only 2 years old and cable had to be run under the road to my side of the street.
Speed
Unbelievable ! My 1st 2 weeks using 5 or 6 test sites were consistently showing I was getting very close to what I pay for which is the 20Meg download and 2Meg upload. Then Charter implemented Powerboost and now these same test sites show my speed always over the 20Meg download and up to 34Meg which is the best so far ( using speedtest.net site ). Also sites with lots of pictures are a bit faster too. Big downloads and uploads are VERY fast and OBVIOUSLY MUCH faster.
Stability and Reliability
It has NEVER gone down yet. My speeds are ALWAYS faster than the FASTEST I ever got with DSL and usually 3 to 5 times faster. I work from home using VPN a LOT at all times of day and night. I download and upload large files regularly as part of my job. I use the Internet for personal use a LOT for many things.
It is too bad that AT&T is lagging so far behind because I use to like them. Although U-Verse is being rolled out in my area, it is not available to me yet. And it has a slower max speed than Charter offers today. While AT&T is deploying U-Verse with a max download of 18Meg, Charter is deploying the latest Cable speeds of like 60Meg download! And 60Meg download will probably get to my area WAY sooner than AT&T could ever offer something like this.
Equipment
Renting modem from Charter which is "Ubee U10C018 Data Cable Modem". I am using a Linksys router model WRT610N.
Note: I have been working with computer software since I graduated college in 1981.
Well enough for now. I will post updates and could provide more details.
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 Review by jopfef
UPDATED: 3 days ago
member for 8.6 years, 4222 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Saint Louis,Saint Louis,MO
Contract price not specified.
about 1 days
"VERY fast speed, and it's rock solid."
"Zip for price due to being an employee"
"Can't beat the speed!"
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11-17-2009: Moved this fall, to a little house in the woods on top of a very big hill -- and had Charter re-installed the day I moved in. Install tech looked at the outside line after he couldn't get a good signal, said it was badly damaged, and then saw the squirrels running around in the trees. *grin* He immediately ran a new line and arranged to have it buried this time, to prevent any more damage from my friendly little "neighbors". Bury crew was here the next day, and no problems with any connections at all. Still have just the TV and the internet service; not paying for phone service as I pay a ton of money every month to have my BlackBerry phone and need it more than I need a house phone. Still running at 20 megs with no problems, and very happy to have the service on top of this hill; wasn't sure Charter was up here when I moved, but happy that they are!
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5-5-2009: Still have Charter cable installed, and still working for Charter. The only problem I've had was a 9-day delay in getting the outside line put back up when a boom truck went by and pulled it down (had the boom partway up). Due to the stupidity of the person who took my call, the work order was entered incorrectly, and it took NINE DAYS for a tech to get out here and restring it. Once that was done, no problems.
I'm now running at 20 megs, and it's great! Today, just for fun, I installed Windows 7 RC 1, and it's running on Charter. Way better than Vista, and my laptop is hitting top speeds now. Very pleased with that, and will probably upgrade when the final release comes out.
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9-23-2008: Well, it's back to Charter cable for services again. I moved in June, and the DSL that was available here absolutely sucked on speed. So out the door with it. I'm a Charter employee, so had the TV and the internet installed, and it's running just fine. I jumped to 16 megs for the internet, and it's awesome! AT&T doesn't have anything close to that, needless to say. The only problem I had was when a boom truck drove by with its boom up, and snagged both the Charter line and the electrical line coming into my house. Utility company was here in less than 30 minutes. Even with all my ranting and raving, it still took Charter NINE days to get the line put back up. Disgraceful.
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9-13-2007: I'm still gone from Charter, but that will probably change within the next few months. I'm in the process of looking for a home to purchase, and depending on the availability of cable being there, plan to have Charter installed again. It'll be free this time around -- it's one of the perks of being an employee. *grin* I find it quite humorous that my current living situation dictates that even though I work for Charter, I have AT&T DSL at home. I did just upgrade to the 6 megs on the DSL, to see if it's any good; I'll know when the new modem gets here -- I'm running the DSL here on an old 5360!
I'm NOT a fan of the bundle setup that Charter is offering. I don't own a television, haven't owned one in years, and see no need to own one. I also don't need a phone, since I depend exclusively on my cell phone. The phone line here is used strictly for the DSL line; there isn't even a phone hooked up to it. So I don't know how that will fall out if and when it comes time to install Charter again. Time will tell!
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It's been awhile since I posted an update and there have been some changes, so here goes. I'm gone from Charter even though I loved the speeds that I got; very consistent, as tested with the tools here at DSLR. I was on a special rate at Charter for the last several years. Not only did I lose that rate ($26/month), but I went straight from it to the new rate of $58/month -- and that's just for Internet service!!! I don't have cable TV here, so that was just too rich for my blood. Called Charter and cancelled the service, effective the day of the new rate hike, and called AT&T and ordered DSL.
My Linksys BEFCMU10 modem is packed away for another day. I'm currently house-shopping, and it will most likely be put to use again after I move. For the time being, I'm using an old Speedstream 5360 that I had lying around here; it does the job admirably well, and is hooked to my Linksys router before branching out to my systems.
I was very unhappy with the massive increase in price with Charter. I still think they have the best speed in town, although I'm not at all interested in their 6meg offering. I am sad to depart from them, but have to do what's best financially right now. I think those prices for naked internet are ridiculous. :-(
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 Review by BBT IV
UPDATED: 6 days ago
member for 3.6 years, 992 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Central Point,Jackson,OR
Contract price not specified.
"Always connected, good speed"
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Since I am a Charter employee my pricing is significantly different than others. My services (HSI, Video & Phone) have only been down when the power was out for several hours.
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 Review by sleddie
Posted: 14 days ago
member for 6.4 years, 1892 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Sheboygan,Sheboygan,WI
$53 per month
about 4 days
"High speed, Reliable connection"
"Tech support (Phone), Power Boost"
"Faster than AT&T DSL for my area, Decent price with promotion"
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Ordered Charter's 10mb HSI on Oct 24th and was live on Oct 28th. This connection replaced 3mb DSL from AT&T. So far the speed has been consistent and the connection has remained solid with no drops or other anomalies, however, Power Boost makes it difficult to gauge the HSI with speed tests. Installation was a breeze. Less than an hour to replace my drop and setup the hardware. I was surprised however when the tech hooked up the ancient Motorola SB4200 modem.
I have to rate services worst for the time being because Charter refuses to give me my account number and I cannot use any of them. I thought this was something that would be provided to me at installation, but the third party tech informed me I would have to contact Charter for the account number. Talking to Charter's phone support is one step above useless (I fired AT&T for this very reason). I have been told I must wait for my first statement to post before getting my account number. Little good that does me since I cannot setup email accounts without it, nor use any of there other services. Also makes it difficult to provision my Linksys modem.
If the HSI remains as solid as it has been since installation, I may remain with Charter after the promotion ends. Hopefully the Charter Direct techs will be more helpful than their phone techs (at least the AT&T direct techs were).
Followup comments:  Halfpint
join:2002-06-24
Lone Rock, WI
| Charter went bankrupt for a reason! My experience with Charter over the last 4 years has been less than acceptable. Speeds are always less than advertised even though usually stable. I had an issue with my cable modem dropping me every day. Turned out that a flash update wasn't received by my modem. Took a week and 2 trips for them to figure it out (even after replacing 3 modems). Because Charter is the only choice here, I'm stuck! | |
| 
happyuser
@charter.com
| Charter HSI I have been using Charter HSI since 1999 and have always been very satisfied with their service, internet speed and uptime.
The only time we ever had a problem was when a third party contractor upgraded the junction boxes on the power poles with the wrong connector types. Charter worked two days in miserable weather to correct this issue. This was about 8 years ago and we have not had any issues since. | |
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 Review by wiCKid
UPDATED: 14 days ago
member for 9 years, 2235 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Pomfret Center,Windham,CT
$40 per month
about 1 days
"very reliable speed and uptime"
"costs more than local DSL"
"reliable Cable modem service"
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My service is 2mb/10mb with powerboost and a monthly payment is 39.95. Connection has been very good for the last couple of years.
Speed Test #81364754 by dslreports.com
Run: 2009-11-06 19:37:08 EST
Download: 12486 (Kbps)
Upload: 2045 (Kbps)
In kilobytes per second: 1524.2 down 249.7 up
Tested by server: 190 java
User: 236108 @ dslreports.com
User's DNS: charter.com
Compared to the average of 557 tests from charter.com:
* download is 63% better, upload is 31% better
Followup comments: zed260
join:2007-09-30
Cleveland, TN | cost in most area you can get 5 meg for 35 dollars if you call and ask for or threaten to cancel you may have to do this several times | |
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Review by eslaracecar
UPDATED: 21 days ago
member for 1.4 years, 49 visits, last login: 6 days ago
Worcester,Worcester,MA
$81 per month
"Upload/Download Speed Bump"
"Only going to be in Worcester County for another few years. Throttling of high bandwidth users? possably"
"Netgear Cable Modem Gateways are Great"
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It's great how Charter decided to double everyone's upload speed and boost download a meg.
The Netgear Cable modem/router gateway is very cheap to rent..($5.00)
I've heard rumors of Charter leaving the Worcester county within 5 years..who to replace them..I do not know!
I've also heard that they throttle speed of high bandwidth users. I have had no problems with this. Should be very easy to tell if this happens seeing as I know the max download speeds(speed tests reads about 6.30mb/s) and the max upload (which is about 1.3mb/s or 130 kb/s for their 6 meg internet).
Overall I am more than happy with Charter HSI's spectacular blazing speeds
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Review by RockinRay
UPDATED: 21 days ago
member for 5.2 years, 180 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Lakeville,Dakota,MN
Contract price not specified.
"Speedy and reliable!"
"Customer service is sometimes hard to understand...."
"Connection is advertised speeds and solid!"
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We have had Charter Pipeline for about 5 years now and while in the beginning their service left something to be desired, it has become rock solid.
Techs are anxious to help resolve problems and are friendly.
We just upgraded to the Moto 6120 Extreme and it has made a nice difference in speeds... Very solid modem.
With the upgrade to this modem, we are now enjoying advertised speeds from Charter.
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Review by triz989
Posted: 24 days ago
member for 6.9 years, 43 visits, last login: 19 days ago
Sunnyside,Yakima,WA
$39 per month
"alot better then any other broadband in town."
"none"
"good fast solid conection"
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embarq and clearwire wireless are the only other broadband in town iv used embarq (DSL) for a few years. it was decent tell they "upgraded" there DSL lines after it was done quality of there DSL droped dramatically to the point of paying $59.99 a month wasnt worth it. iv seen clearwire in use a friend had it was much slower and more expensive then what i was paying for. both of them require 2 year contracts as with charter there is none. im paying 39.99 for a 10mg line. they offer 1, 5, 10, and 20 mg lines. when i ordered charter it was installed the next day with free install. the modem im useing is Arris TM602A/110 it dubbles as my voip for my home phone. the few problems iv had were delt with quickly. over all i am happy with what i have now and wont be changeing broadband companys for the foreseeable future.
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Review by Monkson
Posted: 26 days ago
member for 335 days, 73 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Travelers Rest,Greenville,SC
$50 per month
about 5 days
"My 10/2meg pipeline is very fast and works great now. No contract."
"Have to use 3rd party DNS servers. Tech support over the phone or chat is worthless."
"If you can live with the tech support issues, this service is great."
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This is a great service for my area. If you can live with the tech support, this is a must get if you can get it where you live at. I have the 10/2 meg @ $50 a month I believe and don't have a contract. The install was very easy and I have the Motorola cable modem.
The only problem I have with this is Charter's DNS servers which are horrible. I use Open DNS with no issues at all.
Hope this helps!
Followup comments: aim2pls
join:2009-01-22
Pepperell, MA | charter has tech support ????? Damn does it ??????
I always thought they had techLESS support!!!!!!!!! | |
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 Review by minglis9031
UPDATED: 30 days ago
member for 6.1 years, 949 visits, last login: 1 days ago
Benton,Saline,AR
$74 per month
"hahah too many to list"
"a company that is built on BS."
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If your in central arkansas and want to get high speed through your local cable company, get in the 3 year waiting list. I have been waiting for 3 years for charter to rollout the high speed, they used to give me a date and always had some excuse as to why thay could not deliver. but anyway good luck.
****UPDATE****
LOL Still waiting.... its like the 7th year now! The new house i moved into, which is less than 2 miles from my old house, is not even serviceable. The sad part is, I live less than 10 miles from the main office. Dissapointing. I can't wait for them to go bankrupt, so Comcast can come in and clean up their mess! Mr. Ceo of Comcast if you read this i beg you, Help out Benton Arkansas.
****UPDATE2****
I now have charter's internet. I dropped the tv service because they could not offer me a DVR or HD Service... Back to the internet, the speed is unbeliveably fast, i got the 20mb package and have not at all been dissapointed with the speed. The only complaint that i have is the latency. IF you are a gammer, you will not like this connection. I ping 90-100ms to dallas all the time. I have reported it, but they say its not an issue with them.. Its my computer... what a crock. So i have eneded my gameing days..... Time to grow up i guess lol. If your looking for an affordable connection in benton ar, charter is it I would recomend unless you are a gamer.
Followup comments: rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO
| They all lie... Since 1998, I've been told by SBC (now ATT) that DSL will be available in my area any day. I live in a solid middle upper class neighborhood but I'm 19,000 feet from the CO that serves me. There are two other COs that are less than 10,000 feet but my wires don't run to them. My house is 30 years old and those COs were added after my subdivision was built. ATT is offering U-Verse service in my town but I don't qualify because I'm too far from the CO.
I have Charter and although I'm not at all happy with the price (almost two Franklins per month), the service, features and quality are good. In my area Charter offers all digital cable, VOD, HSI, Phone service, DVR service and HD channels. They also still carry about 70 analog channels for all the old TVs in my house. | |
| Margolis
Premium
join:2003-11-24
Saint Louis, MO | can't game? if you can't game with 90ms latency, you have issues. and it has nothing to do with charter. | |
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Oldgeek
@tds.net
| Re: can't game? I have been gaming in several MMORPGs with latencies between 100-300ms with NO problems. If 90-130ms latency causes an issue for you, move next to the game servers and pay for a direct gigabit connection--or try defragging your hard drive (slow hard drives cause far more gaming problems than latency). | |
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