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Review by vbpal1 
UPDATED: 14 days ago
member for 6.9 years, 1647 visits, last login: 1 days ago
 Brooklyn,Kings,NY
 $49 per month (12 month contract)
 about 5 days
 "Fast service, quick setup, static ip available"
 "Horrible billing support, sales selling things that billing can't support"
 "Make sure you get everything in writing if you need to argue with anyone"
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I came from being a verizon dsl customer for about 7 years. I decided to try rcn for a faster service. Now that the bill came, there were few suprises except for one item which was being billed at twice the cost it should be.
The static ip price quoted to me several times via phone and email from sales was 9.95 per month. The price I'm being billed for was 19.95 a month. I called several times to billing / sales and customer support, each time recording who I spoke with and what I was quoted.
Apparently the 19.95 month is the official price yet I was quoted a lower price from sales. So either sales needs to start speaking with billing but someone needs to start honoring their agreements.
The service is fast which is nice but for all these hassles, I would have stuck with Verizon for $35 a month. I don't appreciate being lied to and having to spend hours on a phone to get the problem rectified.
Update Mar '08 - After a week of horrible service, several technical calls and 3 tech visits, RCN was unable to resolve my disconnection issues due to "line problems". I have since ditched their service and went with FIOS.
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Review by davejmazz
UPDATED: 15 days ago
member for 7.5 years, 135 visits, last login: 2 days ago
Gaithersburg,Montgomery,MD
$110 per month (24 month contract)
about 2 days
"Very prompt install!"
"Speed drops-off at peak times!"
"Good package for the phone/cable modem/cable TV combo"
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I had been loyal to my original DSL line since installation back in '00,; but it was time to cut ELNK + DVW (Covad) loose. I don't think that marriage was going to last much longer, and all of ELNK tech support is in another hemisphere.
The new RCN installation went smoothly; my house was already pre-wired for the cable TV/phone service, but I couldn't get the cable modem service in 2000 back when RCN was in a joint venture with Starpower.
The RCN sales rep was very knowledgeable, and RCN installed a new cable modem and digital TV box within 2 days of calling for service. Connectivity has been great so far, and the off-peak hour speeds are much faster than the former DSL service; but speeds do slow down to 1.5M~2M during peak hours (can't complain though, not a big gamer or video watcher). Just as long as the work files like large .pdfs and CAD files download a bit quicker is fine be me. Everyone feels the need bombard my e-mail with mega size attachments of every document these days.
The $110/month + taxes is for the phone/digital CATV/10Mps cable broadband
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 Review by Maggs
UPDATED: 26 days ago
member for 5.4 years, 1618 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Woodside,Queens,NY
$115 per month (12 month contract)
about 65 days
"Stable Service"
"Phone service drops out for 20 seconds randomly yet remains connected!"
"Good Service after bankruptcy, but just watch your bill"
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4/20/2008: Haven't had any problems with RCN yet, except for the DNS, which is easily remedied by changing DNS servers, and the 20 second dropoff in phone conversations. The price has increased due to the cable programming being jacked up. With the introduction to all digital TV next year be prepared to pay another $7 a month for extra converters. Speeds on the internet service exceed spec most of the time. RCN forum support folk are awesome, they must really like their jobs. Inept construction crews decide to slice through RCN fiberoptic cable at times making internet service use a PITA at points, but that's very rare, but it happens. Con Ed sometimes decides the nodes don't need power in the summer, and they go offline during brownouts due to things outside RCN control.
All in all there's decent service, the 20 second dropoff in the phone at random times is something I still have to check out.
1/12/2006: RCN has GREATLY improved. The service has gotten immensely better since they have a new management team. You know what they say about fresh blood, it does all the good.
I had a couple of hiccups with the phone service lately, outages for a couple of hours but nothing really major. Cable modem service runs exceptionally well, and I haven't had ANY issues with my Motorola Surfboard 5100 modem, which I own, and save $5 a month with RCN.
Overall customer service, is very helpful, but you have to watch out to make sure they are doing things according to spec. Kudos to the cable modem team, for running a tight ship. I like the responsiveness of replies, and have helped the Cable modem team on occasion diagnose some issues in the area.
All and all, RCN is now worth the money, I only pay $115 for 2 TVs, Internet, and local phone.
1/10/03: I have had 7 techs out since I started service in Sept. They replaced the lines and everything. I even bought my own modem to use on the network. I was not able to get a solid cable light for 3 months in a row. At this point, it seems to be fixed. I had to end up going alll the way to the top of the RCN food chain to get my problems resolved. I just got a call recently from the operations manager of the RCN netowrk in Queens. They are monitoring my connection to make sure I don't have any downtime. I had constant downtime for 2 weeks a while back.
They blocked my node from accessing Newsgroups, and still charge me full price. I talked to RCN support and they said they would credit me 1 month of cable internet service for all the troubles I have had over the past 5 months, and that has not happened. So this company is full of broken promises and half truths. If you have a good connection with them, you are lucky. If not, like me your experience will be utter hell. I hope they don't raise the rates too much whe my year deal is up. If they do, I will complian about how horrible the service has been since the get go.
They send us advertisements offering new services, but we are already customers and not eligible for the promotion, so why waste the paper and send us the mailings.
»/quality/nil/1259432
»/quality/nil/1257949
»/quality/nil/1256640
»/quality/nil/1253841
»/quality/nil/1255747
Doctor Ping Score 69.20
Doctor Ping Score 63.80
Doctor Ping Score 64.60
Doctor Ping Score 68.70
Doctor Ping Score 102.80
Doctor Ping Score 59.60
Doctor Ping Score 63.70
Doctor Ping Score 75.10
Doctor Ping Score 73.30
Doctor Ping Score 70.00
Ever since that point on Sept 26th, I have never has so many problem with RCN cable.
I have to admit their bundled package was cheap, 2 TVs with basic cable (no converter needed) saves $6 a month each, Local Phone with same # as before for $20 unlimited to the 5 boroughs on NYC, regional 5c a min, no Long Distance (since we use cards to call LD anyway)
Total for the whole package with a base of $75 comes out to $95 with the $20 the govt gets in taxes. All and all , I think this is a great deal.
My old bill was for $150 with all the mentioned stuff. I even save $5 a month by using my own cable modem which I bought on Ebay for $50, the same type as TW the RCA 245R.
Great Choice if you have it in your area, but only in the 2 way cable modem markets though.
5000/800 Down /Up speed
4 emails (con need to be called into the head office to setup)
10 Mb webspace per mailbox
Usage checked for mail and ftp
7/18/04
Routing issues are a constant pain. Sometimes it takes 3 mins or more to resolve the DNS. I have had 3 cable modems on this line since install about 10 months ago. I have had over 15 techs out to my house to fix various problems. Many of these issues have not bee resolved to this day. If I were you I would stick with TW, much more expensive, but hey you get what you pay for, but in the case of RCN, you DON"T get what you pay for.
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Review by davidjoho
UPDATED: 32 days ago
member for 1.3 years, 4 visits, last login: 32 days ago
Brookline,Norfolk,MA
Contract price not specified.
"Fast speed, ok tech support, no known violations of Net neutrality"
"Not up to rated speed, not cheap,"
"Ok provider"
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Since RCN is the only provider in my neighborhood, I have been an RCN user for about seven years. We get telephone, cable TV, and Internet from them. All are good, but not cheap.
I pay an extra $20/month for 20 Mb Internet access. Even using RCN's own speed test site, I never get more than 14Mb, and often get 6-10. RCN considers 14 to be within their terms.
I have used their tech support a fair bit. Although you have to wade through an annoying phone tree, you generally get connected within minutes. Tech support has been adequate, although too often it results in having to schedule a service call.
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 Review by canadabound
Posted: 49 days ago
member for 50 days, 26 visits, last login: 6 days ago
Chicago,Cook,IL
$70 per month
about 7 days
"20mbit speed can't beat that, never had to call tech support in 2 years"
"Paying by phone is an exercise in frustration, introductory offers end and turn super expensive"
"A good isp if they're in your area. Can go super fast if you can afford it."
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RCN Cable in Chicago can go super fast (up to 20 mbits down and 3mbit up) however it is not cheap. Their introductory bundle with tv and phone is great, but once that ends you pay through the nose. We pay $260/month total for everything. I'm moving so I haven't bothered to change my plan.
There is no pay online function, only a direct debit option which you don't want to ever do if you're smart. Paying by phone takes at least 10 minutes because it is so slow and repeats everything back to you at least twice. My wife dreads doing it every month.
Never had to call tech support but that's mainly because I am fairly technical minded and I know obvious troubleshooting steps if it drops out like power cycle the modem.
No throttling no caps no nothing. Basically super fast but fairly expensive internet access.
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 Review by rcbrcb
UPDATED: 52 days ago
member for 1.2 years, 411 visits, last login: a few minutes ago
Chicago,Cook,IL
$135 per month
"Digital Offerings in Chicago"
"HORRIBLE Customer Service"
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Now that RCN has upgraded their plants in Chicago to be full Digital and increased their HD channels they are a pretty good choice. Their customer service is unexcusable, however! The 3rd party call center is USELESS. Without the RCN guys that monitor the BBR forum, I would have switched to DirecTV or Comcast long ago. I truely feel sorry those that dont know about this forum. The other thing thats bugs me is their treatment of Cabelcards....Most CSR act as if they dont know what they are or say that it is an outdated technology.....I have been given SO much false info its amazing! GET OVER IT, not everyone wants to rent your crappy equipment!
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Review by RSFallstich
UPDATED: 60 days ago
member for 220 days, 21 visits, last login: 13 days ago
Bethlehem,Northampton,PA
$89 per month (12 month contract)
about 5 days
"It's faster than dialup"
"Upload IS dialup, high packet loss, crappy routing, drops REGULARLY, high latency times on hops"
"Acceptable once everything evens out, just avoid the 1-way internet and keep an eye on the "promotional" period."
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I really don't know what I pay right now for everything, I have phone/cable/internet bundled and I'm on a "promotional period". In total for everything I was quoted at $75, and I pay Uncle Sam a little on top of it for.... God only knows what.
UPDATE: ~$89 for everything, basic cable, phone line, 1-way internet.
First of all, all that is available to me is 1-way cable. I'm paying for 1.5Mbps down, and I have a 56k/V.92 faxmodem that SUPPOSEDLY goes about 80k/s, but somehow I doubt that I even get those speeds on upload. This is a far cry to what I had formerly, which was a local company (PennTeleData) with 2-way cable that was much more stable, and frankly, better overall.
I have poor download speeds often enough to put my aggravation somewhere between annoyed and enraged. Packet loss is upwards of sieve status. It seems that my connection drops regularly and frequently. My packets are routed from my home near Allentown, Pennsylvania to Philadelphia, New York, through a pig farm in Ohio and God help me if I get routed onto a Level3 network (the pig farm was an exaggeration, but it may very well account for the packet loss).
Sometimes, and I would like to emphasis the infrequency of this occurance, it works exactly as I expect it to and exactly as it should. That's when I enjoy my internet experience.
The bottom line is if you have the option to use a local company, do it. If you don't have that option, RCN is a suitable provider when it's the only provider. I've had 5 tech support service calls in the last 6 weeks (since I started service) to somewhere in the Indian Subcontinent where they talked down to me and outright refused to transfer my calls to someone who was more knowledgeable than they were.
UPDATE: RCN Sales Rep just told me that in the next 2 months, everything in my area will now be 2-way. I'm not holding my breath, but now that my technical problems have worked themselves out (or I've become accustomed to them) my speed is my biggest complaint. They might get better marks if anything changes. Packet-loss is much more acceptable and most likely due to the fact that upload is dialup. It's definitely a difference going from 2-way to 1-way. Can't wait to go back.
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Review by Joe Jarvis
Posted: 63 days ago
member for 2.9 years, 17 visits, last login: 63 days ago
Washington,District Of Columbia,DC
$99 per month (month by month)
"Relatively high speeds for modest prices; no bandwidth quotas"
"Port-blocking extortion"
"A good value overall; not great, but certainly good"
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I've been a customer of RCN's at one location in downtown Washington, DC, for over five years. I currently purchase Internet access via a cable modem on a month-to-month basis, 20 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up. I also pay $20 more each month for a static IP address (included in the $99.90 total above). I was irritated to learn that RCN blocks some common ports (25, 80) if you have a dynamic IP address; you have to pay for the static IP if you want those blocks lifted. As far as I can tell, that was never disclosed to me when beginning service. Technical support has been competent, but RCN's sales department is awful. I've also had several issues with RCN's Web site, most of which I suspect are due to coding primarily for Microsoft Internet Explorer browsers, not Web standards. RCN is proactive in the DSL Reports forum for RCN, which is a great sign as well. One plus is that RCN does not limit monthly data usage. I transfer on average between 10-20 GB/day, limited only by the bandwidth I've purchased. Overall, I've been happy with the service and feel I'm getting my money's worth.
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 Review by Ryno
UPDATED: 72 days ago
member for 7.1 years, 2582 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Danielsville,Northampton,PA
Contract price not specified.
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I no longer have RCN so I no longer have any clue how their server is in my area.
This is still here because I just have no clue how to remove this review now.
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 Review by palmer_j_r
UPDATED: 75 days ago
member for 7.9 years, 1039 visits, last login: 27 days ago
Chicago,Cook,IL
$65 per month
about 10 days
"Reliable Connection"
"LONG wait for Customer Service reps"
"Pretty decent service for my buck."
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--update-- 03/02/2008
I'll spare the details where it concerns switching back to RCN. I'll just say I was lulled in with a sweet deal on the 20mbps net service. I recently found the billing to have changed. Still saving money off the regular price. I'm okay with it for now. But if service were to deteriorate for any reason I'd have to re-visit the price.
Overall, I'm pleased with RCN's service. I haven't noticed any outage, or issues with speed or DNS resolution in a long time.
--update-- 11/29/2003
I've been having some intermitten loss of signal issues the past month. First occurence was about 3.5 weeks ago. The system was extremely slow. Calls to tech support were frustrating, mainly due to the amount of time being on hold and the seemingly inability for the techs to solve the problem. A truck call was scheduled for a few days in the future. Of course, the day of the truck call, the service was back up and running. I called tech support and was told a UBR had been switched out. Support call was cancelled, go figure. Jump forward two weeks, and now, a week ago, ran into the same issue. This time I let tech support keep the new scheduled truck roll. Was having the same issue, very slow, very intermitten connection. I'd get about 10 minutes of good use, 20 minutes of nothing. As usual, it cleared up a few days later. Today, Tech guy came out and replaced modem with a Toshiba PCX2600. I haven't heard too many good things about these modems, so we'll see what happens.
I changed my review a bit on RCN. For the most part they do the job, it's moments where service goes down completely and tech support can't seem to explain whats happening is where I give them slightly lower ratings.
My condo building here in Chicago went with a bulk cable deal with RCN/21st Century Cable. It's not a bad deal at all with Cable Services. RCN/21st rewired the building from top to bottom, new cabling, outlets and boxes which makes cable TV service very clear. At the same time I was informed by my landlord that I had to move, as he was selling the condo, no big deal, I found a place on the 28th floor and decided to go ahead and dump my Earthlink DSL service. I wanted to get rid of my dependence on Ameritech, don't like their prices and having to pay for DSL and a phone service I hardly used. I ordered the Cable Modem Service on May 14th for Installation on June 1, my move in date. Here's the main points
* Installation was on time and as promised
* Only took about 30 minutes to get installed
* Thank gawd for no more DIALUP!! (DSL lies when it says it's an always on connection)
* Have a consistent 700kbps to 800kbps Download 249 kbps Upload
* Price: 29.95 for 6 months. Thereafter 45.95 if you *rent* the cable modem from RCN 35.95 if you supply your own
* Big plus is the modem, it's a 3Com Homeconnect, very reliable and looks cool.
* Small minus, I can see other computers on the network under Network Neighborhood. Unfortunately, I can't get rid of Microsoft Networking because of AOL software, for some reason, AOL wants it installed. I do have FileSharing and Print Sharing turned off, and Zonealarm Firewall up and running.
The only other thing that disturbs me about the whole package is their billing methods and the LONG hold times to talk to somebody. BUT, I can't seem to escape these things with any provider I've gone with. SO, the best thing I can say is, as long as it works (which it has) I've got no complaints.
-Joe
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