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Review by superberg  - Location: Skokie,Cook,IL
- Cost: $100 per month
- Install: about 7 days
Good "Good value, mostly reliable internet"
Bad "Poor HD picture quality, bad DNS servers"
Overall "If you are able to troubleshoot simple issues, RCN is worth the savings."
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I switched from Comcast as and ISP to RCN as a Cable TV and Internet provider about five months ago. I was getting 12 Mb down/2 up with Comcast (20/6 with PowerBoost, but that isn't sustained) for $60. RCN offered A near-complete HD package (it did not have the highest end tier of standard stations, nor any premium channels), as well as 50 Mb down/6 up for $100. This is off-contract, with a $10/month rate increase annually, guaranteed for two years. The plan includes a TiVo Premier HD in the rate.
An RCN installer (or RCN contractor, I'm not sure) came by within a week to get me set up. I had prepared my small apartment and it's equally tight entertainment center in advance, so the install was very smooth. There were some issues with the line(forward signal to noise ratio was close, but out of spec), which the tech reported and were fixed in less than 48 hours. Service ran without incident during the issue.
I receive my promised service for the most part. There are occasional outages, but nothing worse than I experienced with Comcast. There have been a couple short internet outages and one TV outage. All were brief (less than fifteen minutes), and for a consumer service not unheard of.
My two caveats with RCN are this: First, they significantly over-compress their video, which noticeably reduces picture quality. HD quality is sometimes so poor it is less than SD quality -- less than DVD quality for an HD channel is pretty sad. I don't watch a whole lot of TV, so it is not a deal-breaker for me. It isn't always bad, but it can become a blurry, macroblocking mess at times. Be warned.
Second, their DNS servers appear to be just shy of broken. Within a month, I was having some serious connection issues. However, I noticed that when I switched from their DNS servers to Google's that these issues disappeared. I have not switched back since, so I cannot say if the issue subsided. I am a tech by nature, so I tend to prefer fixing issues by myself rather than calling for support, so I cannot rate their support quality.
So, if you aren't worried about having the best picture at all times and you can handle changing the DNS server on your router, RCN can be a very good deal.
member for 3.9 years, 14 visits, last login: 96 days ago
updated 96 days ago
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| Review by Pacomartin - Location: Bethlehem,Northampton,PA
- Cost Contract price not specified.
- Install: about 10 days
Good "Excellent Service, good value for money"
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RCN, was sold to the private equity firm ABRY Partners in March 2010. You should consider reviews older than that to be obsolete.
You should check the website periodically. Whenever, they are offering something new and different to new subscribers call them. They may not be able to give you the same deal, but they often find something to offer for you that will improve your service (they have upgraded my service about 8 times in the past 3 years).
Price: $142.86 (includes taxes and fees and $5 wire maintenance).
ServicesShowtime, Starz, The Movie Channel, Signature TV, Phone, 25 Mbs Internet.
Equipment:
10 Oct 2009 Motorola DCT700 2 WAY 700 BASIC CONVERTER
29 Jul 2011 ARRIS model TM602G/115
30 Apr 2012 Linksys E1200 Wireless N-300 Router
14 Jul 2012 Actiontec ECB2500C
17 Jul 2012 TIVO QUAD
14 Jul 2012 TIVO PREVIEW
The price was $167.68 in mid 2009 when RCN service was analog, so the price has actually gone down.
The only other option for broadband was DSL, and it wasn't fast enough.
We've had RCN since they bought C-tec in 1996.
member for 201 days, 288 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 104 days ago
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| Review by Asterix - Location: Nazareth,Northampton,PA
- Cost: $50 per month
- Install: about 5 days
Good "Decent speeds"
Bad "High latency and packet loss at times"
Overall "Better than local cable company or Verizon"
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Was stuck with Service Electric with their 15/1 Mbps package. Service sucked with down times and slow speeds.
Reached out to RCN but they were not servicing my house. RCN was across the street but not in my community. Since I was on the HOA Board for my community and with a simple phone conversation was forwarded to the area deployment manager. He setup an expectation to lay the infrastructure in my community by 2012-end or early 2013. At the end of the year I reached out to him again as I did not see any progress, only to find that the plans are still under budgetary process. Since my yard had a pole and close to the RCN pole from across the street, he made an exception and ordered his team to lay the cables from across the street to the pole in and across the yard into my house. I was up and running with RCN 50/6Mbps in less than a week. Kudos to the local area deployment manager.
Speeds have been decent but I haven't seen the full 50Mbps yet. At least once I day I see my firewall struggling to keep up with the latency which is temporary and lasts anytime between 10-45 mins. Rest of the times it works just fine. I researched and found its just not me but other local RCN customers are facing similar high latency issues.
UPDATE - 4/30/2013 -
Its been 3 months since I have RCN services. Internet quality goes down drastically in the evenings after 6pm till around 11pm. High ping times between 180-420ms and intermittent packet loss as well. It affects quality of Internet TV like Netflix and Hulu.
UPDATE - 6/13/2013 -
Connection is still plagued with quality issues with high ping times and packet loss. Changed 2 routers to eliminate a hardware port issue. Modem was changed a few weeks ago but the service issues continue on. Have lowered my overall service score. 50Mbps connection barely gives me 10Mbps these days.
member for 11 years, 3600 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 114 days ago
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| Review by (hidden by request) - Location: Somerville,Middlesex,MA
- Cost: $115 per month
Good "good price for tv and phone"
Bad "Horrid customer service, the live reps dont know how to properly speak to customers, automated systems are not user friendly"
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Maybe I am just spoiled by great customer service, but I switched to RCN for the cheaper rates and I regret it. Their online system, automated phone system, and even live representatives are not user friendly. The rep that signed me up spelled my name wrong, which gave me issues trying to start online billing and when I called about it the reps were very rude and not cust=
omer service oriented. I attempted to set up auto bill pay 2X and each time it failed and I ended up having to call to make my payments which cost a $4 convenience fee with the automated system or $6.95 if I spoke to a live rep. While the tv and phone services themselves worked just fine. I would rather pay a little bit more for conveniences such as: a user friendly online system, a user friendly automated phone system, and representatives that enjoy doing their jobs without an attitude.
(review was emailed from domain samuelsre.com)
lodged 147 days ago
Comments:
  rcncaresEmiliePremium,VIP
join:2012-01-04
Gainesville, VA | RCN Cares Wow. That sounds awful !! Please accept my apology for the frustration and poor service you experienced; it is not the kind of service we strive to deliver. I work for RCN and along with the technical guys, monitor this forum to help our customers. If your issues have not been resolved and you are a member of the forum, you can send a private message to ‘rcncares’, that’s me, and I will take a look at your account. It sounds like the convenience fee you were charged was our fault and if it has not been credited off of your account, I would be happy to do so.
Emilie | |
| | | Customer Service - Lehigh Valley I had originally signed up online (in error) for the basic service. I had called RCN three times, and got the complete run around, the second time, a supervisor actually hung up on me. I called so I could get the Signature package, which according to the webpage is $89.99 per month. After fighting with the customer service as to what I want, and the price which is on their website, I got 'that is an internet price'; however no where on the webpage does it say it is only an internet price.
I had Service Electric, and switched because they were higher in price, had I known that I would get such crappy customer service and a higher bill than my Service Electric, I would have stayed with them. I am still considering going back to Service Electric because I am so mad and upset about it.
Whatever happened to the customer is always right, or wanting to please the customer. Obviously with RCN, they don't know what this means!!! | |
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| Review by hjdiet - Location: Bethlehem,Northampton,PA
- Cost: $150 per month (36 month contract)
- Install: about 1 days
Good "Pix quality almost as good as DirecTV.. Excellent speeds. Mine is currently around 15Mbs"
Bad "Extended power outages will leave you w/o phone service."
Overall "RCN has nice package deals... can't beat them..."
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After having DirecTV for almost 14 years... made the switch to RCN completely... (also got rid of Verizon telephone).. RCN gave me a package (good for three years) that's saving me almost $60 a month (with a Tivo). I had some reservations about their phone service (now VOIP)...but it's been fine. I couldn't tell the difference after I was switched over. One thing to be aware of is that if you have a extended power outage (greater than five/six hours), you'll be without phone service. When your modem powers down, that's it (unless you have the modem plugged into an extended UPS). We found that out during last year's Halloween snowstorm.
The Package increased my Internet speed from 5Mbs to 15Mbs...
A local competitor just finished cabling up our area and their prices aren't even close to RCN's... and they have usage caps!
Very pleased with the service and support... just added Starz for $2.00 per mo....
It's been over three years now and I continue to be pleased with the service...
member for 9.6 years, 1110 visits, last login: 1 days ago
updated 152 days ago
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| Review by shawnyerkes - Location: Bethlehem,Northampton,PA
- Cost: $161 per month
- Install: about 4 days
Good "Digital TV bundle packages / Best Broadband during the day."
Bad "Broadband comes to a stop afterhours, Proprietary Tivos, just buy from Tivo directly"
Overall "Better than most broadband carriers, but expect growing pains."
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Cable Internet Package - $119.98
Basic Cable Service, Digital Converter Rental, Docsis
Cable Modem Rental, Docsis Modem Service 75Mb/10Mb,
Signature Cable Service
1 x Cable Card $2.00
1 x Cable Card $2.00
1 x HBO $14.95
1 x Premiere Total Pack $11.00
Taxes & Fees ~$7-9
member for 2.9 years, 16 visits, last login: 177 days ago
updated 177 days ago
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| Review by dcdavid - Location: Washington,District Of Columbia,DC
- Cost Contract price not specified.
Good "TiVo"
Bad "Customer service, existing customer pricing, customer loyalty, phone reps uninformed and give out inconsistent and wrong informa"
Overall "switched after 7 years -- they are not loyal to customers"
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You will never get a straight answer from RCN. I was told three different times when calling RCN that when I move to my new house I will qualify for the new customer rates. When I called to actually set it up, I cannot even begin to tell you what a nightmare. One lady said she would handle everything and call me back. She never did, but when I got home all my current services were disconnected. When I called, they said not only did she disconnect me, but my work order for my transfer of new service was cancelled. I called again the next day to start over and was told I could get the new customer rates again. The rep began the process and mid-way through the call we were disconnected. When I called back, the new rep said that the work done previously was also cancelled and that all prior reps were wrong -- I cannot get a new customer rate when transferring/moving. I spoke to a supervisor who was entirely unphased by this horrible experience. She was unapologetic and didn't even offer to correct the reps who had misinformed me. After 7 and 1/2 years with RCN, I'm moving to FIOS. Don't waste your time trying to figure out if you can lower your rate. No one there knows what they are doing.
member for 1.4 years, 185 visits, last login: 147 days ago
lodged 189 days ago
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| Review by cchhat01 - Location: Elmhurst,Queens,NY
- Cost: $32 per month
- Install: about 2 days
Good "$35/mo (-$3 if you have your own modem), 50 down/6 up, tech support is USELESS"
Bad "price increases after 1 year, but you can cancel and have someone else in the household sign up"
Overall "They were a good service up until 2013, now speeds at night are about 10-20% of advertised speed"
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Been with RCN for a while now. We save on the monthly rental fee because we're stingy. We alternate the service every year when the price increases. The service is reliable (as in very few outages).
In my many years with them, I can say that they have had outages that I can count on the fingers on one hand. No problems during hurricane Sandy. The most I've seen them have problem with is a signal loss due to a fiber cut, for which I was credited my downtime.
We used to have the 25/2 service on a docsis 2 modem. This year we signed up for 50/6 on the docsis 3. Speeds go down during peak times 7pm-11:30pm (weekdays) to less than half of 50mbps (which is around 5-15mbps down). I've swapped out about 3 docsis 3 modems and they all exhibit the same slowdowns on RCN.
I would switch if FiOS played ball with a good deal (free dvr for life). I seriously hope they fix the speed problems.
chiggy
member for 12.4 years, 3342 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 202 days ago
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| Review by jhasbro - Location: Chicago,Cook,IL
- Cost: $181 per month
Good "Reliability"
Bad "Cost"
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I have had RCN for 10 plus years for cable and internet. During that time I have had almost no trouble with the service. Any problems were addressed quickly.
The recent price increase has pushed me over the edge though. The monthly price of $181.33 is for 25Mb internet and cable. The cable does not include any HD, DVR or HBO. Showtime was included at N/C as a "preview" but not sure for how long. Also included was a $20 charge for the "premiere" package which included Sundance, a few of the Discovery channels and some others.
Their rates for a new customer for the Signature+25Mb package for the first year is $84.99. This includes 25Mb internet, 212 channels including 62 HD and Tivo HD DRV. Second year rate is $94.99 and third year rate is $104.99.
So I called to see what could be done about my rate and service to be told the only thing they could do is drop the $20 package of channels. I understand introductory rates to attract new customers and I didn't expect that rate and package but I also didn't expect that they would do nothing.
I just don't understand why the huge difference in price and service for new and existing customers. I would have been ecstatic with the third year rate for the Signature+25Mb package at $104.99. It is almost like they wanted me drop them as a provider.
So I did. I dropped the cable service and returned the equipment but for now have kept the internet service, but I guess I will drop that once I decide what to do next.
Bottom line, I was happy with connectivity and service but found the price to be very high for what they were providing.
member for 215 days, 2 visits, last login: 214 days ago
lodged 215 days ago
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| Review by jlgalley - Location: Wakefield,Middlesex,MA
- Cost: $97 per month
Good "Many years of reliable service"
Bad "Long hold times on ISP tech support line; billing system unreliable"
Overall "Can't find a reason to change"
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I've used RCN's basic cable TV service and basic 25/2 internet service since 2006 at this location. There is very little to complain about.
Generally I can't say that I get the full speed that is advertised. I often get better than 5Mbps downloads, but just as often get less. It doesn't bother me unless it is less than 1.5Mbps or so, which happens occasionally.
I've twice had TV technicians come to visit. They were pleasant to deal with and efficiently located the problem (in both cases, it was inside my home). I have a TiVo of my own, not provided by RCN. The technicians are competent with a setup involving non-RCN PVR gear.
The customer service center is 100% American operated. It can take a while to get through to discuss billing questions or internet technical support. But the staff are friendly and knowledgeable.
There have been a few service disruptions over the years, but they are generally brief.
I have never tried RCN phone service.
member for 9.9 years, 26 visits, last login: 237 days ago
updated 237 days ago
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