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Review by (hidden by request)
(review was emailed from domain samuelsre.com)
lodged 14 days ago
 Somerville,Middlesex,MA
 $115 per month "good price for tv and phone" "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.
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 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 dcdavid 
member for 1 year, 185 visits, last login: 14 days ago
lodged 56 days ago
- Washington,District Of Columbia,DC
- Contract price not specified.
- "TiVo"
- "Customer service, existing customer pricing, customer loyalty, phone reps uninformed and give out inconsistent and wrong informa"
 "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.
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Review by jhasbro
member for 82 days, 2 visits, last login: 80 days ago
lodged 82 days ago
- Chicago,Cook,IL
- $181 per month
- "Reliability"
- "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.
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Review by Wasted_Elmo
member for 8.4 years, 5 visits, last login: 22 days ago
lodged 189 days ago
- Elmhurst,Queens,NY
- $189 per month
- "75%"
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being an RCN costumer for a long while i left TWC in the late 90's cause of the internet package RCN had going way faster then TWC
at the time i got RCN they hooked me up at no charge for first time installation 3Mb down 1Mb up topping the 1.5/768Kbps TWC was giving out and this was not true on TWC cause their network was flooded with users so you hardly see those speeds even with their association and purchase of AOL TWC was still not getting better
RCN supported their connections speeds and till this day they still do
when i first had RCN full package ran about $280+ and if i am not mistaken this was '98 but they still price this for full status package meaning triple play with movie package
now i would pay about 189 triple basic package with a Downstream Limit:78000000 Upstream Limit: 11000000 with two basic motorola top boxes and a TiVo DVR with a cisco cable modem
these stats come from the modem data speed net would capture me at 71+ depending on day and time lowest 65Mbps witch aint bad
but now verizon fios is here in my building and my cousin made the switch
so i am sad to say its been a long run but for 153 for installation including first month
and 124 a month after for two yrs aint bad.. so sorry RCN you have been great its been fun callings Costumer Service and hearing :we see your one of our loyal costumers thank you: is warming but my pockets are getting lighter so for now thank you.. your loyal costumer Ron
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Review by tadpole
member for 1.8 years, 3 visits, last login: 217 days ago
lodged 230 days ago
- Framingham,Middlesex,MA
- Contract price not specified.
- "Completely Useless Customer Support"
- "Going to drop service if not fixed immediately"
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I have an RCN branded TIVO which I picked up at the local office and installed myself. It has had N33 errors since over a month ago.
I followed the TIVO trouble shooting instructions and it came back Friday today is Sunday and it's out again. I'm not going to keep power cycling this piece of junk and trying to reach phone support with RCN is hopeless.
I can't switch channels, record, browse the guide or shut it off (unless I unplug the box). Occasionally some functions will work with a lag of up to four minutes. For me this is typical RCN.
I have had very little good experience with this device. It has been trouble since I got it. C and N errors constantly. The only support I got was a call back from a guy named Dave Woods and that was after I’d fixed the problem myself using the TIVO instructions on TIVO’s site.
This is Sunday and tomorrow is a holiday so I don’t expect him to call back before Tuesday.
Comments:
| | yep Ive seen the same errors--they seem to be having some issues. Try rebooting your router/modem. If it continues call them.
Prior to this though the Tivo errors were few and far between. Service is generally rock solid. Ive had them for over 2 years. | |
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Review by dslrep0990
member for 4.2 years, 1 visits, last login: 357 days ago
updated 357 days ago
- Brighton,Suffolk,MA
- $53 per month
- (month by month)
 about 30 days- "Month-to-month service contract"
- "Lousy help desk, connectivity problems, RCN does not deliver what it sells"
- "RCN has cleaned their act"
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UPDATE, JUNE 2012
RCN service had improved somewhat after I wrote this review so when I moved recently and discovered that they now charge a more reasonable $29/month for Internet access, I decided to give them another chance.
What a change!! This is a 180...
RCN is definitely providing a much improved service. I subscribe to the theoretical 20 Mbps. Connections are stable, speed is still not great but acceptable and much more steady. The service is up most of the time save for occasional outages but I have not had one that exceeded a few minutes yet. Even their customer service is better!
Just one thing that still sucks: monthly charges are supposed to increase for years 2 and 3. There is no good reason for that and it places a penalty on long-term customers. Why?? Go figure!!!
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Service ordered: high-speed (10 Mbps) Internet cable access only (no TV or telephony).
RCN charges too much for a service that does not deliver what they promise (I bought 10 Mbps service, but I never get more than 5 Mbps download and 368 Kbps upload).
Appalling customer "service", nobody mans the help desk & when you finally get someone (after many many minutes waiting on hold), they are inept and clueless...
Erratic connectivity. Occasional disconnections that can last hours, sometimes days. No information is ever provided to users before or after.
Bottom line: RCN service is a rip-off. Run in the other direction!
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| | Rating Don't forget to adjust your ratings as well. | |
| tvdrew
join:2008-08-20
Washington, DC Reviews:
 ·RCN CABLE
| Pricing years 2 and 3. Every company raises rates for current customers. They figure that once you're set up you're less likely to switch to another company than if you're choosing at the outset.
It is a hassle to switch. At a minimum you have to wait half-day for the service guy to show up for the install. Then there's returning equipment and for some people changing email addresses (although anyone who uses an ISP email address deserves the hassle).
That said, RCN's prices kept going up for me so I did switch. | |
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Review by tvdrew
member for 4.7 years, 617 visits, last login: 27 days ago
updated 1 year ago
- Washington,District Of Columbia,DC
- $120 per month
- about 3 days
- "Reliable internet (few outages in 12 years); good channel selection; increased HD options"
- "Tech/customer support a total mixed bag; site visits a pain; billing a crapshoot. Price increases of late"
- "Better than the alternatives"
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I've had RCN since it was Starpower (approx. 12 years). During that time I've had extremely few service outages, typically weather related (one recent one from an RCN central switch failure that pretty much everyone suffered). Internet speeds are close to advertised, but not quite. Television service is pretty good, although they've moved channels to higher-priced tiers and now require a cable box. I realize the tradeoff is more HD channels, but I did like having a set anywhere without a cable box.
Installation was extremely quick, but not completed. Fortunately it didn't matter, since the house was still under construction. Subsequent cable card installation was also quick, although it didn't work fully until several calls to tech support.
Tech support is their weakest link. They seem (judging by accents) to have outsourced to folks overseas who really don't know what they're doing. They're nice, but don't solve the problem In fact, they rarely can even identify the problem. It took ten calls for them to tell me that the reason I was not receiving a certain channel was because it was not in my package, despite what the channel guide showed.
And that misleading information carried over to price. They offered a promotional price that was quite good. What they didn't say was that there were two promotions. One for a low price, a second for a 6-month discount that expired. Just recently I had another price increase at the end of some promotional period. Layered on top of other price increases and promotion ends I seem to be paying about $35 more than I started at 2 years ago (50% price increase) for the same (or lesser internet speed) service.
Update: Billing may be their weakest link, or at least where I've had the most trouble. A combination of expiring promotions, new promotions, and unrelated rate hikes has led to some eye-popping recent bills that seem to take multiple calls to straighten out. Service remains reliable, and the HD upgrade has been a great benefit with lots more HD channels.
Final update: After 12 years I switched to Verizon FiOS. I continued to be happy with RCN as described above, but the regular increases in prices had become too much. I asked if there were any promotions available to reduce the latest price increase and was given a flat no, nor even a "sweetener" as they have in the past, such as increased internet speeds. Having gone through these negotiations enough I didn't push it and made the switch. I would be happy with RCN's service if the pricing were somewhat lower, so for those eligible for promotions give them consideration.
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Review by Squ
member for 5.5 years, 38 visits, last login: 275 days ago
lodged 1.7 years ago
- Chicago,Cook,IL
- $100 per month
- "Package pricing"
- "You get what you pay for. Service quality is bad, customer service doesn't exist."
- "If you can go with someone else, do it."
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I've had RCN for several years now, and when I first subscribed, both Internet and TV were great! As the company expanded however, both service quality and level of customer support has dropped dramatically. Constant disconnects, freezing TV, long waits on hold for tech support, cable bill going up each month, etc.
As of 8/13/2011, I've been without stable Internet service for two weeks, even though a tech has been out to the house (and said everything is perfect) and I've been on the phone with them 5-6 times as well as posted on these forums (»[Connectivity] [Chicago] Intermittent Disconnects).. I've stated that I'm planning on leaving for one of their competitors the following weekend if the problem is not fixed, and they sounded like they couldn't care less on the phone. According to my neighbors (DePaul / Lincoln Park area) who have RCN, they too are experiencing the same issue, so it's not just my business they don't care about, it's everyone's..
The only other cable Internet provider in the area is Comcast, I guess they just got their self a new customer.
On the other hand, If you love a good headache, RCN is for you!
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Review by ckmscott
member for 6.5 years, 64 visits, last login: 240 days ago
updated 2.2 years ago
- Chicago,Cook,IL
- $69 per month
- (12 month contract)
- about 12 days
- "Tech support improving, reliability back to normal"
- "Price"
- "Has had problems but getting better"
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I have been on RCN for almost ten years. I have the 10Mbps/1Mbps service. After a ton of problems a year ago, the service was dependable, but since mid-December I've had some problems. Lately, RCN has improved their tech support with more knowledgeable people and quicker turnaround time on service calls. A recent performance problem was fixed promptly and professionally. I am now happy with the service again.
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Reviews:
·RCN CABLE
| Ugh same problem here. Just installed RCN last week in a wake of AT&T DSL cap announcement.
Speed test was great for just the first day (maxed out at 10mbps). Download speed is average 1-2 mbps. Yea, I might be lucky to see 7-8mbps at 2-3 in the morning.
Upload speed continue to max out at 700-800kbps.
These clowns seriously oversold their "fiber optic" capacity. I called the tech support and she tried to put a blame on my "firewall", "router", and my computer. Eventually she said she need to send someone in to take a look and if there's any problem on my end, there will be $49 charge on my account.
WHAT? It used to work great on the first day, and now 3 days later you're saying that there might be something wrong with my wiring? *sigh*. | |
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Review by scott523
member for 7.4 years, 1484 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 2.3 years ago
- Upper Darby,Delaware,PA
- $88 per month
- "Installation & connectivity (uncapped), connection."
- "Prices, negotiations, downtime, cancellation."
- "After at least 3 years, it was no longer worth staying with RCN."
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This is a closing review of the service I had with RCN as I have switched to Verizon last week.
My services with RCN was Phone and Internet. Phone was unlimited long distance with several features and Internet speed was 10Mbps/800Kbps. At the time of installation, my speed was at 5Mbps.
Installation as far as I know were very easy for my services. A phone box will be in the basement, and it's best to have your own cable modem to avoid fees. At the time of installation, no software was needed to be installed compared to Verizon.
Throughout the years with RCN, the price for this bundle started around less than $70 (tax included) with promotion. It is now $88 (tax included). Since I was a "valued customer", it was set to go up "only" (as RCN had wrote me) $8 (instead of $21) next month. So bottom line, the prices are steep and negotiations are necessary for discounts. This is the reason why I switched to Verizon. Verizon was offering 15Mbps/5Mbps and long distance phone for $65 before tax, then $10 more after promotion plus no contract, there's no chance RCN can match that even their services are uncapped.
Connection reliability is pretty good. As usual, the speed won't be satisfactory during peak times but often acceptable. There will be unannounced overnight maintenance a few times a year, and other known technical issues will be announced over the phone prior to getting in touch with tech support. Tech support is 24/7 so you may encounter people from India.
Billing was accurate and understandable compared to a few years ago.
In conclusion, the slow improvement in services and prices was the result of my departure from RCN. Frequent negotiations with an ISP is something I don't want to put up with. It's not like I'm buying a car. It's the ISP's job to offer services at a reasonable price, not me.
Update1: I'm in the process of canceling service with RCN and thus far, my experience isn't great as I gave them nearly two weeks prior to my February billing cycle to disconnect my services and with January paid in full, I shouldn't be charged for anything really. Instead, they sent me a bill of $60 (for internet as phone was ported). Billing support informed me to disregard the bill as another bill (that's free of charges) should arrive next week. I'm wary that I might be in for a long fight for my $60.
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