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Review by bettieshock 
Posted: 4.7 years ago
member for 4.7 years, 0 visits, last login: 4.7 years ago
 Brooklyn,Kings,NY
 $99 per month (12 month contract)
 about 10 days
 Verizon
CLEC party: Covad
 "Informed during the whole install process"
 "none so far"
 "This has to be one of the best ISP's I have ever found!"
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I ordered a dry ADSL 6.0/768 line, as I don't have a voice line (I use my cell phone). Lightning Bolt answered all my questions, and I was kept well informed during the whole install process via e-mail. All time frames given where met, and the whole thing only took 2 week (They told me it could be 3 weeks), so I was very happy at how fast it was completed. Speeds show 4500-4600 download, and 650 upload. I'm very happy.
I have 1 static IP, which is assigned to the Wireless DSL Router, which allows me to connect 4 wired computers, and also wireless computers. And the best part, it was FREE!
I will be send all my frineds to lightning Bolt, They know what they are doing A++++
Bettie
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Review by dnf67
Posted: 4.7 years ago
member for 4.7 years, 0 visits, last login: 4.7 years ago
Denver,Denver,CO
$75 per month
Qwest
CLEC party: Covad
"Fast pretty reliable DSL"
"Billing sucks!!!!!!!!!!! They charge a late fee after 14 days... BEWARE"
"inexpensive fast DSL with very poor customer support"
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Lightning Bolt DSL provides a very reasonably priced and high speed dry line service. Their customer support, while not farmed out to India, is fair to good. Their billing however is terrible. They are not good about sending bills out and then will ding you for 7% on a late charge (2 weeks). I have never dealt with such an amateur billing cycle such as theirs in any business, let alone an ISP whose idea of convenient billing is PayPal.
Buyer Beware
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Review by dgdimick
Posted: 4.7 years ago
member for 5.9 years, 19 visits, last login: 2.4 years ago
Los Alamos,Los Alamos,NM
$65 per month (48 month contract)
about 13 days
CLEC party: Covad
"Great support, e-mails are responded to in less then 20 mins"
"Have yet to find any."
"I've been with LBDSL for over a year now. Just signed a 2 year contract."
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Finally, after 5 years of having Cable Modems, Sprint-ION and other DSL providers I've found one I will keep. The three times in the past year I've called/e-mailed with a problem they have all turned out to be on my end. Crummy network card I owned, yet LBDSL has spent the time to make sure I found the problem and ensured it was not my DSL service.
Just switched from shared-line to dry-line DSL. Will be dropping my POTS next. Would never try this if I didn't feel LBDSL would provide me with a stable DSL line.
13 days from the time I sent in my request to running on the new line.
I recommend LBDSL to anyone that is fed up with poor service and support.
Followup comments:  dgdimick
join:2003-12-22
Los Alamos, NM
|  Update - After two years
 Times change and so do DSL companies, I can no longer add my support to LBDSL or recommend them to ours seeking DSL access, I'm now looking for a new DSL provider.
It all started this past week when I received an e-mail from LBDSL stating they where going to cut off my DSL access due to being in the rears for $35. This came as quite a shock to both my wife and I since we use bill-pay to pay LBDSL and have had this in place for a year or more. After a few e-mails back forth, what cam out was that after my 2 year contract expired, LBDSL silently raised my rates and didn't notify me of the change. So a slight increase of $5 per month grew into a total of $35 in past due fees, and late charges. A simple e-mail would have prevented any of this from happening, however LBDSL didn't feel the need to send one.
One thing the reader should understand -
I've call LBDSL at least 4 times for network problems, each time it ended up being on my end with my hardware being bad (Don't use 6 year old PC's as firewalls).
I've been with LBDSL for at least 4 years, and have been very happy with their service, billing seems to be the only issue I now have, this leads my to think that in my opinion '»dictionary.reference.com/browse/opinion' they may be having cash flow issues, thus the problems with billing.
I've shelled out the $250 to convert to a dryline, however I'm willing to throw this investment away in order to not have to deal with a company I can no longer trust.
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Review by silvial
Posted: 4.7 years ago
member for 4.7 years, 0 visits, last login: 4.7 years ago
Santa Monica,Los Angeles,CA
 Business customer
$40 per month (12 month contract)
about 45 days
Verizon
CLEC party: Covad
"Nice sales pitch"
"Once service installed, they forget you and you're stuck with them else face a hefty cancellation fee"
" FRAUDULENT AND SNEAKY"
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Initially I was satisfied with Lightning Bolt's customer service. I felt like they were really trying to get my business but once the level of DSL service I desired was not available (3.0/768), I had to get the downgraded service (768/128) Once it was decided the downgraded service was not acceptable, it was too late to back out! there is a hefty cancellation fee once you sign on for a service so LET THIS SERVE AS A WARNING TO ALL WHO COMMIT TO LIGHTNING BOLT DSL!!!! if you decide its not going to work for you after 21-30 days (most of which you will spend waiting for an installation date) you can;t change your mind.
Secondly, when I signed up it was clearly stated that I would receive a rebate of $125 however I was not given instructions in any of my welcome emails or in any of the paperwork. I assumed that they would rebate me automatically after a certain periodof time. Today when I inquired as to the status of my rebate, I found out that I am no longer eligible because I was apparently suppsed to hunt down on their site, the rebate instructions which they keep buried on the site in 6 pt type! I feel completely defrauded and duped. AND I still have to pay them $400 over the next 10 months cause if I want to cancel, it will cost me $500!
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Review by mrphil
Posted: 4.8 years ago
member for 8.3 years, 1942 visits, last login: 15 days ago
Tucson,Pima,AZ
$74 per month (12 month contract)
about 31 days
Qwest
CLEC party: Covad
"Very quick/personal service"
"Email not the best"
"If service is important, this is one of the best"
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Contacted LBDSL on September 30 to see about an ISP switch. Original order was for 3.0/768 for 79.95 on a month to month basis. After sending in the order forms, the problems started. My then current ISP refused to do an ISP switch. After going round and round several days, on October 9th decided to go with dry line 3.0/768 for 89.95 month rather than wait for the several days to several weeks for the then current ISP to drop the line. New line was scheduled for October 18th and was done on time by very helpful person from Qwest. Pro install was scheduled for November 1st and was on time. Next problem, modem would not sync at 3.0/768, best case was around 2.6/600. After going through all the usual steps (checking wiring, testing at the NID, etc) decided it would be better to drop to 1.5/768 service which dropped the rate to 74.95 per month.
During the various install steps any questions very answered quickly, whether they were via phone or email. Excellent customer relations.
Issues: email is rejected before it gets to your inbox. While this cuts down the amount of spam, it does catch other email. Since the filtering is done via IP address, it does catch other email. It would be nice to have another option. I don't mind spam not being there, but if I can't forward email from other email accounts I have there's something wrong. When it rejects email from financial institutions I do business with there's something wrong.
They have recently added newsgroups which seem to be quick.
Speeds are as expected and the first hop has dropped to 10-11 msec range from the previous Covad reseller.
I'd recommend them, especially if support/service are important.
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Review by zmiley
Posted: 4.8 years ago
member for 4.8 years, 1 visits, last login: 4 years ago
Haddonfield,Camden,NJ
$84 per month (24 month contract)
about 14 days
Verizon
CLEC party: Covad
"Great speed, great service, good communication"
"Strips e-mail .zip and .exe attachments without recourse"
"Friendly, responsive ISP with good prices"
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I ordered 3.0/768k with one static IP, and feel it was a good deal. I switched from Verizon DSL based on reviews at this site, and have been mostly satisfied by speed and service provided. Two caveats:
1) they provide a router-modem but do not support running it in bridge mode, meaning you're on your own if you don't want to use their router as the basis for your network (which I didn't). For wireless users, this means you will have to reconfigure your network to run properly in conjunction with their router/modem. Still, they were very helpful in pointing me in the right direction to find the information needed to resolve my issue.
2) All e-mail is stripped of .zip and .exe attachments for security purposes, and the user has no say over this. I just recently discovered this when I tried to e-mail myself .zip attachments and discovered they were stripped of their files when I got home. I was very unhappy, and while LBDSL was very patient in explaining their position on the matter, I'm still unsatisfied with the outcome. This is a moderate inconvenience for me at this time, and may not be a problem for most users, who may welcome the added level of security. I believe users should be able to control the level of security they want on their e-mail, and was disappointed to find that there is no available recourse for their security implementation. Personally, I would've more carefully considered my options had I known this before ordering, and may have chosen a different ISP.
Still, I'm mostly satisfied with the service.
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Review by Windogg
Posted: 4.8 years ago
member for 7.3 years, 331 visits, last login: 95 days ago
Cambridge,Middlesex,MA
$99 per month
Verizon
CLEC party: Covad
"Amazing Customer Service, Very Knowledgable, Great Value, No Nonsense Pricing."
"Payments Via PayPal (Very Minor Quibble)"
"The One And Only Choice For DSL Service"
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I had been with Speakeasy DSL for about 18 months before switching over to Lightning Bolt DSL. Over the last 12 months I never once regretted the decision. The service had been superb and all inquiries were answered quickly and efficiently. For what you pay, you get the full boat of services including POP email, news server access, dialup access, and great tech support.
One of the best parts of LBDSL is the company's no-nonsense pricing structure. Other ISPs, like Speakeasy, quote you a price and then there are the taxes and "cost recovery" fees which are NOT federal mandated charges. These "hidden" charges can add 10% extra to the cost of the bill. Lightning Bolt rightly includes all of this into their monthly charge so the price quoted on their website is the price you pay. This honesty means what you see is what you pay with no surprises.
Anyone who is with a Covad reseller should drop their ISP and switch to LBDSL.
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Review by relam59
Posted: 4.9 years ago
member for 8.9 years, 901 visits, last login: 179 days ago
Edwardsville,Madison,IL
$64 per month (12 month contract)
about 17 days
Ameritech
CLEC party: Covad
"Great Customer Ser vice, Dry Line, Covad Reseller"
"None I can find"
"These guys really have their act togeather"
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Ordered DSL Dry line service on 12/5/2004. Order was completed on 12/22/2004.
Communication from LB has been excellent throughout this process. Emails at every step of the way on what was completed and what was next. Everything they communicated happened as scheduled.
I have been with several DSL providers over the years and have been through several installs and a couple of ISP's going belly up.
I was a little skeptical about using an ISP I had never heard of - especially since my only reason for leaving Covad Direct was I wanted a dry line, LBDSL had a better deal than Covad Direct - and LBDSL is reselling Covad services anyway.
I thought I try a little test, so I had a couple of questions about their service and thought I would try contacting them via email and see how they responded. Much to my surprise, my emails were answered in less than 5 minutes.
I then called LB to ask a question just to see how their support lines are answered. Both calls were answered with no hold time, and an actaul english as a first language person completely answered my questions.
LB-DSL by far has been the most impressive through the install and initial activation.
I have been up and running a little over a week with no issues. A few minutes after the Covad tech left I emailed tech support about my PPPOE password (since I wanted to change to bridge mode and let my Cisco do the real work) - within 5 minutes I had a response. These guys are truly unbelievable (good).
I would highly recommend LBDSL to anyone - these guys are a breath of fresh air.
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Review by FishNiX
Posted: 4.9 years ago
member for 4.9 years, 3 visits, last login: 2.5 years ago
Chicago,Cook,IL
$70 per month (24 month contract)
about 12 days
"excellent customer service, excellent product! Always talk to a REAL person."
"smaller company so no fancy web pages, but really...who cares!"
"All the advantages of a small ISP with some of the disadvantages too"
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I cannot say enough good things about this ISP...
I was impressed from the very beginning, when I called and spoke to a knowledgable sales person as soon as I dialed the number. There were no automated systems to dial through! Wow! The service was up and running well within the two weeks that the sales person promised (this is almost never the case with the big companies). And this included the wait time that I had to endure while Earthlink "released my line".
I decided to purchase the 3.0MBit/768KBit small business package which includes a static IP and I got a reduced rate by signing up for 2 years instead of 1... this was a gamble, but they had already impressed me with their service, so I wasnt too worried. After everything got setup and I hooked up the included modem/router/wireless access point, I was impressed by the speed and reliability of the link. Also, the included router is very cool, and even allows telnet sessions for configuration!
I have now been with LBTech for about 3 months and I am still a happy customer. Unfortunately, I have had some problems recently, but it has nothing to do with the ISP. Basically, my downstream noise margins are very low, and I'm having a hard time getting a full 3.0MBit on a stable line. After a reboot of the DSLAM, things do seem a bit better, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. All in all, Bob, from SupportZone over at LBTech has been great!! I am a system administrator/network administrator by trade, and I cant even begin telling you how great it is to talk to someone who knows MORE about this stuff than I do...instead of some level 1 moron at any of the big companies...
My lines have been tested and I'm playing a little bit of a waiting game to see if my noise margins go back up, but if they dont, Bob has already said that its an option for me to downgrade to the 1.5/768 package due to the old copper in my neighborhood. I assume that if I need to do this it will be as easy and free of problems as all of my other experiences with Lighning Bolt Technologies have been.
Thank you Lightning Bolt, you guys are a breath of fresh air to say the least!!
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Review by rmollen
Posted: 5 years ago
member for 6.4 years, 61 visits, last login: 2.9 years ago
Libertyville,Lake,IL
$65 per month (12 month contract)
about 15 days
Ameritech
CLEC party: Covad
"Very responsive, delivered as promised."
"None"
"Great service, no regrets so far."
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My first experience with DSL was through Earthlink. LBDSL is my second, and an entirely different and enjoyable experience. I ordered a "dry line" 1.5/384 circuit for $65/month. This was one of their business packages and came with a static IP address and pppoe.
The order was placed on 10/20/04, Ameritech/SBC was out to wire line on 10/28/04, and I went live on 11/5/05. Covad was able to come out as soon as 11/2, but my schedule didn't allow it. Covad rep was in the house for all of 10 minutes....works great. I get all the speed I was expecting, tech said the line looked great. (13,400ft according to SBC Tech)
Customer service at LBDSL is superior. During the sales process I made 3 calls, all were answered without hold time, and the two emails I sent to customer service were answered within 15 minutes (at 10pm on a Friday night).
My only gripe, and it's a small one, is that the netopia router/modem (which I like a lot better than my old Linksys) didn't come with any documentation. I was able to download it off the LBDSL web site, but that version didn't exactly match up with the "Covad Customized" firmware in the router. Honestly though, the router is pretty easy to set up.
LBDSL doesn't have all the "control panel" type features that EL did, but they are very responsive to adding email accounts, dial-up, etc. I chose them in large part because of the posts on this site and I have had a similar positive experience. Overall I would highly recommend them.
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Lightning Bolt DSL
