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 Review by N3CAL 
member for 6.8 years, 2895 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 4 days ago
 Lexington Park,Saint Marys,MD
 $69 per month about 14 days "None so far!" "Over crowded nodes, long waits for updates to issues. poor speeds" "Only ISP / Service available in my area. I have no other option."
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July 2005 we purchased our home and ordered service. At the time the local cable/internet company in St. Mary’s County, Maryland was GMPEXPRESS. The customer service order went okay and after a two week wait service was installed. I am leasing the cable modem: Motorola SB5101 @ $2.95/month. No problems except the modem would require a power reset several times a week. My GMPEXPRESS service "Residential Gold” was 3.0mb down / 384kb up. Our previous home we had Verizon DSL at 1.5MB but DSL is not available in this area so I have no other options. GMP offered the DSL modem buyback at $8.33 credit each month for 12 months. July and August went fine with download speeds always above 2.0mb each day. September 1, 2005 GMPEXPRESS was acquired by METROCAST. I received a letter from METROCAST detailing my new exciting premium High Speed service at 4 MB /384K for the same price! Since METROCAST took over the download speeds has dropped to less than 400kb day - night. The only time I can even get over 1.5 mb down is in the early morning hours. That’s no where close to 3.0 - 4.0 mb down! I've have called several times and have had several trouble tickets which they close out only after sending a Tech out to check the line. Techs always say my signals are fine and the problem is with the Head End. They are overloaded and can't handle the # of customers. This has gone on for the past 3 months. The local office has admitted their system is overloaded and they are adding more equipment to handle the load but to date the service/speed is far below what I feel I should get for my money. Tech Support doesn't know the status of the companies equipment upgrades and only insists on sending a tech out each time to check the line. They did replace my leased modem a week ago with another Motorola SB5101 which had a newer release firmware but the download speeds are still terrible. Billing each month has been painful also. Each month they forget to include the $8.33 DSL buyback credit. That requires another painful call to their Tech Support line. It's the end of January 2006 and still waiting for some decent download speeds. I wish they would reduce the monthly fee until this problem can be resolved. My advice is steer clear until they can improve their service. It's not worth the headache.
Update: 6 April 2006
It's been 10 weeks since I wrote my review. Nothing has changed except Metrocast continues to take on additional customers and has been unable to resolve any of the issues. It's been a month since they added another CMTS but service has not improved! It's gotten worse! My download speed this evening is less than 100 kbps and upload only 200 kbps. Broadband Reports.com packet loss test shows 25 -27 % packet loss between my modem and first node, all hops after the front end shows no loss at all! My call to Tech Support tonight confirmed the packet loss however they can only report the issue to the local St. Mary's County Office. My calls to the local office go unanswered. I guess they are tired of hearing the numerous complaints from their customers. My frustration could be less if only Metrocast had the decency to inform their customers of the situation and what their plans are to resolve it. It sounds like they need additional equipment besides the CMTS? I really would like to drop this nightmare but this is my only option! IOW I'm screwed and pissed all for 52$ a month! ARGHHHH
Update 2, May 03, 2006
Management called me May 1st in response to my Better Business Bureau Complaint. Metrocast gave me a one month credit for service but no apologies or answers. Since this was a management type employee she was unable to answer any of my questions. She wanted to know if my service had improved lately which my response was the average 200-500K download during the afternoon and evening hours along with 10-35% packet loss had only improved to 1000-1800 kbps download and about 7-10% packet loss. Yes there is an improvement but not up to my expectations. Early morning hours have improved to about 3500 kbps down. Her only response was to send another Tech out to my house again! The Tech was here yesterday and I was able to get some of my questions answered. The Tech called Leo and Bobbie and they indicated they were still working the issues for my area (Greenbrier) and it could be another month at least! From what I was able to get out of the Tech is the OTN site I get my service from (Ridge) needs another fiber optic line run from Leonardtown (Head End) to handle the customer base. Till then it looks like afternoon and evenings will be well below rated speeds. To sum it all up, Metrocasts Network was designed around a customer base of approx 2000 but they have at least 8000. They need allot of work to get where they need to be. BEWARE.....
Update 3, Aug 16, 2006
After about 2 months of decent download speeds (3200 kbps) Metrocast is back down to being overloaded during the afternoon and evening hours. The last week my download speeds have only been around 150 kbps. My upload has been solid at 384 kbps. Tech Support waiting time is in excess of 100 minutes. I still get the same old acknowledgement of "we have had allot of calls about the terrible speeds" and "we will have someone come out and check your line". I've had to put up with this terrible service for a full year now! The only thing Metrocast is reliable about is sending you a bill every month! Metrocast is the worst ISP I have ever had to deal with! Avoid if at all possible.
Update 4, Dec 26, 2006
Most of the problems over the past year have been resolved since MetroCast has updated their equipment here in St. Mary's County, Maryland. I can honestly say service has been reliable throughout the day and evening hours with avg download speeds of about 3900 kbps over the last three months (Oct-Dec 2006). November 15, 2006 I received a letter from Metrocast saying they were increasing their rates. High Speed Internet was going up $2.00/month and they were going to increase download speed from 4 MB to 6 MB. Well my December bill has already arrived and they held true to the $2.00 increase but I have not seen the speed increase yet! A call into the office today indicates the speed increase will take effect on 1 Jan 2007. I'm not holding my breath! I'll update again in the near future. Lets see if they can do it? I hope the new year is not another repeat of the last year!
Update: January 13, 2007
Metrocast's Download Speed increase to 6 MB has been very painful here in Lexington Park, Maryland. The supposed increase took effect 1 Jan 2007 however the reliable speeds I wrote about in my last update (over 3000 kbps) have disappeared. My download speeds have dropped way down to only 600 kbps or less during the day and evening hours. I've placed a trouble call to Metrocast which has been outstanding for 13 days. To date they have been to my house and verified the cable and modem are good but the problem is still unresolved. After providing the Tech with download data for the last 15 day period he agreed there is a problem on the Metrocast side.
I can only conclude that Metrocast is using deceptive advertising tactics and they "throttle their bandwidth" to the extent of 80% or more during daytime and evening hours. 600 kbps or less for a 6000 kbps service is plain wrong! Customers are not getting what they pay for!
Update: Feb 15, 2007
Metrocast still has not resolved the poor download speed issues for my area (Greenbrier). I have spoken with the local office several times since January 1, 2007 when the upgrade from 4 MB- 6 MB took effect. Metrocast has told me that several Nodes in my area are overloaded. They say a normal Node has around 200-250 customers on it. Metrocast tells me the node I’m on has over 500 customers on it. This is the same thing Metrocast told me back in the spring of 2006! It took several months to add equipment to fix that previous problem. I was led to believe the overloaded nodes then were updated to handle the number of customers in the area and also allow for additional growth! What I don’t understand is how a Node can work fine at 3500-3900 kbps download speeds, 24 hours a day from August 1, 2006-December 31, 2006, then overnight it becomes overloaded again and speeds drop to only 600 kbps? It doesn’t make sense!
Over the past two months Metrocast has said they were going to split up the Nodes again. The magic date was supposed to be Feb 13, 2007. Well it’s Feb 15th and download speeds are only around 700-1200 kbps from 3:00 pm through 12:00pm (Midnight) which is only a couple 100 kbps improvement if that. I’m also still on the same node and wonder what will happen when folks start to move into the 100 or so homes in the new section and are brought onto the same node?? I just doesn’t look like there is actually any equipment upgrades happening.
I can honestly say Metrocast can only provide a 700/384 service reliably to this area. It is not a 6000/384 service they advertise and it’s not worth $54.00 per month! Beware!
Update: July 2010
The saga continues. I had to downgrade my 10 Meg/ 1 Meg service because I was not getting anything close to the speeds they advertised. Metrocast has made strides in updating their hardware and improving speeds in my area (Greenbrier) however they still need some work. After a very painful winter with over crowded nodes they have improved. Speeds have been more reliable and outages kept to a minimum. I'm currently getting by with 7 meg /.5 Meg service.
Update: February 2012
Metrocast has continued to upgrade their systems and increase their speeds however it still seems they have equipment issues here in Maryland. I now have the HSD Ultra internet package (25/2 Mbps) $69.95 During peak times of the day I'm lucky to see 10-12 Mbps down. Metrocast did contact me to say they will be installing new Head End equipment in my area sometime this quarter to resolve the issues we see here in the Greenbrier subdivision. Till then, issues will remain. It's the same old story. The price is high compared to other ISP's.
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 Review by icedcorn
member for 4.6 years, 390 visits, last login: 3 days ago
updated 32 days ago
- Rochester,Strafford,NH
- $59 per month
- about 3 days
- "Fast connections, speed as advertised after a hiccup Now up to 25/2"
- "Had some initial issues but were fixed."
- "in the Rochester NH area, you aren't getting 25/2 anywhere else."
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I had used Verizon DSL for some time, however due to my distance from the CO, the highest speed I could possibly get was 1.5 down. This of course is "slow" by broadband standards
I had been with Metrocast for a few years before I switched to Verizon DSL. (Back in 1998, it was a one way cable modem with 512 down and a phone line up)....Verizon offered $29.95 a month with a free wireless router/modem combo. Verizon also offered MSN Premium free.
So now that I'm with Metrocast, I gave up the wireless router/modem and had to buy a separate Linksys wireless modem. I had to give up the "Free" MSN Premium and go with the pay by month feature ($9.95). I had to give up ESPN 360.
In return for all that I got 4x the speed. Sometimes. After multiple calls with tech support and having an onsite tech, we found out that the signal to my cable modem was too low. Once we got it fixed the speed went through the roof (the speed was always high on speedtests but never in real world downloading).
Now I am happy with the service. The signal thing just took a long time to fix. Thankfully a Metrocast tech is on the DSL forum and I found it was much easier to talk to him about issues than calling the traditional lines.
Metrocast now handles my cable TV, digital phone and internet. I still have had a few billing bumps but they've always been courteous to me on the phone and have tried do to what they need to in order to resolve my problems.
Again, my package is the "high speed" 6.0 down, which I got for $39.95 for six months and then it goes up to $41.95. I phone call set up an install which was within a week, I believe it was about three days. The original modem installed was a standard Motorola SURFboard, but when I switched to digital phone, I now have an ARRIS TW502G.
Update: 1/10/12
Metrocast has continually upgraded their system and as of today they have upgraded their "ultra" package to 25mb down and 2mb up. I bought my own DOCSIS 3.0 modem and I'm usually getting 24/1.9 which is great.
I've been very pleased with their upgrades and service. They've really gotten better over time. Still no WatchESPN or hbogo...but fingers are crossed.
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Review by gwg66
member for 207 days, 14 visits, last login: 138 days ago
updated 137 days ago
- Rochester,Strafford,NH
- $195 per month
- about 2 days
- "10DL/1UL - Internet Speeds are generally as advertised, Solid HD Offerings."
- "Metrocast is not a big player so - ShoGo, HBOGo ESPN3, etc... may _never_ happen for us."
- "Wish that I could've remained a Comcast customer, but you get what you get when you move to a new city. Metrocast is ok, but..."
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As stated above - 10DL/1UL - Internet Speeds are generally as advertised, & Metrocast has a Solid HD portfolio. Metrocast is not a big player nationally so cool streaming services like - ShoGo, HBOGo ESPN3, NBC, etc... will probably _never_ happen for us...which really stinks. Wish that I could've remained a Comcast customer, but you get what you get when you move to a new city. Metrocast is ok, but...the bottom line is they don't compare to Comcast & the other big national players.
Metrocast staff...CSRs, Tech, Support, etc... are amazing, they do all they can to make things right. The issue must be in the wheelhouse where decisions to 'stay mediocre' are being made. I hope upper management sees this too and continues to make strides to offer what the other players offer. Nobody wants to go to a dish, but when there is only one choice in a market for a cable provider...I can see why there are so many dishes stuck on roofs, walls & trees
I hope this review is helpful..
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Review by k9koyote
member for 6.8 years, 94 visits, last login: 52 days ago
lodged 176 days ago
- Mechanicsville,Saint Marys,MD
- $65 per month
- (12 month contract)
- about 4 days
- "Reliable, speed close to advertised"
- "Unreliable hardware, Very poor tech support"
- "Buy your own equipment, know how to fix it yourself, get speakerphone"
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Metrocast is the only cable internet provider in my area. They were quick to install their internet services in my home. Connection rarely goes down once i replaced the modem provided with a surfboard modem from best buy. If you have to call tech support be prepared to be on hold an average of 3 hours (seriously) before you ever get to talk to someone and when you do, no matter what, even if the modem is showing no cable connection, they automatically tell you its your computer causing the problem. Even had an issue where they installed the wrong dslam on my line which was capping me at 256k, they claimed my router to be the problem. Took two days off work calling tech support relentlessly. Finally claimed TV cable to be out so they would send a tech who saw my computer and went to the station, switched out dslam and brought me back up to 7meg. They have the potential to be a great provider.
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Review by hypereall
member for 2 years, 22 visits, last login: 21 days ago
updated 215 days ago
- Tilton,Belknap,NH
- $75 per month
- about 1 days
- "Gamer Package Advertised Speeds 20/2mb pretty sweet!"
- "I am actually only getting 15/1.5mb"
- "Poor quality of service so far! Timeouts, Disconnects and generall Pakcet loss BUT this seems to be related to peak usage hours"
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Overall their gamer package is pretty good , Kinda pricey but for 20/2mb it's not the worst! I do however experience packet loss, lag spikes, timeouts and disconnects. These issues seem to be random and metrocast are saying it is our wiring in the apartment. We are currently pushing for the new wiring to be installed this year in the entire apartment complex.
I can't hold metrocast 100% at fault here as 8/10 I get an awesome connection and game online daily!
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Review by ktt_57
member for 230 days, 27 visits, last login: 6 days ago
updated 230 days ago
- Lexington Park,Saint Marys,MD
- $45 per month
- (12 month contract)
- about 3 days
- "Initially service was occasionally slow, now I average 8Mb at any given time and with virtually no loss of service for months."
- "No complaints from me for well over a year."
- "Having the neighborhood cable box right outside my house might help because my service ROCKS!"
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Two years ago when I initially signed up, it only took three days from when I called to have my bundled service up and running. The installation guys were professional, helpful and took the time to ensure everything was good. They had to come back once to correct an issue where, ironically, my signal was actually too strong (junction box is between my yard and my neighbors).
Over the first few months I had a few problems with speed and a couple connection issues, particularly with the provided email account. However, the company appears to have laid some new lines in my area over the past year and along with whatever other improvements they've made have it where I can't think of any issues worth mentioning AND my speed now averages >= 7Mb consistently with occasional off-peak performance in excess of 9Mb - it smokes!
I'm pretty happy with my internet service - now we need to work on their selection of HD channels  But I'll save that for another review.
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 Review by larrymiller
member for 11.3 years, 526 visits, last login: 138 days ago
updated 234 days ago
- Holly Springs,Marshall,MS
- $50 per month
- about 7 days
- "I like being able to use my own email server again!"
- "The connection to local servers is great! Outside of MS not so good."
- "I am happy. They resolved a connection issue quickly!"
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Speed tests to their servers in Mississippi are AT or ABOVE 7Mb/s!
Plus, they really went out of their way to resolve a connection issue really fast!
I am happy with this provider.
I am also very happy that I can send email from my own server. AT&T makes you use their server to send emails so, if you own a web site, you may want to consider this.
One more thing to consider: With Metrocast, we are not dependent on Memphis for news!
Later.
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Review by js111410
member for 261 days, 5 visits, last login: 238 days ago
lodged 260 days ago
- Shavertown,Luzerne,PA
- $50 per month
- about 3 days
- "I would get 6.5mbps down .49 up."
- "I had to rewire all my cable connections. Metrocast never checked line quality"
- "It is good but 7mbps/512kbs is crap for 50 dollars, but at least they don't oversell their lines like Comcast."
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I am getting tired of these crap plans
$69.95 10/1
$45.95 7/512kbs
$34.95 1/256kbs
these plans just piss me off, every time I look at Verizion fios it keeps looking better and better. Metrocast if you want to keep your customers, i recommend that you upgrade to docsis 3.0 before verizion comes or even google.
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 Review by jrobert69
member for 10.7 years, 4429 visits, last login: 18 days ago
updated 292 days ago
- Rochester,Strafford,NH
- $69 per month
- about 5 days
- "Local Company and Tech support in dslreport forums."
- "They cant get their billing straight/cant fax to numbers I need to using voip"
- "Its worth sticking with"
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What other options did you consider for broadband
Had Verizon, glad they are gone
What SPEED/package did you order, at what monthly price?
6/384 plus TV and Voip service for 142.00month with 2 boxes
How was the order & install process?
Quick and to the point
What brand/model was the supplied equipment
Modem is an ARRIS- Cable boxes Motorola
Cable isnt as clear as Direct TV. 300 dollars in vouchers for Direct TV buy back and 100 for DSL buy back. Never received the 100. Was able to use the entire 300 for one payment. They still dont have my billing cleared up. Three times I called and they were supposed to call me within the hour- nobody responded. I was about to kick them to go back to Direct TV they gave us free HBO and Stars as well as court TV which my wife watches. Newsgroups capped at 2megs down.
Overall-
Its an improvement over verizon.Billing I simply dont pay till they give me a number that makes sense. Their tech support peeps care. The office peeps could do better.
UPDATE 3/27/08
Still cant complain about the Internet. Plus you get support here in the forum.
TV though is another issue- 7/8 months of incorrect billing, they would fix it after a few phone calls it became tiresome and a time consuming monthly headache.Especially when I would do the math pay what I owe and they would shut me off until they realized I didnt actually owe them. The final straw was the mysterious porn charge that showed up one day, apparently me and the family sat down on a Sunday and watched it- or at least ordered it, not likely it could have been ordered by mistake as we use a code for all ppv programs. They refused to remove it from the bill, I refuse to deal with it any longer. Voip service was fine, but if you are not getting it with bundle its over priced for my taste in the era of mobile communications. Nice to deal with local people, to bad they cant add.
Update 4/25/2011
No problems with service worth mentioning. Very stable. Upgraded to the 18/2 plan and is working fine. Use direct tv for viewing pleasure. Vonage plan for voip. Really the most cost effective way to go. Still happy I dont have to deal with Verizon. Not sure what metrocast plans are for the next upgrade, cant imagine its going to be anytime soon. Couple years and they will prob sell the company. Would love to see them laying fiber!
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Review by k1121j
member for 10.2 years, 79 visits, last login: 277 days ago
updated 302 days ago
- Tilton,Belknap,NH
- Contract price not specified.
- about 5 days
- "Slow Speeds"
- "Wish i had Comcast"
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Support stinks
After a number of days of intermittent outages i called metrocrap and they told me that my zoom modem was no longer supported because its not a motorola WTF it that its a docsis modem they are standard tech...furthermore they went on to tell me they had know for a few weeks now. i asked why they did not call and they said they decided that the customers would call when the service did not work
Oh and Metrocast states * "Modem equipment and maintenance fee required, $2.50/mo.(This fee is waived if you own your own Cable Modem)"
****I bought my own modem after the one provided broke and they told me it would be 4 days before i could get a replacement and the bill never went down they just removed the line item and added the cost to the total tried calling support and they gave me nothing bit a run around i have the bills to prove the bill never changed a penny.
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 zii
join:2011-05-19
New London, CT | Re: Wish you had Comcast hahahaha, as if Comcast is ANY better... you ever try getting on the phone with a Comcast rep? Seriously, GOOD LUCK.
I actually rather like Metrocast. I had one of their reps accidentally disconnect on me today while I was trying to get some support and they actually called me back a few minutes later. I didnt even leave my number, they actually searched it by the account and called me. Now that shines to me as good service. | |
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I agree with you
