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Review by MaRViN111 
Posted: 101 days ago
member for 104 days, 24 visits, last login: 60 days ago
 Lufkin,Angelina,TX
 $19 per month (24 month contract)
 about 3 days
 "better than nothing"
 "down load speed is not reliable"
 "not much better than dial-up"
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Download speed is terrible, upload speed seems to be okay. Better than dial-up but not by much. Service was advertised as 3mb/s but only getting maybe on average 200kb/s
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Review by topgun25
UPDATED: 133 days ago
member for 8.8 years, 49 visits, last login: 133 days ago
Cabot,Butler,PA
$14 per month (24 month contract)
about 7 days
"Easy install, fast speed, cheap price"
"None so far"
"Cheaper than cable"
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July 09: When Expediant recently decided to discontinue residential DSL service, we had to find another option. Fortunately, our phone company, Consolidated Communications (formerly NPTCo), was offering a deal on their 3 Mbps plan for $14.95 per month for 24 months. (reverts to $34.95 per month afterwards)
This is ASDL which is supposed to offer 3 Mbps download and 512 upload. So far, the numbers are very close. They provide a Paradyne Zhone 6218 modem / router that also has wireless capability and the necessary phone line filters. You can also get up to 10 email accounts and 250 MB of personal webspace.
Install was a breeze. The only install issue was they were 1 day late in turning it on due to the overwhelming demand to their current promotion. The customer service rep on the phone and in person at their rt 910 location, where I picked up the equipment, were both helpful and very courteous and answered all my questions.
As with my previous DSL modem, there is no on off switch. So we use an under monitor surge protector that has switched outlets on the rear. Have used these for years, works great. In addition to turning your modem off when not in use, you can also turn your sound other items such as an external harddrive off conveniently with a button right in front of you. If you plan to use the wireless feature, it may be a bit of inconvenience but I personally like the ability of turning the modem off when away for the day.
I did have one small issue that was new to me. When a scan of ports was done online, I had some open that were not open before. Simply was the router needing some personalization. I just went in and turned off the unneeded services on the WAN network. But anyone with router experience would probably already know this.
Will post an update after some time with the service. So far so good!
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Review by alexandria21
Posted: 136 days ago
member for 136 days, 0 visits, last login: 136 days ago
Katy,Fort Bend,TX
$50 per month
about 32 days
"They have an office 5 minutes from my house"
"Their customer service representatives are ignorant and unhelpful. Internet itself is a nightmare!"
"Do NOT under any circumstances get involved with Consolidated Communications."
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Consolidated Communications is an unreliable internet service provider. Not only is their internet service undependable, their customer service is terrible. My internet was out for a month straight yet they continued to bill me for service I was not even receiving. After making literally 10 phone calls to the technical service department, I finally convinced them my internet problem could not be fixed remotely and 5 days later, a repair man was out fixing my house, 32 days after I made the first call. After getting my service back up and running, I am now having to convince them not to charge me for the month I had without servi ce. I have tried 5 times to reach the supervisor, Tamara Holland, to waive my past bill and she has yet to call me back. Talk about lousy service, it's inexcusable. I was told she would contact me within 24 hours of receiving my compaint but over 5 days have passed without word. Even as I write this review, my internet has gone out 4 times within the last hour. Talk about a rip off, and they want me to pay for this..you have to be crazy!
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Review by TexasDSL
Posted: 202 days ago
member for 4.4 years, 869 visits, last login: 6 days ago
Montgomery,Montgomery,TX
$49 per month
about 2 days
"Speed is great, 6M means 6M"
"NA at this time"
"Working Great, I am keeping the service"
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I am on the 6M package with their Digital Phone product, VoIP
They gave me a Comtrend WiFi router which seems to be working fine.
During the Ike storm I hooked up my generator to the router and used my laptop to get on line and it worked. They were up when all other services were not. I plugged in my ATA and the phone worked also. Cool.
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Review by wlpeavy
Posted: 284 days ago
member for 2.3 years, 9 visits, last login: 282 days ago
Katy,Harris,TX
Contract price not specified.
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The customer complained her "internet" wasn't working. Her E-MAIL works just fine. DNS searches seem to be working. HTTP appears to be blocked. I've never seen such a thing before. I took her system unit and connected it to a reputable ISP and she got HTTP service immediately. No issues at all. I took it back to her home and reconnected to the phone company DSL modem as before and she gets no HTTP at all.
This is pretty bad folks. She's been complaining about these people forever. In my view, she has just cause.
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Review by Mowergun
UPDATED: 1 year ago
member for 5.7 years, 950 visits, last login: 12 days ago
Charleston,Coles,IL
$14 per month (12 month contract)
about 5 days
"A lot faster than dial up when it works"
"In my first fourteen days service has been down three days and counting"
"Unreliable so far, I hope it gets better"
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I was a Consolidated Communications dial-up customer until DSL finally became available at my location two or three weeks ago. They had an introductory promotion of $14.95 per month for up to 3Mbps service for 12 months. After twelve months the price goes up to $39.95 per month.
My service comes over 3/4 mile of copper line from the terminus of the nearest fiber optic line. My actual speed seems to be just a little less than 1Mbps. That is fantastic compared to the 26,400 bps dial-up service that I had in the past, and I would be very happy if it were reliable. However in the first fourteen days of DSL service, my internet has been out of service for a total of three days and counting in two out-of-service occurrences. It is out of service now, and I am writing this review using dial-up.
Consolidated furnished me with a Consolidated branded modem with wireless capability at no charge, I think it is manufactured by ZHone, and also five phone filters. I installed the hardware myself. Consolidated sales people were friendly and helpful, and tech support (located in Texas) has been friendly and technically knowledgeable.
I am located in a rural area just twenty five miles from Consolidated Communication's corporate headquarters in Mattoon, Illinois and Consolidated Communications is my phone company.
I would be very happy with my Consolidated Communications DSL service if it were as reliable as Dial-up. I have been without service for three+ days out of fourteen so far. I hope it gets better.
Update: My DSL service is still down today, Thursday. This makes four days out of fifteen days and counting. Local Consolidated Communications repair tells me that they will not even start working on DSL outages until Friday or Saturday. Seems they still have telephone no-dial-tone outages that take priority over DSL service from the storm we had on Tuesday of this week. Funny thing is that after the storm Tuesday I still had DSL service for about three hours before it stopped responding.
Update: My DSL service finally came back up around 5:00 P.M. today, Friday. So at this point I have had a total of five days of no service during the first sixteen days of my Consolidated Communications DSL contract.
Update: My DSL service is down again today, Saturday. This makes six days of no service during the first seventeen days of my Consolidated Communications DSL contract.
Today is November 11, 2008. Over the course of the past few months I have found that I lose my DSL service whenever it rains. In addition, there have been outages recently that I understand are due to maintenance and changes being done by Consolidated. Typical day to day speeds have gotten slower than they were when I first got DSL service. In the beginning my wife and I could both watch videos simultaneously on separate machines. Now I can rarely watch a video on one machine without pausing it to allow things to catch up.
Followup comments:  texaschick67
join:2007-05-23
Conroe, TX | Crossing my fingers for Mowergun I wish I could tell you it will get better....but sadly I cant. I have had on again off again service for over a year now. Everyday is a crap shoot to see if I have Internet. | |
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Review by Paramedic
UPDATED: 1.1 years ago
member for 1.4 years, 6 visits, last login: 168 days ago
Katy,Harris,TX
$15 per month (12 month contract)
"Easy to install, fast connection, 24/7 support, excellent personnel, & good sale price."
"High regular prices, modem loses connection, phone interference, newsgroups slow."
"Good speeds, good sale price value, good people. Expect some troubleshooting."
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Review of Consolidated Communications's DSL Service (Katy, Texas)
(Start of service May 13, 2008, submitted review June 13, 2008)
Key words or acronyms:
Consolidated Communications
Katy
Texas
DSL - Data Subscriber Line
VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol, also VOIP
POTS - Plain Old Telephone Service, also PoTS
modem - shortened from modulate, demodulate
VCR - Video Cassette Recorder
TV - Television
ADSL - Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line, also DSL
ADSL2+ - "2+" is a newer generation of DSL and/or modem
RJ-11 or RJ-45 - Registered Jack, size 11 or 45
CD-ROM - Compact Disk-Read Only Memory, also CD
Zhone - a brand of modem
Paradyne - a brand of modem
drivers - software for the operating system allowing specific devices to
work with the system
USB - Universal Serial Bus
LAN - Local Area Network
NIC - Network Interface Card
Mbps - Megabits per second, used for transmission speeds in a network or
in internal circuits.
MBps - Megabytes per second, used for disk and tape transfer ratings
bit - either a 0 or 1, which is the smallest measured unit in computing,
shortened from binary digit
Byte - measured unit in computing consisting of eight bits
surf, surfing the Web/Internet - viewing sites or pages on the World
Wide Web, also Net
FTP - File Transfer Protocol
e-mail - electronic mail, also email
IP - Internet Protocol
UPS - uninterruptible power supply
First Contact
My initial calls to Consolidated Communications were for detailed
information regarding the "data subscriber line" (DSL) service. I
needed clarification for issues surrounding the various bundles offered
by the company. The discussions were in-depth and both calls were
lengthy, because of the technical nature of the services. Although I
cannot remember the first representative's name, the second
representative's name was Brenda, but both personnel were based in the
Conroe office. They were extremely helpful, professional, and patient.
Several of my concerns regarded the benefits and pitfalls of changing to
a "digital telephone service," i.e., "voice over Internet protocol"
(VoIP) compared to the "plain old telephone service" (POTS), which is
analog. Eventually, I chose to remain on POTS and use the separate
three megabit DSL plan. I have family in Canada, but Canada and "10-10"
numbers are blocked on the digital telephone service. So, I chose to
stay with POTS. Besides, to use the digital telephone service (VoIP),
they would have to re-wire the house in order for all the jacks to be
active (a $40 extra, one-time fee). If only one jack was to be used,
then the house would not need re-wiring. However, we use three
telephones in the house. In addition, if I re-wired the house to
digital jacks, and then wanted to return to POTS in the future, I would
have to re-wire the house again.
Various consumer reviews on the Web have been critical of Consolidated
Communications's DSL service, mostly in Illinois and Conroe, Texas. In
the Katy, Texas area, the lines were once owned by Fort Bend
Communications Company, but then sold to TXU, and sold again to
Consolidated Communications. I had DSL service with Fort Bend
Communications Company many years ago, and did not suffer any problems.
Since certain reviews were critical, I had some trepidation, even though
I had good service with a previous owner. Apparently, the equipment and
lines in my area are quite different than the Conroe, Texas (Montgomery
County) area. I don't know which company built the telephone lines in
Conroe. Since I had good DSL service previously, I decided to take a
chance with Consolidated Communications.
The representatives told me the DSL service technicians would need three
full "business days" to program their system. Actually, I don't believe
it takes three days of constant programming to update the service, but
rather that my account was in queue for updating the information.
Surely, the programming would only take a few minutes. Since I placed
the order on Thursday morning, the clock started ticking Friday.
Saturday and Sunday don't count as part of the usual business week, so
Tuesday was the expected date of service. It seems like a long time to
wait in this "instant everything" world, but it is a manpower issue.
In the meantime, I was instructed to pick up the necessary modem (short
for modulate, demodulate) from the local Katy, Texas office. Hence,
self-install was expected, though not required. Minimal technical
knowledge is required to install the modem, similar to connecting any
electronic device, but easier than connecting a videocassette recorder
(VCR) to a television (TV).
Second Contact
Upon arrival at the local Katy office, two customer service
representatives greeted me in a friendly and polite manner. Each
representative was eager to assist me, which was very refreshing. One
person was doing double-duty as an operator; the other person was
working with a computer. They both answered my several questions and
provided me with detailed account information, helpful Web sites, and
any modem and software settings for specialized software, e.g.,
newsgroups or e-mail programs. No special settings are required to just
browse the Web or check e-mail on-line with your browser. However, to
download e-mail using a program like Outlook Express, you must enter a
minimal amount of data. The information needed to make the settings is
also listed on a Consolidated Web page. The Web page is listed in the
detailed pamphlet found in the box containing the modem. In addition,
the representatives provided me with a document listing the Web sites,
just to be sure I knew where to go for help. Each customer service
representative was very pleasant and answered all my follow-up questions
perfectly.
They handed me a small box, which contained the ADSL2+ modem, three
telephone filters, a standard telephone cord (RJ-11 (4 pronged), or
registered jack-11), a "category-5 Ethernet patch cable" (RJ-45 or
registered jack-45), a power cord, an installation pamphlet, and an
optional compact disk (CD-ROM). The supplied CD is not required and
contains the manual for the Zhone modem. Software drivers (Windows) for
the Zhone modem's universal serial bus (USB) connection are included on
the disk, but 99% of us will use the local area connection (LAN) with
the RJ-45 patch cable, not the USB connection. Besides, Consolidated
does not include the USB cable in the box. Therefore, there is no need
to install anything from the CD: no drivers, no software, and no
settings information. The CD is to be used only as a guide for the
Zhone (or Paradyne) modem, although one should not make any changes to
the modem settings, unless directed by technical support. It is
intended for advanced users or for the curious person to peruse only.
Therefore, make no changes to the modem! Use the directions in the
pamphlet. The pamphlet has clear, concise instructions and is all you
need to get a successful installation.
Installation
Installation is fairly "low-tech," i.e., very easy. The modem uses an
ordinary telephone cord to connect from the telephone wall jack to the
modem's "line" connection. The "line" moniker is referring to the
telephone company's line into the house. The modem has an optional
"phone" connection to connect your telephone directly to the modem, if
desired. The direct "phone" connection does not require one of the
supplied filters. (Information about the filters is found below.) The
supplied RJ-11 telephone cord has four prongs in the connector. You can
see the four shiny prongs in the transparent connector, if you look
closely. I took the hint and used the cord, because some extra
telephone cords you might already possess could have only two prongs.
Next, I attached the Ethernet cable to the LAN connection on the modem
and to the network interface card (NIC) in the computer. Besides all
the connections, a tiny reset button is located on the modem. The
entire set-up was pretty easy. This type of installation is different
than the old-style DSL connections that required a technician to wire
the house for a DSL line and RJ-45 wall jack. It is so much simpler
today.
The three filters used for telephones are necessary to block
interference from the modem, which shares the same line. For
clarification, I only have one telephone number (or line) for my house.
My cordless telephone and a couple of speaker-phones all required the
filters, especially for the person on the other end of the call.
Interference on my end was only noticeable with the cordless phone and
one of the speaker-phones. However, the person to whom I placed a call
stated all telephones were an issue, unless the filters were used.
**Please note** One of the loose pages of information that comes in the
box warns about the use of this type of modem and security systems for
the house. Security systems often use the same telephone line, so be
aware the modem (or wireless modem) may interfere with any security
system sharing the line. Contact your security company, if you use one.
The same applies if you change to a digital telephone system.
Once the modem was installed, I just had to wait for the service account
to be programmed at the telephone company. I would know when the
service was ready when the indicator lights for "Activity" and "Status"
began to blink on the modem. If only the power and LAN lights were lit,
the service was not yet ready. The power light indicates you plugged
the power cord into the power outlet; the LAN light indicates you
connected the Ethernet cable to your computer. You have to wait until
the other lights show your modem is ready to connect to the Internet.
The USB light remains unlit, which is normal.
Operation and Technical Support
Exactly three business days later, the service was turned on at 08:15
a.m. So, they delivered their DSL service on time, as promised. I was
actually engaged in a telephone conversation when the line suddenly went
dead. I suspected Consolidated was turning on the DSL service at that
time. I was correct, because the modem's indicators were now showing a
green status light and blinking activity light. Telephone service
resumed within minutes. I tested the line speed and was pleasantly
surprised at the quality of speed. I was receiving about 90% to 100% of
the advertised speed of three megabits per second (Mbps). By the way, a
lower case "b," in Mbps refers to the amount of megabits per second and
is used for transmission speeds in a network or in internal circuits.
With a capital "B," as in "Bytes" (not bits), MBps means megabytes per
second and is used for disk and tape transfer ratings.
Web surfing was fast and downloading Firefox and Opera went very
quickly. Firefox and Opera are browsers like Internet Explorer. Web
surfing and the file transfer protocol (FTP) within the browser went
well, so I decided to try newsgroups using a "newsgroup reader." With
newsgroups, I hit a snag, literally and figuratively. The connection to
the newsgroups was about as slow as dial-up, yikes! It worked, but it
was slow. I tried everything to make the connection to newsgroups
faster, to no avail. So, I called technical support and hit another
snag. The gentleman, John, was very polite and professional. He had
excellent conversational skills, but was unable to assist me in my
newsgroups issue. In short, it was not his fault; it was due to a lack
of training by Consolidated. Unfortunately, when it was confirmed he
was unaware how to address the issue, he should have referred me to a
more highly trained individual for a resolution. Instead, he just
stated that he was sorry that he couldn't help me and wished me a
pleasant day.
(Update: Newsgroup service has been discontinued as of 10-18-08.)
Undaunted, I called the sales office personnel, with whom I spoke in my
second contact. Betty answered my call and suggested a conference call
with technical support. She was very, very helpful. Within minutes,
Betty called back using a conference call to assist. Included on the
call was a young man named Stan. Stan was very honest, polite, and
helpful. He checked the newsgroup servers, but was unable to connect at
all. So, he stated he would get someone on the issue and have another
person contact me. He was unsure about the time-line of the next call,
but stated it would be someone with sufficient technical expertise to
either resolve the issue or answer my questions about newsgroups, e.g.,
whether their newsgroup servers were slower than their Web servers.
Later that day, my modem went "off-line" for about an hour. However, we
were back "on-line" within minutes and surfing resumed at the same fast
speeds.
The next day, my modem lost the connection again for a short while.
Once I was back "on-line," surfing resumed normally. Newsgroup speeds
were better than they were previously, but still far slower than DSL
speeds allow. It was somewhat faster than dial-up. Eventually, a lady
named Ann called me to address the newsgroup issue. I was pleasantly
surprised that their follow-up on the issue was excellent. The lady was
courteous, professional, and confident in her abilities. She stated
clearly that there was an issue with newsgroups, but it was corrected.
She further stated their newsgroup servers are slower than the Web
servers, due to the fact their newsgroup servers are old and are a lower
priority. She stated most customers surf the Web, but only a few people
still use newsgroups. She was an excellent resource and very
informative. Thus, I would have to rate their follow-up on issues high,
their courteousness high, and their professionalism high. However, if
newsgroups are important to you, then expect far slower speeds than
ordinary Web surfing or FTP through your browser. On the plus side,
newsgroups appear updated well with few fragments. The headers seem to
download more slowly than the files, but both are slower than expected.
Another minor issue was discovered with certain telephones in the house.
One of the speaker-phones had low-level static in the speaker-phone and
the handset. Conversations were still easy to hear, but the static was
clearly caused by the new modem, despite the use of the filter. If I
removed the filter, then the static was much worse. This telephone
appears to be the only telephone that exhibited the problem, but it is
still quite usable. If the modem was unplugged, the static
disappeared.
I continue to use my dial-up account with another provider for
electronic mail (e-mail). Dial-up speeds were slower (46k), once the DSL
service came "on-line." If the telephone line into the DSL modem is
disconnected and routed back to the dial-up modem in my old computer,
and the DSL modem is turned off, then dial-up speeds return to
normal--almost. Filters do not seem to help dial-up modems. Unplugging
the DSL modem's power cord is not sufficient. If the telephone line is
still connected to the DSL modem, it seems to rob the signal strength
away from the dial-up modem. You must disconnect the telephone line
cord from the DSL modem and reconnect it to your dial-up connection.
Therefore, if you continue to use your dial-up modem, no telephone line
should be connected to the DSL modem (unless the dial-up modem is using
a different telephone number). Even if you take all these measures, my
dial-up modem speeds are frequently 46k, rather than the 49k or 53k
prior to DSL installation. Further, I have noticed that if the DSL
modem is still connected to the telephone line and powered, the DSL
modem stops working when you use your dial-up modem. Hence, they do not
seem compatible for simultaneous use.
Also on the third day, the DSL system went down, again. I re-booted my
computer several times, unplugged the modem, re-booted a few more times,
waited three hours for the system to come "on-line," but to no avail. I
finally called technical support and Oscar quickly and efficiently
diagnosed the problem. He suggested using the reset button, then
re-booting the computer again. Finally, we were back in business.
Oscar was very good.
The DSL service I use has a dynamic Internet protocol (IP) address.
Thus, since I turn off the DSL modem when not in use, it receives a new
IP address upon regaining power. The average residential user need not
be concerned with the IP address. It is simply an electronic routing
number given to the DSL modem when a connection is made to the company's
server. It is transparent to 99% of us and is not a concern.
Summary
The installation was easy and quick. Contact with company personnel was
mostly excellent. The modem has no "off" switch nor does it have a
"stand-by" switch. Temporarily halting Internet access can be done via
the operating system by disabling the "local area network" connection in
the Control Panel. You can also disconnect the LAN cable, the telephone
cord, or unplug the power plug from the back of the modem. The plastic
clips that hold the Ethernet cable and telephone cords into the modem
are weak and will eventually break off, if you depress them many times.
Therefore, it may be better to temporarily disable the LAN connection
through "Network Connections" in Control Panel or just unplug the power
cord from the DSL modem. However, after using the modem for weeks, I
really wish it had an easily accessible "off" switch, as well as a
"stand-by" switch. Temporarily halting the service is often preferred
when installing software, especially firewalls and anti-virus programs.
Further, static in the telephones clears when the modem is turned off.
Unplugging the DSL modem, switching off the surge protector (if
utilized), or using an optional uninterruptible power supply (UPS) are
alternative ways to turn off the DSL modem. Overall, it was an easy
set-up. Once connected to the Internet, DSL speeds are very fast.
Newsgroups are far slower than expected, although Web surfing and FTP
are fast. Minor issues occurred with the telephones, but were
corrected. Dial-up modems are affected with regard to their connection
speed, but the issue can be corrected. While using DSL, a dynamic IP
address is expected and normal. One should learn to do a small amount
of troubleshooting on your own, prior to calling technical support. You
can't imagine how embarrassed I felt when the solution to my modem
problem was as simple as pressing the reset button for several seconds.
One would think that unplugging the unit would be sufficient, but
apparently not. So, when you cannot connect to the Web, make sure your
LAN connection is enabled. If it is enabled, try disabling the LAN
connection in Network Connections (Control Panel) and then re-enabling
it. Disabling and enabling the LAN connection will correct the faulty
connection most of the time. The maneuver seems to synchronize the
modem with Windows. If that doesn't work, then unplug the power cord
from the modem, wait 15-20 seconds and plug it in again. You might even
try re-booting the computer, if necessary. If those attempts fail,
press the reset button on the DSL modem for a few seconds and then
release it. Wait for all the lights to appear. The "status" light, and
especially the "activity" light, may take up to 50 seconds to appear.
Addendum
After one month of service, I am very happy with the DSL service and I
would recommend it to my neighbors. The connections are very good the
overwhelmingly, vast majority of the time. However, any disruption in
service is irritating, but the actual loss of service time is small.
Our perception of "down time" is magnified by any frustration caused by
the many variables causing the outage, which are all technical in
nature. Plus, we just hate it when things don't work properly,
especially when we are paying for it. For example, the modem's
occasional inability to stay synchronized with either Windows or the
server is bothersome. Disabling and enabling the LAN connection seems
to re-synchronize the modem with Windows most of the time. I cannot
emphasize this point enough. This type of connection loss is with the
operating system and the modem, not necessarily Consolidated's servers.
For those times when the above action does not work, powering off the
modem is the next step to re-establish a connection with the server,
Windows, or both of them. Lost connections have occurred several times
in the last four weeks. Modems have always been notorious for
communication issues. Thus, they are the "weak link" in the system.
However, one outage was particularly long. The confirmed outage
occurred on Memorial Day, which lasted for a couple of hours. Contact
with technical support on the Memorial Day holiday was quick and easy.
Consolidated confirmed the outage was with their servers. You have to
give them credit for being honest, because other companies seem less
willing to accept the blame and tend to blame the problem on the
consumer's computer. Consolidated stated the issue would be resolved
quickly. Despite the holiday, they were diligent in repairing the
problem in a little over two hours. It was the only time I observed a
problem with Consolidated's server equipment. Usually, any momentary
stoppage can be easily corrected on my computer, or with the DSL modem.
More problems occurred with connections in the first three days than the
last three weeks. At sale prices, the service is well worth it.
However, if the monthly rate for 3 megabits goes higher, then perhaps
looking for other alternatives is in order. By the way, billing is
prorated for any service you receive prior to your normal billing cycle.
So, if you sign up in the middle of the month, that portion is added to
your next bill, which includes the normal charges for the following
month. So, since Consolidated bills in advance, any portion of new
service in the current month is added to the next bill, which already
has the next full month's amount. So, the closer to your billing cycle
your additional service begins, the smaller the prorated increase. The
second billing month will reflect more normal charges. Anita in the
billing department makes it so easy to understand.
Addendum 2 (October 16, 2008 - 5 months later)
Service is great several months later. The original problem with lost signals was traced to a bad port on their end. Once they reassigned my connection to a new port, I have had zero problems with the service or connection. For the past 3-4 months, service is exceptional.
Pros
Easy to install
Company personnel contact very good
Follow-up contact is great
Courteous, professional people
Connection speed is excellent
Dependable connection
24/7 support
Quick to repair server problems
Sale prices decent
Cons
No "stand-by" or "off" switch on modem
Modem interferes with security systems and telephones, even using
filters
Not compatible with dial-up modems on additional computers
Newsgroups discontinued as of 10-18-08
Service disruptions occur, but are short lived
Modem loses connection occasionally, though not since new port assignment
Regular prices too high
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Review by mtaylor_lrim
Posted: 1.8 years ago
member for 7.9 years, 55 visits, last login: 1.7 years ago
Montgomery,Montgomery,TX
 Business customer
$95 per month
 Digital
"Avoid unless there is no other choice."
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Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
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Consolidated has no idea what customer service or emerging technologies. They care nothing about upload speeds and little about download speeds. They cater to metro areas.
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Review by Sajuuk2
Posted: 1.9 years ago
member for 3.2 years, 1 visits, last login: 1.9 years ago
Conroe,Montgomery,TX
$50 per month (month by month)
about 4 days
"99% up time"
"Random 1 second iterupts, slow service, list go on and on."
"This is last resort only."
| Pre Sales information:
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I have used this company since the day they offered DSL in my area and I make a point to look for new service every moth or so. Over the years and the past 3 name changes I have never seen an improvement in any area of service.
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Review by texaschick67
UPDATED: 1.9 years ago
member for 2.5 years, 27 visits, last login: 38 days ago
Conroe,Montgomery,TX
$65 per month (12 month contract)
about 21 days
"None"
"The list could go on and on"
"Consolidated sucks pure and simple! Run people RUN!!!"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
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The people are rude, the service (if you want to call it that) is unreliable. They lie about pricing. They offer no installation. You have to pick up your own equipment at only one location that may be nowhere near you. By far my "service" with them has been the worst I have ever experienced and what's worse is since it is your only option they have you over a barrel and they know it and treat their customers like dirt. It is so bad I will probably move ASAP just to get a new ISP/Phone company, it is that bad.
Now 8 months later, I am on my 3rd router and I have been with little to no service for 3 weeks and counting. I am told everyday that someone will be here to service my ticket but no one ever shows up. The next time I call I am told my "issue" has been resolved and I have to put in yet another trouble ticked. I have been told for over 6 months that the problem is they are building a new tower/building....My question is, just how long does it take to build this building???
I am now paying almost $70 a month for their "fastest" package and my fastest download speed to date is 974kbps but on an average it is usually under 300.
The worst part of all of this is I have Vonage so no Internet means no phone and cell phones don't work here either so I hope I never have an emergency because I would be unable to call 911. Strangely Consolidated does not view this as any big deal. They are the only provider in my area for Internet, Phone and cable so after seeing what a sorry excuse of a company they are and their poor service I use Vonage for my phone and Dish Network for cable as I refuse to give them another penny of my money.
Besides, the services and features I get with Vonage for less than $30 a month Consolidated would charge me almost $100....It's a no-brainer.
Followup comments: | | mcsetech
join:2007-11-15
| Re: Consolidated Communications- poorest service ever I, too, am using Consolidated DSL. I use it in Illinois. I left Charter over bad customer support and walked into one that was even worse! As long as you can reach SpeakEasy for a speed test, Consolidated is going to tell you that you have no problem on their end. After 10 hours of "tech support" and now being on my 4th Zone modem, I can't wait for my year commitment to be over. Consolidated has a LOT of dropouts!! How bad? I have People PC dialup just in case I need to get to eBay with Consolidated being down. I'm a power seller there. If you have a good option, go with anyone else! | |
| | workhorse
join:2007-12-13
Montgomery, TX
| I have been with Consolidated for a few years. Unfortunately it is the ONLY phone and ISP in my area. They charge way too much for service. I have both personal and business connection. Consolidated charges more for Business services, with a promise of fast technical response. I live less than 1 mile from the switch house and have connection problems often. Tech support used to be fair, but lately they seem to have a bad attitude. The Modems provided are junk. I have replaced the House modem twice and the office modem 3 times. Today I spent hours on the phone with Microsoft, and Dell tech support, after Consolidated insisted that my problem was either my network card or some other software keeping me from internet. Turn out it was the modem AGAIN. Thanks DELL! Avoid if you can.  | |
| | texaschick67
join:2007-05-23
Conroe, TX
 ·Consolidated Commu..
| I have had little to no service for 3 weeks now and just like you I cant get anyone to show up. Every time I call back I'm told my issue has been resolved even though no one ever came and I have to start over with another new trouble ticket.
You are so lucky you have other options, I dont. | |
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| Forums » comments on review of Consolidated Communications |
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Consolidated Communications- poorest service ever
Consolidated Communications has a bad service problem- and poor attitude starting with its Chairman of the Board! Have had their Tv and DSL service for a few months and starting from installation have had so many "bugs" that I was pulling my hair out. Today, the TV service went out at 6:30am. Called their "support" who said they would have to send someone out asking " what time will you be there?" I said 10am-12 noon. Of course, no one came. I called again, and they said "will be there no later than tomorrow." LOL I talked to so many people till I got blue in the face. I even tried calling the Chairman of this ill gotten company. Of course he didn't have the guts to call back. Finally, when I talked of throwing the equipment into the street after 8 hours of waiting- they had two techs AND a supervisor show up to get the equipment. I will be replacing everything "Consolidated" with other service ASAP. Anyone thinking of using Consolidated- BEWARE!