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Review by djl39 See Profile

  • Location: Katonah, Westchester, NY, USA
  • Cost Contract price not specified.
  • Telco party NorthPoint
  • CLEC party: Verizon
good presales
6 months before they say they cannot provide service
Dont even think about using Megapath
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Tech Support:
Value for money:

I placed my order for 144/144 IDSL on April 6, 2000 and after nearly six months I am told they cannot provide service to me with no reason provided. Instead of trying to figure what the problems was, they just cancelled my order. Customer service has been prompt but useless. I had to beg them to call northpoint to resolve certain issues which they insisted on resolving themselves which they never could. Eventually they had to call northpoint



Here is a short breakdown of how they spent their precious six months:

The first 3 months were spent figuring out where I lived. After sending them two copies of my phone bill they finally noticed something fishy was going on and decided to call someone at Bell and found out I was incorrectly listed in Bell's computer as living in the town next to me. 3 months to figure out they had the wrong town name!! 3 months!!!

2 months after i signed up I started calling them to see what was going on. This is the only reason they found out I was incorrectly listed. Since then I have made weekly calls to push them. I finally got a scheduled install date about 4 months after I signed up, of course it was during the verizon strike so no one came. I even called Megapath to remind them about the strike, but they still were convinced that someone was coming, so I stayed home and missed a day of work for nothing.

So the strike ended and they continued to promise me the world, telling me to hold on while Verizon gets caught up. Yah right!?! I know I should have kept a detailed log of every phone call I made so I could properly display their total incompetence, but I was trying to reduce the extruciating pain I was in, not recall it.

Well at this point I'm going to start shoping around and see who else can promise be the world and deliver me headaches. I hope you all don't have these horrendous nightmares thats I have had.

Please for the love of god....don't use Megapath

member for 23.5 years, 47 visits, last login: 5.2 years ago
lodged 23.5 years ago


Hayward0
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium Member
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL

Hayward0

Premium Member

Well according to the user ratings...

You have been through hell with the highest rated ISP...
So GOOD LUCK!!! BA/Version can even screw up even the best of them.
--
-Hayward
»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West)

MENINBLK
Premium Member
join:2000-01-25
Yonkers, NY

MENINBLK

Premium Member

It isn't MegaPath's Fault

You really shouldn't blame MegaPath for everything. They have just as much control over the situation as you do.

I placed my SDSL Order with MegaPath on April 19th. I live in Yonkers, near the Raceway. I didn't get turned on until September 5th. I didn't have the headaches you are having with Verizon, my headaches were with NorthPoint, and MegaPath couldn't do anything other then bug NorthPoint, everytime I bugged MegaPath.

If it wasn't for the competency of the Customer Service reps, I wouldn't have stayed around and waited for them to get things straightened out for me. I have gotten offers from AT&T and CableVision, to get my OPTIMIZED Online connection via Cable, but I want more than 128k upload speed.

You won't get service better than MegaPath. You'll only get what you pay for, and considering that Dial up service is $22/month, for *little* or NO support, for another $20 a month, you get a faster line, and the same level of *little* or NO support.

Pete...
--
Pete Romano
promano@email.msn.com

jseymour8
join:2000-07-29

jseymour8

Member

Something Not Right With This Story

Something doesn't sound at all right with this accounting. Yes, I can believe that you might have had to give MegaPath a call now and then to get status updates. And I can certainly believe that Northpoint was remiss. But the address info being wrong is an issue with Northpoint and Verizon, not MegaPath. Mostly Verizon. MegaPath can only go by what Northpoint says. And Northpoint can only go by what Verizon says.

In my experience, it's unlikely that MegaPath called Verizon directly. There are contracts between ISPs (e.g.: MegaPath) and CLECs (e.g.: Northpoint), and between CLECs and ILECs (e.g.: Verizon). If what I learned is any guide: those contracts generally prohibit "customers of customers" (in this case: MegaPath and Verizon) from communicating directly with each other about an order. In other words: anything that MegaPath told you about order status came directly from Northpoint. Who, in turn, had to have gotten it from Verizon.

I'm not saying MegaPath is perfect. Nobody is perfect. But in my personal experience: MegaPath is pretty damn good. In fact: in the some 25+ years I've been dealing with vendors, both in my personal life and in business, few have impressed me with quality-of-service as has MegaPath.

Yes, my ISP is MegaPath. And yes, my install was hell. But it wasn't MegaPath's fault. And no: I'm not arguing that MegaPath is a good ISP because they're my ISP. On the contrary: MegaPath is my ISP because they're a damn good ISP!

You've been through... something (I'd say "hell", but something doesn't ring quite true with this story, I'm sorry), with perhaps the best DSL ISP in the business. Good luck finding better elsewhere.

tommy3rd
I Am Nuckin Futs
Premium Member
join:2000-03-10
Clifton, NJ

tommy3rd

Premium Member

ever wonder...

There are reasons why megapath users like me start defending Megapath when someone gives them a bad review. I don't work for the company nor do I get paid by the company.
I just think Megapath is the best DSL company out there. Sure, i had to call them a few times during the install process, but i'm not blaming them for that. I'm in Bell Atlantic/Verizon region, so i was expecting delays. I expected the delays because i did my homework and read through the reviews here and found out how bad verizon/BA really are when it comes to installations.
I've had Megapath for 4 months now and i've only had 1 two hour outage. When they tell you they will call back, they really do. If you wish to go with another company then good luck. Some of us who decided to stick with megapath are very happy with the service.

Review by primortal0 See Profile

  • Location: Clifton, Passaic, NJ, USA
  • Cost: $69 per month
  • Telco party Verizon
  • CLEC party: NorthPoint
MegaPath Great Service
Bell Atlantic SUCKS!
Bell Atlantic Needs A Reality Check!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:

Back in April I order DSL for home from MegaPath. My first order was lost do
to NorthPoint back office restructuring. My order was resubmitted. On 7/3 my
order was cancelled do to this response from BA 'They are claiming they do not
have the facilities to provision the order at this time.' This raises my
furstration to no end. The response from BA tells me that they are lazy and do
not want to do the circuit change. I don't understand what provisions. It is
just a circuit change and test. MegaPath has been GREAT in trying to help push
this order through, but BA is being a complete pain in the ass. Now I have to
keep trying every other month to see if the job goes through. To boot BA does
not sevice my area yet with DSL. They tell me sometime towards the end of the
year before (more likely sometime NEXT year) they will be able to deliver DSL
to my house.

9/18/2000 UPDATE
It been close to 9 months and Bell Atlantic/Verizon has finally agreed to install my DSL. BA came out to my apartmnet on 9/11 to check my lines and once again today/tomorrow. Got my fingers crossed. Will keep this post updated as events happen.

member for 23.8 years, 327 visits, last login: 18.8 years ago
updated 23.5 years ago

System

Anon

Spoon fed child

Perhaps you should not be so quick to eat every piece of sh#% that Mega Path feeds you about not being able to provision you a line. Circuit change? Their explanation shows that they know about as much about DSL line provisioning as you do. Perhaps Mega Path can serve you better if they build their own CO, then we here at BA can start to reciprocate the fact that they blame every shortcomming they have on us.

Anon

BA and the art of eating sh#% with a spoon...

LMAO!!

My gawd, this dialogue is too good. A pissed off DSL customer and a pissed off BA representative - what could be better?!? BUAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA

Love it.

tommy3rd
I Am Nuckin Futs
Premium Member
join:2000-03-10
Clifton, NJ

tommy3rd to Anon

Premium Member

to Anon

Re: Spoon fed child

Bell Atlantic is just slow when it comes to provisioning lines and completing circuits needed for dsl, especially when there's trouble with the lines (loadcoils,bad NID, etc.) Granted, some field engineers do care and try their best to fix the problem. i came accross a special services engineer who cared enough to call back and explain to me the problem when he couldn't get the line "cleared" for dsl even after a couple days of trying.
System

to Anon

Anon

to Anon

Re: BA is of the devil!!!!

If this isnt the kettle calling the pot black. Bell atlantic is without question the worst DSL isp available. before you start passing judgmenent on others maybe. Get your shit together and fix my service. thatd be nice. Ive had BA DSL since February. Ive avtually been able to use it almost a month and a half in that entire time. Yeah its time to change. I wish everyone would drop BA.
Morons reading from some bad technical support book. 1/2 dont sprak with such a strong accent.You cant understand a fucking word their saying. there are some decent folk there and I hope they get paid well cause "hey Im no religious man here but" BA is of the Devil. A bad one........

to Anon

Anon

to Anon

Re: you MUST be kidding....

I've been a megapath customer for 5 or 6 months now.

They have been INSTRUMENTAL in pushing for information from you Bell Atlantic sloths. You idiots canceled installing my line 3 times before FINALLY making it out to my house to install a pair. Then you took ANOTHER 3 weeks sending techs over trying to figure out why I couldn't sync. Then you spent ANOTHER few weeks bitching at the people who worked in the CO.

With the way Megapath treats its customers, there is NO WAY I could believe that it's MEGAPATH that's full of $hit. They have done everything 100% right since I put in the order.

Bell Atlantic. Slower than a nudist climbing a barbed wire fence.

Anon

I'm no friend of BA, but ...

Megapath does tend to blame everything on everyone
else. I've had no problems with BA. All my problems stem from Megapaths inept communication with its partners.

Anon

Re: I'm no friend of BA, but ...

Ummmmm, yea. Like YOU don't work for the Telephone company.....riiiiiiiiiight, dude.

Think about it: If BA (or whoever) can get a line provisioned, WHAT then is likely to stop or prevent Megapath from getting their DSL up at that point? Almost nothing. Not to mention that they will earn your MONEY. Is that incentive for Megapath or what? What's the Telcos incentive?

On the other hand, it Megapath (or whoever) cannot get the phone company to even provision the line for DSL, WHOSE FAULT IS IT? Megapaths? LOL...

Phone companies don't give a flying f#$k about going that extra effort to provision for a CLEC. Only thing they're afraid of is the Public Utilities Commission if they become too big of pricks. Just like BA.

Anon

Re: I'm no friend of BA, but ...

No Tommy, I don't work for a telco :P.

I've had a similiar experience with Megapath. I ordered in late April, and had the same "back-office" software problem. Before Megapath admitted this "back-office" problem with Northpoint they told me that the problem was BA needed to change a port in the CO to iDSL, and that was the hold up - THEY LIED!!

Now I've had my line tagged by BA, and I was told by the BA tech. that everything was ready for Northpoint. I waited a week and got no IW date. I called Megapath, and they tell me that the line is not ready - "ports and pairs have not been assigned". WTF are they talking about?!?! I have a line just waiting to be activated. Megapath says they will have to wait for BA to straighten it out - yea right.

Don't get me wrong Tommy. I think that Megapath is the best DSL ISP out there. I'm sure that once you get service it's great. I just think this blame game is lame. I just want the truth.

Again, I'm not a fan of BA, but the bottom line is that they did their job for me in a timely manner.

Anon

Re: I'm no friend of BA, but ...

Sounds like you got a load of horse turd from someone. Sorry to hear about that.

Hopefully you didn't take anything I wrote personally. You're just the first one I've heard in a long while that said the local telco was flawless and the ISP was to blame. That suprised me. They did their job on time and professional? Damn, brother, crack open a beer and enjoy that rarity. I have yet to see that.

Anon

Re: I'm no friend of BA, but ...

I didn't take it personal. You were just expressing your opinion, and that what this forum is all about!!

I can fully understand your distrust of my post. Especially since it was a positive one about BA. That's definitely not the norm.

Some weird stuff - I just now got a call from Megapath telling me that they got the problem cleared up. I should get scheduled for IW by tomorrow!

I'll will crack open many beers if all goes well with the IW. It's been a long, long wait.

Good luck to you and all Megapath Customers.

cbolon1
join:1999-11-30
Brookline, MA

cbolon1 to Anon

Member

to Anon
Northpoint is well known to have had a severe problem with software that keeps track of DSLAM ports and wire pairs to subscriber locations. Apparently, this problem was finally solved the third week of August. Before this was fixed, Northpoint lost track of many orders and turned down other business, telling potential customers that it lacked equipment capacity. For a well documented example, see the report at http://www.dslreports.com/comments/495/10#2.

Now this is the CLEC that Verizon bought (most of). With Verizon already king of Turkey Hill, what's in the future?

--
Business DSL, servers and clients
System

to Anon

Anon

to Anon
dude, you should quit while you're (not) ahead.
It's SO blatantly obvious that you are BA.
shut up already.

Anon

Re: I'm no friend of BA, but ...

I HATE BA!!!!
I don't even have DSL. I do however work for a communications company and can attest that BA is by far the worst I have ever seen!
(I work on a daily basis with EVERY LEC in the country).

Nothing on this board surprises me.
All I can say is, "Trust your ISP if they say BA is to blame".

On a positive note:
BA runs ALOT smoother on strike.
The managers don't know as much as some of the techs, but they will make sure that you are happy. This is very untrue of the BA techie "I checked my part, I know its broke further down the line... You need to open a new ticket to have that portion checked."

Tell me I'm lying.....
Anyone??
Quote from above:
"Bueller? Bueller? Anyone??"

Peace
Commotech

to Anon

Anon

to Anon
Funny, when I was being handheld through my problems with everyone else besides megapath, my tech rep was INSTANT MESSAGING people at Northpoint asking them what was up.

Megapath doesn't place blame where blame doesn't exist. Believe me, BA has TONS of issues. I had their DSL service and it was horrible. I expected their line provisioning to be just the same. Horrible.

Review by kraz2 See Profile

  • Location: San Rafael, Marin, CA, USA
  • Cost: $129 per month
  • Install: about 21 days
  • Telco party SBC
Speed trained and locked - don't have to worry about speed testing these guys
A little bumpy on the install
A solid DSL provider, look no further for your business needs
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:

I ordered 416/SDSL for $129 per month. Timing for installation was great. Northpoint did their job (a little late because they got lost) and was out in less than 1 hour. Netopia 7100 router - worth the money. Don't skimp on capital costs. Netopia also provided outstanding startup and support help. Their staff are friendly and well versed in configuring their routers. A few bumps in the road on our end, we have a unix based server that wants to be the dhcp server and doen't like sharing the lan with the netopia router. Not really an issue for the ISP but none the less it shut down our lan for a few days while we sorted out who was going to be doing the dhcp'ing around here. After that Megapath has been great. It is a solid connection worth the price and reliability for a small business operation. Wish I could justify the expenditure for my home (I may still given my experience with our home dsl isp). Kudos to Megapath.

member for 23.5 years, 36 visits, last login: 18.2 years ago
lodged 23.5 years ago


Review by (hidden by request)

  • Location: Reseda, Los Angeles, CA, USA
  • Cost: $109 per month
  • Telco party SBC
  • CLEC party: NorthPoint
Very well organized. Unusually generous with email (unlimited mailboxes) and web space (100MB)..
Long wait on the phone for tech support. Email is the only way, but it works!
Go for it!
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

Instead of 6+ weeks as agreed, the installation took less than 3! Not a
glitch, even though we are in the PacBell territory and had all kinds of
problems in our previous attempt to get DSL thru a different provider
(PacBell was a culprit then). Quite difficult to get tech support on the
phone, but the contact via email is flawless, including call-back requests.
The initial install is a bit pricey ($350 for router and installation after
all the rebates), but the monthly rate is reasonable, particularly for a
month-to-month setup. Speeds have been as promised, right on the money.

I picked this provider by reviewing the DSL Reports, and now I am ready to
recommend it to anyone for business DSL needs.

(review was emailed from domain socal.rr.com)
lodged 23.5 years ago


Review by Liquid Snake See Profile

  • Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY, USA
  • Cost: $199 per month
  • Install: about 41 days
  • Telco party Verizon
  • CLEC party: NorthPoint
DSL is fast! Friendly people!
Bit of miscommunication between NP and MegaPath delayed installation a bit
Great ISP, though a little expensive
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Services:
Value for money:

July 11, 2000
I called Megapath and placed an order for 1040K SDSL with Laura Victor. Told me that there should be no need for extra routed IPs unless static IPs and NAT cause problems. A few hours later, I received a bunch of emails detailing the install proccess, service agreements and so on.

July 20, 2000
Got an email from Customer Care to let me know phone company commit date of August 2,2000. I figured it wasn't that long, but I had a feeling that BA was not going to show.

August 2, 2000
BA actually showed up! Two guys arrived at about 10:30 in the morning. They were done and left about an hour later and tagged the line for NorthPoint. They told me some tests were still being done with Northpoint.

August 5, 2000
BA/Verizon goes on strike. I wasn't too worried since BA already came to my house. I contacted Customer Care and they told me that the strike shouldn't be a problem unless BA didn't finish their job.

August 10, 2000
Contacted Customer Care again to see how my order was going.

Hi Michael,

You spoke with Jae on 8/7 regarding your circuit delivery. Your order was escallated on 8/7 but we have not recieved a response yet. Since Bell Atlantic is on strike we don't excpect to hear from them until the strike has passed. I apologize for the inconvenience. If you have any further questions please contact us here at customer care 1-877-634-2728.


Thanks

Ebony

[Ebony Wallace]

Not knowing what this meant, I asked for more info.

August 12, 2000
Hi Michael,

We have access to one of NorthPoint's database, but our notes did not indicate the latest status of what is going on in your order. Therefore, we had to escalate it to our NorthPoint contact to check for us. He has access to NorthPoint and Bell testers and their information and results. I have sent in another request for information and should know something by Tuesday. If Bell completed the installation of your line, and their cooperative tests with NorthPoint pass, you should be ready for inside wiring. However, if the line was never completed or needs trouble shooting from Bell, we will be delayed until after the strike is over. We will keep you updated as information is received. Thank you for your patience.

Best regards,

Jae
Customer Care
MegaPath Networks

Seems like Northpoint had some communication problems with Megapath.

August 17, 2000
Received my Netopia R7100. It had a sticker saying "Your faster Internet access is almost here, but please wait for a trained Northpoint technician to open this box and complete the installation."

Since I receieved my router, the first thing I thought was that my line was finally cleared for inside wiring. Seems I was right, Northpoint called me to schedule the inside wiring date. I told them 8/21 12-3PM was fine. I also received an email later from Megapath confirming this.

August 21, 2000
The Northpoint installer called me at 7:30AM and actually woke me up. He told me he was going to be here soon.

He arrived around 8:00AM and proceeded to test my line to see if everything was OK. Everything was good so far, he said. He ran some CAT5 from my room to the box while I opened the router. He connected the router, and the sync light was on! He tested the line with his laptop, and said everything was OK. The whole process took about an hour and a half. I set up the TCP/IP settings on my Windows machine and my Linux machine, and connected them to my router. Went straight to DSLReports speed test and averaged about 979/966. Also got a DoctorPing score of 41.5. And I got 5ms gateway pings I also ordered some more cables to connect the other two machines in my house to the router. Megapath called me later in the day to confirm everything was working.

August 22, 2000
Received some emails from Megapath with email account info and an invoice.

I didn't rate tech support, since I haven't found a need to call them yet (I set up the basic firewall on the Netopia with the help of the 250 page manual that I spent an hour and a half printing ) I don't have much more to say, since my order was rather uneventful. Many thanks to Megapath/Northpoint for helping me get DSL. Hell, I'll thank BA too for doing their job right and on time. And I can't forget DSLReports, they helped me find Megapath! Thanks guys!

member for 24.1 years, 2531 visits, last login: 10.3 years ago
lodged 23.5 years ago

System

Anon

day one 9-9-00

After reviewing the DSLreports, I called Megapath and Linkline this morning (SAT 9-9-00) and left a message with both. Surprisingly a rep (Laura Victor) from MegaPath called back within half an hour (on a Sat!). She was very very nice (In view of the treatments- usually the cruel and unusual type- I have been used to getting from PacBell, I don't have a repertoire big enough to better describe MegaPath, Laura Victor's service. "Very very nice" is the best I can do).

This is day one of my experience with MegaPath.

The bad part so far is it is no doubt much more expensive than other DSL service providers. Hopefully their rates will drop like they think it will. But with my life-time experiences with Pac Bell (which is amongst the cheapest DSL providers), I gladly would pay a little (no, a lot) more to avoid losing more hair and letting the remaining hair turn gray while I be on hold waiting for Pac Bell to acknowledge my existence as a human being. The nightmare begins when someone live from PacBell says they will call you back.... What's my point? Having lived in Northern CAL for 18 yrs, my expectation from any utility (esp phone) companies is so low that I would pay MegaPath more money if they only can deliver the service.

We'll see if MegaPath is as good as it is reported to be.
Kennedy Yip

kennedyip@yahoo.com

Review by (hidden by request)

  • Location: Brookline, Norfolk, MA, USA
  • Cost: $199 per month
Customer Care is the best in the business
Their provider - Northpoint still has Ports and Pairs assignment software woes
Best Provider for sdsl if you want a pop near you and large peering for low latency
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

Location: Brookline, Ma (Norfolk county)
ISP: Megapath
Provider: Northpoint
Dist to CO (BKLNMAMA) - approx 5500'

Rating:
Megapath: Awesome
Northpoint: Poor - NP was great when they fixed their problems, but it took
forever for them to acknowledge that some issues causing delays was in their
system, and then fix it. (i.e.: no sdsl ports and pairs because of computer
assignment glitches)
BA install part: Inept as usual

I'd Like to submit a review of Megapath networks. I give them a big
Thumbs-Ups in their customer service and ability to get my DSL line
connected. Their technical support staff is also top-notch, helping me get
my Netopia router going in minutes without a hitch.

I currently have Internetconnect.net under Covad, but I was unhappy with
their truly abysmal customer service and lack of a closer gateway. Their
current closest pop is Wash DC, which is kind of far to go to for a gateway
when you live in Boston and want low latency... Anyway, Internetconnect was
not helping me out when I needed things like a couple of static IP's -
unless I jumped to Business class. (They now let you buy an another IP for
$10/Mo, no bargain there) They weren't doing right by me, so I decided to
change ISP's.

I placed my SDSL 1040 order June 7th. The BA install was then set for 6/23.
BA actually arrives a day early - probably trying to avoid a customer who
knows enough to be dangerous... I show the tech where the sub panel to my
current nid is, and The tech tells me there should be no problems, but
he'll contact me if there is. I go to work. (Mistake #1)

I come back later, to find an incomplete tag left for Northpoint. That
doesn't set any alarms in head, so I forget about it and wait for my
Northpoint install date. A few days go by and no email/call yet. I email
Megapath customer care and got back a quick response saying they'll look
into it. Here is the response:

>well, we just received notification from Bell that they don't have the
>facilities right now to provision the line from the central office.
>This information was transmitted to northpoint on the 26th, and I got it
>today, so it looks like your install is further delayed until Bell gets
>facilities available. They will try again in 15 days...
>Sorry for the bad news.

Bummer eh? I actually gave up a Covad line for this the day the BA install
guy came. (Thinking they would come the next day.) How can I suddenly have
no facilities? What about the line I gave up? I called BA repair to find out
what was going on. Repair thinks the line is actually active and in NP's
queue. They transferred me around to various departments for hours until I
gave up. (I knew I was in for hours of BA's - 'I can't help you' hell, but
it is truly pathetic that there is no point of contact for an end user to
get any information on BA work done on their account! BA needs to have some
accountability for their work.)

Now, I try Northpoint directly, and also fail to get any help. However, at
least that only took 5 minutes. Infinitely more tolerable then the BA bounce
routine. Megapath's Customer care talks to Northpoint about the Covad line I
dropped - to find out why I wasn't given that one....

>I just got off the phone with Beverly at BA, who confirmed that this order
>has no facilities and in fact was given a "service denial" status which
>means they have no plans to add facilities. I can't explain the info
>that the EU recv'd but I do know the number they called was BA repair dept.
>I will cancel the order.

uh oh, - the old 'cancel the order' line. I know what that means - to the
back of the queue and start again. I plead to Megapath not to let NP cancel
the order. I also push for a reason why the BA guy did nothing. Customer
Care emails me the account notes - nice of them keeping me informed

Megapath Notes: (names edited to protect the innocent)

>7/7 xx per ####, ba says they have no facilities ever.
>7/7 xx per #### have eu call in Tuesday, she has info and it's being worked on
>7/5 xx sent info to #### with circuit id (covad order / Circuit ID ######); need
>response by 7/7, per eu, metered line, and it is active
>6/30 xxxxxx eu called again, per xxxxxx I advised him a call has been put into Np
>and we have to wait for the response. EU said he called NP his self to
>get info and does not think they are doing anything for his order. EU does
>not want to except this and asked to have xx call him when gets in.
>6/30 8:33:47 AM xxxxxxx eu called, xx to look into this, and told eu to
>call back on mon
>6/29 xx per EU, per ba circuit is in
>6/28 xx eu status, he says he gave up a line for this and it should not
>be an issue, I sent info to ####
>6/26/2000 6:23 AM #####
>Details: recv'd call from ##### at BA,,advsd No Facs,,,will resubmit
>in 15 business days

Northpoint Notes:

> 7/7/2000 1:33 PM xxxxxxx
>
> Subject:
> Tested ckt per request of prov, ckt showing open in
> @ 274ft. Informed prov.
>
>
> 7/7/2000 1:33 PM xxxxxxx
>
> Subject:
> -test channel=274 LDT ACCESSING READY RUNNING NLT
> RUNNING RLD/MTU RUNNING
> LDT +DN: PAIR: SITE: BKMA CHAN: 274 07/07/00 16:15
> NLT: PASS LDT: NO LD
> NPA: 617 CO: ATM: mA, OHMS TRUNK LDT MTU DC
> SIGNATURE AC SIGNATURE NOISE
> KOHMS VOLTS KOHMS VOLTS RNGRS CAP 60 Hz INDUCED
> C-MESSAGE DBRNC 9999 0.00
> 3500 0.00 NO 0.00 T-R 52.6 TO GROUND 9999 0.00 3500
> 0.00 NO .005 T-G .002 mA
> T-G 3.75 METALLIC 9999 0.00 3500 0.00 NO .005 R-G
> 0.00 mA R-G NOISE BAL
> UNBALANCE: 0.00% OPEN TIP LENGTH: .274 KF HISTORY
> VER: ISO = NONE BUILDOUT
>
>
> 6/26/2000 6:23 AM xxxxxx
>
> Subject:
> recv'd call from xxxx at BA,,advsd No Facs,,,will
> resubmit in 15 business
> days

No facilities Ever, eh? What secret flag is on my Bell Atlantic Customer
file to get that kind of response? Hmmmm. The line they originally tried
to give me had a short in it - I would think that would qualify as enough
trouble for the BA install tech to give me a call. I could have gotten hime
to use the Virtual Circuit of my old Covad line. Geez!

I ask about the ability to switch a COVAD line to NP. They say they can't do
that. To this day, I can't understand why the lag leg of a line can't be
switched at the CO from one Dmark to another... Isn't that what a CO does
when it builds a circuit?

OK, time for plan B: Call the PUC and complain - 'no facilities ever' smacks
of anti-competitive behavior. MA PUC states they do not have any legal
authority to help in complaints against BA regarding DSL issues. It's all a
part of the FCC's let competition prevail plan somehow. (Note: This is why
there are no PUC complaints in MA against BA regarding DSL issues. The PUC
employees have been told they are not able to file any.)

I'm starting to feel a little oppressed by now....

Northpoint tries a different path. They resubmit the order as IDSL - and it
is accepted by BA. (Those of you who've been reading the news regarding
Northpoint's port's and pairs computer assignment problems with fulfilling
SDSL orders must be grinning by now. NP usually states no SDSL available,
and tries switch the order to IDSL, to cover up a problem with their
computer assignment software that causes this to happen in an estimated 10%
of signups.)

I'm 5500' from the CO. Actually I'm about 2000 ft straight down the #$#%#
street from the CO, but I hold my tongue over this fact as nobody knows how the wires run in Brookline. I'm well within SDSL distance, as my form 1.6 /384 Covad line would prove.

Megapath knows I don't want IDSL, but they just want to see if I can get a
line to NP at the CO 1st, then try to switch that lines service to SDSL.
(Thus bypassing the 'no facilities' decree issues previously) I see a bit of
logic to this approach, and agree.

Revised install date - 7/27

Day before install date comes and BA tech arrives (What is that secret flag
they have on my file?) I ask him is the line they install is sdsl capable.
He says, yeah - it's all copper and 5000' to CO, So sdsl is no problem. I
get him to hook the line into my old covad NID, so the inside wiring's done.
(hehe) I call up Customer Care at Megapath and told them the line's in, and
they try to switch it to SDSL.

A few days go by. NP tells megapath that they can't just switch an IDSL to
SDSL. Megapath tells northpoint:

1. the phone co provides a pair, which is wire, period, no technology,
just wire.

2. the circuit is the same as the port, so idsl port = idsl circuit.

if the line is the line and has no technology, why do they need to order a
new loop? If the circuit is the port, why don't they just plug it into the
port?

Northpoint starts to change their tune at this point. The IDSL copper line
can not be used for a SDSL circuit, but they can try to get me a SDSL
circuit at this point for the port.

Days go by with no results... it's now 8/9 - Verizen Strike is on, so I'm on
hold if any BA work is required.

Now (what I think the real problem with my order has been since the initial
bad line) a new problem occurs. It seems that Northpoint can't get a ports and pairs
assignment for my order at the dmark. Their new software system that they
installed in April, can't get a free port for sdsl service at my co. In
other words - no facilities.

Customer Care at Megapath goes ballistic. They work the Northpoint chain of
command to the managerial level, and get them to commit to fixing my P&P
problem. They report back daily saying that they're working on it, but
nothing happens. Megapath submits a new SDSL order to see if that order can
go through the assignment process successfully, telling me its worked in the
past.

8/22 Customer Care tells me NP finally solved my ports and pairs assignment
problem.

8/23 I get a BA install date on that new order for 9/8. This is for the new
order Megapath submitted. I ask them if this order has a P&P assignment for
it. They say its good. I'm cautiously optomistic.

8/29 I get a call from NP asking if I can handle a 9/1 install date for BA.
I say yes.

8/31 BA turned on the service last night My netopia router, which was on and
plugged into old Covad port, sync'd around midnight. BA used the same inside
wiring pair that they installed the IDSL line on.

9/1 I had to keep my mouth shut as the BA techs (2! - one trainee)
uninstalled, then re-installed my line exactly as before. (If I told
them they didn't have to do anything - who knows what would happen

Anyway, the line synched at 160K, but NP didn't do something at their end,
so I called Megapath Customer Care and tech support got NP to set whatever
it was that was off, and then, a little later, I got them to up the speed to
1040/1040. Finally....

I can not recall when I received so much effort and help in resolving all
the painfull little problems that delayed my installation for so long. I
don't think any other DSL
service provider would have given me 1/10 the effort Megapath's Customer
Care dept. put into this order. Even when delays started turning me into a
whinny customer, they kept cool and settled me down - not a easy task there
I'm sure!

Once Northpoint solved the P&P issue, their service was solid. However, I
feel that Northpoint must have know early on that the real issue for my
service denials was not the initial open circuit delivered by BA, but the
inability of their own P&P software assignment system to work properly. The
solution was certainly delayed by not admitting to that problem for so long.
In fact, I doubt NP would have admitted SDSL should be available if not for
a problem in their own software system if Megapath didn't push so hard on my
behalf for so long.

Side notes:

Megapath's News service is performing at approximately 1/4 of my line speed. I don't know if it is capped at this rate for all speeds or set to a % ratio...

Megapath does require a SDSL router (Netopia R7100-C). You can buy one at Ebay for around $250 and save a few bucks there.

They are a bit pricier then their competitors at lower service levels, but more competative at the mid to high service rates

(review was emailed from domain prospero.com)
lodged 23.5 years ago


dlunsf
join:2000-08-27
Lakeland, FL

dlunsf

Member

Please help me!!!

This looks remarkably similar to what is happening to me. You can read my review on MPInet if you would like. If anyone has any more info about this NP computer glitch, please reply to this or email me. I think I am being screwed by NP and I need as much info as possible. Thanks in advance!

cbolon1
join:1999-11-30
Brookline, MA

cbolon1

Member

Better than par

Brookline CO is rated as having among the worst copper wire facilities in Verizon. Some people have waited many months for installation. Megapath seems to have done a good job here. How about posting performance and reliability info when you get a chance.

Would like to correspond about Brookline situation and ask more about your experience at the Department of Energy and Telecommunications.

-- Craig Bolon
cbolon(at)planwright.com
Planwright Systems Corp.
Brookline, MA

--
Business DSL, servers and clients
System

Anon

Will NPNT ever change?

This is such a familiar NPNT story. Constant denial. Constant lack of follow through on the part of their TAC.
VZ can throw as much money as they want at it, but the money better go towards finding better management, or the money is
toast.

Review by peday See Profile

  • Location: San Jose, Santa Clara, CA, USA
  • Cost: $99 per month
oh mama!!
pac bell
megapath rocks - i was expecting a horror show and it has been like a new pair of blue suede shoes!!
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

Wow!!

I checked with you site before deciding which DSL to sign up with - I
did my homework and am I GLAD. I signed up with MEGAPATH dsl using
Rhythms. I sent in my request (through you all) was contacted by
Megapath the SAME day and my DSL was installed on 9/1/00 --- two weeks!!
The customer service has been TOTALLY amazing, never more than 5
minutes to get a nice human!! Megapath rocks - the Rhythms installer
said they are good 'cause they use the expensive routers (netopia).

Thank you Thank you Thank you for having this site and letting folks
share info!!

member for 23.5 years, 9 visits, last login: 20.8 years ago
lodged 23.5 years ago


jseymour8
join:2000-07-29

jseymour8

Member

MegaPath and DSL Reports Both Rock


Megapath rocks - the Rhythms installer said they are good 'cause they use the expensive routers (netopia).


Either Northpoint or the local Northpoint contractor that did my IW expressed a preference for Netopia routers, as well. I've done a bit of customization on mine (server NAT rules, "firewall" filtering rules, setting up SNMP trap monitoring, etc.) and I have to say it is a fairly pleasant unit to work with.

IIRC, MegaPath recommended that router, as well.

MegaPath is good for many reasons. Very good. I would not hesitate, and have not hesitated, to recommend them unconditionally. While many other xDSL ISPs are out there cherry-picking and bottom-feeding (with performance levels and customer support to match), MegaPath is offering a truly solid, top-notch product at reasonable prices.


Thank you for having this site and letting folks share info!!


Yes. Thank you, Justin . When folks ask me about xDSL, I:

  • Run a pre-qual for them on DSL Reports (if they want).
  • If they can get MegaPath and want the best, recommend MegaPath. Otherwise one of the other top five or so ISPs - as reported by DSL Reports, of course.
  • Tell them how to get to DSL Reports for themselves and recommend they do further reading.

Review by burbman See Profile

  • Location: Santa Clarita, Los Angeles, CA, USA
  • Cost: $199 per month
  • Install: about 20 days
Great customer service.. Speed delivered as promised
NONE
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!

---- Netopia Router
---- Static IP
---- SDSL Speed is perfect
---- Tech support has been good
---- David, Santa Clarita

WOW! Megapath is a great company and I must say that Pacific Bell gave some great service too. PacBell actually arrived 4 days before the scheduled date. Thanks. the installation went great. The Northpoint rep was polite and a nice guy. They discovered that the router that was originally sent to me was "bad". I think the config was wrong and it's easier for them to put in a new one. Anyway I am up and getting the EXACT speed I am paying for. By the way Fastpoint, I had them install on the same line you were on, you know the one that was bad. Remember, you stated that the speeds I was getting, I could get no faster..... BAH Megapath is delivering over 1 meg, both ways without a problem.

Keep up the great work and you have me for life!!!

member for 23.6 years, 472 visits, last login: 13.4 years ago
lodged 23.5 years ago


Doubtness
join:1999-11-02
Lodi, NJ

Doubtness

Member

?!?

Why the mixed reviews?

jseymour8
join:2000-07-29

jseymour8

Member

Re: ?!?

Perhaps because he didn't provide any ratings for the ratings categories? (E.g.: Pre-Sales information, Install Co-ordination, Connection reliability, etc.)

Looks like this review should have ended-up under "Smooth Ride", from his comments.

Review by crmind See Profile

  • Location: Clawson, Oakland, MI, USA
  • Cost: $69 per month
  • Install: about 33 days
Everything went smooth
hmmm... The ability to get multiple IPs from Day One would have been nice.
I am lucky to have chosen MegaPath/NorthPoint from the start. There were a lot of choices.
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:

I PreQual'd for 416/416. I ordered 160/160 SDSL for $69. 5 useable public IPs for $18 more. All dates went as planned. I received my Netopia R7100-C a couple days before the IW appointment. Speed is 151/150 from day one with no tweaking. I think the experience was pleasant. I just wish that I had multiple IPs today. It appears that they have to be ordered separately.

member for 23.6 years, 14 visits, last login: 23.2 years ago
lodged 23.5 years ago







Review by MENINBLK See Profile

  • Location: Yonkers, Westchester, NY, USA
  • Cost: $129 per month
  • Install: about 139 days
  • Telco party Verizon
  • CLEC party: NorthPoint
Customer Service is quick and informative.
NorthPoint's automated system problems was the cause of the wait.
MegaPath gives you the ULTIMATE service, you can count on.
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

I started to make this short and sweet, something that turned out to be really hard to do. I have ended up with a story that takes over 4 months in the making. I hope that none of you ever have to go through this. This isn't as bad as some of the stories I have read, but what started out as good, turned bad, and then took a long time to get cured.

If it wasn't for *THE TEAM* at MegaPath Networks, their president, Harry Taxin, and my trusty customer service rep, Leigh Bordelon, I don't think I would have sat still this long, and let them work their charm. As long as this keeps up, you can expect me to stay with MegaPath.

You can't place the blame for what happens on anyone, unless you are informed on what has been going on. MegaPath is different than the other ISPs that I have worked with. Whenever I have a question, all I need to do is call or email, and I can get my suspicions either confirmed, or explained. MegaPath has kept me up to date on what was happening, as it was happening, and the information I got was what had occurred, and not a cover story, that was fabricated, just to keep their customers calm.

If you don't believe me, the next time your ISP says something to you that doesn't seem right, post it here on DSL reports and see what everyone has to say about it. If they side with your ISP, then they are probably telling you the truth. And by the way, your ISP probably reads what gets posted here about them as well. So if you want to send them a message, this is the place to do it.

I have been actively updating this review and keeping all of you up to date on what has been going on. Please read on...

I've tried Bell Atlantic, October 1999, and they still can't get their act together.

I tried Phoenix Networks, January 2000, and they presold me on service, without my knowledge or consent, charged me for the service, and then made me wait over 90 days for NO SERVICE.

I gave my last try to MegaPath Networks, April, 2000. If MegaPath can't get it together, then there is no hope for DSL.

READ ON ......

4/19/00 - I placed an order with MegaPath, with Laura, from MegaPath's Customer service. Laura told me that it takes 4 to 6 weeks for service to be installed. I thought that was a pretty good estimate, so I subscribed for the service. I was approved for 416/416 SDSL @ $149/month. Router for $390, paid over three months. $200 install will be rebated by NorthPoint, 30 days after service is turned on. No contracts to sign.

5/16/00 - Bell Atlantic finds Load Coals on the line they dedicated for me. it takes two weeks to remove the Load Coils.

5/26/00 - Waiting for Bell Atlantic to give a Phone Order Commit date.

6/2/00 - Still no POC date, but NorthPoint database says I am LIVE ???

6/5/00 - Problem found with NorthPoint Database. It seems that someone at NorthPoint, keyed customer information into my account, that was irrelevant to my account. It makes my account appear to be progressing when it is, in fact, being delayed. My account is escalated to Supervisor status and I am given 2 months of free service, and my installation charges waived.

6/6/00 - I received a mass email from Harry Taxin, President of MegaPath Networks. In this email, there is a description of a problem caused by NorthPoint updating their BackOffice application suite during the month of April, that caused a delay in communications between NorthPoint and MegaPath. The upgrade was completed as of May 22nd, all orders are now progressing through the system. I am given another 2 months of free service to compensate for these delays.

6/7/00 - I receive an email from MegaPath customer service, giving me a Phone Order Commit date of 6/14/00. Let's wait and see if Bell Atlantic shows up.

6/14/00 - I am home ALL DAY. No Bell Atlantic. I call MegaPath customer service, and I am told that it takes 48 hours for MegaPath to find out what the reason for the no show is. It takes NorthPoint 48 hours to receive word back from Bell Atlantic and update their database.

6/16/00 - No word yet on the no show.

6/19/00 - I find out what the reason was for the no show, and it isn't Bell Atlantic's fault. When NorthPoint cleared my account of the irrelevant information, they CLOSED my account, and canceled my POC date.

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON ?????

I am now waiting until 6/22 to call back to MegaPath and find out if they are able to re-escalate my subscription to Supervisor status, get another POC date, and give NorthPoint a royal beating. Right now, my order is in the que as a BRAND NEW ORDER, making me start from square one, where I was back in April.

There has to be a better way to do this.

6/22/00 - I called MegaPath Customer service today and spoke with Christine. Christine informed me that my designated pair is no longer available and NorthPoint has to request a new pair from Bell Atlantic. Call back in a week and we will have the results of the new pair. I told Christine, I knew that this wasn't MegaPath's fault, but I am now doing everthing I can to keep from going ballistic. It has been TWO MONTHS, when I see most subscribers getting signed on inside of THREE WEEKS !!! Why was I chosen to be picked on ? This has been a comedy of errors from the start. Is this how you provide PROFESSIONAL service ???

When this new pair is ordered, it will have load coils on it just like the last pair. Bell Atlantic will take 2-3 weeks to remove the line from the load coils and then another 2-3 weeks to get to my house to drop the line. I will now be waiting another month, just to see my DSL line hang from the side of my house.

I am going to write a nice letter to Harry Taxin, President and CEO of MegaPath Networks, and ask him to expedite this, with as much acceleration as MegaPath Networks can muster.

6/24/00 - Sent a letter to Harry Taxin on 6/22/00. Still have not received a reply.

In my letter, I summarized all of the stupid things that NorthPoint has done to my account and how much this has upset me. I asked Mr. Taxin to contact the EXECUTIVES at NorthPoint and alert them to the absent-minded things they have done to my account, and how this has upset not only me, but one of MegaPath's customers. I have been waiting since April 19th, when most people in my area get DSL in three weeks, and I am still waiting! I expect NorthPoint to WAIVE all installation charges, and WAIVE my Router charge.

I gave Mr. Taxin an ultimatum. Do what you can to get my DSL installed by July 7, 2000. After July 7th, unless I see some fast moving progress, I will either give up on DSL, and go to Cable Service, or just stay with my dial up.

6/27/00 - Called customer service for status update.

NorthPoint has been ordering a new Port and Pair from Bell Atlantic. It seems that NorthPoint isn't having any luck in getting a Port that is working or available. I was told that my order had been escalated above supervisor status, and is being monitored. The next date for reevaluation is 6/29. I'll call back.

Looks like Harry Taxin got my email. I just wish he would have replied to me. It would be nice, just to get an acknowledgement.

6/29/00 - NorthPoint has secured a Port and Pair. Now Bell Atlantic has to provision a line and give me another FOC date, providing the line is okay. I will cal back on 7/3 to find out if there is any more news.

6/30/00 - Harry Taxin sent a reply to my email.

Harry Taxin has been personally tracking my progress. The team at MegaPath has been on top of NorthPoint and tracking NorthPoint's progress and reporting to Mr. Taxin every 48 hours. They are doing everything they can, but what NorthPoint and Bell Altantic do, is beyond MegaPath's control.

7/5/00 - NorthPoint does not have a secured Port and Pair for my DSL from Bell Atlantic. It seems that every port that gets assigned to northPoint is either already reserved, NOT WORKING, or is NOT compatible with SDSL.

At this point, I want to start my own business, getting the ball rolling for all of these companies. I would start charging HUMONGOUS fees, for Ports and Pairs that have NOT been verified BEFORE they are assigned, MISSED INSTALLATION APPOINTMENTS, and anything else that is NOT ETHICAL CONDUCT. NorthPoint and Bell Atlantic chose to service us with DSL technology. If they can't do it with FIRST CLASS Service, then why do they bother doing it at all ??

7/6/00 - AT&T called me. They are offering CABLE service via CableVision and Optimum Online. If I subscribe to Cable Television, which I do not, I can get my Cable moden installed free of charge, with the service for $29.99 a month. Without Cable Television, it is $39.99 a month. The Cable modem has to be purchased at The Wiz for $299, and I get a $150 rebate back in the mail after 30 days. Since this is the FIRST offering of Cable Modem service in my area, this does look attractive. It will take about a year before there is enough people in my area to make an impact on service, and by then, DSL *may* be available quickly ?

I don't know what to do at this point. Maybe some of you can give me a few suggestions. Another week and a half will make THREE MONTHS of waiting for NorthPoint.

7/10/00 - Still no new news. NorthPoint is still waiting for Ports & Pairs.

7/12/00 - Customer service suggests that NorthPoint may be having a problem with its automated provisioning system assigning Ports & Pairs. MegaPath suggests that I start a second order and see if the second order progresses any faster than the original. If it does, then we will go with the new order. I have read on dslreports, that NorthPoint is having this problem and it is beginning to make sense.

7/14/00 - NorthPoint's system is not responding to inquiries. Customer service doesn't have any new news yet.

7/19/00 - NorthPoint has made a request to BA for Ports and Pairs on my Second order. The First Order still hasn't updated its status.

7/21/00 - Still waiting for Ports and Pairs on BOTH orders. I have updated my ratings, since the Customer Service Team has been very aware of my dilemma, and has been doing everything within their power to stay on top of my order. I upgraded the Install Co-ordination from a 1 to 3. Things have been getting better at Customer Service. About 50% of the times I call, I don't get put into the que, and I get connected to a rep immediately. The other 50% of the times I am put into the que, my wait is usually less than 1 minute. The Customer Service reps themselves are also quicker at accessing NorthPoint's Provisioning system and retrieving my database records. The whole call takes less than two minutes.

7/24/00 - No new news.

7/26/00 - Called customer service today and spoke to Leigh. Leigh looked over my account, and could not find any updated information. Leigh immediately assumed ownership for my order, and said she would monitor my account every 48 hours until she got some results. Leigh even gave me her direct extension, so I would not have to speak with anyone else concerning my order. Leigh said she would bug NorthPoint until she got a final answer on the disposition of my order. Leigh is going to email me with the results.

7/27/00 - Leigh has sent me an email replying that NorthPoint is looking for an available Port in my TelCo. Leigh does not know if the existing condition is "NorthPoint can't find an available Port", or "NorthPoint is OUT of Ports". This does not appear to be a Bell Atlantic problem at this point. If NorthPoint doesn't have any Ports available, then NorthPoint can't request a Pair from Bell Atlantic. We will hopefully know if this is a temporary shortage of Ports via NorthPoint sometime next week.

8/2/00 - Well Leigh and I have been sending emails back and forth. I have been getting conflicting news about my TelCo setup, like this email I received from Acecape...

Peter,

Bell finally shows full status of your line. Unfortunately your line is not only
over distance limit, but also it is multiplexed on a T1 digital circuit. There
is absolutely no way to use it for our service. Please check dslreports.com for
alternatives.

Acecape, Inc.

Leigh is looking into this, but a day after Leigh and I send this message to NorthPoint, I get an email confirming a REVISED commit date from Bell Atlantic. It states that a REVISED date means that Bell Atlantic has found a problem on my line, solved the problem, and can now continue with the installation of the dedicated line. They are scheduled to come out to my home on 8/15/00 and finally drop the line to my house. (Unless they go on strike. )

I also got this automated response from NorthPoint...

Dear Peter,

You will need to contact MegaPath directly for order status - they handle the billing and customer care.

If you have any questions, please contact the Broadband Information Center at 877.836.7375 for more information.

Thank you for choosing NorthPoint DSL!

Regards,
NorthPoint Communications

My question to NorthPoint wasn't concerning BILLING or Customer Care. It was concerning the holdup of assigning Ports and Pairs to my order.

Oh, one other bit of news. Bell Atlantic is now VERIZON.

8/10/00 - It is now another week gone by. Bell Atlantic / Verizon has gone on strike, and I am stuck waiting until they decide to go back to work, and stop interrupting the rest of the world.

8/18/00 - It is now Week 2 of the Verizon strike. My dialup is getting bad at night. After 11:00 pm, I get disconnected after 5 minutes of activity. It is really getting on my nerves. I have to start downloading things during the day, instead of in the evening.

MegaPath has no new news for me, since we need Verizon to string a pair to my house before NorthPoint can come out and do the final wiring.

NorthPoint must be enjoying the breather, right now.

8/21/00 - Verizon Strike is OVER ! Film at 11:00.

8/24/00 - I received an Email from Peter Neels, of MegaPath. A very nice letter that simply said...

Dear Sir or Madam:
You have all heard about the Verizon employees strike this month. We
apologize for the inconvenience that this may have caused you. As a result
of this strike, Verizon did not process any new orders during the strike and
cancelled many commitments and appointments that were previously scheduled.
Now that the strike is over, Verizon has informed us that they will first
catch up on the backlogged orders in their system before processing any new
orders. Once they catch up on the backlog, they will begin scheduling all
orders that were placed during the strike.

We will continue to update as we receive new information; we will also
continue to push our Partners and Verizon toward scheduling these
appointments as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your understanding and patience.

Regards,
Peter Neels
VP Service Delivery & Support

I wrote back to Peter and said...

This is nice but, I have been WAITING since April 19, 2000.
What is my POC dat ???

8/28/00 -

GOOD NEWS ! I got a POC date for 8/30/00 !

Let's see if Verizon, can keep on schedule. They have been doing some major work in my neighborhood, replacing older equipment. I hope all that work is done and my line install goes smooth.

8/29/00 -

Even BETTER News ! I actually got a call from a NorthPoint rep ! Jenny, left me a message saying that they are calling to remind me that Verizon is coming to my home TOMORROW, to drop the DSL line. They will be here betweeen 8am & 5pm, of course.

Anyone wanna place a bet on the time ?

Anyone wanna place a bet to SHOW ?

8/30/00 - Well, Verizon / Bell Atlantic showed up today at 12:00 PM. The Technician, who was very professional, looked over my setup, called for assistance (he needed someone with a truck, equipped with a hydraulic lift, to reach the cables on the pole), and told me that he would be back later this afternoon, when the additional equipment was available.

I would say about 3:00 pm, the technician returned, and rang my bell to let me know he was back, but we had to wait for the additional truck to arrive. They truck arrived about 15 minutes later.

While the first technician got to work placing the demark box in my basement, the additional crew dropped the line to my house. They were done at about 6:00 pm. Once everything was wired, the truth was waiting to be revealed......

We didn't have a signal on the line. The Technician had requested that the Pair be spliced to the Port, in the Central Office, this morning since he was coming out to do the line install. Evidently, the order had not been completed. The technician called in to his dispatcher to report the trouble, and I called Leigh at MegaPath.

Within 30 minutes, I got a message from Leigh stating that NorthPoint and Verizon are aware of the problem, and they will be working through the evening to correct this condition. We are hoping for a cure within 24 hours.

Now I am sitting and waitiing for the Netopia R7100-C router to arrive, and the port to go live.

Incidentally, remember my duplicate order placed on 7/19 ? Well, this install is on the progress of the duplicated order. The original order is still stuck in the NorthPoint queue and was removed as soon as this order showed life.

How many people betted on 12:00 pm ?

How many people betted to show ?

8/31/00 - Got a call from Verizon today ! They wanted to verify something with me. It seems that my original DSL order finally made it to Verizon and they had a standing order to install a 2nd DSL line. They had confirmed that the first line was installed and that the work on the line was completed this morning. I took 5 minutes to explain to the Verizon rep what had occurred, if you have read this far, then you know. We confirmed my circuit and order numbers and they are going to cancel the duplicate order and notify NorthPoint that the standing circuit is ready to go live.

I called Leigh at MegaPath and let her in on what was going on. Leigh called me back right away and said that she was able to confirm everything that Verizon had told me, and that NorthPoint has already been notified as well. Leigh gave me the number to call NorthPoint to schedule my inside wiring date.

I called NorthPoint and spent a little time on hold while the NorthPoint rep had to pull up my order and verify the status of the line. I have a date set for 9/5/00 between 9 am - 12 pm, for the inside wiring. They also confirmed for me that a router was ready to ship to me and that I should receive it by Saturday the latest. They will notify the line technician, that he should carry a spare router, just in case mine does not arrive in time.

Now it is time for a little Labor Day relaxation and then DSL surfing on Tuesday !!!

Does anyone know where I can get a DIABLO II DVD ???

9/1/00 - A Verizon technician called me today. He said he had an order to install a DSL Line. I explained to him that my DSL Line was altready installed on 8/30/00, but no one has come out to confirm that it is working. The Tech arrived at my home about 11:20 am. I let him into the basement and he looked at his order, and looked at my demarc box, and noted that the circuit and PON numbers were different. I explained to him, what I had explained to the dispatcher yesterday. THe Technician noticed that there wasn't a confirmation on the tag, and and proceeded to test the circuit.

First test was for Load Coils. No Coils were found, The Line is CLEAN !

Then he proceeded to call NorthPoint. He got a NorthPoint technician on the line and they ran a few circuit tests to verify that the circuit was complete. All the tests passed without any problems.

Right after the Verizon tech left, Airborne Express arrived with my Router.

Now I sit and wait for Tuesday.

9/5/00 - It's Today ! It's Today !!

At 8:00 am, I received a call from the NorthPoint Installer, confirming our appointment.

At 9:30 am, the NorthPoint Installer arrives at my home to complete the inside wiring and Netopia Router installation. He is done by 11:30 am.

After he leaves, I open the Netopia SmartStart - Set Up manual and complete my Windows TCP/IP configuration. I am now surfing in style !!

I am 17,000+ ft from the CO and rocking at 416k SDSL. My own testing here at dslreports.com show I am getting actual performance of 395k/395k which is 95% of the target ! This is great.

9/6/00 -

24 hours later, I get an email from MegaPath Networks with my email address setup information, user ID, password, and contact information.
And I also get the important 1st Invoice. Everything is as I expected it, with just some minor adjustments that MegaPath will make.

It has been a long wait, and I am glad it is over.
It seems that NorthPoint took advantage of the Verizon strike to get organized and prepared to handle the backlog of DSL orders. Everything went just as it should. No none missed an appointment, and I was called to confirm everything. The quality of the line I have, is the best that the NorthPoint Installer has seen. Kudos to Bell Atlantic / Verizon for that !! He has never seen a router, sync up as fast as mine does, at 17,000+ feet. This is a real change from what I have been reading here since January. I hope that this trend continues for the rest of you.

As for the TEAM at MegaPath Networks, Leigh Bordelon, and Dr. Harry Taxin, I want to thank you all for putting up with me, and fighting to get your service to me. You have a very satisfied custmer here in Yonkers, NY and I will refer anyone I know that is looking for SDSL to you, without any doubt. Your guys are the best !

10/27/00

I have had my service for almost two months. Everything has been working just fine! The performance I am getting, is more than I expected for the 17000+ feet I am from the TelCo. I have had only one minor problem, and it was caused by my toying with the Netopia Router. One quick call to Technical Support, put me back on line within minutes !

MegaPath has to be the BEST SDSL ISP around !

2/1/2001

My SDSL Line has been up for 5 months now. MegaPath has met ALL of their promises. I got all of my free time, and best of all, I got uninterrupted SDSL service!!

My Customer Rep is very responsive, and answers all of my questions in a very professional manner. I sometimes get a response back immediately !

If you are in the market for Business/SOHO SDSL in Westchester, MegaPath DSL is the ONLY provider to go with.

Pete...

Pete Romano

member for 24.1 years, 1208 visits, last login: 1.6 years ago
updated 23.5 years ago


tommy3rd
I Am Nuckin Futs
Premium Member
join:2000-03-10
Clifton, NJ

tommy3rd

Premium Member

hang in there

hang in there!
it took bell atlantic 3 months to get things going for me. as soon as bell atlantic ok'd the line, i was up and running within 24 hours.My connection has been rock solid and my ping times are amazing.
tothemax9
join:2000-05-13
Briarcliff Manor, NY

tothemax9

Member

Northpoint is clueless

I had the same problem with Phoenix & Northpoint.
After 13 weeks 1 missed date with Northpoint and
getting a modem to have the installer find no signal.
Canceled Phoenix 3 weeks ago and signed with Megapath.
Got a call from Nortpoint on tuesday to have an installer come for the Phoenix line.I advised them
of the cancellation, could they use the line for Megapath?
After several calls found out the line was not ready and they didn't know why I was called.
I told the woman on the phone the best advertisment for cable modems was Northpoint.
Hope Megapath has better luck with these idiots,
where I live Northpoint is the only game in town.
System

Anon

Upset in California

Harry,
I'm going thru the same thing in California, they give alot of lip service and no results. And of course they always point the finger at the other guy.

Ken Frisby

Anon

Does MegaPath follow prompt install guarantee?

In many of these comments, it seems the installation took a long time. On their website, MegaPath has an install guarantee that says "we will install your DSL within 50 calendar days after we accept your order, or we will give you the first month of service free"
My question is: for those of you whose install took longer, did MegaPath give you a month free? Or, did they blame the telcos and not adhere to the guarantee?
Thanks,
ALS
mkozlows
join:2000-06-08
Waukesha, WI

mkozlows

Member

Re: Does MegaPath follow prompt install guarantee?

I got two free months, actually.
dilleet
join:2000-07-17
Watsonville, CA

dilleet to Anon

Member

to Anon
The experience I just had with both Megapath & Northpoint was so exceptional that I'm taking the time to report to this site. From the time Alexi, at Megapath customer service, confirmed my application and credit card to today, when I am on their service is approximately 16 days. Within 7 days after applying, PacBell came and installed the wiring I needed, on Tuesday July 11th. That day I called Northpoint and they scheduled an installation of my iDSL router for Friday, July 14th. I understood they would be here between 1-5 in
the afternoon and got home to find they had come and gone claiming I was supposed to stay home from 8-5. I called them back and they said they would try and get their contractor back out that afternoon. At 4:30 PM I was certain my DSL nightmare had commenced, but Danni,at Northpoint scheduling, called me and said they could have someone out before 7:00 that evening... Sure enough I was up and running that evening. Tech support was moving at Megapath and they were frantic but got someone on the phone for me to get my passwords and configurations straight. very nice people... Besides problems with Airborne Express losing my router everything was fast, polite and very honest . Alexi at sales for Megapath was most helpful and pleasant and she has done everything she said she would. I might add that I was very skeptical because I live in Pacifica,Ca on the coast and the phone lines are terrible, I am over 18,000' from the central office and didn't even think I could get a minimum speed of 144/144, but I am getting that and better just as promised.
Feel free to confirm my "non-shill" status by emailing me at my office.
Tom Dillon
Halo Marketing
San Francisco,CA
tom.dillon@halo.com
(415)743-3675
papaborya
join:2000-03-05
Livingston, NJ

papaborya

Member

Megapath is great

I am not far from you, in the Bronx. I've had 416/416 SDSL service from Megapath for about 4 months. They've been great. You just don't notice them. Everything just works the way it should. I was lucky because I did not have to wait long time (about three weeks) before the installation took place. And I did suffer with Covad/BA when first tried to get DSL from Speakeasy (waited for more than three months with no result). On the other hand my brother who lives on Long Island has a Cable serevice from Cablevision. He is very happy with them. You might try them out.
Spensergig
Past my Prime
MVM
join:2000-03-26
Bradenton, FL

Spensergig

MVM

BA, NP, ISP

I went back and reread your review of Phoenix, because I thought I remembered it. I was right.
"Of the 48 states, NY is the slowest to get DSL, because of Bell Atlantic." (Not an exact quote)
You tried Bell Atlantic, Phoenix/Northpoint/BA, and now MegaPath/NP,BA. Do you see the common threads?
I believe you that the ISPs suck in communicating with their customers. I just had to threaten someone to get them to call me back so I could pay them!
The real message, though, is that the CLECs just do nothing until they are forced to, and the ILECs really don't care about you because you are not the real customer. (Your ISP is, and they aren't about to cancel because of 10 or even 1000 customers.)
Keep on the ISP, because they are the people with any clout, but be reasonable.
tothemax9
join:2000-05-13
Briarcliff Manor, NY

tothemax9

Member

Can you say optimum !

If I lived in Yonkers it would be cable.
Go to the Wiz and within the hour you will be on line.
22 seconds to d/l a 3.5 meg mp3.
I am stuck waiting for Northpoint/Megapath and hoping they can get me a working idsl line at more then double the cost.
bclbob
join:2000-06-23
Oak Park, IL
·Verizon FiOS

bclbob

Member

Much the same in Chicago

I signed with Phoenix/NP on 05/04, last Friday Ameritech installed a new aerial cable and NID, emailed Phoenix and they have no ETA for outside wiring. See »Review of Phoenix Networks - PhoenixDSL by bclbob
for the diary.
System

Anon

Still waiting..

It's been four months here, dude. I'm still waiting, and now the strike is on, who can say?

Pathetic.. might as well resort to smoke signals at this point.

I guess it's either live with the 56k modem or pile on the cash for a fixed T-1.

You can't win..

ATF
tothemax9
join:2000-05-13
Briarcliff Manor, NY

tothemax9

Member

Up and running

MegaPath has had me up and running for 3 weeks.
Time for install start to finish 48 days.
Bell Atlantic showed for the outside wiring 3 days after the date given to me by MegaPath.
This was followed by 10 days to fix a problem on the line.
The service was up 1 day before the strike.
Connection has been solid no problems.
I have seen optimum on line in operation and the price value is much better then Dsl.
My brother who has the cable modem had Flashcom Dsl
and would not switch back. I am not a big fan of the
cable company, but 1 player has the advantage under the
current 3 player Dsl install game
metallica883
join:2001-01-23
Novato, CA

metallica883

Member

sounds like you had fun..

That sure was a long story...Only reason I read it is because I am getting a free SDSL connection from Megapath through my dad's company. I am less than 5000ft from CO and have already recieved my Netopia R7100 router. I have to wait 4 more days till they come by and hook it all up. From all the great reviews I have read, I'm sure this service wil kick ass. Oh BTW, I have pac bell and it sucks ass!