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Review by rfburns 
Posted: 9.9 years ago
member for 9.9 years, 22 visits, last login: 4.4 years ago
 Oak Park,Cook,IL
 $49 per month (month by month)
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
(ratings below consensus)
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SpeedPath 768 was the plan: 12/3/99
Since then it's been a catastrophy, with 2 major and 4 minor failures on their part to perform some action as promised.
Today is the 12th of January, 2000, and I tried to cancel the order:
*Was hung up on the first time
*Second time, was asked about the status of my order (ASK ME?!?!?!),put on hold for a while before being told that the "supervisor" needs to call me to verify that I really want to cancel the service (!) and what time would be good.
Actually, they had my work number, which surprised me.
I don't fault the people on the telephone; the underlying process is probably absurd. I held my tongue this last time, but did gently relate that the entire experience was "a total nightmare" and that "I don't know who over there is coordinating with your contractors, but there are major, major communication problems there".
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Review by ricep55
Posted: 9.9 years ago
member for 9.8 years, 4 visits, last login: 9.7 years ago
Wheaton,Dupage,IL
Contract price not specified.
| Pre Sales information:
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Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
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Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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I have been an Ameritech SpeedPath customer since June of 1999. I ordered the
service in April of 1999 and after constant delays and reschedules and a
final verbal threat from me to go AT&T Cable, they installed the service.
Coincidently the FCC approved the SBC merger the day before they called to
finally install.
CompUSA installed the ATM adapter & software. A 3rd party (can't remember)
validated the local loop. I am using the "video rewinder" Alcatel 1000 &
Efficient Networks 3010 ATM-25 adapter.
I have had a sum total of 2 issues since install. Once my ID wouldn't
validate, and once it just wouldn't startup. I called their "hotline" and got
the usual "reboot everything". Both were escalated to level 2 but strangely
everything worked within the hour. That was back in July of 1999 and it has
worked flawlessly since then.
I have been getting roughly 880Kbps peak download speeds. It may help that I
live 3 blocks from the CO. In a weird setup, the DSL ID's are unique to the
DSL customers. You cannot use them for SpeedPath analog dialups if you are on
the road. It is strictly an at home service.
RiceP5
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Review by jag1987
Posted: 9.9 years ago
member for 9.9 years, 134 visits, last login: 1 days ago
Waterford,Oakland,MI
$39 per month
 Ameritech
CLEC party: Ameritech
 "Stable at 651kps most of the time."
 "News Server down a lot and slow, Lack of Device Driver for Linux, Win 2000 and ME."
 "Acceptable service, Lack of support for hardward modems. I am switching to Telocity who have fixed IP.."
| Pre Sales information:
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I am very pleased so far with my service. I had a problem getting past
5 Kbytes per second the first day. I did two
things: 1) Called tech support - they escalated my problem to tech2 but
I cancelled the trouble ticket after my problem "mysteriously
disappeared" within 10 minutes). 2) Downloaded a patch to my registry
to modify the MTU settings etc. ( »www.speedguide.net/ ) After a
reboot I was receiving a 90K byte download speed. I went to
»computingcentral.msn.com/topics/···st50.asp and
have had several speedtest reports of 131, 500, 833, and 1000 Kbytes per
second (off the chart !). I ran another test on dslreports @ 635 k bits
download speed. A Circuit City technician did indeed install the cat 5
wire from the phone box directly to my cpu. He was great! I also found
a least one person at Ameritech that was a great tech support person.
He took my order and also got my complaint about the download speed.
(Unless Ameritech works that fast, it was probably the registry tweek
that fixed my original download speed problem.) I am using Windows 98
SE. I downloaded a 311 meg file (Linux ISO image) in about 40 minutes
at a sustained rate of 79 K bytes. After 3 days: dslreports test
Starting download test
Http connection opened in 0 milliseconds
Test performed in 12080 milliseconds
Total bytes downloaded: 983040 bytes
Throughput: 0.62086093 Mbps
Result: Your speed 651019 bps, or 635 kbps. You bought 768
89-312.5 K from MSN.
After 1 year:
** Speed 651(down)/111(up) kbps **
(At least 13 times faster than a 56k modem)
Logging result
Finish.
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Review by (hidden by request)
Posted: 9.9 years ago
(review was emailed from domain ameritech.net)
Livonia,Wayne,MI
$49 per month (month by month)
| Pre Sales information:
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(ratings well below consensus)
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I am here to tell people how much this service sucks. I signd up for
the 768/128 ADSL plan and thought I was getting a good deal for only
$49.95 a month but from the usage of this service, all I got are
headaches.
When I requested the service to be installed, they first said I
qualified then they call me a week later and said my order was on hold
because they didn't have a DSLam in my area.
After another week, my order was good to go. They missed a week because
they didn't know I had a second line, so I had to cancel it. They came
3 weeks later to reinstall the circuit. Few weeks later, Circuit City
came to install my network card and modem.
Well this was a fun expierience, the Circuit City guys tried to jam the
ATM card into my PCI slot. It took them 2 guys to install a freaking
driver for the network card.
2 months passed and guess what, my DSL is completely shut down. I can't
get on because there is no data sent to my line. From the start of
December until now (Dec22) I can't get on. Right now, this dial-up is
pissing me off.
I called them to fix the problem ever since it was down, but they kept
sending me to different departments. Its like going to a Sears and
asking them if they have a GeForce graphic card, they don't know what
you're talking about.
Then they `escalate` your problem to TECH2. What the hell? You can't
call TECH2, they call you. Then they schedule a date for Dispatch and
try to solve your problem. Thats tomorrow, they're sendind Ameritech
and Wiltech out for a Vender Meet.
I want to cry. And guess what, I am going to demand my installation
charge back and cancel the service! I expected to use the service, not
just have a modem in my house.
Phoenix Networks, you have a new customer.
Everything: No Stars.
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Review by (hidden by request)
Posted: 9.9 years ago
(review was emailed from domain yahoo.com)
Birmingham,Oakland,MI
$49 per month (month by month)
| Pre Sales information:
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I placed my order in July. It finally got it installed
December 10th. Missed three days of work for what is
slowly becoming a worthless service. I missed three
days because the first two a technician never showed
up
or called despite my hourly calls to Ameritechs ADSL
service line. The third time they could not get the
modem to work and my order was cancelled. Well I tried
again this time my wife was at home and the install,
by a very nice and helpfull tech at Willtec, Ann
Arbor, Michigan, went smoothly. Of course they got the
user ID I had requested wrong.
Installed, but my problems were just beginning. My
downstream connection still hangs every 15 minutes
requiring that I reinitialize the Alacatel 1000 DSL
modem. I tried calling Ameritech several times and it
became apparent to me that almost non of their staff
there know a thing about ADSL. "Did you check your
IRQs?" Yes I did, but what does that have to do with
an EXTERNAL modem.
Anyhow, I am in the computer industry and needed the
speed enough that I was desperate for it. After using
this thing for a week I can't express my
disappointment. Thankfully, after going to numerous
newsgroups, etc. it turns out that there are other
providers out there in the Metro Detroit area
including Roadrunner cable. I'll check those out and
maybe Ameritech will be out one customer.
Best of luck to you Speedpath customers. I don't know
how you do it.
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Review by (hidden by request)
Posted: 9.9 years ago
(review was emailed from domain umich.edu)
Ann Arbor,Washtenaw,MI
$49 per month
| Pre Sales information:
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(ratings match consensus)
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I also had problems with ameritech getting around to installing my ADSL. It was not the fault of ameritech though, as others say it is. it was the fault of a 3rd party that is hired to physically install the line, Wiltech Inc. in our area. After weekly cancellations from ameritech for about 6 weeks, i finally found out what the problem was... every week ameritech was ready to install, but Wiltech STILL had not installed the line to the house. So, i would DEFINATELY not blame ameritech for this, especially since this 3rd party installer varies from city to city. Ameritech was MOST gracious to us though in appologizing for this lack of service by crediting our account with a couple hundred dollars which we have used toward our ADSL bill. Although not necessarily informed of what the installer was up to, the tech support at ameritech was VERY willing to do anything needed to help. The biggest problem i found in the installation procedure was a huge lack of communication between ameritech and the 3rd party installer.
As far as reliability, we have it hooked up to a windows box and only a couple times since we got it has it disconnected us (we have had service for about 3 months now). Usually, we can hold a connection up for about a week before we have to reboot the windows box anyways. If we had a linux box on it, i am sure it would stay up for at least a couple weeks, although for the last 3 weeks in a row it has disconnected us for a couple hours on saturday or sunday nights at about midnight-4am or so. But hell, for 50 a month, you can't really hate them for too much 
Their news server i find to be EXCELLENT. i have only a couple times not found a group on their server, and retention of messages is decent too. Their nameserver seems to do pretty well so far, also.
So, in the end, service has been EXCELLENT, although getting it installed was a bit frustrating, although ameritech was not necessarily at fault .
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Review by kyle_thompson
Posted: 10 years ago
(review was emailed from domain chicagoconsulting.com)
Evanston,Cook,IL
Contract price not specified.
| Pre Sales information:
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(ratings well below consensus)
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Quite possibly the worst customer service I have ever experienced! I ordered the Ameritech SpeedPass ADSL service in the beginning of November with a target install date of November 29. I called customer support on the 22nd to follow-up. They say "Yessir, everything is going as planned". So, after taking the day off to meet with the technician,I was informed that the date has been changed to Dec 7. OK, sh*t happens!
So, I wait again on the 7th..and wait...and wait. When I call up the customer support 800 number, the operators say "oh, we meant to call you yesterday. We can't install at your location"
So, I'm out two days pay and no DSL! I would be very weary of doing business with this company
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Review by (hidden by request)
Posted: 10 years ago
(review was emailed from domain engin.umich.edu)
Ann Arbor,Washtenaw,MI
Contract price not specified.
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I don't know how the other reviewer got such good results. I ordered the Ameritech SpeedPass ADSL service In the beginning of September with a target install date of October 5. After taking the day off to meet with the technician, I was informed that another division of Ameritech was supposed to have installed the line. When I call up the customer support 800 number, the operators are apathetic, informing me that they can't do anything until this mystical other division of Ameritech solves the line. They always refuse to let me speak to anyone other than themselves. I waited for over a month beyond that point for them to fix their mistake. When the did come to install the line, the service was great, though. The technicians were competant, quick, and very professional (I found out later they are actually subcontracted from Circuit City). Despite numerous phone calls, nobody would ever give me a straight answer. And the fact that Ameritech does all the pieces isn't necessarily a good thing. Its numerous divisions don't communicate very well at all. Try dialing the Ameritech number in your phone book, and ask to get the number to their SpeedPass service.
The service was sporatic at best when I got it. I get disconnected probably once per day.. some days, no disconnects, others have 2, 3, or 4. I had to use my work's DNS because Ameritech's response time was way too long. Some times in excess of five seconds. Since switching, it's been beautiful. I don't use their mail.
The tech support is absolutely atrocious. Ameritech.net runs dial-in access too, and I couldn't convince the person on the other line that I didn't dial into a location. They have absolutely no background in even the most basic of networking concepts, and they refuse to let you speak to someone who does. In fact, as of right now, their newgroup server is broken (gives me an Access Denied message), but they insist the problem is on my end.
Dealing with Ameritech is frustration. If it weren't for the low price, I'd switch.
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Review by Padlock
Posted: 10.1 years ago
member for 10.1 years, 0 visits, last login: 10 years ago
Chicago,Cook,IL
Contract price not specified.
| Pre Sales information:
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I signed up for Ameritech's SpeedPath ADSL service on 9-08-99 with an install date of 10-1-99 (The multiplexer was installed at the CO, but was still in testing and already was planned to be upgraded). The actual install of the new twisted pair took place on 8-16-99, and since the service was at my neighbor's apartment, My DSL was running the next day (at no extra charge, billing began on 10-1). Since Ameritech is the retailer & provider of all services from start to finish, there was absolutely no lapses of or confusion. My problem (sigh) was that I couldn't be home for the early install date. Because I have only one bill (Phone & DSL) and installation was FREE, and I'm also getting a discount because of my level of service with Ameritech's phone stuff (I have it ALL) I'm really saving lots of money. In the long run, it will save me even more because it's always on, I don't have per-call charges on top of per-min. charges to a B-Band exchange (Chicago customers are well aware of A-Band and B-Band call charges -- oy vey...)
No service problems, damned fast response to technical issues, and GUARANTEED bandwith. Beat that. 
All in all, this is the best fifty bucks I'm spending.
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Review by tboner4
Posted: 10.1 years ago
member for 10.3 years, 3 visits, last login: 8.3 years ago
Belleville,Saint Clair,IL
Contract price not specified.
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(ratings well below consensus)
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I have tried to get Ameritech to commit to xDSL in my community but they will
not tell me when they can install this service. Ameritech.net was supposed to
provide a dialup pop account with a telephone service connect two years ago
and has not yet opened a local pop in my community. I have repeatedly contacted
them about the lack of comittment to my community of over 50K people that is a suburb of St. Louis, MO. Until Ameritech can comitt to my community, I cannot possibly give them a favorable rating.
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