Review by CylonRed Location: Dayton, Greene, OH, USA Cost: $62 per month (12 month contract) Ameritech Web page TAC - program in place for ISP switches that is updated quickly Pricey when compared to ILEC DSL prices Never have had a problem and I get 85-95% of my rated speed with very little downtime.

Install Co-ordination: Connection reliability: Tech Support: Value for money:

02/14/01 - first day of service:

I was an ISP switch person from DSLNetworks so I was able to use all of the same equipment I already had. Price is the same that I had with DSLNetworks for the same speed service. They even used the same dedicated line I had with DSLNetworks. The same day as Covad's announcement pulling their lines Speakeasy had info up on their website on what I had to do to switch to Speakeasy.

I filled out the online forms on Thursday (02/8/01) to switch and heard very little until Monday (after I e-mailed them for some questions I had). Those were answered promptly and had DSL in less than 7 days. My speeds are comparable to the actual speeds I had with DSLNetworks but with a TON better latency. I do have some lost packets (very low) but I do expect it to get better - I am out of the NY POP. My pings to the gateway have dropped from 109-250 ms with DSLNetworks to 41 ms with Speakeasy. I actually rank very well after running DRPing (score 74).

So far I am very pleased after 1 day - I will keep up this review in the next couple of months and update as necessary.......

THANKS SPEAKEASY.... good riddance DSLNetworks.......

8/28/07 - Still great service - still using my SpeedStream 5260 modem and added a wired/wireless router with an additional wireless print server. Speeds are still 85-95% of the rated speed (usually about 1250 down on a rated 1.5 meg download). They gave me 5 email addresses and upped my upload to 384K and lowered the price by about $3.00 - not a lot but they did give me more and I have virtually no downtimes since 9/11/01. I am now on the Chicago POP and could not be happier.

your comment..

Review by techie301 Location: San Jose, Santa Clara, CA, USA Cost: $125 per month (12 month contract) Install: about 8 days SBC Fastest backbone I've found! Solid performance! Great service! Little expensive, limited hosting features, limited anti-spam. Best performance & quality, plus lowest latency & packet loss I have found!

Pre Sales information: Install Co-ordination: Connection reliability: Tech Support: Services: Value for money:

25-Aug-2007:

Switched to Comcast HSI about 14 months ago. Speakeasy is still NUMBER ONE in low latency and ZERO packet loss in my book. Just too expensive for the performance band I really needed. Great service... GREAT performance.

22-Dec-2005:

All is still GREAT with Speakeasy! I have had 99.999% uptime and I have seen an improvement in overall packet loss (as close to 'zero' as you can get these days) with very good latency (~9ms to first hop and ~80ms coast-to-coast). I am still running at 3.0M/768K and wish I could get up to 6.0M! The CLEC is working on ADSL2 roll-outs that should get my 11,000ft CO distance problem resolved later this year. I will keep you all posted! Still high on the price, especially given the 8.0M/768K for $52/month Comcast offering now available in my area. I will be giving that a test starting today, just to see if I can get the same quality and service. Look for my updates on Comcast HSI. As for VoIP over Speakeasy, just the best! I have two TAs with 4 lines (all on VoicePulse) and using Brix, I test between 4.2 and 4.4 MOS using G.711u with two calls over two TAs. Speakeasy has the backbone down right... period!

Original Review Text:

I ordered Speakeasy OneLink 6.0M/768K service under the 'Home Office Plus' service plan with Static IPs. You will notice that I had to reduce my service to 3.0m/768K because of CO distance issues below. I decided to switch from SBC (Pacbell) to Speakeasy in June when I received my third mailing from them for 6.0/768 at 50% off for the first two months! The biggest reasons for the switch were; 1) Save overall on Internet access, Hosting and Voice, 2) Better Upstream performance for working from home, 3) Improved circuit reliability.

Summary: Great installation! Great technical support! Extra mile on technical support in many areas. The best backbone performance I've every seen! Solid circuit and local loop via Covad/SBC. Very good Hosting services. VoIP is solid, but limited features and poor ATA would cause me to avoid them until that gets resolved.

I received a call from the Speakeasy sales team on June 14, 2005 in the morning. I signed up and within an hour, I had access to my order status and preliminary account settings. By the end of that day, I have a Local Loop date from SBC via Covad of June 17, 2005. I also had all my IP addresses and everything I needed to get my hosting ported.

I was using SBC Yahoo! DSL and SBC Yahoo! Hosting. I was paying $160/m for a 6.0M/384K SBC ADSL line (that had SNR issues and really only linked at 4.0M). I also paid $10 for hosting, $90 for 3 POTS lines and $10 for offsite backups. All now consolidated into the Speakeasy solution. Net savings will be $70 a month, but with the 50% off and other 'free' elements, my first year savings was at least an additional $200. Not bad at all!

On June 17, the SBC tech came for a visit, tested the circuit, 9,500 feet CO-Home and Covad accepted the line for Speakeasy service. Later that night, I 'tested' the line with my 2Wire 1000HW ADSL router and I synced! Service was up and running. I started setting up my hosting services, mailboxes, web, FTP, etc. On June 22, the Covad tech came for a visit, had a great talk with him. He really recommended that IF I was going to do VoIP that it would be better to drop to 3.0M/768K and get my SNR in line. I did that and Speakeasy had me switched in a few hours.

On the hosting front, I 'moved' my DNS hosting from Yahoo! to Speakeasy (via Network Solutions - I have that directly with them.) Everything was flowing within hours and by June 23 I was fully up and running on Speakeasy. I will say that while the Anti-spam service at Speakeasy is very good, there is a little 'tweaking' needed for submitting new 'spam' messages into there system. The Yahoo! Anti-spam was just as good as Speakeasy and you could 'mark' spam for review by their system. Much better as the Speakeasy Anit-spam still allows a few rare spam messages across at a setting of 7. Setting it to 8 is not good as you have to almost add every address you want into the system to get messages.

Just to be complete on the review. I also did get the Speakeasy VoIP service. I will say this, the VoIP service is super. The quality is very good. The number LNP was very fast and there were no issues. The limiting issues are the features and also the Motorola VT1005 ATA. I never did get Caller ID to work correctly, even after replacing the ATA. The limited VoIP features like Call Hunting, Filters, etc, also had me finally LNP the number over to VoicePulse.

I have to be clear that I am a network wizard. Not saying that to 'toot' my horn, just want to let you all know that I understand all the technology and I do all my own network stuff. I have to say that for any 'rock star' or business out there, Speakeasy is a totally SOLID performer. I will update this review after the first 3 months to let yo uall know how things continue to go!

cococrust join:2004-11-14 Walnut, CA cococrust Member 2005-Jul-28 10:54 am What's SNR? I am a newbie in DSL stuff, whats SNR? 2005-Jul-28 10:54 am: · hey mods ·
	cpoore join:2004-04-06 Indianapolis, IN cpoore Member 2005-Jul-28 4:43 pm Re: What's SNR? Signal to noise ratio on the line. 2005-Jul-28 4:43 pm: · hey mods ·
your comment..

Review by redwoodtree Location: Seattle, King, WA, USA Cost: $55 per month Install: about 30 days Qwest Very reliable service Decreasing support Better for business customers and those that can afford to pay more for better reliability.

Pre Sales information: Install Co-ordination: Connection reliability: Tech Support: Services: Value for money:

Speakeasy has gone downhill since the purchase by Best Buy . I am moving, and I tried on 5 different occasions to get them to process my move.

It's failed every single time. First they got my order wrong, then they got my address wrong, then they failed to scheduled the install somehow. In each case , I had to cancel the order and start over.

I am now actively looking to move away from Speakeasy.

your comment..

Review by bathtubgin Location: Van Nuys, Los Angeles, CA, USA Cost: $94 per month Install: about 14 days Always on, fast, dependable and knowledgeable service personnel expensive but worth it it's a keeper

Pre Sales information: Install Co-ordination: Connection reliability: Tech Support: Services: Value for money:

We have had Speakeasy broadband for years, ever since DirecTV went out of the broadband business (they were the best - Hughes took it over later I believe).

Speakeasy is more expensive than DirecTV was, but the service is the same, no complaints. The installation process was fine except it involved a bunch of phone calls and visits from various service people, once the paperwork was finished, which took, I believe, three weeks. My current speed, just tested is 323/1332.

When they have a service outage (usually during the night) they warn you way in advance, and it is never even as long as they estimate.

A few times (I am simply an end user) I could not get on line, called the service rep, and they talked me through the entire process step by step to get hooked up again. They are always very kind and patient, even when one time it turned out my cat had pulled out the telephone cord. You can follow your "service ticket" and its progress on line too and comment on it, if needed. Very handy, and response/follow up is fast.

The only thing I was a bit disappointed in is the email options. At one time they announced they would make it more interesting and versatile, which never happened. It is plain and drab, with no options for wallpaper, different fonts/colors or emoticons. I am a sucker for that so I use myway.com for email instead, which is great.

For the past few years we also have added their VOIP service, based on our good experience with the broadband. So our monthly cost includes about $60 for the broadband and $34 for the VOIP service. We call free almost all over the world and no one in, for example Europe, ever complains about the audio quality.

Recently I had to call an ambulance and there was no problem reaching "911", except you will go through one intermediate person, which took perhaps 5 seconds extra.

All in all very satisfied with the service.

your comment..

Review by JTDC Location: Washington, District Of Columbia, DC, USA Cost: $379 per month (12 month contract) Install: about 60 days Verizon Great service and technical support Some problems with T-1 install but all addressed effectively Good service that I recommend, although pricier than others.

Pre Sales information: Install Co-ordination: Connection reliability: Tech Support: Services: Value for money:

I have been with Speakeasy since 2003 and the service has generally been great. I moved from DSL to a T-1 about a year ago for business reasons and it has been working fine. When I have had problems, the technical support has been excellent.

aidolon @capu.net aidolon Anon 2001-Jul-7 3:28 pm Capu.net won't respond - Earthlink threatens fee I'm n the same boat, and many others are here, I'm surprised someone hasn't already been yelling louder, or yelling for a lawyer. I have attempted to Call Capu.net on this all week - they've taken their customer service phone off the hook and replaced it with a recorded message asking you to leave your name and number - did that beginning of last week, they've never called me back. I'm surprised they'd be treating their business customers this way also. But every call I've made to customer service goes to this recording... maybe they are servicing there business customers but just deleting all calls from residential. I dug up the email asking me to re-subscribe and replied to my account manager - telling her that in my contract there *IS* a termination clause - Capu.net can terminate my service for no-cause as long as within 30 days I am re-embursed for the remainder of my subscription (2 years worth of service in the neighborhood of $1600). Not to mention, she lied - before I said yes, I asked her how stable Capu.net was - I was going to be giving them $2000 and wanted to know they'd be in business two years from now. She said they were strong and stable, I checked on DSL reports when I got my dear residential customer letter and less than a month earlier they had let people go to help them with cash flow. I know, I should not have expected anything negative from her, I should have done my homework then. But the service had been excellent. Its still plain misrepresentation when a company does this, because obviously at the beginning of April they still could not have been back on tract from letting people go on March 1 AND I wonder - when did they start negotiations with Earthlink. Could I have possibly signed up during that negotiation time, I and others on here complained about being hit by that big rush to reup - within days of our anniversary dates - some claimed to be given less than the 30 day notice required in the contract. Could that have been to boost the numbers of clients to sell to earthlink. Could our contracts have been re-upped when they KNEW they couldn't support residential any more. ? I reupped at the end of March - and in only 3 months - they decide they can't do residential service any more? Well, Capu.net is not talking. The emmail to my account manager hasn't bounced, but neither I have received any indication that its been read (I'd heard they may have let people go?) - so Capu.net is basically just refusing to respond at this point. Earthlink is clueless - I've called serveral times and heard different stores - mostly that I have to talk to Capu.net about leaving, one guy said I'd be terminating my service and it would cost me $250 - I told him Eartlink web site says $149 - he said Capu.net told them $250 (that's wrong Capu.net contract actually says $300) - I proceeded to tell the guy - I don't have a contract with Earthlink, - I never signed one. He said we bought them, I said - there is nothing in my Capu.net contract that says it can be transfered -it can be terminated if I do something against my terms of service, Capu.net can terminate it, I can't sell it to someone else and the contract can't be changed without a written addendum - which I've not recieved nor aggreed to. I re-upped in April - my credit card has already been charged, are you really having luck getting your money back? I had considered that but, Capu.net already has it, as it was payed a few months back. May be I'll have to reconsider. What are the rest of you doing, that don't want Earthlink? Alone, they are ignoring us, what about together? I want my money back, I want to be able to pick my service - I want a mimimum of down time. I gave them good money, I didn't use their tech service - why are they screwing good customers? These posts really belong in the Horror story listings.... 2001-Jul-7 3:28 pm: · hey mods ·
	JTDC join:2000-02-07 Washington, DC JTDC Member 2001-Jul-7 5:12 pm Re: Capu.net won't respond - Earthlink threatens fee I have lodged a formal complaint with my credit card company and they have credited me for the amount I paid to CapuNet. However, if they find that I am not correct in disputing the charge, they take the money back! In any event, my agreement does not provide for transfer of service to another provider. CapuNet is NOT being bought by Earthlink. Therefore they cannot claim that this is not a transfer. As a result, they are in effect terminating service in accordance with the terms of my agreement, and I am due a refund. At least that is my argument, which seems to me to be fully justifiable. I e-mailed CapuNet to that effect, and I got a message back saying that my service is already with Earthlink, even though that is not the case. Finally, I did get through to CapuNet earlier this week by calling the business technical support line. The advise I was offered was to let the transfer to Earthlink take place, and then take it up with them. However, if I allow the transfer to happen, I then have no argument. I strongly advise everyone in this situation to dispute the charge made to your credit card with your bank. Like you, when I renewed in late May, CapuNet assured me that they would be in business for the one year term. I specifically asked if they would honor the agreement, and they said yes. Bad faith! Dishonest! Horror story! [text was edited by author 2001-07-07 17:15:18] 2001-Jul-7 5:12 pm: · hey mods ·
	jsimmons MVM join:2000-04-24 Falls Church, VA jsimmons to aidolon MVM 2001-Jul-8 12:55 pm to aidolon I have had several emails with the Earthlink coordinator in charge of the transition for CapuNet residential customers to Earthlink. I too was concerned about my 9 months of prepaid capunet fees. Well I'm still concerned about the quality of service I'll get from Earthlink, but not as concerned about the financials.. In fact I expect to come out better in the end. According to Earthlink, the prepaid balance (in my case 9 months @ $89/month) will transfer over to Earthlink. I'll get to keep my current Covad 1536/384 DSL line, fixed IP and all, get an extra 4 email accounts if I want them, plus 10 megs of web space (all part of their basic package). But my credit balance of 9x$89 = $801 will be used to pay for service at Earthlink's current subscription rates. So my 9 months of CapuNet prepaid balance will actually net me 12+ additional months of Earthlink service. I think this is fair and in light of what CapuNet did to its res. customers, probably the best possible outcome. It was that or "lights out" if you know what I mean. My only concern now is - will my DSL perform as well going thru Earthlink's network as it did on CapuNet's. BTW, my conversations by email with the Earthlink transition coordinator have been positive, encouraging, and he has been very responsive to my inquiries about whats going on. I have my fingers crossed that it all works out. 2001-Jul-8 12:55 pm: · hey mods ·
		JTDC join:2000-02-07 Washington, DC JTDC Member 2001-Jul-8 1:15 pm Re: Capu.net won't respond - Earthlink threatens fee How are you able to keep your static IP? The Earthlink rep that I talked to told me that they do not offer a true static IP and that I would still have to use PPPOE if I purchased what they call a static number. Were you able to work something out with them? How? Who did you talk to? Thanks. 2001-Jul-8 1:15 pm: · hey mods ·
			jsimmons MVM join:2000-04-24 Falls Church, VA jsimmons MVM 2001-Jul-8 4:43 pm Re: Capu.net won't respond - Earthlink threatens fee I had an email conversation with Dan Warne: Dan Warne Senior Coordinator Broadband Integrations Earthlink Broadband Operations dwarne@corp.earthlink.net When I asked about having a static IP (which I have now with CapuNet), he replied: "You will get 1 static IP, 6 or more email addresses and 10mb of personal web space." I did not specifically ask about PPPOE, but I assumed that static IP implies no PPPOE - at least that's what it means to me. I asked about the transition of my existing DSL line: "I assume I'll just keep the existing COVAD/Verizon line and equipment and I'll only need to change IP address to an Earthlink network IP, and make any other configuration changes related to gateway router, DNS, SMTP, news, and other servers. Is this the bulk of the transition?" Dan's response: "That's absolutely correct and we will give you the information to configure our system prior to the transition." At this point, I'm assuming I'll get a true static IP. If not, I'll be somewhat disappointed. My firewall box can manage a PPPOE connection automatically, so if I have to go that way, I'll live with it. 2001-Jul-8 4:43 pm: · hey mods ·
				JTDC join:2000-02-07 Washington, DC JTDC Member 2001-Jul-9 4:11 am Re: Capu.net won't respond - Earthlink threatens fee I am in the same situation. I have a router that does PPPOE, but I am not sure whether I will have to use the software. Based on what Earthlink told me, the IP that they can give you is not truly static. You still have to use their software to open the connection. Again, though, I am not sure how that works through a router like mine (the UGate 3000). Anyway, best of luck! 2001-Jul-9 4:11 am: · hey mods ·
					jsimmons MVM join:2000-04-24 Falls Church, VA jsimmons MVM 2001-Jul-9 2:09 pm Re: Capu.net won't respond - Earthlink threatens fee We can post a question on the Netgear/ZyXEL forum (its very active) to see if users on Earthlink DSL are using the PPPOE support in the router firmware to accomplish this. If it works on Earthlink using Netgear & ZyXEL boxes, it'll probably work on UGate as well. I will send Dan at Earthlink an email specifically asking him about fixed IP for my circuit. I have heard that fixed IPs may be available in some Earthlink locations and not in others. Perhaps I'm lucky enough to be located where I can get one. [text was edited by author 2001-07-09 14:14:34] 2001-Jul-9 2:09 pm: · hey mods ·
						Aidolon @nigms.nih.gov Aidolon Anon 2001-Jul-9 5:48 pm Re: Capu.net won't respond - Earthlink threatens fee I called Earthlink again today, asked if I could get Fixed IP in Rockville, MD - I was told NO. The rep claims the contracts still have not been transferred from Capu.net. (I called Capu.net customer service and once again, they want you to leave a phone number - I left another message - nothing as of yet.) I asked Earthlink about canceling - they say that now they've decided to let you temrinate for $150. 2001-Jul-9 5:48 pm: · hey mods ·
							jsimmons MVM join:2000-04-24 Falls Church, VA jsimmons MVM 2001-Jul-10 9:50 pm Re: Capu.net won't respond - Earthlink threatens fee A quick letter from an attorney would probably get the $150 dropped. I don't see anything in the capunet contract that protects them in the event they decide to sell the contract to someone else. And as far as I'm concerned, the contract is with CapuNet and no one else. 2001-Jul-10 9:50 pm: · hey mods ·
							jsimmons jsimmons to Aidolon MVM 2001-Jul-10 10:04 pm to Aidolon I just got confirmation from Earthlink that fixed IP was available where I am and there should be no problem. I'm cautiously optimistic. 2001-Jul-10 10:04 pm: · hey mods ·
								JTDC join:2000-02-07 Washington, DC JTDC Member 2001-Jul-11 2:49 am Re: Capu.net won't respond - Earthlink threatens fee I called them today and they told me that they could give me a fixed IP, but then they went on to say, "Not exactly." In my case, I would still have to use PPPOE because the IP is reserved, but not truly static. Apparently, they drop the connection over time and you have to connect again. It sounds like this is not the case for you. Can you say who you talked to at Earthlink? 2001-Jul-11 2:49 am: · hey mods ·
									jsimmons MVM join:2000-04-24 Falls Church, VA jsimmons MVM 2001-Jul-11 11:20 pm Re: Capu.net won't respond - Earthlink threatens fee Emailed with Dan Warne. I have asked him specifically about this PPPOE thing but did not get a response. If its a "reserved" address and you still need PPPOE to connect and use it, I see no benefit in paying the extra $15/month. All I cared about was NOT having to use PPPOE. In general I think PPPOE sucks for an always-on service. 2001-Jul-11 11:20 pm: · hey mods ·
									JTDC join:2000-02-07 Washington, DC JTDC Member 2001-Jul-12 10:42 am Re: Capu.net won't respond - Earthlink threatens fee I agree. My thought is that it is not really worth paying the extra $15. If you are going to go with them, you might be better served getting a router like the Linksys, D-Link, or Netgear that can use PPPOE and eliminate the need for any software installation. Generally, these routers end up costing less than the charge for a year of what the Earthlink "static" IP would be. In general, I still do not understand how CapuNet can do a "transfer" to a lesser service even though the cost is lower. No matter how you look at it, we are not getting the same service we contracted for initially. I continue to challenge the charge for CapuNet service with my credit card company, but have not gotten any word yet. 2001-Jul-12 10:42 am: · hey mods ·
									jsimmons MVM join:2000-04-24 Falls Church, VA jsimmons MVM 2001-Jul-12 10:59 pm Re: Capu.net won't respond - Earthlink threatens fee I already own a Zywall-10 firewall that supports PPPOE and may forgo the fixed IP if you need PPPOE anyway. BTW .. As of the switch over to Earthlink, I'll still have $800 worth of unused prepay on CapuNet. Since the Earthlink service is only $49/month, I'll get 16 months of Earthlink service instead of 9 months of CapuNet. So I'm not going to complain too much unless the service is worse. Earthlink will apply any unused prepaid amount toward their service at the current Earthlink rates. This is only fair IMHO. JS 2001-Jul-12 10:59 pm: · hey mods ·
		jbender join:2000-05-15 Washington, DC jbender to jsimmons Member 2001-Jul-16 5:26 pm to jsimmons I just learned today that I have been "transitioned" to Earthlink. Not that I received anything from Capunet, mind you. Today I opened what I thought was a postal mail solicitation from Earthlink, only to find an announcement of my new service. I called Capunet, actually got through to someone, and was told "you're an Earthnet customer now, talk to them, OK?" When I tried to reply, she repeated "you're an Earthnet customer now, OK? OK?" I told her it was not, in fact, "OK," but didn't see any point in hearing her ask if it was "OK" anymore. I'm an attorney. The following is NOT legal advice, just my off-the-cuff thoughts on the matter, but: Generally, contracts are assignable (i.e., transferable) unless there is a provision in the contract to the contrary. But that means that the EXACT contract is transferred, with the acquiring party assuming ALL rights and liabilities of the party assigning the contract. That hardly appears to be the case here. [YMMV -- again, this is NOT legal advice and I'm not your attorney, (as they say at Capunet) OK?] I'll take a few deep breaths before deciding how to proceed. . . jbender@ibusinesslawyer.com »www.iBusinessLawyer.com [text was edited by author 2001-07-16 17:30:08] 2001-Jul-16 5:26 pm: · hey mods ·
			aidolon @capu.net aidolon Anon 2001-Jul-16 8:10 pm Re: Capu.net won't respond - Earthlink threatens fee I received that letter also, my transition hasn't happened yet, I'll know when my DSL connection stops working they said, they might notifiy me before hand, but no promises. FRIST TIME since I've been talking to them have they mentioned returning my 2 year upfront money - after the switch I can call and cancel. They may or may not wave the $150 cancelation fee, he's not sure. I asked about switching, if I cancel he said they'd remove my line and it would take 3 or more weeks. I said every other vendor I've talked to said it should only be 24 hours, I have the line and everything.... He said it wasn't a plain isp switch (then ah, what is it?) So I'm not sure just what the heck they are taking about, I said I'm trying to make this as quick and easy as possible, Earthlink and Capunet are the one who's making this hard. So, I'm going to pick a service and talk to them, I think what it sounds like is you have to make the transistion to their lines first - before they'll repay me, but hey according to capunet - I'm already theirs, they already have my records, so I don't see what's the big deal. I just don't take the service right? Any body get anything out of capu.net yet? 2001-Jul-16 8:10 pm: · hey mods ·
				jbender join:2000-05-15 Washington, DC jbender Member 2001-Jul-27 11:11 pm Pot Calling the Kettle Black? Next time somebody from Earthlink tells you how hard it is to switch lines, quote Dave Baker, their vice president, to them (from a NY Times article about a lawsuit filed against PacBell by Earthlink and other ISPs): "The California group will also ask the commission to order Pacific Bell to cease the practice of what it calls clenching. The group says this practice discourages customers from switching Internet service providers. 'These tactics include shutting down the consumer's D.S.L. connection and requiring the consumer to order an entirely new D.S.L. line — a process that typically takes weeks or months — even though the requested change can be accomplished in a short period of time and with minimal service disruption to the end user,' stated the 35-page complaint. Switching providers need not be so cumbersome, said Dave Baker, vice president for law and policy at EarthLink, and chairman of the association. 'Technically, it's a matter of a few keystrokes," Mr. Baker said. "There's no reason you should have to be disconnected and go all the way to the back of the queue.'" (emphasis added) [full article at »www.nytimes.com/2001/07/ ··· NET.html (free registration required to view)] 2001-Jul-27 11:11 pm: · hey mods ·
					aidolon @capu.net aidolon Anon 2001-Jul-28 8:08 pm Re: Pot Calling the Kettle Black? Why thank you! I'll send this to the guy who was supposed to be finding out Earthlink's stand on switching. 2001-Jul-28 8:08 pm: · hey mods ·
			JTDC join:2000-02-07 Washington, DC JTDC to jbender Member 2001-Jul-18 10:36 am to jbender As I have mentioned in previous postings here on DSLR, I disputed the Capunet charges to my credit card two weeks ago precisely on the basis that this was not a transfer of service because I am not receiving the same service I contracted for in mid-May. As of yet, I have not received a final resolution, but the money has been credited to my account pending the outcome. In talking to my bank, they seem to feel that there is merit in the case . . . Will post when this is resolved. 2001-Jul-18 10:36 am: · hey mods ·
				aidolon @capu.net aidolon Anon 2001-Jul-21 12:40 pm Re: Capu.net won't respond - Earthlink threatens fee Well, after talking to a guy at Eartlink, trying to determine if I can do an ISP swtich after we are moved to earthlink, him telling me he'd get back to me yesterday because he was going on vacation for the next week - he didn't get back to me. I called my credit card company. They explained it to me as thus. They will take the charge off while they dispute it with Capu.net but basically they ask Capu.net - did you or are you providing the service you said you would...... well with everything else that's happened - what do you think they'll say? They've been very firm on the switch to earthlink for prepaid customers - obviously they feel that are in a complete safe and correct position. So, its explained to me as a he said, she said proposition. And if I go ahead and do this and do the switch before its resolved, and they came back and recharged me, I'd have no way of getting my pre-paid back from Capu.net or Earthlink. So, how is your dispute going? 2001-Jul-21 12:40 pm: · hey mods ·
					JTDC join:2000-02-07 Washington, DC JTDC Member 2001-Jul-22 3:34 am Re: Capu.net won't respond - Earthlink threatens fee It has been about three weeks now since I first filed the dispute (July 2). So far, there has been no formal response and it is still under investigation. Fortunately for me, it has not helped CapuNet very much that they are basically inaccessible by phone. Anyway, I have no idea how this will end up turning out, and I really have nothing against Earthlink. I just want to switch over to Speakeasy because they offer exactly the same plan at exactly the same cost (1500/384, static IP, $89 a month). If Earthlink offered this service, I would go with them. In any event, I will keep posting on how the dispute goes, at least for as long as I still have service! 2001-Jul-22 3:34 am: · hey mods ·
a fellow capuneter @capu.net a fellow capuneter Anon 2001-Jul-7 5:23 pm Wake up and smell the reality of broadband It amazes me that anyone would be surprised, given the nature of the broadband world these days, that a company would look for a way to migrate customers to a strong provider (with cash to burn) instead of risking keeping them around, forcing them out of business and tying up the lines in Chapter 11. Did you learn anything from the 250 other DSL providers that left the arena in the last 8 months? Does Northpoint ring a bell? From what I understand, CapuNet is not screwing its customers: it realizes, like the rest of the smaller ISPs that it is *impossible* to make money on residential DSL. Residential customers use more bandwidth than Commercial (yes they do), pay much less, and the margins over the Covad and Verizon costs are only a few bucks. Earthlink is huge and has some cash to burn. BTW, if you are beyond your first year of service (that is, you have renewed), you *can* cancel without penalty. The penalty only applies to cancelation within the first year. Also, being involved in law, I can tell you that contracts are transferable. A contract needs to specify that it cannot be transfered in order for it to be non-transferable. How do you think Flashcom transferred all their customers to three other providers? In terms of people telling you a company is stable, I can tell you from personal experience that changes in this industry happen overnight. Anyone who works in this industry can tell you the same thing. The 125,000 individuals who were laid off this year can tell you as well. PSI.Net engineers can tell you. Cisco can tell you. Things change quickly. Investers pull money overnight. Don't assume people are lying to you. Get your head out of the ground. This is not March 2000. It's a whole different world. 2001-Jul-7 5:23 pm: · hey mods ·
	JTDC join:2000-02-07 Washington, DC JTDC Member 2001-Jul-7 5:59 pm Re: Wake up and smell the reality of broadband Knowing something of the law myself, yes, contracts can be transferred, provided that the terms and conditions remain the same. This is not the case, as Earthlink does not offer a truly static IP, by their own admission. As for accepting the reality of broadband, that is not the point. Although I have been very happy with the service offered by CapuNet, they should have been more straight forward when they offered the opportunity to upgrade. They were aware of their position at that time, and should have said so. Unless they went public recently, CapuNet is a privately held company, so I have no idea what investor, other than the owner, could have pulled money out of the firm. I have no interest in CapuNet going bankrupt, but I also do not see any justification for my paying for their solvency! Basically, they negotiated a deal with Earthlink using MY money. They could have simply stated that they were not going to continue service residential service, thereby stemming the loss of money in their DSL business. At the very least, they could have given me the opportunity to explore other options. For example, I can freely transfer to Speakeasy for the same service, and complete the switch in three to five days. Instead, CapuNet proposes that I go to Earthlink for a service that is not what I want, and that my only alternative is to pay a cancellation fee. Of course, CapuNet will make money on the deal either way. I do not begrudge them profit, I just want the service that I paid for. If they cannot provide it, let me find someone who can! As for the termination clause of the agreement only being binding in the first year, I have read and reread my agreement, and I do not see this stipulated anywhere. If you can tell me where this is stated, I would very much appreciate it! 2001-Jul-7 5:59 pm: · hey mods ·
	aidolon @capu.net aidolon to a fellow capuneter Anon 2001-Jul-7 6:21 pm to a fellow capuneter I understand this is a fast moving business, I understand that the price point is not making it for some companies - then why work so hard to have me renew? I work in the industry also. I signed up with Capunet - if they can not provide the service - hey, its a hard world out there, I understand that I may have to hop around. I would be sad to see them go, but if they can't offer service - then I should have a choice where I go - to find my own sevice and have a refund of my remaining money (its not like they are going chapter 11). I'm not upset about losing the service, I can go elsewhere, I'm upset about being monitarily penalized for it when I don't want to take the substititue. Right now - everyone is saying I can't do that without a penalty of $250 or more. Earthlink reps won't even mention returning money. What I do not understand is Capunet's refusal to even return my calls. I only managed to talk to them once, they refused to deal with me - told me that it's all Earthlink's ballgame, Earthlink claims that if I want to cancel I have to talk to Capu.net - RUN AROUND. In fact, the Eartlink people keep on saying that they don't even have our contracts yet. I've pretty much made up my mind who I want to go with, I could be moving on, right now - if I'd get some cooperation. But I'm not. I'm not making this stuff up, I've tried for the 2 weeks since the initial letter came out to get a true picture of what's going on..... If its true that I can cancel after my first year - without penalty - then why doesn't Capu.net respond to me, why did they not say that in the initial dear residential subscriber letter (would have prevented a lot of trouble and gone a long way to customer service), why do they not say they will cancel my account and refund my money? Why do they not answer my calls or emails? What does it say in the renewal contract that it will cost me $300 to cancel? Why are not other subscribers in the same boat posting their happy stories? Is everyone getting different renewal contracts? Why not say, everyone who wants to cancel - see us then we'll transer the remainder of accounts left to Earthlink. My "head is not in the ground" - I want the customer service I deserve. If they can't provide service, I want the remainder of my money. I'll go look for the service I want. I'd didn't bet on the roullette wheel, I didn't invest in stock that could go up or down, I contracted with them for a specific DSL service, a static IP, etc. etc. What they are trying to give me now does not equal the service I have now. All I'm asking for is some customer service, I want to switch to another provider, have the remainder of my subscription refunded to me without penalty. Very simple, very easy - I would be a happy customer, sorry to see them go. Instead, I get nothing but people saying talk to someone else, we don't have it, I don't know or silence. Capu.net has terminated my service - within 30 days they are supposed to provide a refund. Inform me its coming please. I should not be penalized by having to pay a termination fee. Are you saying that anyone who takes broadband should be ready to loose money? Inconvenience I can understand, but once again - this isn't the lottery or gambling, its a service. And we are not talking about $20 or $30 - we are talking about over a thousand. If Capu.net were to return my call, refund my money, let me switch to another ISP - I'd say thank you, pleasure doing business with you, good luck in the future and give them A- for customer service. According to the contract I signed - it cannot be changed without a written addendum. My contract included a written addenum to cover the - we can't guarantee your line speed which I had to sign before I re-newed. I've seen nothing that mentioned they could sell the contract, just terminate based on me not following their accepted use or they terminating it for no cause. I've seen no written addendum. 2001-Jul-7 6:21 pm: · hey mods ·
schipperke join:1999-11-29 Potomac, MD schipperke Member 2001-Jul-8 8:32 am Capunet Tricks.. I had Capunet (prepaid) for a year term, and the connection went down one time I recall, due to Bell Atlantic. The connectivity was fantastic. I only needed to call customer service one time, and it was OK. When I got the renewal increase, It was a hard choice to give up a reliable service, but the fees were just too high for me. Now it looks as through blind luck, I did the right thing. They kept insisting that I cancel in writing, even though each time they'd call I'd tell them I'm not renewing. Three weeks after disconnect, I get a bill in the mail for something like $1100 or so past due. I tried for two months to get Earthlink installed, but they always had some problem. Each time a problem would develop, they would cancel the dial-up account and email, with no notice! This happened over four times, so I said farewell to their connection attempts. If you all get Earthlink, be ready for an unbelievable amount of SPAM. Finally I got @home, after being told repeatedly over the phone, I could not get the service. I knock on wood, that I'll never need tech support from @home, because I'm sure it would suck. If the sales reps don't even know I'm in the service area, how good would the tech support be? I went down to the cable company, and spoke directly to the @home representative. (not easy to do..) She wrote up the order and I was online in TWO days. After 6 weeks of @home service, I give sincere thanks to Earthlink, that they could not do the install. The @home averages 2MB down, and have not had an outage yet, and is cheaper than Earthlink, even for a non cable TV customer.The installer really didn't know much about proper network setup, and the users on this site (DSLReports) let me know how to configure the setup properly! Thanks DSL Reports and all the users who help!! 2001-Jul-8 8:32 am: · hey mods ·
System Anon 2001-Aug-28 10:58 am capu.net switched me to speakeasy.net Contacted Earthlink about getting two fixed IP addresses. They told me "NO". I got capu.net to give me permission to switch to speakeasy.net (they just had to fill out a simple ISP switch form). I was told that since my account would not be transferred to earthlink because the deadline date is July 31. The transfer to speakeasy.net went smoothly, on July 17 I got DSL service with speakeasy.net until some Verizon technician knocks me offline. During the same week, Covad declared bankruptcy and they were not responsive in terms of calling Verizon. So it took 3 weeks later to get DSL service back. This morning looked at my credit card bill and saw a charge from Earthlink. So now I'm on hold for 30 minutes waiting to talk to earthlink billing representative. While I'm on hold, I surfed the net looking for a cable modem service provider. Enough is enough. T.N. 2001-Aug-28 10:58 am: · hey mods ·
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Review by burnnitely Location: Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA Cost: $120 per month (24 month contract) Install: about 10 days Always up and bandwith solid Little expensive You get what you pay for - premium service

Pre Sales information: Install Co-ordination: Connection reliability: Tech Support: Services: Value for money:

I have Speakeasy 3.0/768 with VOIP. Previously we had Adelphia which is now Time Warner and AT&T Call Vantage for our VOIP and we always had issues with both companies blaming each other for the VOIP being intermittent and our bandwith was being throttled during the day. Secondly, their Customer service always wanted you to take your network apart to test a single computer on the line. Coming from a Networking background I understand how it all works and having to wait for 45 minutes to reach someone who knows less than you and you try to be patient with them, but all you want is to be sent up to top tier of support. Overall the installation process was very efficient and professional. The technicians kept us informed throughout the process and even after the installation, they continued to follow up to make sure we were satisfied with the service. Initially we did run into a problem with the bandwidth fluctuating a month into the service. When calling Speakeasy tech support, I always got a live person who answered the call, 24 hours a day. They worked diligently to resolve the issue with me and continued to monitor the service while updating the open ticket to keep me informed of their progress. Ever since this issue was resolved, we have had smooth sailing with our network, especially the VOIP. No more lost calls, drop outs or people telling me like I sound like I am in a fish bowl!!!! The bottom line is when a problem arises, they are continuously monitoring their network and are aware of problems before you can even notify them.

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Review by uromahn Location: Mountain View, Santa Clara, CA, USA Cost: $130 per month (12 month contract) Install: about 90 days Excellent and very knowledgable tech support It took us almost three months to get DSL going! I am happy now, but I am not sure if it is worth paying that much

Pre Sales information: Install Co-ordination: Connection reliability: Tech Support: Services: Value for money:

We had a REALLY BAD experience with the installation process. Speakeasy sub-contract the DSL line with Covad who in turn lease the "last mile" of copper from AT&T. We could not get the line to work until after AT&T put us on another copper line from our house to the central office. The coordination between the three parties was a NIGHTMARE and it took me quite some arm-wrestling and threatening to leave with Speakeasy before they finally fixed it!

The really good point: the support staff was always very helpful and courteous, even when I was not.

Now, after it is working for six months, we are pretty happy with the service and reliability.

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Review by L0GiX Location: San Jose, Santa Clara, CA, USA Business customer Cost: $123 per month (12 month contract) Install: about 15 days Great service Now owned by Best Buy I pay to be able to get a 1st tier engineer on the phone at 3am. With Speakeasy I get it.

Pre Sales information: Install Co-ordination: Connection reliability: Tech Support: Services: Value for money:

I've had the service for over 3 years. I have had no down time ever.

It works. I have called at 3am once to ask about something technical and was greeted by a friendly engineer that answered my questions without issue.

I did highly suggest them before they were bought out by BestBuy. Now I'm not to sure.

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Review by jamesfalknor Location: Denver, Denver, CO, USA Cost: $120 per month Install: about 7 days Qwest Excellent customer service I can't find anything bad to say Speakeasy Rocks

Pre Sales information: Install Co-ordination: Connection reliability: Tech Support: Services: Value for money:

04/20/2003
I began service with Speakeasy / Covad a little over 2 years ago. At that time, I could only get IDSL due to my loop length (19000+). Six months after my 1 year anniversary date expired, I asked about SDSL and ADSL. I was advised that I qualified for ADSL. So I switched from IDSL to ADSL. I have had no problems with ADSL. I've done a downgrade in service from 1.5/384 to 1.5/256 in financial name only for I would never see a download rate of 1.5. I was receiving 514/540. That is until I changed some phone features with Qwest.

Qwest accidentily disconnected my circuit 2 weeks ago after a change in phone features. That was a nightmare. In the end, I am now on a different circuit and my port rates are a rock solid 384/384. I am paying ADSL prices for SDSL service. Furthermore, due to the loop length, I am fortunate to be receiving DSL at all. Nobody is willing to touch me at such a distance. I tried to upgrade to SDSL proper, and the Speakeasy salesperson advised me that I don't qualify for SDSL let alone for the ADSL that I have.

I'd rather have an SDSL line since SDSL uses it's own line and does not piggyback off the telephone line. I'd rather have a separate data line, but oh well. My loop length can handle SDSL between 384/384 to 604/604.

I have 3 static IP addresses. I am using the ZyXEL 643 ADSL modem. Since the expiration of my initial one year contract, I haven't been approached by Speakeasy to sign another one year contract.

384/384 with 3 static IP addresses costs me a total of $71.37 per month.

My situation proves that with a pristine circuit, loop length can be further out than advertised. More to the point, loop length can be greater than what the DSL providers are willing to allow. Solid 384/384 at 19000+ from CO. If I pushed it, I'm sure I could get Speakeasy to bumped it up to 604/604. 604 is the maximum port rate that a tech from Covad was willing to suggest that my circuit be set at.

The Techs at Speakeasy were willing to custom tailor the port rates with the loop length.

Speakeasy rocks as far as I'm concerned.

UPDATE: 10/07/2005
Since my initial post, I began having connection problems. In 11/04, I switched to OneLink. Still having connection problems. 384/384 is no longer a solid connection. Connection randomly goes down on me.

Covad nor Qwest can find anything wrong with my line. They both say that my system is within specs at a little over 17,000 feet.

Last technician at Speakeasy that I talked to suggested that we try ordering another OneLink service in hopes that the new pair that will be needed fixes the problem. Apparently, Covad nor Qwest will switch out my current pair since it tests out OK.

Speakeasy still rocks as far as I'm concerned.

Update: 11/2005
Had to switch back to IDSL at a cost of $119.95 plus taxes equaling out to $131.80.
Slow, but I get the IP Addresses I need. And I get a constant connection.

Update: 07/21/2007
I've been with Speakeasy since 2001. Service and Support has been Spectacular.

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Review by knightmb Location: Franklin, Williamson, TN, USA Business customer Cost: $105 per month Install: about 25 days BellSouth No restrictions or silly port blocking, do whatever you want with your connection within legal reasons :-) Took longer than I hoped to get setup Moved to a new home that could get it, ditched Bellsouth in a heartbeat to order

Pre Sales information: Install Co-ordination: Connection reliability: Tech Support: Services: Value for money:

I'll make this short and sweet.
I got the OneLink ADSL 3.0 Down / 768 Up Net Advantage Package
(2) Static IPs

I ordered service 10/17/2005, finally got it up and running 11/11/2005

A lot of problems beyond control of Speakeasy/Covad made this take a long time.

First, the modem was shipped to me and UPS lost the package, Speakeasy sent another real fast.

Next, Covad came out to get the line ready. First Covad found that my circuit had a bad card, so the Tech (who was wonderful, the best tech I've ever encountered) had to go back to the CO and replace the card. He came back out and found out there was a line problem that only Bellsouth could fix. Had to get a trouble ticket with Bellsouth to fix line problem.

Bellsouth came out, did nothing (I was here at the house when they came to look at it) and passed the buck back to Covad/Speakeasy of no trouble found. Speakeasy stepped up and whipped Bellsouth into shape, made them fix the ILEC problem.

After Bellsouth did their part, Covad came back out to see if service was ready (took Bellsouth a week to fix their problem). Turns out the NID on my house was in terrible condition, but the tech was able to move around bad parts and use the good ones. Finally, the modem could get sync from the NID, now was time for the house wiring.

The house had a fresh run of copper, which was only 10 feet from the NID to my living room plug (only jack in the house, using OneLink DSL with my Vonage VoIP service) Turns out my fresh copper was bad too, LOL. He replaced that, turns out my jack was bad, he replaced that too.

Finally after the Super Covad Tech fixed about 20 different problems, service was up and solid. They need to get this Covad Tech a raise because he fixed problems that Bellsouth would take weeks to schedule and do. I give him a big thanks for this!!

Service has been rock solid!! Great to be back with Speakeasy again!!

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