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lorennerol
Premium
join:2003-10-29
Seattle, WA
| Best Buy acquires Speakeasy??!? Today is an historic and exciting day for Speakeasy.
I am pleased to announce that Speakeasy has been acquired by Best Buy, an innovative and growing Fortune 100 company and top consumer electronics retailer in North America. This is a significant milestone for our company as our new relationship will help us realize our goals of becoming the No. 1 provider of voice and data solutions to small businesses. It is important to note that though Speakeasy will now be a wholly owned subsidiary of Best Buy, we will continue to operate as a standalone, independent operating division with headquarters in Seattle.
Speakeasy will be an important part of the Best Buy For Business service that delivers simple, reliable, and affordable technology solutions to small businesses. Speakeasy?s array of broadband voice, data and managed services offerings will be the focal point of the Best Buy For Business communications solutions.
This agreement is a major step forward for our company. While our business remains strong, our relationship with Best Buy provides us with additional resources and brand recognition, and opens new opportunities to dramatically accelerate our growth.
Best Buy, like Speakeasy, is known for its high level of customer service. Our reputation as a trusted provider of voice and data services with stellar customer service will not change. Our values are similar too -- Best Buy shares our customer passion, respect for individuals, and drive to do the right thing while achieving results.
You will continue to work with your partner sales managers and the excellent service and support you expect will continue uninterrupted.
Best Regards,
Bruce Chatterley
President & CEO, Speakeasy, Inc.
I'm hoping this is an early April Fools joke, but I fear not. | |
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eric_n_dfw
join:2001-10-22
Euless, TX | Re: Best Buy acquires Speakeasy??!? I just got that email too. (funny, seeing as I've not been a SpeakEasy customer since November, 2006) | |
| 
bhan261
join:2001-02-12
New York, NY | There goes the neighborhood.... | |
| Scifience
Premium
join:2002-07-07
Berea, OH
| Well, I was feeling a bit bad about switching from Speakeasy to AT&T a few months back when I made the move, but now I don't really feel bad about it all. As much as I hate big telco, I've had more bad experiences with Best Buy than AT&T.
Oh well. It was nice while it lasted. | |
| | nshulga
join:2002-06-06
Morrisville, PA | Pity. I have good memories of Speakeasy. They were a good company. | |
| | 
panda
Visualize Whirled Peas
join:2000-01-08
Danvers, MA
| Re: Best Buy acquires Speakeasy??!? said by nshulga  :Pity. I have good memories of Speakeasy. They were a good company. I have to disagree...
They are (were) a GREAT company!
They will be missed.
IMHO, BB will absolutely *ruin* SE...
--
"[He] couldn't get a clue if he stripped naked, rubbed himself with clue musk, went to the middle of the clue breeding grounds at the height of clue breeding season when it was full of horny clues and did the clue mating dance for days." | |
| dslrobe
join:2001-10-23
Buffalo Grove, IL
| I've been with speakeasy for almost 5 years and through 3 moves.
They've always been great with customer/technical support, and I've been very happy with the service.
As much as I hate ATT, I have greater issues with best buy, and so it comes down to the lesser of two evils.
See ya, Speakeasy. | |
| | mjordan
join:2002-05-08
Chicago, IL
| So does this mean BBR will now have a Best Buy forum? 
My first words when i saw this was "OMFG!"
Is SE really in that much of financial trouble?
We have all seen how we've been pretty much abandoned on the forums, and now this.
I just hope they don't start changing their policies now and have SE converted in to just another ISP.
It was these open port/servers policies that have kept me with them and I for sure will drop them in a heartbeat if they change that.
I've been a SE customer for 7 years and was recommending them due to their great customer suport, but this has changed my mind. | |
| | | Miguel3239
Premium
join:2004-03-21
Manchester, NH
| I guess we now know why we have been dealing with a "different" company lately. There has been zero responses from SE on this forum within the last year or so. Also, their focus definitely has been more on business and they seem to have forgotten us residential users who need more than just an internet connection. Well it looks like according to the letter from CEO, Best Buy wants SE for the business side of things. I foresee residential service slowly dwindling away.
As soon as my contract is up, I think I will be looking for a new service provider. I too have been a customer for 4 years, referred them to others, and moved 3 times. But I dislike Best Buy so much, it is going to make me change providers. Their business and HR practices leave a lot to be desired.
Just needed to add my two cents to this surprise announcement. | |
| jc1350
join:2004-09-23
| I had to give up Speakeasy's DSL service when I moved (no dsl where I now live).
Of all the ISPs out there, I say Speakeasy is the best. Their ToS is the most friendly - do what you want so long as it is not illegal or you bring down our network. At least that is how it was when I had dsl service. Want to run an ftp or http server? Ok. Want to run a game server? Ok. Want your own email server? Ok.
Most other ISPs' rules allow you to surf the web and use email. Everything else is forbidden in the small print. they definitely take the "service" out of Internet Service Provider.
speakeasy is being bought by Best Buy for Business, not the consumer store. Maybe there is enough difference that Speakeasy will be left alone. I can dream. | |
| jesterekim1
join:2007-01-10
Flushing, NY | Sh!t has really hit the fan.... I'm just waiting for FiOS. | |
| 
rexc
@bathsavings.com
| I've been with speakeasy for over 6 years now and have always been pleased with them. Over the last 2 years, I have noticed a decline in their willingness to invest in their retail infrastructure and I understood it as a business decision as they built out their VoIP and focused on building their commercial business.
I understand that usually such a focus results in a better overall infrastructure and will, by trickle down, improve their retail business as well.
As time went by and I still saw little to no commitment to their retail customers, I began feeling the itch to move away to a different ISP.. and today's news is just confirming my desire to switch. As much as I hate AT&T/SBC, I may be moving my way in that direction.. I would love to have FIOS but I live in SBC Country and don't see FIOS (or even U-Verse anytime soon as a viable option). Anyone know of a good provider around Chicago? | |
|
NIX
@uslec.net
| Dammit... Now I guess I really gotta start at least semi-seriously looking at other providers' business/SOHO offerings. 
Oh well, at least if I switch, my options include faster speeds for the same price points. | |
| 
tapeloop
1959. I try to kick the ball. I miss.
Premium
join:2004-06-27
Airstrip One
| Ugh. That groaning sound you here is the collective displeasure of current SpE customers, including this one.
Best Buy. I mean really...Best Buy? I don't profess to know the inner workings of corporate mergers and acquisitions, but I can tell you that, in my experience, every time that a company of which I'm currently a customer gets bought out by a larger company, customer service suffers to varying degrees. And customer service was the primary reason I stuck with Speakeasy all this time.
I shudder to think what the future holds. Sorry you had to go that way SpE. 
--
I cannot stand demagoguery. If you disagree with my stance, you're a blithering twit. You're not a twit, are you? | |
| | russotto
join:2000-10-05
Collegeville, PA
| Re: Best Buy acquires Speakeasy??!? I stick with Speakeasy mostly because I have static IPs and I don't NEED customer service, because they're very reliable (unlike another provider I could name, whose name is a portmanteau of "communication" and "broadcast")
What does Best Buy know about DSL?
Looks like it may be time to seriously consider FIOS. | |
| | | pdaudio84
join:2003-07-07
Greensboro, NC
| Re: Best Buy acquires Speakeasy??!? Rah, all you people in fios areas, or even prospective fios areas!
I've been a Speakeasy customer for just over two years, and I love my static IPs and reverse DNS.
My other real options in this area are Bellsouth or TWC. I don't want or need a phone line (yeah for onelink), so that's bellsouth out. RR's upload is maxed out at 512 kbps on their highest tear, and obviously it's a completely different class of service. They keep saying they'll up the tears to 8/512 for standard and 10/1 for terbo (or whatever they're calling it), but honestly, I think they're waiting for Bellsouth to make a move, something which, in my opinion, is unlikely for a while.
I actually have both Speakeasy and RR's standard package, because I could only get 1.5 down reliably with Speakeasy, due to my distance from the CO, but the upload was twice as fast as RR standard. Plus, I can run both my and parent's voip phones on the cable line and use all my DSL upstream without conflict.
Considering I have two ISPs, I obviously don't mind paying premium, but this has gone and turned the whole concept for a loop, as far as I'm concerned.
I think, eventually, if RR decides to up the speeds, I will drop Speakeasy and move my servers to a co-lo. I have access to some unmetered bandwidth on an alphared datacenter... | |
| | 
Titus Pullo
I came, I saw, I slept
join:2004-06-26
 ·Embarq
| said by tapeloop :... in my experience, every time that a company of which I'm currently a customer gets bought out by a larger company, customer service suffers to varying degrees. Simple: because human capital is always, in the minds of business elite, the easiest and most cost effective means to offset the investment required for the acquisition, customers be damned. The larger point here is that as more mergers take place, lousy CS won't matter; you'll have only one or two providers at best. Rock - hard place. Welcome to a new america, free from that evil word "regulation" that's been so mean to us all  | |
| mjordan
join:2002-05-08
Chicago, IL
| let' look at the positive side of things.... errr...
um...
let's see...
OH YEA!!!
At least the forum is now getting more posts and attention than before.
I remember the days they would send you swag for being a loyal customer, sure, it was cheap stuff, but it was nice to feel appreciated. I got fridge magnets, pens, screen cleaning towels, a shirt and a coffee mug!
I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens, it might not be as bad as we think. | |
| claudeo
join:2000-02-23
Redmond, WA | What a disappointment. All around. | |
| | m0unds
join:2003-02-17
Albuquerque, NM
·Qwest.net
 ·Comcast
| Yeesh. I was feeling kind of guilty because I'm going to be moving and I was going to drop Speakeasy because I'm sick of being stuck in limbo with Qwest and Covad (the biggest problem with DSL in NM, IMO) Now that they're being bought out by Best Buy, I don't think I could feel guilty if I tried. | |
| | 
metrodust
Hey Thats Mine
join:1999-12-10
Seattle, WA
| Re: Best Buy acquires Speakeasy??!? said by m0unds :Yeesh. I was feeling kind of guilty because I'm going to be moving and I was going to drop Speakeasy because I'm sick of being stuck in limbo with Qwest and Covad (the biggest problem with DSL in NM, IMO) Now that they're being bought out by Best Buy, I don't think I could feel guilty if I tried. sounds like the options here in Seattle.
Comcast no, Qwest no, Earthlink/Covad maybe.. at least they offer ADSL2+ even if it is slow.
the sad part is the 2 week downtime to switch..
--
When you are leaving.. heaven is a distance not a place. --Carissas Weird | |
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kdddk
@speakeasy.net
| Re: Best Buy acquires Speakeasy??!? sounds like the options here in Seattle. I'm on Speakeasy too. I just contacted Bway (»Company entry - Bway.net) and they offer service in Seattle. They use Covad so you (and I) should be able to keep the Covad circuit. | |
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metrodust
Hey Thats Mine
join:1999-12-10
Seattle, WA | Re: Best Buy acquires Speakeasy??!? too bad they only offer up to 3mb | |
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The Dv8or
DSLReports Forums -- The Mouse House 2.0
Premium
join:2001-08-09
Danbury, CT
clubs: | Wow, thats a blast from the past. I was a bway.net dialup customer 10 years ago.
--
You're so vain... I bet you think this post is about you. | |
| nomadg
join:2001-12-31
Berkeley, CA | When I first that speakeasy was being sold, I thought "well i will give them a chance" then I found out it was Best Buy. This is one customer jumping ship before they sink it. | |
|
The Dv8or
DSLReports Forums -- The Mouse House 2.0
Premium
join:2001-08-09
Danbury, CT
clubs: | Is it any coincidence that my T1 has been running like ass for the past 2 days?
--
You're so vain... I bet you think this post is about you. | |
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Re: Best Buy acquires Speakeasy??!?
