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 oldfl
join:2001-07-28
Mount Wolf, PA
| Should have waited it out? SusCom@Home did suck. But now that @Home is out of the picture, SusCom Cable Modem Service is very comparable to what you're getting now, at $29.95/month. But, it does depend on a few variables, such as time of day, and other users. IF there is any slowdown, it is very minimal. If you're paying $94/month, I'll stick with SusCom. | |
| | Turboneko
join:2002-01-29
Hanover, PA | Re: Should have waited it out? Suscom@home was horrid but when they replaced the circuits and broke away from @home it got so much better. Really good speeds for a measly 29.99 a month | |
| 
Gemologist
Premium
join:2001-11-15
USA
clubs: 
| Sprint vs. Suscom Well Suscom is not an option for me... ANd their speeds are NO where close to mine. Suscom max upstream is like 110Kbps and most of the time way less then that. Downstream is OK but severely buggy and alot of slow downs and not good latency... To unreliable for me. And SPrint has packages available now that are 1.5Mbps down/256Kbps up for like $50/mth.
[text was edited by author 2002-09-16 06:36:07] | |
| 
Suzuki Kid
join:2002-01-16
Allison Park, PA |  Unbeatable?!
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| 
TechGurl
@attbi.com
| Sprint.. If you honestly are only getting half of the speed you are provisioned and paying for then contact sprint. Im willing to bet that if you are only getting half they can do something about it and will. Remember it is a "best effort" service. Get a T1 if you want the best. | |
| |
Gemologist
Premium
join:2001-11-15
USA
clubs:
| Re: Sprint.. Sprint won't do anything about it.. Same run around everytime you call in for almost a year now... Sprint obviously just doesn't care anymore about their customers.
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"We are all just Plagiarists of a real Artist, and her name is Mother Nature." | |
|
Zimm3354
@super-hosts.com
| re : \\\\\\\"Tech customer support has went down hill extremely bad. It is ALWAYS your fault and a problem on YOUR end..\\\\\\\"
No suprise there. Sprints been getting rid of their techs and replacing them with salespeople. The only metrics used to review techs are $$ in sales and customer perception. I\\\\\\\'ve heard many techs put the customer on mute and say \\\\\\\"what am I talking to you for ?? I cant sell you anything.\\\\\\\" I\\\\\\\'m afraid tech support is\\\\\\\'nt going to get any bette | |
| | mike17032
join:2003-02-07
Halifax, PA
| Re: re : I used to work for sprint in PA doing DSL support, and the whole "wanting Salesmen instead of DSL Techs" is DEAD on. I was fired because I refused to make sales offers on every call (yes that is a requirement).
When I was hired we were not doing sales. When it was added I voiced my opinion that high pressure sales and sales quotas were not approprite in a support enviroment, and that it would piss customers off. No one there cared, it was ALL about how much money you could make in sales from that point forward. They put so much pressure on techs to sell things (people that were hired for their technical skills were not salesmen) that some of them would sell things to people that they didnt really need in hopes of making their qouta for that day.
Sprint cares nothing about its customers. And their support and service is constantly rated very low when compared to other broadband providers. I am glad I got away from there, and most of the other good techs quit and went to better places as well (on top of treating their customers like shit, sprint does the same thing to its employees). Sprint also has started to out source their support, a true sign that they dont care about the level of service they off. Why do you think they want you in a contract? Its so you cant cancle when you find out how bad the service is.
Do yourself a favor, and go with cable if you can. | |
| 
EnzonE
join:2000-03-23
Indiana, PA
| Tech Support Ratings Hello,
From what I've been reading on the review/posts; I don't think tech support should be getting that high of a rating; unless it was just a mistake?
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Adelphia 4M/384k Activated September 3 2005.Picked up a connection on September 10.Picked up my wireless connection on September 20. | |
| | 
mrham
Premium
join:2002-05-14
Seneca, MO | Re: Tech Support Ratings | |
| | | 
masster
Tek
Premium
join:2005-01-07
Mabank, TX | Re: Tech Support Ratings Nothing but the best from sprint here in Texas. outstanding support A+ | |
| kyraeus
join:2006-07-25
Red Lion, PA
| Changeover/Embarq Well, everyone's entitled to their opinion, so I won't bash. That said, I'm a newer tech up here in PA, and it seems like (NOTE THIS PART) -SOME- of your expectations from the original review are unreasonable to begin with.
Now before I get flamed, hear me out. A lot of your arguments may have a lot to do with where on the loop you are, which you just happened to not mention. If you're pretty far out from the CO, you're going to see this kinda thing. Secondly, I've YET to hear of any problems where the whole 'Oh, it's sprint's problem' 'Oh, it's Embarq's problem' has played out like that. Note that you are a solitary instance of this, not every customer that ever went to Sprint/Embarq. That said, agreed, I'm, slightly biased, but then I've also talked to about 20-30 people in this area at least just by myself who've had nothing but simple problems or 5 minute solutions.
What you seem to not be understanding about tech support in general, is that 90 times out of a hundred, the problem IS on the user end. We DO screw up, but techs in general usually go through a process about a billion times, usually the same way most of the time, and unless you hit a new tech who doesn't know the process, generally the provisioning is set up just fine.
All of that aside, yes, you personally seem to have a server side issue offhand, which I couldn't troubleshoot without actually looking up the line info. But offhand, I'd guess it's simply a bad line in the area or port on the DSLAM, which happens. Ask them to send a line tech out to check for line noise, they'll be happy to oblige, or at least I always am. There'll probably be a charge, but this is why they offer Lineguard service for a grand total of, Oh, $5 tops usually?
As for billing, not my dept, but unless you have a really bad credit rating or equipment still on your bill, I don't see where all of that is DSL charges. I've yet to see the DSL service plan alone go over about $50-60 max for 5 Mb down plans. And as for speed issues, take a look at your agreement. Unless you bought in for a dedicated 3Mb all the time service, 1.5 is the minimum, which you should be getting at least all the time.. it's in the contract, and as much as I agree, you SHOULD be getting closer to 3 most of the time, you signed it, knowing that 1.5 was all they were required to make certain you have at any given time.
Note: There's no law saying you can't ask what the MEDR/AIDR are for your line, thus finding out how close to the max your connection is on the loop.
(For others not in the know: MEDR = Max Engineered Data Rate, AIDR = As-is Data rate. These basically tell what max service speed you can put on the local line.)
All this says to me you're one of the isolated incidents, being either on a bad line, or far down the loop.
The last point I'll touch on is the one about connecting minus a firewall router/etc. Note that we deal with residential customers (sadly, most of whom know little to nothing about the internet), and that I personally agree, not having a physical hardware firewall IS very bad. But also remember that a company CAN'T tech support equipment it didn't sell and doesn't know a thing about. Embarq employees don't get trained on 'blahthirdpartycomany''s routers, or 'suchandsuch's firewall equipment. We only get training on things that we sell and companies we have partnerships with. Expecting them to troubleshoot from behind your third party equipment is just not realistic.
I AM sorry to hear you've had bad service in the near past, which lately is probably due to the large amount of bouncing around in the ranks going on. But then, after just switching to mostly internal tech support instead of outsourced, this can happen. But give the new company a chance. It's been a grand total of two months since Embarq has pretty much opened up and become a new company, give them a chance to set things right.
If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me, I've not been in this game for very long yet, so I might be a bit off. Just my 2 cents. | |
| | kyraeus
join:2006-07-25
Red Lion, PA
| Re: Changeover/Embarq - second serving And because I forgot wanting to comment on one last topic from another reply here..
With the changeover to Embarq, the metrics used to grade techs were reviewed. They grade on average call times, calls back within a certain time period, average hold times, and the wait times in queues, with other specs looked over that the techs don't even know about, I'm sure. As well, QAs and other personnel can and HAVE BEEN listening to calls on the floor, and can actually see every click of the PC using specialized software if they so choose. They do this completely randomly from time to time, so techs don't actually know when/if they're being recorded. If there's a problem with a tech, be secure that it will be handled appropriately. | |
|
Fixdmix
@verizon.net
| Earthlink > Embarq Migration. I realize this string mostly concerns Sprint. Don't get me going on them, they were hands down the worst company I can remember dealing with in my adult life... until I found Embarq.
I do not have the time nor inclination to relate the horror stories of what Embarq did,, numerous times, and their reckless implementation of forcing the migration of Earthlink customers when they fired Earthlink. I have stories, I have facts. Apologies, but in this post all I offer is my opinions, and my condolences to the (many, from all accounts) others who have been screwed in the same ways I have been.
I simply want to share some of my pain, and scream from the rooftops.... If you have a choice... RUN!!! Don't walk!!
Embarq SUCKS bad. I am continually amazed.
I will say, in their defense, I have ended up speaking with VERY good and competent support staff there. They have told me some of the truth of what is going on in the company, and it is NOT pretty.
Maybe I'll try to come back here and give the specifics, to validate this rant, which I can do. Right now its a RANT, and I'm pissed. Embarq sucks, bad. They have screwed me again.
MD
Las Vegas | |
|
Gemologist
Premium
join:2001-11-15
USA
clubs:
1 edit | Wrong kyraeus-- Embarq just plain sucks! Sorry, but Embarq just plain sucks!
First off, I am like 100 feet from the CO, it is literally right up the street. The local techs have checked everything on my end of things and it has nothing to do with me or my equipment. I tis NOT even on the local end of things! It IS a lack of bandwidth!! Embarq does NOT have enough to support their current customers! This came directly from Engineering! This is the PA/OH areas hopping through CHI or ROA hops on Sprintlink.
My requirements were far from asking too much, lol. All I asked for was a working connection! Every single night starting around 4-4:30pm until 1-1:30am the speeds would drop down to below 1M, most time dropping down below 500K. Now, along with this came tons of Packet Loss as well as pings averaging 350ms to 1000ms.
The connection was junk and made browsing even slower then a 56K dial up line!! In fact my God Daughter's Mother, who is still stuck with Embarq for a few more months, made this comment the other night while on the phone with me, "I think I would be better off back on my dial up, it was faster browsing the Internet." And she is a complete computer know nothing but how to browse the web and check email!!!
I had to give up gaming because it was not even doable on Embarq's service! Heck, in most cases, browsing the web was not even doable!
The problem could have been fixed, had Embarq just added more bandwidth!! But that would cost too much money of course.. ripping off customers was easier and made them $$$.
Sprint/Embarq were well aware of the issues for over 2 years!!!!! They even told me what they were, lack of resources to support the amount of customers. But yet nothing was done about it the entire time!! Embarq obviously doesn't give 2 craps about their clients and never will either! The local Techs were top notch, but they can't do things the Company itself refuses to do. Just look.. they took away our webspace, backup 56K (which was a major necessity..lol), took away good email and gave us this crappy stuff, etc. Then to top it off, spam the heck out of us with Ads on their website and Email panels to make even more $$$ from us!
BTW.. if 1.5 is all they have to give.. fine.. they were NOT even providing that during peak hours!! ROFL
Enough said!
--
Images are Copyrighted and use is NOT
permitted. What is RSD? | |
|
S of Carlisle PA
@embarqhsd.net
 from:
Gemologist 
| Embarq Suxs 
Have had Embarq for almost a year now, and it's gotten so bad that I can't even watch a news video because my DSL speed is down to 349kb. Where's my minimum of 1500? Now I've got so much noise even my phone line is becoming unusable. DO NOT SIGN UP WITH EMBARQ. I'm going back to Comcast. | |
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