Verizon: stay or switch?
I expect 15Mb down will be just fine for netflix.
There are horror and wonder stories about both companies, both with the bureaucracy and the actual service. For whatever it's worth, my overall feeling is that the tech side of FIOS is better than with comcast, including when you need help or need something fixed.
I note that this only happened after my contract ended (I'm now doing month to month, it's cheaper than being on the contract) and I refused to increase my internet speed. I think I'm being punished.
unicorn33 said:
I think that most people use very, very few of the hundreds of channels that are included. I find that even some of the interesting channels are so commercial-riddled that they are all but unwatchable.
And the "packaging" is just so strange. I would be happy to lose quite a few of the channels we have, but then there are an important few that would go along with it. I wish so much there was a true "a la carte" package but then they'd have to disclose how much they pay for each channel!
Reviving this thread because I'm so frustrated with Verizon I could scream. Our landline phone and home Internet service has been down for over a week and Verizon doesn't seem to care despite our filing a complaint with the FCC. We don't have FIOS -- we've clung to the old copper line system because of what happened after Sandy when we were the only people we knew who still had working landline phones. We couldn't communicate with our respective parents for a week because both of their households had FIOS! The fact that Verizon seems to be dragging their feet as a way of pressuring us to switch to FIOS makes me that much more unwilling to get FIOS -- I'd rather dump Verizon. Is Comcast our only option? We're in South Orange.
bluepool said:
Reviving this thread because I'm so frustrated with Verizon I could scream. Our landline phone and home Internet service has been down for over a week and Verizon doesn't seem to care despite our filing a complaint with the FCC. We don't have FIOS -- we've clung to the old copper line system because of what happened after Sandy when we were the only people we knew who still had working landline phones. We couldn't communicate with our respective parents for a week because both of their households had FIOS! The fact that Verizon seems to be dragging their feet as a way of pressuring us to switch to FIOS makes me that much more unwilling to get FIOS -- I'd rather dump Verizon. Is Comcast our only option? We're in South Orange.
Cablevision/Optimum is your other choice. Comcast does not serve South Orange.
I had Cablevision, which I switched to because Verizon couldn't keep my copper up. My promo ended and Verizon offered me a good deal. I switched. I switched back a few months later because Cablevision decided it could, after all, offer me a great deal. I think that both FiOS and Optimum products are very good, but I like Cablevision a little better, but mainly because of cable TV. I was used to the channel line-up with Cablevision and couldn't get used to Verizon's. As far as Internet and telephone, I see no discernable difference. BTW, I had service after Sandy, but I didn't lose electric...
You can't "hold out" forever .Verizon will just replace the copper on your block with fiber. I'm a comcast customer with a verizon landline. Just before sandy verizon came to my house and installed a battery backup in my basement and a new telephone box on the outside of the house. Again I don't have fios. 2 days into sandy aftermath and the battery went dead. Verizon will eventually scrap all the copper
Here is how I looked at it when I switched to Optimum. Verizon could not maintain my copper line. I would be out for weeks at a time. What good was it to keep the copper "for emergencies" if it didn't work!
It doesn't make any difference whether you have copper or fiber optic if a fallen tree takes down the line. During Sandy we still had our Comcast TV service because that line wasn't disturbed, but it wasn't usable because both the electricity line (as well as the phone line) were down. It was your good fortune that you still had phone service, whether or not it was fios or copper.
Our FiOS was fine during Sandy. Last Thursday the painters cut the wire, however, and on Sunday a tech came out and fixed it. No problem.
krnl said:
It doesn't make any difference whether you have copper or fiber optic if a fallen tree takes down the line. During Sandy we still had our Comcast TV service because that line wasn't disturbed, but it wasn't usable because both the electricity line (as well as the phone line) were down. It was your good fortune that you still had phone service, whether or not it was fios or copper.
I don't think this is the case. People with FIOS lost phone service because they lost power to their homes. We had no power but our phone service was unaffected because it's not tied to the electrical grid. Maybe more recent FIOS installations have a better backup system in case of power loss?
You still would have lost phone service if something during the storm took down the phone line. Then, it would not have mattered whether you had a copper or fiber optic line. You were lucky that nothing took down a phone line near you.
krnl said:
You still would have lost phone service if something during the storm took down the phone line. Then, it would not have mattered whether you had a copper or fiber optic line. You were lucky that nothing took down a phone line near you.
That is true -- but it's also true that our relatives with FIOS lost their phone service due to the extended power outages, not due to phone lines coming down. Maybe this forum discussion will help make this clearer than I'm apparently able to:
https://forums.verizon.com/t5/Home-Phone-Landline-or-Digital/Fiber-optic-phonelines-during-power-outage/td-p/314731
I'm sure it's just my naivete that keeps me from understanding how a utility company like Verizon can legally force its customers to switch from one type of system to another type that could really result in lives being endangered... If you have a relatively elderly customer (like my parents and MIL) who was convinced or compelled to switch to FIOS, but doesn't have a cell phone, how are they supposed to be able to call 911 if their phones are dead due to an extended power outage, like we had after Sandy?
Not for nothing but when we switched to FIOS from Cablevision, I was able to convince them to let us keep out copper POTS line as part of the Triple Play
If you have phone service over Verizon FIOS, you need power for the phone to work. If you have phone service through a cable TV company such as Cablevision or Comcast, you need power for the phone to work.
LL_ said:
Not for nothing but when we switched to FIOS from Cablevision, I was able to convince them to let us keep out copper POTS line as part of the Triple Play
Nice! How long ago was that?
LL_ said:Maybe 6 months ago. MrLL, a former BellHead, isisted
Another former Bellhead here, though I never heard that term. I noticed that the Verizon technicians in NJ gave me special consideration when I started speaking their jargon.
Tom,
http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/4.10/atm_pr.html
It is a war between the Bellheads and the Netheads. In broad strokes, Bellheads are
the original telephone people. They are the engineers and managers who
grew up under the watchful eye of Ma Bell and who continue to abide by
Bell System practices out of respect for Her legacy. They believe in
solving problems with dependable hardware techniques and in rigorous
quality control - ideals that form the basis of our robust phone system
and that are incorporated in the ATM protocol.
Thanks, LL_. I'm proud of a lot that the Bell System did. ATM was a failure, though. (It stands for asynchronous transmission mode, not automatic teller machine.)
We were Verizon FiOS customers for 4 years until yesterday. Up until recently, I would have said that I was pleased with Verizon. Then my internet went down and they couldn't get anyone out here for a week. A day before the scheduled maintenance with Verizon, I got a knock on the door by an Optimum sales rep. We let him in because all our neighbors have Optimum (I checked and one of them knew this rep) and they are exceedingly happy with Optimum. So, we talked. In the end we were offered a gold package (all premium channels, two TV DVRs, Italian tv package, Sports package, Ultra 50 internet...) and we're paying about $40 less per month than we did with Verizon. We went for it. After such crappy customer service from Verizon, we were ready to try a new provider. Thank goodness we have choice. I understand some people don't.
It's been a day in and I'm already in awe of the HD quality and the vast number of channels we have.
I got rid of all cable television yesterday and now only pay Verizon for 150MB high speed internet. I let my original contract run out and shifted ownership to the other adult in our household and now I pay only $60/month instead of $140/month. I have remained with Verizon because I love the FiOS.
Customer service has been fine (if not delightful) for me but I have never had a complete outage as described above.
Hahaha -- We pulled out all the stops to try and get a quicker response from Verizon, including filing a complaint with the FCC. When you do that, Verizon actually assigns a consumer advocate to keep tabs on your case and see that it's being taken care of. I also had phone conversations where I refused the way-off service appointments I was being offered and requested escalation to a supervisor... this did result in our being moved up in the schedule, although unfortunately our outage was partly on Labor Day weekend and there wasn't much they could or would do on the holiday... Now ironically it's Verizon that keeps calling me, because they want to verify that our service is restored and they can "close their case." I figure they can wait to hear back from me at least as long as they kept me waiting...
I was just going to be happy with the channels that my TVs QAM tuner can pick up which should be all the local channels plus possibly a few extras. I'll have to see how/if it works out.
I have only had internet and no TV (only over-the-air channels) for over 10 years so I don't think I'll be too fussy as long as the local channels come in in HD. The FIOS internet only package was $75 and the Internet/TV was $70 so I figured I'd give it a wing and see if either I get channels with out the extra $8 set top box or I am happy enough with the channels that I pay the extra $3 for the set top box.
http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-20002069-285/how-to-get-free-hd-with-a-qam-tuner/