Overselling Cheap DSL?
from the promises,-promises,-promises dept
As the telcos continue their strategy of cheap promotional pricing for DSL, News.com is suggesting that they can’t actually handle the demand. It’s unclear how widespread the issue is, but Verizon admits that it’s stopped taking orders in some areas, while AT&T says they’re doing just fine. While the article notes that one person they spoke to decided to go with much more expensive cable modem service, it seems unlikely that too many people would do that — since cable is still much more expensive. So, the downside for most telcos is fairly minimal, since there still really isn’t much competition at that price level.
Comments on “Overselling Cheap DSL?”
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I thought the reason they were selling DSL like hotcakes was so they could keep people with home phones instead of cell phones. Think about it, why give away DSL and loose money on the whole deal?? Becuase they are secureing thier telco lines and that $50+ bucks a month they WILL figure out how to squeeze from you.
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gimmie my cable modem and voip phone anyday over the blood sucking phone companies
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yeah, you’d rather deal with the bloodsucking cable companies? In my area it’s like $60/month for cable service, while it’s $20 for DSL, with attendant hidden costs of requiring phone service and it’s so-called taxes. But then add at least $25 for Vonage to the cable equation, and it’s still not hard to beat.
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39.99/mo cable here packaged with the digital cable which I already had beforehand. DSL in my area is cheaper, yes, when you package it with their services (which we dont have long distance at all — why would you any more?), but it’s also slower to a degree, especially upstream. I get 45k/s with my cable provider, yet DSL folks running the same tests in my areas are more around 30k/s. My downstream is better too, but both would be good enough.
I wouldn’t put cable down so much, it’s competitive in its own ways at least in some markets.
Though I’d pay even more for good upstream…
Here's a recent experience
I just moved to Portland, Maine. Verizon offers naked DSL here, though the website wouldn’t qualify my address. But a call to the “good folks” at Verizon found them more than willing to take my order. They also offered a wireless router for USD$15, which I happily accepted (rather than have to reflash my WRT54G).
First, they shipped the wrong install kit (no router). I called and had to wade through a very unfriendly AVR system to finally talk to the first of three people. It seems that even though they *offer* naked DSL (known to them as a “dry loop order”), they don’t sell very much of it, so I kept getting transferred to departments that couldn’t handle my request. Finally, I got someone who apologized and promised to overnight the right install kit.
Next day, no kit. Back to the AVR. Lather, rinse, repeat for two days. On the third day’s call, the AVR status report tells me my heat-up date has been pushed back a month. I got pissed and called RoadRunner. When I finally got through to a cancel-capable human at Verizon, he admitted that the DSLAM in my CO was full (though he couched it in moron-friendly terms), and they pushed my date back in the hope that someone would cancel and free up a slot. So *that’s* why the website couldn’t qualify my address!
What frosted me the most is that this information should have been available to the first-echelon order taker. If they’d been up front about their capacity, I would have still gone to cable, but I wouldn’t have been pissed off and I would have had a net connection a week earlier than I finally did.
Re: Here's a recent experience
I have been an established Verizon DSL customer. they screwed something up and disconnected me, and now they’re all very sorry, but there seems to not be any more available DSL in my area.
In short, they disconnected me and then sold MY slot to someone else.
Talk about screwing a consumer to make a buck, huh?
DSL vs cable
I just checked with my local phone provider and they were waving the $14.95 DSL deal in my face. But… after checking the fine print and all the add-ons it’s gonna cost me close to $30.00 per month after the first year. My cable ISP which is a whole lot faster rents for $35.00 per month. For $5.00 difference I’ll stay where i am.
DSL vs cable
I just checked with my local phone provider and they were waving the $14.95 DSL deal in my face. But… after checking the fine print and all the add-ons it’s gonna cost me close to $30.00 per month after the first year. My cable ISP which is a whole lot faster rents for $35.00 per month. For $5.00 difference I’ll stay where i am.