Tempted to change ISPs.

[ZedOmega]

Not that there's anything wrong with the ISP I have now, but finding out that the ISP I work for is available in my area has me going through so much math in my head I'm speaking in numbers whenever the subject comes up.

Here's what's going on:

The ISP I've got now has only ever gone out on me once, and that was because the neighbor's tree lost a limb that knocked the drop loose at the pole. Free dispatch, too. But the intro price has long since worn off, and $50/month for 8MB is starting to look a little more than pricey.

In the red corner is the ISP I work for. Working between our sales and disconnects team for so long, even after the promotion wears off I'll still be saving between $2-$5 a month and getting a little over double the speed I've got now. This is before we figure in employee discounts. I'd be the first (okay, one of the first fifty) to admit that the service itself was just recently made available, and knowing how long a brand new installation order can drag on for, I'm not sure I can risk being out of service for a full month.

I even did the math in my head for cost-per-year and I'd still be saving in the long run if I switch to the ISP I work for. Installation charges are gonna be a different story since our house's wiring is probably too old to carry the signal reliably.

What do you guys think? Stick with the more expensive but more reliable, or give the cheaper option a shot and cross my fingers?

EDIT: Uh... correction. Apparently the last time I spoke with our Sales team, they re-evaluated my address. Still, $50/month after the promotion expires for 12MB vs. $50/month for 8MB still works out in my favor.

[csquared]

Why do you have to go without service? Don't drop the old one until the new one is in place. Worst case scenario is you pay for an extra month. Unless you are in a contract, most ISPs will prorate and refund. Look into it.

[PepperElf]

What do you guys think? Stick with the more expensive but more reliable, or give the cheaper option a shot and cross my fingers?

can you review how many people report outages at your place?

i know here my bf would change in a heartbeat if there was something else within reason here. the one we had was bought out by a national one and it goes down a lot more now.

this morning they were telling him a "fiber" was cut which is why it was up/down a lot. (um fiber? if it's cut then it doesn't work... )

[Andara Bledin]

I like to check Broadband reports for info on how an ISP is in general.

It can be hard to filter for area and the like, and you've got your usual batch of barely technical idiots, but if you read between the lines, you can get some good info.

That's how I found my ISP ($25/mo for 6M ADSL with annual contract).

^-.-^

[ZedOmega]

Why do you have to go without service? Don't drop the old one until the new one is in place. Worst case scenario is you pay for an extra month. Unless you are in a contract, most ISPs will prorate and refund. Look into it.

Our technicians have a habit of putting manual delays on installations because of already active service. I'd rather not take that chance.

can you review how many people report outages at your place?

i know here my bf would change in a heartbeat if there was something else within reason here. the one we had was bought out by a national one and it goes down a lot more now.

this morning they were telling him a "fiber" was cut which is why it was up/down a lot. (um fiber? if it's cut then it doesn't work... )

I can find out which service terminals are out in my city, but not what parts of the city they service. As far as I can tell, most parts of San Antonio are stable and since I haven't seen any field or house techs within three miles of my house, I'm automatically willing to assume that's a good thing.

Plus one of the advantages of working tech support for this company is having that much advance warning that something might happen.

I like to check Broadband reports for info on how an ISP is in general.

It can be hard to filter for area and the like, and you've got your usual batch of barely technical idiots, but if you read between the lines, you can get some good info.

That's how I found my ISP ($25/mo for 6M ADSL with annual contract).

^-.-^

I already know national opinion of the company's so negative it's amazing we haven't pulled out yet, but locally it seems to be a popular choice. Most of the reviews outta TX that I've read so far have about as many complaints as those that're happy with the service. My current ISP's being focused on, though, so if I weigh the two...

EDIT: And the research is done. My employers' ISP is getting good reviews and bad reviews at a ratio of about 2.5:1 each, while the one I've got now is getting about .75:1. Now to remember to get ahold of our sales team and start negotiating...

[wolfie]

Why do you have to go without service? Don't drop the old one until the new one is in place. Worst case scenario is you pay for an extra month. Unless you are in a contract, most ISPs will prorate and refund. Look into it.

Our technicians have a habit of putting manual delays on installations because of already active service. I'd rather not take that chance.

Why would they do that? After all, someone who already has active service with another ISP has a backup option if they get fed up with the wait (i.e. "screw this - I'm staying with my old ISP"). Can you set a "drop dead" date on the installation request (i.e. if it's not up and running by that date, you don't want it at all)?

[sms001]

Yeah, I was with switching over until two things: that manual delay
(seriously? and also, one of the VERY FEW perks of being on the front line of a big company is there's usually a way around such things; if your ISP negates that for an employee, I'd hate to think how hard core they are for a run-of-the-mill customer.)
and the price update you did in the OP.

Saving five dollars for (possibly intermittent) half again the speed wouldn't be worth it for me. 8's nothing to be sneered at; as I'm sure you know, that's more than enough for hd viddy, etc.

So unless you could a.) get more money off b.) be assured that your dropouts will improve steadily (and have the being employed there perk kick in) c.) REALLY need that extra 4 d/l speed I'd give it a pass.

[ZedOmega]

Why would they do that? After all, someone who already has active service with another ISP has a backup option if they get fed up with the wait (i.e. "screw this - I'm staying with my old ISP"). Can you set a "drop dead" date on the installation request (i.e. if it's not up and running by that date, you don't want it at all)?

Both kinds of signal that I'm weighing (the one I've got now vs. the one I want to) ride copper up until the house, and I've seen and dealt with multiple cases where both of them are fighting over the same NID. Even though the website itself recommends keeping the old service active while the order processes and the required staff hook everything up field-side, I'd rather not chance it. As far as the 'auto-cancel' date option goes, I'd have to talk with our disconnections team about that since that's the first I've heard of that option. (I also need to ask if a 'can't do it' would grant me a refund on any deposits I have to make to get the service, too. I admit my credit suuuuuuuucks.)

Yeah, I was with switching over until two things: that manual delay
(seriously? and also, one of the VERY FEW perks of being on the front line of a big company is there's usually a way around such things; if your ISP negates that for an employee, I'd hate to think how hard core they are for a run-of-the-mill customer.)
and the price update you did in the OP.

Saving five dollars for (possibly intermittent) half again the speed wouldn't be worth it for me. 8's nothing to be sneered at; as I'm sure you know, that's more than enough for hd viddy, etc.

So unless you could a.) get more money off b.) be assured that your dropouts will improve steadily (and have the being employed there perk kick in) c.) REALLY need that extra 4 d/l speed I'd give it a pass.

Honestly, the extra 4MB/second would come in handy since there's already two computers in the house (Mine and Ms. Omega's), and I plan on getting Ms. Omega's son a laptop for Christmas. We can get by with the 8 we've got now, but 12 would make a much softer cushion in case he decides to do any heavy downloading with it.

[wolfie]

As far as the 'auto-cancel' date option goes, I'd have to talk with our disconnections team about that since that's the first I've heard of that option.

It's not an option that's offered by anyone - it's the customer saying "If it's not up and running by date X, forget it - I'll go with someone who is able to provide decent service".

[tropicsgoddess]

What other ISPs are in your area? Do you have ADSL or Broadband? Paying $50 for 8Mbps is expensive for sure.

[ZedOmega]

Broadband, and those two ISPs I'm talking about are the only two that I'm within range for. I can't mention which of those I have right now because one way or the other, I'll be breaking kayfabe.