No wonder why people want to CUT THE CORD! Do you remember when TWC increased everyone’s internet speed on their own? Well … I got news for you. Keep reading.
If you are currently on Spectrum, but under the old TWC account … you need to be aware of something. They have throttled your connection, even if you’re paying for more speed! Really Spectrum? Seriously? Go to http://speedtest.net and check for yourself. I can almost guarantee you are not getting what you pay for!
A year ago, I was forced to get a new modem, even though the old one worked perfectly fine. At that time, I was getting 218 Mbps. Today, I’m getting 24 Mbps, even though I’ve been paying for extra speed all this time. They tell me I should be getting at least 100 Mbps, but I don’t. So, they wanted me to talk to the sales department.
I spoke with Sales. They say I can keep the modem, but they will turn off WiFi and I have to use my own router for that. Hmm… the last tech support guy I spoke with told me to REMOVE my router and use the router built in to the modem. Also, the modem has WiFi already, so why turn it off? It’s part of the hardware! It doesn’t cost anyone anything extra! It’s like buying a new car and the dealer telling you that they are turning off your seat warmers, even though it’s already built-in! Seriously Spectrum? Why? What I want to know is why NEW CUSTOMERS get free WiFi, but old customers have to buy an extra device to support that!
Now they tell me I need a cable box for my TV’s. Ugh… We returned those long ago. This is not the 1980’s. I have my Roku boxes which work pretty good (when I have the network speed to support them). I don’t need a cable box that never worked right. We had to reboot them daily, sometimes hourly just to watch TV. Come on Spectrum, we’ve grown since the 80’s. I can’t use my cable ready TV without a box? Is it our fault you can’t turn off customers when the accounts are closed or cancelled? Do you really need another piece of equipment to keep people from stealing services?
Okay … so I can save a few bucks by converting over to the Spectrum billing system. How long? I wonder. I’m sure the bill will go back up to the $202+ I spend each month. I am honestly biding my time until Google Fiber hits my area. At least that will be a savings and a more reliable service. I will most likely give in and switch over to Spectrum billing and plug my router back in. However I will say this … Spectrum’s days are numbered. I’d switch to AT&T today (even though they have more problems), but I won’t sign a contract for something that isn’t reliable. My wife and I don’t care about telephone service. Who needs more robocalls and telemarketers? I honestly don’t care about TV either, my Netflix and Hulu work fine for me. However my wife likes watching TV, so we might end up keeping that. I can say this, the cable box will sit in the closet for a month before it’s returned. I’m sure they will be charging me for it, even though it’s not used. If you’re looking for Live TV services without Spectrum, look into YouTube TV or Hulu Live. I believe Hulu Live has more channels that we are used to seeing.
Oddly enough … this THROTTLING SCHEME is only affecting HOME USERS, and not BUSINESS CUSTOMERS. It appears they aren’t throttling business customers. We do pay a little extra each month for that service, so maybe that’s why they don’t touch it. Some customers are getting upgraded to faster speeds without an extra charge, but not everyone. I pay for 50 mbps at the office. They will up me to 200 Mbps if I pay more. Some of my customers got an upgraded speed and are paying the same rate, without even asking for it. It doesn’t makes sense.
Come on Google Fiber … get busy and help out the City of Louisville, and give us a truly competitive company for quality internet services. We are ready and willing to switch from Spectrum (in a heartbeat)!
Price Comparisons as an example. These are for new customers, not customers who have been providing funds to keep the company going for so long. These are NON-Bundled prices for home users. Spectrum and AT&T have introductory prices that will last only a year. Google does not charge you more later.
Spectrum Internet Service: $80/month for up to 50 mbps speed (maybe cheaper for a year, then the price goes up!)
AT&T Internet Service: $90/month for up to 1 Gbps speed (varies by location … some may be half that speed. No Guarantee!) … 1 year contract required
Google Fiber Internet Service: $70/month for up to 1 Gbps speed (approximately 970 mbps download and upload)
NOTE: AT&T does not offer U-verse TV on Roku. However Spectrum does. You can watch most TV channels on Spectrum app (even on Android and Apple) as long as your connected to your home WiFi. If you are away, forget about watching the local news. You can’t do it. Spectrum blocks that.
Does anyone remember when local TV was free? I vaguely remember that. Also the AT&T Monopoly that was broken up by the government years ago, is now flowing back together again, sucking up even more services.
Okay … time for me to get off the soap box now. Guess I’ll call Spectrum and bow to their wishes to change billing services. This hopefully will stop them from charging for my modem ($10 a month) and stop charging for my Ultimate 100 upgrade ($20 a month). So that’s a savings of $30. Guess what… the sales rep said my new billing charge would be …. wait for it … yup! She said it would be (drum roll please) … $170 a month! But I have to buy a $150 router of my own to use my Roku boxes via WiFi, as well as the laptops, iPads, iPhones and any other equipment I own. So I think I’m losing this game.
Please Google Fiber … we beg you! Please get your implementation team going and kick them into high gear. I’d honestly pay $100 a month for Fiber speeds and happily say goodbye to Spectrum. Either way we all save … money and headaches!
UPDATE: After calling Spectrum and switching over to their billing plan, I was told to go to one of the stores and get a cable box (which I don’t need). Thankfully, the clerk at the store told my wife it was okay and was not given a box. She corrected the information in the system and my wife left empty handed. When she got home, the WiFi was turned off, but our speed had been restored to 200+ mbps. I already plugged in our router, so we did have WiFi. The wife just had to switch over to that one instead.
I just find it totally shameful of ANY company to force you to switch billing plans by slowing you down. All they did was stop billing me for the extras I’ve been paying and restored me back to my normal speed. It doesn’t make sense, but that’s what happens when you deal with a monopoly. You lose all control over anything they offer.
Just one note regarding AT&T fiber. My neighbor had it installed a couple weeks ago. Since then, I’ve seen that AT&T van outside there house multiple times since then. I can only guess it’s not working right. What a shame. Please Google Fiber … fix my neighborhood, and the rest of Louisville. We are begging you!
Thanks.