The woes of high speed internet

Posted on | Thursday, May 8, 2008 | 10 Comments

So I am going to try to make this a one time vent just because it literally affected twigs & honey and I thought others would benefit from knowing.

A certain unnamed high speed internet provider Matt and I use thinks it's okay to limit use for some of its Residential users. You know what I say to that... "What the?!"

It all started a couple months ago as twigs & honey was gaining momentum and my time on the internet to do convos and listings increased. Randomly, the internet would appear to be on the fritz but wouldn't be completely shut off. I'd be able to get to a very few number of very plain sites... "Google" for instance, but not Etsy, PayPal, my email, my blog, or essentially anything else that was secure. This all seemed highly suspicious and after some google detective work found out that (and perhaps this is widely known and I'm just slow) this unnamed internet provider moniters high use customers and just turns off their ability to access the majority of sites during the most random times of the day. Supposedly, it's at peak hours, but regardless of when, I say that is a bunch of garbage really. If they need to limit some users during peak hours, why do they continue to sell the service?? They are overselling and this is their solution? Perhaps they should think to improve the infrastructure of the network before they oversell and then limit users to the services they pay for. Why do we pay for "unlimited" high speed internet every month when you really are NOT getting to use it for an unlimited amount of time?! It's as if the most dedicated customers, those who need it the most, are the ones most snubbed. Doesn't this seem completely unfair and misleading?? Perhaps it is all in the fine print, but they market it as unlimited access and why even set up home internet if you don't have the ability to hop on when you need to? If I don't have a guarantee - actually - if I'm essentially punished for using the service I pay for too much, why shouldn't I just quit the service and go to my local coffee shop that charges less for a cup of joe? It's like cell phones. With cell phones, they are very upfront with how many minutes you are allotted and if you have unlimited minutes. I hate how cell phone companies charge ridiculous amounts for minutes over your plan BUT at least they let you know that you only have "X" number of minutes to use AND at least you have the option in emergencies to pay extra if you need to. With this internet company... they just disconnect your service essentially. It's kind of like, "Oh, well you have had your fill of the internet for now, so we're cutting you off." Thanks.

Long story short, I get booted off the service I pay for sometimes 3, 4, 5, 6+ hours at a time and it is highway robbery. If I'm only allowed to use it for a limited amount of time, I'd like for the bill to be prorated please. Ridiculous really.

When I discussed with customer service reps, they told me, "it could be this, or this, or blah blah." When I suggested all of the above, they said, "Oh yes. We do that with high users. We limit their access." ?!
Their solution: Upgrade to Business high speed that costs double what we're paying now AND you must sign a 2-3 year contract and if you discontinue the service within the 2-3 years, you must pay 75% of the balance. Wonderful.
The thing is that I don't need faster uploads or any other whistles and bells. I just want to have what I pay for and that is "unlimited" internet. They essentially try to stronghold you into switching for a more costly service that we don't need. It's all very deceptive if you ask me.

So I apologize for the vent but I thought I'd explain a portion of my sometimes longer times for responding to customer convos. If you are experiencing a similar high speed internet problem, this is probably the reason. I think something should be done about it. But what?

Thanks for listening!!

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