If anyone really cares... My experience with my ISP today.

[life0riley]

I just had the worst experience with my ISP today. I'll leave company names out of it.

I planned to help my daughter setup her own email account for school. I created a secondary account with my ISP so she can have her own email. Then I was going to set that up with her desktop email client. I've done this many times before, so I thought this was going to easy.

After setting up her account on the email client I couldn't get it to connect to the server for the on-line email. I used the same settings we have on our primary email account. The outgoing and incoming mail settings, server and port, were correct. I kept trying and trying, but I couldn't get it to work. After an hour or so of doing the same thing over and over, I gave up and started an on-line chat session with my ISP's support. The support analyst went over each of the settings with me. All the settings were correct, but it would not connect. It turned out the password on the account had to be reset. Once that was done it connected. Great! I thought I was done, so I ended the chat.

I logged back on-line with the temporary password for the secondary account and discovered that the secondary account was now the primary account owner. Great! So now my daughter is the primary account owner!!? I tried to log on-line to my primary account and discovered I was locked out. I was starting to loose it. I was finished with chat and needed to talk to a live person.

So I called on the phone and was greeted by the most annoying electronic voice tree. It asked me to describe my issue. Each time I attempted to describe my issue it said, "I'm sorry. Can you give me more information so I can process this for you." After three failed attempts I'm was finally transfered to a live person. I described the issue again and was asked a series of questions to prove I was the account owner. Then the call was dropped. I was disconnected, so I had to call in and start to whole process all over again.

After going through the same call tree again, I was transferred to a different person who reset my password. I created my new password and got my email client to connect again, but before I could end the call this support person started giving me a sales pitch. She was so pushy. I had to practically be rude to end the call.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

[Snowhog]

My ISP tech support is really good. They even have techs familiar with (and some use) Linux. It also doesn't hurt that my nephew is a Tier II (or higher) technician with my ISP. On one occasion they walked me through logging into the ADSL modem they provide (something they do not do normally with end-users) in order to make a setting change. It really doesn't hurt to be serviced by a local ISP.

[life0riley]

I was really frustrated with them. I don't know how my primary account settings were changed, but it happened during the chat session. I wasn't logged into my primary account at that time, so I know I didn't do it. I thought it was strange that the support analyst asked for the primary account user name while we were troubleshooting the secondary account.

[Qqmike]

Probably most of us have had this experience. IMO, you should--objectively, and appropriately--mention the ISP's name, once, in posts like this. What other 'power' do we have?

[ronw]

That sounds like most contacts with the typical mega-ISP, which is either a monopoly or part of a duopoly in most of the US.

My recent experience of moving may interest KFN readers. I'll spare everyone the sad story of Comcast borking the install and taking 3 days to get it right. Skipping to the conversation with the tech who finally got it working as we're testing on my computer:

Tech: (looks at my screen) "KDE, cool. Which distro?"
Me: (wondering if I heard him right) "Kubuntu."
Tech: "12.04 or 14.04?"
Me: (pleasantly shocked/surprised) "14.04"

Much nattering ensued about KDE, wireless card drivers, significant others that still run Windows, etc. Sadly, my wife says we can't adopt him.

[Snowhog]

...my wife says we can't adopt him.

Do that tech a kindness. Write (do not call; write) the ISP and mention your satisfied experience with him by name and date, explaining that they would do well to have more like him in their employ.

[life0riley]

Probably most of us have had this experience. IMO, you should--objectively, and appropriately--mention the ISP's name, once, in posts like this. What other 'power' do we have?

It was Comcast.

According to the sales pitch I was told I'm only getting about 50 Mbps. That's not true. I just tested and get 59.13 Mbps right now. Apparently, according the sales pitch and my own quick search on-line, speeds over 50 Mbps are no longer available to me unless I choose a 3-way bundle that includes TV, Phone, and Internet. I don't want their phone service or their modem. I have my own. The support analyst kept telling me I can keep my modem and choose not to use the phone service even though I would be paying for it. She said I would get a low price for one year, and since there was no contract, I could change that plan anytime. I asked if I would roll back to my previous plan and was told "You will have other choices then." That tells me they no longer offer what I currently have.

The email client is Outlook 2010. How hard can it be to setup email on that? Not at all unless your ISP support analyst changes your settings.

[life0riley]

Do that tech a kindness. Write (do not call; write) the ISP and mention your satisfied experience with him by name and date, explaining that they would do well to have more like him in their employ.

I know you meant this for rnow, but I will write them about my experience also. I documented most of it here.

[MoonRise]

Sounds like my ISP. I even have my chat logs saved it was so annoying and fruitless.

[life0riley]

I keep my chat logs too.

[ronw]

Do that tech a kindness. Write (do not call; write) the ISP and mention your satisfied experience with him by name and date, explaining that they would do well to have more like him in their employ.

Good idea. Done.

[DoYouKubuntu]

I've had experiences similar to that, but not with my ISP. I've had Earthlink since it took over Netcom, and when I switched from DSL to cable, Time Warner took over providing and servicing the account. I pay TW, but it's still an Earthlink account. Luckily, I really haven't had any nightmarish scenarios like the OP's, as far as my ISP goes. But I'm certainly familiar with dropped calls, moronic customer service reps, etc., when dealing with other entities. Just recently I had a call-back from Bank of America; there's a 'call me' button on their site, you use it and they call you right away--no annoying menu to plod through, etc. So the guy called, we went over the usual formalities of proving I was who I said I was, etc., and then on to my question [about a $99 credit to my checking account that I had no idea about]. And the call got disconnected. I sat there waiting for him to call me back. After all, I KNEW he had my number! Nothing. He never called back. And this is how they treat their Platinum Privileges customers?

[GreyGeek]

In a previous post about a year ago I documents my experience switching from Windstream to Earthlink. I had used Earthlink for a five year period, prior to using Windstream, and was satisfied with it. This last time, however, it was a nightmare. I ended up using RoadRunner, which is OK but highly over priced for the services provided. I'm currently paying $78 for 25Mb (avg 21Mb) and lately I've begun seeing them advertise an Internet connection for $15, no contract. I'm about ready to drop to that.

[anika200]

It was Comcast.

hahaha, that was my first guess.