ISP Change

Last week, i decided to get a divorce from Time Warner. In the past, I resolved never to get cablevision from them ever again, and only allowed them to provide me with broadband internet. Well, last month, they raised their already-higher-than-everyone-else rate from $44.95 a month to $46.95 a month, and put a note in the bill "warning" me that the rate was going up - in the bill with the rate increase in it! Thanks for the warning, jerks!

So I called up Windstream and found that I can get their Greenstreak broadband for $34.95 a month at 3mbps, which is technically slower than TW, but because TW is a shared connection, it turns out to be effectively the same speed. They can also bundle my Dish Network subscription and save me more money, but I have to be a Windstream customer for 6 months before they can take over my relationship with Dish. They also will be doubling that speed to 6mbps in February without raising the rate. After consulting Bernie, we signed up.

OK, so the installer shows up. I don't have a phone line connected to the house at all, because we use VoIP over the internet. The guy says he's only going to connect us to the box on the outside of the house and not do anything inside. Bernie calls me and she hands the phone to him and I tell him to make it work inside or the deal's off. I come home and he's done a crappy, messy wiring job inside my wiring cabinet to one phone jack in the house - upstairs. Strike one on Windstream. I'm ticked off, but I get out my wire tools and cut out his work and re-do it so that I now have a jack inside the wiring closet that I can plug the DSL modem into.

I have a letter in the mail from Windstream telling me that there is a sticker on the back of the letter with my ID and password, which is necessary in order to enable the DSL modem. I turn the letter over - no sticker. Strike Two.

So I call technical support. They ask me for all sorts of ID over the phone, then tell me they have no record of me at all. I'll have to call the business office in the morning to straighten it out. Strike Three.

Despite striking out, I decide to give them one more chance. The business office gets it straightened out, gives me my ID and password, and last night, I get it all working. The speed difference isn't noticeable. I guess we'll call Time Warner tomorrow and tell them to take a hike. That should be pleasant.

My readers should be used to something simple like this becoming a total train wreck by now.