A tale of two cable companies
After several days of sleeping on the floor and unsuccessfully relying on scattered Wi-Fi, I'm thrilled to be back on a steady connection - in a new apartment, no less! Though I wasn't completely disconnected from everything (my iPhone keeps email/Twitter withdrawal at bay), there's no imagining how bad a full disconnect would have been. While I agree we all need to "recharge" every now and then, my tolerance for being offline is probably well within 24 hours.
At any rate, I'd like to share some of my encounters with cable companies over the last few days:
Charter Communications (Long Beach, CA)
1. About $30 per month for the first 6 months, then $60 thereafter for a 10Mbps connection.
2. Real-world performance consistently higher than advertised speed (paid for 10Mbps, received up to 11Mbps download speed)
3. Processed my disconnection courteously.
4. Misheard my new address over the phone (Las Angels vs Los Angeles), but called to rectify.
5. Customer service reps trained to make small talk when you walk in their office
Time Warner Cable (Los Angeles, CA)
1. Cheaper rates. $30 per month buys a 7Mbps connection, and is an ongoing rate.
2. Real world performance consistently lower than advertised speed (paid for 7Mbps, receiving only 5.7Mbps download speed)
3. Called me AFTER I CONFIRMED MY ORDER to upsell a bundle that I don't need.
4. Tried to make me feel like an idiot for not falling over the "awesome deal" and all the features that I would be getting for "only" 20 more dollars a month.
5. Install availability was one week after my order date.
Given the choice, which would you pick? Even with cheaper rates on Time Warner's side, I'd switch back to Charter in a heartbeat for the better connection and better service. I'd even go back for a lower-tiered plan. Not to say Charter is perfect (all of these corporations are evil, right?), but sometimes you luck out with a branch office employing respectable human beings, as well as getting close to the advertised "up to" speed.
This industry sorely needs to stop hiding behind territorial monopolies and learn to live with real competition. That would surely be a victorious day for both the better companies and the customers they serve.
