Last year around March, I gave up cable TV. I realized I hadn’t actually watched TV since the Olympics and wondered why I was paying so much a month for it. Unfortunately, Internet without any bundling is a bit pricy around here. So I dropped down from the 12 Mbps I had been getting to 3 Mbps and paid $40 a month for it.
For the most part, the slower speed was unnoticeable. But there were times when it was noticeable. Still, I didn’t want to bother switching to anything else (heh, there is only 1 alternative around here). For one thing, silly ol’ me had been using my Road Runner account as my main spam-trap business/shopping/etc e-mail.
Then, as Time Warner always does, they increased the bill. I was now paying $42 a month. And the mailings from Windstream (my phone company) to switch to them seemed even more tempting. So I decided to go for it. I upgraded online, sticking, for the time being, with a 3Mbps program and going with the wired-only modem/router. Meanwhile, I started switching all my shopping etc e-mails over to a new pagefillers one. I’m mostly converted now.
Nothing happened. I received no packages. I got no e-mail response. And eventually another Time Warner bill showed up. A month had passed. So this time I phoned and got a very nice sales lady. And she was so good at her job, I wound up going with the 12Mbps service and getting their wired/wireless modem/router. And today, the modem/router showed up.
Speedtest.net confirmed it. With Time Warner Ripoff, I was getting 2Mbps (2?!?!?!?) download speeds. With Windstream, I’m getting more than 11! (12, even, as advertised). Rock on!
And instead of paying $35-40 a month for phone plus $42 a month for internet, I’ll be paying $70 for phone and internet AND FREE LONG DISTANCE – woot! Suck air, Time Warner! (I could drop down to 6Mbps for $5 less a month and 3Mbps for a further $5 less.)
I’ll be keeping an eye on Windstream and they’d better behave for awhile. They should be grateful that I don’t trust Time Warner with my phones (but if they start doing the price raising every few months, I’ll consider switching again).
Ah, my need for speed is sated!
Hooray! Good for you for joining the “dump cable” cabal!
Good for you! I get just shy of 10Mbps (as advertised) with Wide Open West (WOW). I could switch my phone to them (VOIP), but I haven’t yet because I’ve been skeptical of the reliability of Internet phone. But I’m getting sick enough of AT&T, that I may just leave them all together when my cell contract runs out in August. (I had cell phone, land line, satellite TV and Internet with them at one time. I’ve dropped pieces of the bundle one at a time, until I have just land line and cell phone left.)