How to win vs Mediacom

[Groves]

No, this is neither an instructable, nor a tale of WINNING.

It's a plea. Show me a better way, CP.

Mediacom is doing their annual, "We said this rate would stay for 3 years, but now it's going up, and also let me introduce our new friend Mr.ModemRentalFee" schtick.

We don't need cable, we don't need voip, we just need a medium speed ISP at a good price.

Here's my present options.

1. Internetless. Goodbye netflix online, hello Panera wi-fi.
2. Rope a dope with the Mediacom Retention deptartment.
3. Cozy up to AT&T like a scorned lover.

Options?

[Saulbadguy]

Whatever the rental fee is, just make that much more money per year.

[Mr. Laz]

How to win vs Mediacom?

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[DMAC]

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[JD10367]

Do you guys have Clear out there? It's a new phone/Internet company here in the mall. One of my part-timers signed up for their Internet: $45 a month for a 4G WiFi Hotspot. No little stick to shove in a computer's USB port. He's single so this allowed him to shitcan his home Internet, his iPhone data plan, everything; he just carries this little egg-shaped thingy around and, voila, his own personal WiFi hotspot. And, right now, there's no data-cap with them (as they're trying to build a customer base).

You can also go broadband with Virgin Mobile. You buy the stick outright (IIRC it was $100) but then there's no contract, you just sign up for it 30 days at a time when you want it. It's $40. Not as flexible as a WiFi hotspot, though, and they datacap (well, not really, but they say if you go over 5GB they might start to "slow you down").

[alnorth]

I'm with Mediacom in Des Moines. I'd rather have a dish, but I put up with it and pay my bill because of the internet. Mediacom cable internet is, by far, much faster than any DSL. Thats usually the case anywhere, cable is usually a lot faster than DSL.

I don't want to put up with the hassle of convincing Mediacom to switch me over to internet-only, then I'd have to have a separate wiring system for the dish since I'd still be using the existing cable for internet, etc. Mediacom's TV is acceptable, I wont go to DSL, and Mediacom internet is the only decent-speed internet game in town. As soon as a credible alternative for internet service arises, I'm switching to dish.

[BossChief]

I was paying 65 per month for their Internet and when I talked about cancelling it to go to quest for price reasons, they dropped it to 30 bucks

[alnorth]

I was paying 65 per month for their Internet and when I talked about cancelling it to go to quest for price reasons, they dropped it to 30 bucks

They really should stop doing that. Figure out the price, and just charge that. No more crap mickey-mouse discounts that last a year to drum up new business, and no slashing the rate when people threaten to switch. Otherwise, you end up with a system where the customer has been trained to whine about the price every few years, even if they would have been fine paying it, to get the best deal while the loyal happy customers pay the most.

That is freaking stupid. This isn't an Arabian bazaar. Figure out a rate for each package, charge everyone the same, and if someone whines about the price, don't budge.

[DTLB58]

I have mediacom internet only thru them at $62.95 a month. It's really fast and very few service problems in the 13 years with them.

Can you get a satellite dish for internet service? I think DIRECTV and or DISH offer it.

[JD10367]

I have mediacom internet only thru them at $62.95 a month. It's really fast and very few service problems in the 13 years with them.

Can you get a satellite dish for internet service? I think DIRECTV and or DISH offer it.

Jesus. You people get raped out there. $63 for just Internet? The other dude in another thread was paying $200+ for the Cox cable/phone/Internet package?

[DMAC]

I pay 15 a month for ATT DSL.

[alnorth]

I have mediacom internet only thru them at $62.95 a month. It's really fast and very few service problems in the 13 years with them.

Can you get a satellite dish for internet service? I think DIRECTV and or DISH offer it.

the technology isn't there yet. Satellite internet, where available, is crap. Directv and Dish typically partner up with a DSL provider, and since I wont do DSL, thats out.

[Jewish Rabbi]

I have mediacom internet only thru them at $62.95 a month. It's really fast and very few service problems in the 13 years with them.

Can you get a satellite dish for internet service? I think DIRECTV and or DISH offer it.

They partner with Qwest in Waterloo.

[alnorth]

Jesus. You people get raped out there. $63 for just Internet? The other dude in another thread was paying $200+ for the Cox cable/phone/Internet package?

"the internet" isn't a simple commodity like a banana. I'm assuming he's getting a boatload of speed for that price. DSL would be much cheaper for me, but I want the speed. For many people the speed isn't as much of an issue, and if DSL is fine, then you'd be nuts to buy an expensive ultra-fast connection.

[Groves]

How fitting, a couple of AT&T reps stopped by the house just this afternoon. They're selling the U-verse fiber optic stuff.

I can get 3M download internet for $35, plus $4 equip fee and state/local taxes ($6). 6M is $40.

Anyone use U-verse?

[alnorth]

How fitting, a couple of AT&T reps stopped by the house just this afternoon. They're selling the U-verse fiber optic stuff.

I can get 3M download internet for $35, plus $4 equip fee and state/local taxes ($6). 6M is $40.

Anyone use U-verse?

sounds possible. I pay roughly $55/month to Mediacom for, as of a minute ago on speedtest.net, 28.5M download, 1.8M upload. I dont have an alternative in my town that comes anywhere close to that.

[Jewish Rabbi]

sounds possible. I pay roughly $55/month to Mediacom for, as of a minute ago on speedtest.net, 28.5M download, 1.8M upload. I dont have an alternative in my town that comes anywhere close to that.

Jesus that's fast. I typically got around 7 download and less than 1 upload on what was advertised as a 12mb connection.

[Groves]

sounds possible. I pay roughly $55/month to Mediacom for, as of a minute ago on speedtest.net, 28.5M download, 1.8M upload. I dont have an alternative in my town that comes anywhere close to that.

Pretty speedy. It's $55 at the bottom of your bill or at the top?

[alnorth]

Pretty speedy. It's $55 at the bottom of your bill or at the top?

Not sure what you mean. Its one of the last things on my bill. Its also the only thing on my bill thats a bargain, Mediacom savagely tears into me pretty good on the DVR and cable package.

[Groves]

Not sure what you mean. Its one of the last things on my bill. Its also the only thing on my bill thats a bargain, Mediacom savagely tears into me pretty good on the DVR and cable package.

I was just making sure I was comparing apples to apples regarding fees and surcharges and taxes and such. The fact that you have a package also plays into it.

At times one can feel like they're dealing with a used car salesman other than Burt.


I'll try to take my shot with retention, and go with the U-verse deal if they kick me out. I guess prices gotta go up eventually.

[BWillie]

Apparently I pay $7 a month for my modem w/ Comcast. I also got charged a $6 when wanted to add the Big 10 Network, and another $6 when I wanted to get rid of HBO. Scums of the Earth. I now pay $192 a month and to be able to get it lower, they want me to sign a contract for two years w/ a price guarantee the first year, but no guarantee the second month. F*** you Cable Companies.

[ChiefsCountry]

Last time I had Mediacom they actually gave me a big check back when I closed my account. It was the only time I had a good thing to say about them.

[whoman69]

I'm with Mediacom in Des Moines. I'd rather have a dish, but I put up with it and pay my bill because of the internet. Mediacom cable internet is, by far, much faster than any DSL. Thats usually the case anywhere, cable is usually a lot faster than DSL.

I don't want to put up with the hassle of convincing Mediacom to switch me over to internet-only, then I'd have to have a separate wiring system for the dish since I'd still be using the existing cable for internet, etc. Mediacom's TV is acceptable, I wont go to DSL, and Mediacom internet is the only decent-speed internet game in town. As soon as a credible alternative for internet service arises, I'm switching to dish.

Up until last year I had DirectTV along with Qwest internet and phone. Mediacom comes in and offers a package $75 less. I may have lost a few channels I had with DirectTV, but I have HD included in my package and the higher speed internet. It was a no brainer.