Overselling Cheap DSL?
from the promises,-promises,-promises dept
As the telcos continue their strategy of cheap promotional pricing for DSL, News.com is suggesting that they can't actually handle the demand. It's unclear how widespread the issue is, but Verizon admits that it's stopped taking orders in some areas, while AT&T says they're doing just fine. While the article notes that one person they spoke to decided to go with much more expensive cable modem service, it seems unlikely that too many people would do that -- since cable is still much more expensive. So, the downside for most telcos is fairly minimal, since there still really isn't much competition at that price level.
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I wouldn't put cable down so much, it's competitive in its own ways at least in some markets.
Though I'd pay even more for good upstream...
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Here's a recent experience
First, they shipped the wrong install kit (no router). I called and had to wade through a very unfriendly AVR system to finally talk to the first of three people. It seems that even though they *offer* naked DSL (known to them as a "dry loop order"), they don't sell very much of it, so I kept getting transferred to departments that couldn't handle my request. Finally, I got someone who apologized and promised to overnight the right install kit.
Next day, no kit. Back to the AVR. Lather, rinse, repeat for two days. On the third day's call, the AVR status report tells me my heat-up date has been pushed back a month. I got pissed and called RoadRunner. When I finally got through to a cancel-capable human at Verizon, he admitted that the DSLAM in my CO was full (though he couched it in moron-friendly terms), and they pushed my date back in the hope that someone would cancel and free up a slot. So *that's* why the website couldn't qualify my address!
What frosted me the most is that this information should have been available to the first-echelon order taker. If they'd been up front about their capacity, I would have still gone to cable, but I wouldn't have been pissed off and I would have had a net connection a week earlier than I finally did.
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Re: Here's a recent experience
In short, they disconnected me and then sold MY slot to someone else.
Talk about screwing a consumer to make a buck, huh?
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DSL vs cable
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DSL vs cable
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