One ISP's Prices Are So Bad, It Refuses To Tell Anyone What They Are
from the pampered-duopolist dept
Given that the lack of competition keeps broadband prices sky high, it's really no surprise that most ISPs make their pricing as confusing as possible, either hiding what you'll pay behind a prequalification wall, or sacking users with a bevy of bizarre fees to covertly jack up the advertised rate post sale. While the industry is quick to issue a slew of press releases every time they bump their downstream speeds a few megabits, they'll usually do their best to avoid mentioning what customers pay for the honor of these faster services, well aware that they're only drawing additional attention to competitive shortcomings.Still, even with layers upon layers of obfuscation, broadband ISPs will usually tell you what they charge users when pressed. Not so with FairPoint. When an industry outlet recently reached out to FairPoint as part of a series trying to compare prices, FairPoint actually refused to tell the news outlet how much it charges for DSL service. When pressed, the company would only provide what has to be one of the most long-winded non-answers I've ever seen:
"We offer internet access to both consumer and business customers through a variety of technologies leveraging both copper and fiber infrastructure, including digital subscriber line ('DSL'), dedicated fiber and lit buildings throughout our footprint," FairPoint said in an e-mailed statement. "Certain of these services provide speeds up to 1 gigabit per second. In select markets, we also offer cable modem internet service, 'Fiber to the Home', and wireless internet access. We sell Internet service as both a standalone, managed or packaged solution. Many customers like to simplify vendors and utilize our packaged and bundled solutions to meet their communications needs."That's code for saying that FairPoint faces so little competition in its territories, it not only doesn't have to disclose how much it charges for service, it doesn't have to care whether you find that kind of stonewalling obnoxious. If you need FairPoint's broadband service, there's a pretty good chance that FairPoint service is your only option, so you'll have to wait until you've actually signed up to truly learn how much you'll get to pay.
Correction: In the initially published version, we accidentally called FairPoint, Frontier in some places. We apologize for the error.
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Filed Under: broadband, competition, prices, secrets
Companies: fairpoint
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Re:
Yes, the story has been corrected. Sorry about that.
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Fairpoint Pricing
http://news.trcmaine.org/2012/11/Maine%20Municipal%20FairPoint%20Internet%20Offering.pdf
"Competi tive pricing" seems to be a foreign concept.
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Fairpoint are idiots
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/news.admin.net-abuse.email/GkEbBNaleIU
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What's the saying?
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Not valuable at any price
By year end FairPoint arranged to get an out of area manager to come and make a service call. After the fellow spent the day making adjustments at the house and the service box up the street, the service failed completely.
After waiting another month for a second service call to come and fix the repair the first one had made, my brother gave up and got Xfinity as it was his only other choice. Within 4 days he had newer and faster service for $15 more per month than had been paying.
FairPoint has fiber in the region, just not in my brother's town. Verizon has high speed in his town, just not to his neighborhood. Xfinity is more costly, but at least it works where he is.
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The only reason
In Wisconsin where I live Frontier is worse than a joke. Basic phone service runs about $60 a month. You can go without features, but they will — one way or another — trick your landline bill into being $60 a month. DSL is imaginary and any google search for Frontier and DSL will find tons of angry missives from customers of this alleged service.
They do not upgrade phone lines and the entire company is an invisibly owned Ponzi scheme. Apparently control of the company keeps getting sold to new investors who loot and then move on.
Worst phone company ever.
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Re: The only reason
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Re: Re: The only reason
AT&T has been forcing DSL customers to use POTS on each DSL line they provision. I use Sonic.net as my DSL vendor and since they provision an AT&T circuit, I still have to pay for a POTS line.
Furthermore, I have 2 DSL lines in this house (one for work, one for everything else), and I have to pay for two separate phone numbers as a result... it's asinine, but I just assumed all DSL provides do this.
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Re: Re: Re: The only reason
They usuaully offer up all kinds of ridiculous justifications for why. One telco claimed that if they weren't allowed to offer voice over copper those lines would "oxidize and fail."
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I have to say that if they're going to make up BS reasons, this is doing it right: at least that one's funny!
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Re: Re: Re: Re: The only reason
About 15 years ago, I actually did have naked circuit provisioned for IDSL through some other DSL vendor (Speakeasy?)... I think it was a New Edge Networks circuit.
As soon as ADSL came to my neighborhood, I was quick to switch to Sonic.net and avoid paying the $120/mo for 144kbit ;) - since I already had a landline for voice, I didn't think it was a big deal at the time, but these days I wish it was unbundled. Especially with dual DSL lines.
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Count me as one of the unfortunate ones.
Good points: When it works, it's stable.
Bad points: Where to begin....
If something _ever_ happens, it can make George Orwell seem terribly naive, Franz Kafka a model of directness.
Examples include:
Failed connection, FairPoint confirms the issue is a blown card in their central office. They refuse to repair the issue until you schedule a technician's visit. Yes, it's in _their_ facility, no they never did actually show up at my house.
Can not connect outside of FairPoint's walled garden to the greater internet (they are still using PPOE on DSL). After more than 4 hours and three levels of support, FairPoint discovers that they have changed the PPOE password without notice. Entering the updated password re-enables internet access.
But wait there's more (sounding like a 2:00AM infomercial). The next day a FairPoint tech arrives at the house unannounced. Insists on coming inside to "check on the issue". When he is refused entry with the explanation that the issue has been resolved, he proceeds to climb up a near by telephone poll to disconnect internet service to the house. It takes several phone calls to FairPoint corporate and complaining to the PUC to get service restored several hours later.
Can not connect to the internet, or even their walled garden. No green lights on the DSL 'modem', one red, a few yellow. Call tech support. Passed around and put on hold for 16 hours. The last time I was put on hold was from a male 'supervisor' for more than 3 hours. Finally, in the wee hours of the morning a female supervisor picks up the phone and asks how she can help. I explain that I can't connect, she asks; "What does the DSL modem look like?"
I answer; "Red, yellow, yell..."
She breaks in and says;
"Your modem is defective, we'll ship one out overnight. You can throw away that one if you want."
Finally, FairPoint doesn't limit themselves to just technical incompetence. One month I notice my bill (phone & DSL) has gone up $5.00. When I called to ask just why my bill has gone up the FairPoint employee says;
"Oh, you noticed that."
"We add that fee to everyone, but it's O.K. because we'll remove it if anyone complains."
Which they promptly did.
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Huh
Should have realized Frontier wouldn't refuse to tell you rates, instead they'd just lie about the service you'd allegedly get.
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Re: Huh
They're both comparably bad. Fairpoint may be a little worse in that it struggled through bankruptcy and is a tad smaller. But I'd avoid both. Most of those second tier telcos have a near-disdain for their subscribers.
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Poor pricing?
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In other words
"As much as you can pay."
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Sounds like a canned answer
My guess is that this was answered by someone at the lowest level possible. Maybe even a customer service representative.
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Fairpoint
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Landline
I use Charter for my internet because it is BETTER.
Now, I'm being forced to change to enter Charter for my landline- costing MORE.
Consumers SHOULD be able to Get what they WANT and WHO they get it FROM!
Kristin Haskins
52Lewis St Barre By 05641 802-476-2059
haskinskristin43@
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Re: Landline
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