Are you getting what you are paying for?

[FreakinDJ]

Are you getting what you are paying for?

I want to know from all you internet user, specifically those of you using SBC DSL. Are you getting the speeds they promised you in you package? I have been a subscriber since it was owned by PAC Bell and it seems to me that ever since SBC took over my service has gotten slower and slower.

I call the tech support and do every thing they suggest including having their service technicians come to my home. Even they admit I am not getting the speeds my plan offers. Yet SBC will not let me out of this new plan.

They keep referring to their DSL speed test that shows I am getting the speeds prescribed by the contract. Will their test only uses a 64 bit packet and yes they fly when they are that small. But I am not really sure what use a 64 bit packet is other then a ping on the net.
When I test the internet speeds using other sites that randomly select packets of varying size the speeds are divided by 10. It is like DSL-10 or 120K for the price of 1.2Meg speeds

[oustemnow]

1. Don't know about DSL specifically but I've come to despise SBC

my phone bill seems to have risen dramatically since it switched from PacBell to SBC, and I'm not making more calls.

Plus, they're total hard-asses about late payments. PacBell seemed to give me a one-month grace period before slapping on a late fee, but SBC jumps on the chance to slap on another unearned pound of flesh.

[drb]

2. Well, print out the results of your tests, and snail mail them...

...Certified Mail Return Receipt Requested to the president of SBC. With that, include a demand for repayment of your monthly fees proportional to the lack of speed, along with a formal request to therefore be released from your contract.

After they have ignored that, take them to small claims court.

[FreakinDJ]

3. Yes I am sending them CC: Public Utilities Commission

But yet it makes me wonder, How many others are out there paying $49.95 for $19.95 service and never know it.

They have been very clever to program their network routers with specific protocol priorities. It allows the 64 bit IP packets to fly through, some other IP protocols specific to web page loading to travel at nominal rate and all others to travel much slower.

Then SBC announced the lay off of some 5000 workers earlier this month. Now when I call tech support I can't understand any one because their accent is too thick

[ChoralScholar]

4. check out dslreports.com

they will have some suggestions on how to improve your throughput for all size packets. Also, you can review SBC and enter it into their database. It's a great tool for all broadband customers.

[toddzilla]

5. i don't pay anything..

I went to pay my bill, which i knew was overdue by a month at least. the guy behind the counter said i didn't owe anything. Turned out the last time i paid my bill they closed my account for some reason. I didn't have a balance owed or anything, but my connection was never taken out of the system, so i haven't paid for 4 months. Since i'm unemployed, it helps out quite a bit!!

[FreakinDJ]

6. DSL reports is SBC

Yes I went looking for reports of abuses via goggle search. I found page after page of corporate sponsored links willing to forward my complaints to SBC.

Some how it looked as an attempt to pacify the masses and keep committees such as the Public Utilities Commission from ever being alerted to the problem.

Is it any wonder why SBC lost the class action law suit against them for slow speeds and billing improprieties

[MercutioATC]

7. SBC is the Devil.

They were my local phone company (in fact, still are). I went through 2 weeks of absolute hell trying to gey 2 lines of service at my old apartment*for those who know,it's an external thing...EVERY house is wired for 2 lines). A week later, I tried to get voicemail. I was told that I couldn't get voicemail until I had a 6-month service recordwith SBC (Ameritech, then). Voicemail cost $3.95 a month. I offered to send them a $25 deposit to cover their "risk". I was told (by a supervisor) that nothing could be done...Ameritech (SBC) wouldn't assume the "risk" until I had a 6-month track record with them.

Keep in mind, I had phone service with all of the bells and whistles (caller ID, call waiting, call waiting caller-ID, call forwarding, 3-way calling, etc.) I tried to explain that calling Guam, leaving the phone off the hook, and refusing to pay was much more of a risk than voicemail, but they'd have none of it.

I'm with a 3rd party local carrier now...