Are you satisfied with your phone, TV, internet service?

Eupher said:
Getting ready to dump AT&T internet after my fiber optic line is installed -- in a little more than a week. No overall complaints about AT&T internet (they've been very reliable) except they love to jack up their prices. As it stands now, I can get fiber optic internet (with 5 times the speed) cheaper than I can with AT&T's internet, which is 7 years old now.

Cell only -- no landline -- with Mint mobile. Price is right.

Netflix only, at $17 per month. I absolutely hate regular/sat TV due to the constant commercials.
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We use Mint, too. Our internet is only about 90 a month and they have promised a fixed price, so no surprise increases.
 

I dropped cable at least a decade ago. I rarely watch TV -- once in the last 1.5 years. Growing up, TV was not important in our house - I guess we watched it maybe an hour a day, at the very most. So I have am not a big fan of TV, although I am not opposed to it.

Internet is included in my rent - I pay enough so I don't care what the cost is. I use it mostly for research, a couple of forums, reading news headlines, stuff like that. It drives me nuts to be without internet service because the topics I have to research fill my head.

Cell costs $20/mo. I don't use data, just wireless, unless it is necessary. Just have it for texting and calling, and taking photos once in awhile.

VPN is $100/year for all of it's features (email, password vault, cloud storage, etc.).
 
Until the end of 2018, I had Optimum triple play (landline, internet and cable). One of the reasons for my decision was that I became unsatisfied with their service. Too often my internet would crap out; even for a few minutes each time became a PITA. I also found out that my landline would not work in a power outage due to the outdated wiring, thus would be useless in an emergency. My Optimum triple play bill reached a high of $144 in 2017 and that was just for a month. Don't remember if I did a deal or what but it went down to $134.

Once I decided to cut the cord and go to streaming, I started saving a substantial amount of money. For $42 a month, using my Roku, phone or tablet, I stream movies, my favorite shows and news broadcasts ad free. I had heard Verizon Fios wasn't so good, but our complex had Verizon come in and wire the apartments for Fios. Stockholders could opt out if they wanted but I decided to let them do my apartment, in case. I'm glad I did. I finally switched to Fios and am pretty happy with it, though I notice sometimes in the middle of the night, the internet goes down for a couple of minutes, but not nearly as much as Optimum did.

My cell phone service is with MetroPCS and I love it. Their hotspot, which is free and secure, is great and only didn't work once. I was on a train, going through a one horse town and it was out for a few minutes. Optimum's was terrible, could barely get a signal and it was not secure. And my grandson told me a few years ago that Sprint charged an extra $10 for using their hotspot. Also when I had Sprint, I had to get a special device so as not to get dropped calls in my apartment; still got them when I was out of the house. I've never had that problem with Metro.
 
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I like my free Safelink phone service that I've had for years. It is owned by TracFone Wireless and uses Verizon's network. Free talk and txt and last year they increased data to 4.50GB. That is a lot of data and I use it occasionally, along with my internet service (I'll share about internet in another post). Even when Affordable Connectivity ended last May, I thought I would have to start paying a monthly fee for the phone, but I haven't had to. I qualified for the service because my Social Security is so low.

I started out with their free smartphone (Motorola), which served me just fine. I began to do more on the phone though and downloaded some fav games. I also had so many pics in it (many things won't go on the SD card) that I got frustrated with always having to delete to have enough space. Last year, I chose one of their upgraded Motorola phones for $100. I have not had a problem with space since.
 
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Being a bit of a dinosaur, I only have a basic 3G mobile phone and I've received notification from my phone provider that they are discontinuing the 3G network. This means I'll have to buy a new 4G compatible phone. Strangely enough I also received a message to say that my 'Phone - number xxxx' would not work. Well,firstly, the number referred to my wireless router which already uses 4G and they haven't mentioned my mobile phone. I don't think they understand what a wireless router is.
 
I have used Verizon for my phone as long as I've had a mobile phone. I've always been highly satisfied wit them, and in the past have been amazed at how accommodating they have been. Of course, today they have grown, and customer satisfaction is no longer as high a priority.

Several months ago, I received an email from some legal firm (I think) that a class action suit against Verizon had been started, and if Verizon was my carrier during a period of about 6 years, from (can't remember) to (can't remember), I had been illegally surcharged with extra uncalled for fees, and if I said yes, I would be entitled to part of the settlement. So I signed up, which took all of two minutes.

So I was surprised last week when I received a check from Verizon for $14. I have no idea how much they had bilked me out of. I suspect it was a lot more. I almost threw the envelope out without opening it. It looked like junk mail, but for some rare reason I thought to open it, which I seldom do. It was a junk mail type letter with a check attached but folded so you would have to read all the letter to discover the check. I wonder how many of those mailings went straight to the garbage?

I'm still pleased with Verizon. Their a huge company, and while they screwed me, I doubt that it was any worse than the other companies I do business with. Heil Kaputgelism!
 
Capt Lightning said:
Being a bit of a dinosaur, I only have a basic 3G mobile phone and I've received notification from my phone provider that they are discontinuing the 3G network. This means I'll have to buy a new 4G compatible phone. Strangely enough I also received a message to say that my 'Phone - number xxxx' would not work. Well,firstly, the number referred to my wireless router which already uses 4G and they haven't mentioned my mobile phone. I don't think they understand what a wireless router is.
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Capt...here in civilisation..lol... we're already on 5G ....
 
hollydolly said:
Capt...here in civilisation..lol... we're already on 5G ....
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Here in the land of the mountain and the flood, there is zero chance of 5G. As I understand it, 5G does not have a good range and is more sensitive to the terrain, so is likely to be confined to cities and suburbs. I have no need of 5G, so as long as I continue to get a good 4G signal, I'll be happy.
 
For years, I've had a strong creative presence online and as an artist and graphic designer, I have always used a desktop. I thought I could never survive without Ethernet (home modem) service, which has always been wired to my PC. I also have a low-cost hotspot service ($15 mos) that I bought when I was carer to my mom. I didn't want to miss any online classes assignments when I would go to her numerous doctor's appts with her. I ended my online classes and my mom passed. I kept the hotspot because it was not expensive and allowed me to go online whenever I was away from home. It has worked excellently through 3 moves, 1 yr of van-dwelling and where I am now.

I've had various home service internet depending on where I was living. The most recent was Spectrum. I had been signed up less than a year and was getting the $60 mo service free. As a new customer I got a 1/2 off introductory offer and the Affordable Connectivity Program gave me a $30 credit. When the ACP ended in April, I began to pay Spectrum $30 mos. There were a couple of things that I was not happy about so, for the first time, I cut the hard-wired cord and sent Spectrum's equipment back to them. Now, I only use my hotspot. I'm online everyday most of the day and I've never had a problem with receiving unlimited service.

My hotspot is a Franklin Jextream and the network is T-Mobile. I qualified for the senior discount, low-income service through PCs For People. I can connect up to 10 devices simultaneously. It is 2G/5G. I recently bought 6 mos of service for a discount which made my monthly cost $12. The biggest bonus is that the hotspot is USB/WiFi, so I have it connected to my computer via USB. That is like Ethernet, so I get better reception for my main device.

Anyone can qualify for service through PCs For People if their income is not high. All they want is income verification. They don't put you through the wringer only to deny you. They also sell refurbished and new computers and peripherals at their online shop.
 
We could not get good high speed internet service here until I had a tower installed with a local broadband service....this is for TV which is streamed, internet service and my cell phone that is with ATT......it will go out occasionally with a storm for short periods, but outside of that it works great. The cost for all is around $150 per month. If the broadband service does go out I can still use my phone by using the Hotspot.
 
911 said:
I am just about where you are. We have no providers other than Comcast, so without having competition, I have no choice and that means they are able to charge whatever the PUC allows them to charge. My bill is about $347 per month. TV, high speed Internet and phone.
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Comcast here too, with no ther viable option.... but ours was $245 a month. We dropped the "landline" and took a TV off cable (and just use the antenna and its smart features) and got it down to $160 a month
 
That Lady in PA said:
Comcast here too, with no ther viable option.... but ours was $245 a month. We dropped the "landline" and took a TV off cable (and just use the antenna and its smart features) and got it down to $160 a month
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We are down to $240 now. We gave up some premium channels that we never watched.
 
911 said:
I am just about where you are. We have no providers other than Comcast, so without having competition, I have no choice and that means they are able to charge whatever the PUC allows them to charge. My bill is about $347 per month. TV, high speed Internet and phone.

In Florida, we have about 4 or 5 different providers and depending on the package you buy, your bill can vary.
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I have Spectrum Internet/Wi-Fi and landline for $130. I could cancel and wait 30 days to pay a new price of $35 a month as the new customers get (which will also creep up). There is a new startup in my area that is growing that only charges around $15-$25 a month. Mostly it's for houses. Apartment buildings need to be wired and most owners won't let it happen. My builder owner thinks it's only for poor people and won't even talk about it.
 
That Lady in PA said:
??
The phone can still ring all day, right?
Or do you unplug it at night?
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That Lady in PA said:
??
The phone can still ring all day, right?
Or do you unplug it at night?
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I just don't answer it if I do not know the caller or just don't want to answer it regardless... We don't have problems with people calling at night! Our number is unlisted...
 

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