Questions to ask before signing up for an Internet Service Provider

If you are thinking of joining an Internet Service Provider or are thinking of switching to a different service provider, here are some questions you should definitely ask before signing up:

1. What Internet speeds do you offer?  What is the highest Internet speed offered in my area?
2. Do you require any type of contract or long-term commitment?
3. If I terminate my contract early, are there are any termination fees?
4. Are there any installation charges?
5. Are there any equipment fees?
6. What are the prices for using bundled vs. non-bundled services?
7. If the pricing is offered during a promotional period, what will my prices be after the promotional period is over?
8. Are there any service charges for technician visits to my home?
9. How much are taxes and other regulatory fees?  
10. What is the total cost per month including all taxes and regulatory fees?
11. Can I purchase my own cable modem/router?
12. Do you have any QoS (Quality of Service) guarantees?
13. Do you bundle any software packages (such as antivirus) as part of the service?
14. For bundled services with TV:
• What channels do you offer?
• Do you offer a whole-home DVR?
• Are the channels in HD?
• Do you offer On-Demand broadcasting?
• Do you offer Internet viewing of the TV channels?
• Are there any networks not offered as part of the TV package?
• What are the equipment charges for additional TVs?
• Do I have to pay extra for each TV that has HD TV service?
• How many recording hours can be fit on a DVR?
• How many shows/channels can I record simultaneously on the DVR?
• Is the TV service dependent on an Internet connection?

Great Internet speed for an affordable price

I do a TON of downloading from MSDN as well as various other sites to test out software so needless to say I need very FAST Internet speeds.

Most vendors such as AT & T and Comcast will gouge their customers for their Internet connections and up until recently it seems that WOW! was guilty of the same offense by charging as much as $70/month for a 30 Mbps Internet connection speed.

However, it seems that WOW! is now changing their tune with very reasonable and affordable Internet speed connections.  You can get 30 Mbps for as low as $40/month!!  If you want to jump up to 50 Mbps, you can get that for as low as $50/month!

That is absolutely awesome!! 

If you have WOW! available in your area, you can check out their promotion here: http://www.wowway.com/wow-online/aonline-30hsdandlimitedbasic?utm_source=N9515.3159GOOGLE7&utm_medium=retargeting&gclid=CNXN792TyMUCFYoYHwodAaEARA

Service Protection Plan requirement for WOW! Services

WOW! recently implemented a new nickel-and-dime scheme to hit customers with service call fees of $50 each time a technician visits a customer's home.

I have had WOW! for many, many years and in the past, being a customer was sufficient to warrant a free service call to the house.  However, since I own my own cable modem, I am no longer paying any equipment rental fees, so they have found a new way to make money.

I was recently having trouble with my Internet download speeds and needed to call out a WOW! Service Technician to my house to determine the root cause of the problem.  The technician just made some adjustments to the cable line outside my house but that was enough for me to get charged with a whopping $50 service call fee!!

I inquired further about it and as it turns out, their new policy is to charge for any service calls if you do not have a Service Protection Plan in place.

Interestingly enough, I HAD a Service Protection Plan in place several months earlier but cancelled their lousy TV service and stuck with just the Internet service so the Service Protection plan automatically got revoked.

This left me with a $50 Service Call fee and forced me to renew the Service Protection plan ($5/month) just to avoid this charge in the future.  In addition, one of the other stipulations on the Service Protection plan is that you have it for AT LEAST 1 month before you make your 1st service call (very similar to what Consumers Energy does for their Appliance Repair Plan).   

For some users, if you calculate the yearly costs ($60/yr vs $50/service call), it makes sense if you think you might call out a service technician at least once in a year.  If you have never called anyone out to your house (very much unlike myself), then the Service Protection Plan might not be for you. 

For anyone that might be getting or considering getting WOW! Services, you should definitely watch out for this hidden caveat.