Several months ago, I decided to upgrade my internet service from dial up (zzzzzzz) to DSL. I chose Verizon DSL service, mainly because it was cheaper than the one other service available in my area. Overall, I am satisified with Verizon DSL so far, but there were a few glitches new customers might want to try and avoid as they sign up for service.
First of all, when signing up for Verizon DSL, make sure to speak to a sales agent who really knows the deal(s). I spoke to three different agents. The first one was very nice, friendly, informative, but the price quote she gave me was completely incorrect. Luckily, I didn’t sign up right on the phone with her, or I would have gotten a big surprise with my first bill. Basically, she gave me the price for service for Verizon phone customers and explained I’d be eligible for this price even though I had another phone carrier. When I called again- and spoke to a different agent- I got a much higher – though still reasonable – price quoted to me and was told Agent 1 was wrong: if I didn’t have Verizon phone, I had to pay this higher price. So, I thought about it some more, figure it was worth it – since I was paying nearly as much for my dial up service (zzzz), plus the call waiting feature I needed since my phone line was in use. So, I talked to a third agent who hooked me up with my plan.
As things began to move forward, I realized there were a few other things the sales agents had left out. For one, no one told me that there was a chance, even though I was signed up, that I might not be able to actually get the DSL service. I didn’t learn this until I got an email confirming my modem was on the way; the disclaimer was tucked into that email. I was also never told a Verizon guy would be coming to my house to make sure my phone lines were appropriate for DSL and I was good to go. In fact, one did show up – when I was doing some work at home. I guess this was fortunate – maybe he would have left if I wasn’t there. Though he didn’t need much help from me, I would have appreciated knowing a stop-in was part of the process. As it was, I had only been told by one agent that the whole set-up process was a simple as setting up a printer.
As it turns out, setting up the modem was that simple. The modem made it to me in quick time. No problem. And there was a very helpful, easy to follow cd that I played and my assistant aka my dad and I had no problem setting things in motion….once the service was turned on by Verizon. This happened a full week after it was supposed to and no reason was really given. Well, considering the things people have to wait for in this life – food, water, medicine, I’m not going to complain about having to wait for my DSL service. It’s not that serious. However, if you need DSL right away, be aware that you might not get it with Verizon. At least I didn’t. So, they turn on my service. I set up the modem, and we’re good to go.
Except, yeah, we’re not. I was told by one tech support person that the thing to look for on the modem was the solid – no blinking – green light next to the “DSL” label. My light was blinking like crazy. Rats! I called a tech support person who was very helpful. Unfortunately, though, the problem was going to require another Verizon guy coming by the house to check out why we weren’t getting the service. It wasn’t a problem tech support could handle on the phone. Okay, if I’ve waited this long for DSL, what’s a few more days?
Because I wasn’t sure if turning off my modem at night (someone had done it accidentally) was going to mess up the plan, I called Verizon the next day to follow up on the impending service visit. I was told by another friendly tech support guy that there was no visit pending. It, he continued, had nothing to do with my modem being off, but had to do with friendly tech support guy 1 not filling out the proper paperwork. In other words, if I hadn’t made the follow up call just by coincidence, I never would have gotten the Verizon person to my house to check what was what. Second Tech Support guy sets up the service call, and, in a few days time, the Verizon van is back. A very knowledgable phone guy decides the problem has something to do with the phone lines and tells me I need another jack- no cost to me. He sets it up and – presto! – I’ve got Verizon DSL.
Now, in terms of actual service, I have to say Verzion has been pretty good. It’s not the fastest internet connection available, but after dial-up (zzzzz), it opened up a whole new internet to me- one where I could watch videos, download music, and shop on ebay without a ten minute snooze between functions. It was really fun right away, and a big time saver. So, I was satistifed with the service, if only by default. There were parts of Verizon’s DSL service that I didn’t need. I didn’t need three desk top icons bringing me to three separate start pages with stuff I don’t have any use for like “This is what your Verizon service offers.” or “This is what people are searching for in real time. I did get a free webpage to set up, which I might get around to eventually. So that was cool. And I had no problem switching to the free version of my old dial up plan, and using that or Internet Explorer with the Verizon service. Not that there was any reason it would be a problem. Anyhow, overall, fine with the service.
But there were still a few surprises in store. One was the fine print of the service deal, which tells me, again, some details the sales agents left out. I asked them specifically if there were any additional costs besides the monthly price they quoted me. They told me no. The fine print, however, tells me to be aware that my first month’s bill will be a little bigger because the system pro-rates (I started my service in the middle of the month and got charged for it) and there were some additional fees. All told, my deal was for about $35 bucks a month and my first bill was somewhere around $100. Nice if I’d have known that going in. So, just know, if you sign up for Verizon, the first bill will be a little bigger than you might expect – and no one volunteers that information when you do the signing. Of course, once the first month was out of the way, my bill was exactly as quoted.
The other glitches are not necessarily due to Verizon, but seem at least coincidental. The first is that, on ocassion, Explorer windows will open over and over again, rapid fire, non-stop. I won’t even be able to control-al-delet my way out and have to shut down my computer. This never happened with dial-up. Also, one morning I woke up and my operating system was corrupted. I asked my OS company – well, okay, we all know it’s Microsoft – what could have done it. They said it’s possible it was the DSL. Now, whether this is Verizon’s glitch, or just a symptom of having your PC online all the time, or whether it’s totally unrelated to either thing, I don’t know. But it was a little scary, needless to say, having my computer on the blink and wondering if I’d lost all my data. Note to self: with DSL, back up everything. Also, I have to say, recently, the DSL service seems slower. Maybe I’ve got some kind of virus, or maybe I’m so used to it now, I’m greedy for more speed. Anyhow, I try to remember the bad old days of dial-up (zzzzz) and I remember I’m pretty fortunate to be surfing as fast as I am.
Overall, though, as I said, Verizon has been fine. There were a few start-up glitches, and a few kinks along the way, but it’s a pretty good service. While I didn’t always get the right information or the best solutions the first time with tech support of sales, everyone was polite and there was not a long wait time. The price is pretty reasonable, too. So, if you’re in the market for DSL, you may want to give Verizon a shot. Just remember, sometimes faster internet service may be slow to get going.
