The Dave Green Zone

(I double posted tonight, so if you did not notice, there is a fascinating post below this one about how I am wearing sweaters and collared shirts this fall. I suggest you read it.)

When I last left you, I hated Time Warner and was going with the Verizon FIOS service. Not long after I wrote that post, I was looking around online and found a better deal for FIOS. So I called Verizon and asked them about it and they said “that deal is online, the prices over the phone are different.” So I said “ok, I’ll cancel my order and reorder it online.” Well, canceling the order was easier said than done. When I first called they couldn’t find the order, so they transferred me to several different departments, but no luck. Finally I got an order number in the e-mail, and after more runaround with customer service, was able to cancel my order. I was so frustrated with their customer service that I called Time Warner. Apparently whatever it was that said they couldn’t install it until November was some kind of glitch in their system, because they were able to install the service on the day I wanted.

So, to sum it up, Verizon has horrible customer service. Every time I called them, every question had to go to another department.. I am currently happy with my Time Warner cable and Internet (which is not as fast as FIOS), but if I ever have a problem (or find a better deal), I am not under any kind of contract, so I am free to switch any time (Verizon makes you sign a one-year contract). The ball is in your court Verizon.

Tonight I was researching cable for my new apartment. Luckily, in the area where I’ll be living, I have a choice between Time Warner and Verizon FIOS. I checked out both of their prices and decided that while FIOS has some advantages, it would probably be a little  cheaper to go with Time Warner. So, I started ordering online with Time Warner, and when I got to the “pick your install date” section, I noticed all of the dates were like a month in the future. I thought this was probably some kind of glitch with the website, so I called customer service. When I got the representative on the line and asked her about the date, she confirmed it was true and that they were “very busy” and  there was nothing she could do to have my cable installed sooner.  Well, as you might know, I am a person (an impatient one, I might add) who enjoys television and the internet, so this was unacceptable! I said to the lady “this is craziness!” and she said “sorry, but thanks for your interest in Time Warner” and we hung up.

This is why competition is so great though, because after I got off the phone with her I called Verizon and got  a similar price, but with a reasonable install date. I think Time Warner is used to being the only game in town, as far as cable is concerned. They still have a monopolist mindset, thinking that I’ll wait a month for their (crappy) service because I have no other choice.  Luckily, other companies are picking up the slack a bit. And while Verizon is not exactly some independent upstart, it is still better to have to choice between two behemoths than to have no choice at all.

P.S. I went with the FIOS digital cable with a dual-tuner HD DVR and 15Mbps/2Mbps internet.