The satellite ISP issue resolved itself just now. The Comcast installer showed up, took off his cap, scratched his head, and told me there was a minor problem with getting the service: there’s no cable on our street, or within three miles of our house.
This after I had the Comcast drone check three times for availability after they had called Robin and announced that we, too, could now get their fabulous service.
I had an inkling that this was going to happen, which is why I didn’t do anything to deactivate our existing service. I guess we’ll have to wait for DSL or cable to become available on our dirt road, and in the meantime sip the Intertubes through that satellite dish-shaped straw.
The installer said he had another prospective customer today who had no cable on her street, and who had been promised by the salesdrone that Comcast service was, in fact, available to her. Between the sales call and the installer appointment, she had canceled her satellite TV and Internet, and had someone rip both satellite dishes off the side of her house. Apparently, she was not very pleased at all.
So, we won’t be canceling our Hughesnet service early, which means we won’t have to pony up the $650 in early termination charges after all. Good thing I didn’t call their rep nasty names over the phone when I checked…
3 Comments
July 2, 2008 at 12:05 pm
This reminds me of a similar sales pitch I received many years ago. “Cable is coming to your neighborhood, and our installer will be there tomorrow.” Great, we thought. The installer shows up at the farm and asks, “Where do you want us to put the (humongous) satellite dish?” We say, “We don’t want a dish; we want cable.” The installer says, “Well, lots of people disguise the dish as a picnic table umbrella.” We decided to keep our existing umbrella.
July 2, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Lucky guy. If I was that lady, I might have gotten mighty shirty. “Y’all promised. Now deliver.”
July 3, 2008 at 10:21 am
I wouldn’t hold my breath on DSL. There are distance limitations—the distance of your house from the local central office, or 15,000 ft. The local phone company can install “repeaters” to extend this range, but your speed will drop dramatically.
I have Comcast and they have given me few problems, except they do their maintenance during the day. I work at home via my cable connection and have my connection drop unexpectantly is a PAIN!