Thinking of getting Starpower? Think hard!

We got the Starpower kit and caboodle about a month ago (phone, cable modem, cable
TV). It was the day their sales rep came to Macomb Street to say that we were
connected.

The first three weeks were paradise. Then last Friday (Dec. 17) our cable TV and
cable modem went out. The lower TV channels became snowy and the cable modem
stopped functioning. Now, a week later, after multiple daily calls to various
Starpower service numbers, cable TV is back on, but hope for the cable modem dims
with each day. Maybe sometime after Christmas? After the Millennium?

The problem is that Starpower rode into town on a wave of discontent with District
Cablevision. Remember the downed statue of Lenin: No Empire Lasts Forever?

But what has the new empire brought? Long waits on the phone and lots of
disconnects. Starpowers service line greets you with Average wait time is under
five minutes. Uh make that 10 to 30, and on one occasion 45. (Make sure you hit
the bathroom before you call.) When you do get to a customer support line, the reps
often seems confused (What were you calling about now? You said you were calling
about your phone line?) and helpless.

But they are apologetic. And they have lots to apologize for: missed promised
callbacks and tech dispatches.

There are a few bright spots. The cable modem techs appear to know their business,
but they work in tandem with the cable TV people, who dont seem to understand that
cable modem users opted for the technology because they want an always-on
connection. Clearly cable modem users whose troubles stem for problem on the
outside CATV line get low priority unless theres no picture whatsoever.

Whatever the reasons for Starpowers sluggish responsiveness, the fact is that now,
eight days after the initial blackout, Im still using using a 28.8 modem on a
phone line with no idea of when the cable modem connection will become active
again.

Oh, and about that phone line I had signed up to switch from Bell Atlantic to
Starpower, but the switch hasnt happened yet. Maybe Im still in time to cancel.

--
Richard Robin - http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~rrobin
German and Slavic Dept.
The George Washington University
WASHINGTON, DC 20052
Can read HTML mail.
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Chitayu po-russki v lyuboi kodirovke.