Anybody use CenturyLink internet?

[TurboMinivan]

My current internet service is Comcast cable. I use them because they were the first high-speed offering in my neighborhood. (I did not and still do not want satellite-based internet service.) I've had this service for a long time; I'd need to look it up, but I'd say it has been close to 10 years. While I don't have any real complaints about their service, it is costing me $85 per month. For this reason, I've been wanting to look into cheaper alternatives.

Tonight a CenturyLink guy knocked on my door. He is happy to hook me up at $38 per month including the modem rental. He tells me their speeds are individually guaranteed rather than shared (which he says Comcast is). He says I'd only be on a one-year contract, after which I am eligible to renew (at the same rate) as a "loyal" customer. It all sounds good... but it always does when they're talking to you on your porch.

So, does anybody here use CL for their internet? How do you feel about their service and such?

 

[ChestonScout]

we use it here.


I have had a ton of problems with the speed. Its been slower than dial up at times. But the last 2 months I haven't had any issues

 

[lewis]

I have it. Can't stream net flix on the weekends or anytime there would be higher traffic cause it's too slow. Also they catch on pretty quick if you down load any torrents.

 

[benjy]

Their 40mbps rate after 12 months is $75/month. Modems can be had on eBay for $30. Service is OK... They're really the same as everyone else, threaten to cancel and then they take care of you

 

[CobraNutt]

I have the Centurylink 40mbps fit for 72.99/mo and love it. No problems. Two laptops, two smartphones, my Kindle and Xbox all running with no issues or lag. I'm in West Valley...

Sent from my mystical handheld gizmo.

 

[Cascadia]

We had it at our house we just sold and never really had an issue. When it was time to renew we said we'd leave and we always got our old rate. A guy from vivint came and knocked on our door last night. They signed us up for the first month free. They already came and installed it today. Way faster than whatever my in laws have and would be somewhere around 50 a month.

 

[Jeromy]

we have it at the shop, it constantly crashes and is way slow. contract is about up. Were probably switching to comcast, more money and way faster, we have it at home and been pretty trouble free.

 

[TurboMinivan]

I have had a ton of problems with the speed.

it constantly crashes and is way slow.

This is exactly what I fear. Our Comcast experience has been completely trouble-free. I'd hate to throw that away just to try saving a few bucks per month.

 

[RockChucker]

Century Link here...

Test Date: Nov 16, 2014 1:22 AM
Download: 0.03 Mbps
Upload: 0.51 Mbps
Ping: 76 ms
Connection Type: Wi-Fi
Server: Bluffdale, UT

Unfortunately this is a relatively common occurrence. Have to call them every couple months to fix it. Somehow it is always magically fixed after the call too. But apparently they don't throttle anyone If there was anything else available via wires rather than airwaves, I would change. Speeds like that sure make it convenient to do homework...not.

 

[zmotorsports]

We have had it for about 7 years now and really don't have any issues. Not really any different than what we have at work, I really don't think there is much difference other than the customer service if you happen to have issues. We really haven't had any issues so I can't comment on their customer service. We did bump up the speed about two years ago when my son built his new computer and my wife and I got our iPad. We have several users on at one time in the evenings and haven't had issues with speed but we don't have netflix or anything like that either.

Mike.

 

[nnnnnate]

I got the same pitch 18 months ago. Guaranteed speed at 20 mbps and whatnot, the rate she quoted me was for 6 months and I was told I could call in after that and they would take it to $40 a month. Speeds were great for 4 months then they slowed down a ton. I did the phone jingle trying to get speeds back up to what I was told I was guaranteed. After about the third time calling in I was told that they only guarantee 20% of listed speed regardless of what the sales people were saying. I tried to find my contract to read the verb-age but couldn't find it. When I asked about the $40 deal they said that was only for new customers.

It also took them 4 months to bury the temporary cable they installed to get my service up and going. I withheld payment for 3 months because they hadn't done it and made even more phone calls trying to get it done before they told me if they didn't get a payment they were going to send me to collections. I feared a black mark on my credit so I gave in but I was able to get up the chain about the issue. I called the manager for the sub they use for this work and then talked to the manager of the sub sub that actually did the digging. When the dude came out to scope it out he wanted to dig all the way behind my house rather than tunnel under the driveway but I used my gringo spanish to tell him that wasn't going to happen.

Before that I was happy with the speed from comcast but didn't want to pay $75 a month for internet alone. I'm paying that now with century link and a poor connection and have been meaning to jump back across to comcast. I know someone is going to chime in and say all they did was threaten to leave and they super killer speeds and free tv channels and a new car...... that crap has never worked for me. I'd like to learn the secret but until then I'll just be grumpy about it.

If it were me again I would just stay with what you have.

 

[gijohn40]

I think with how fast utah is growing the slow speed complaints are going to increase. I have digis here in farmington and it was really fast when I first signed on 4 yrs ago and was the first on the new tower. but since then they have signed up over 270 people to that tower even though they try to limit it to only 225. My speeds now are like 3mbps yet they still want to charge me for the 15 I signed up for.

I had comcast when I first moved in.. they promised me 50mbps but the highest I ever got was 12 and they had their techs out 9 times looking at it. replaced the coax twice and the modem 3 times and still could only get 12.

Centurylink doesn't have anything over 1.5 in this area so not even an option. And then Farmington told Utopia to go jump in the lake so that option will never be here.

 

[Tonkaman]

I took the porch salesman up on that same offer a year ago. When I got the box and realized I needed a phone line to plug into I also realized our options were limited in the house. I decided to just send it back and cancel the contract. 3 months later and several phone calls I ended up having to pay a few hundred buck for breech of contract over something I never got to use.

I stick to comcast, you pay for what you get.

 

[Coreshot]

we have it at the shop, it constantly crashes and is way slow. contract is about up. Were probably switching to comcast, more money and way faster, we have it at home and been pretty trouble free.

Pretty much my experience exactly. We're on our third modem in as many years and it just keeps crashing. Their answer is always to bring us a new modem...again. Comcast, here we come.

 

[muleskinner]

I'll never have it again. Slow and unreliable.

 

[Cascadia]

I think it depends on the area. Cause it was amazing in our last house. Super fast, not one issue. Our new place, not so much. Maybe ask neighbors what they have.

 

[larrybenny]

We live in Sandy. No issues with century link. Also Have a wifi box for laptops. We pay $62.00 a month but have our own modum. They will offer a deeper discount if you bundle or have a land line which we don't.

 

[UNSTUCK]

I wont use them again. Everything about it was bad.

 

[TurboMinivan]

If there was anything else available via wires rather than airwaves, I would change.

Before that I was happy with the speed from comcast but didn't want to pay $75 a month for internet alone.

If it were me again I would just stay with what you have.

I stick to comcast, you pay for what you get.

We're on our third modem in as many years and it just keeps crashing.
Comcast, here we come.

I'll never have it again. Slow and unreliable.

I wont use them again. Everything about it was bad.

Wow, just... wow.

Thanks for all your feedback, guys. Looks like I'll just keep using Comcast.

 

[Caleb]

Unfortunately Comcast is currently (for most people along the wasatch front) the lesser of the evils. They provide the best speeds and do a decent job at keeping things up. You will never ever get the advertised rate on Century Link, they blame it on overhead (real thing) but they shouldn't be selling it as 40mb if it's impossible to actually get 40mb. Some areas have some type of fiber offering and that's usually cheaper, faster, and more reliable but there's not a lot of areas with good fiber service.