You might think that if only Verizon's
FiOS service was available in your area, then life would be nearly perfect. And although FiOS offers some of the fastest internet in the US as well as some of the highest quality HD and a fantastic selection, it isn't all rosy over there. In fact the service has been riddled with billing issues since its launch in 2005 and in order to take advantage of some of the great promotional offers, you're forced to sign a two year contract. Up until January 16th 2010, that ETF has been $179, and according to DSL Reports on the 17th, that fee is set to go up to $360. That's not it though, as
Verizon is expected to raise the price of services another $10 or $20 a month. You can of course avoid this by not signing a contract and going month to month, but of course this'll only work out saving you money if you end up canceling, and really if you had fiber to your home do you really think you'd cancel? Us either. Regardless, if you were thinking of switching to FiOS or taking advantage of a new promotion, we wouldn't waste any time getting it before the terms change next week. And as always be sure to read the fine print before signing anything.
posted January 12th 2010 2:40AM
@TheOne
"Monopolized unregulated market?" Huh? It's not unregulated; most places have exclusive monopoly franchises signed by local governments. You talk about Comcast's line monopoly where you were-- that line monopoly is because of a government granted franchise. How is that "unregulated?"
FIOS provides a hint of line competition in some areas; governments have been prodded into allowing their monopoly franchise holders in cable and telecom to compete against each other. But it's still a government-granted duopoly.
And this is why I never jumped on the FIOS bandwagon and stuck with Cablevision...no early termination fees, no contracts...and much better customer service. I honestly couldnt even care about losing two channels due to contract disputes (Food Network, HGTV) because I barely watch Food Network as it is anyhow and i NEVER watch HGTV.
@jasezero
Contracts on FiOS TV are optional, not required.
Talk all the shit you want about TWC....but I can drop them with ease and at no cost....can't say that about satellite, or verizon.....
Much as I like having fiber to my house, I'm thinking of going to optimum online when my fios promo period runs out. They're desperate for my business - they said they'll pay out my verizon contract, and the service comes to about $40 a month less for pretty much the same thing, and they'll upgrade my internet speed to 30/5 for free. And they guarantee that rate for 2 years.
Just like Ben says. If I could get fios, I wouldn't be canceling it. I can't get fios or u-verse. Stuck with dsl.....
Also note from the article that the new ETF is a sliding scale that decreases at time goes on, instead of being a flat $179. It *averages* out to be able the same over the life of the contract:
"A FiOS subscriber who signs a two-year contract and cancels within three months would pay $330, according to Verizon documents accidentally posted on the Internet and then taken down. If the customer cancels in 16 months, the fee would be $135; at 24 months, $15."
Sucks more for people who cancel early, but people who cancel after a full year will actually be better off, it seems like.
Well, from what I've heard in my area, they are doing this because Comcast was sniping customers by paying the ETF and offering a cheaper monthly rate. They're hoping to make it more expensive for Comcast to do so, not so that customers have to pay more.
Cablevision routinely sends me flyers saying they would pay for my FIOS ETF if I switch. I wonder if they will keep offering that.
Honestly though, I have no reason to switch. Compared to Cablevision, FIOS is awesome. With CV, my internet speeds would drop every day from 4pm till around 9pm to less than 5 mbps (from my rated 15) due to everyone in the neighborhood being online. With FIOS my connection is a rock solid 25mbps. Plus CV doesn't have the NFL network, Foot Network, nor HGTV. All 3 are highly watched in my home (the later 2 by the wife).
FIOS billing is a bit of a pain, but they they were always willing to credit my account each month until that was sorted out.
@scyber
Your wife have a foot fetish or something? "Foot Network"?
The contracts are optional, but you will pay an extra $20/mo on top of the new crazy rate.
So Verizon stops the Fios build-out to try to make more profit off their existing coverage. And instead of building a better mouse trap, they raise prices and trap people in longer. Good job Verizon. You *so* get us. Multi-million dollar bonuses all around!
They're so worried about Comcast, even in non-Comcast markets like mine, that they fail to see what the actual competition is in my area and price themselves way out of all credibility. I'll stick with my current cableco afterall.
@vgsmike Well they are working on other improvements, like new DVRs and routers due this quarter. (a few hundred thousand of those cost a lot of money) Plus with the economy the way it is, people aren't generally inclined to switch to a higher priced service, so more build out doesn't really make much sense.
@10nisman94 A larger hard drive for an extra $10-$20/mo doesn't quite cut it. They charge for DVRs on top of the regular fees already. This is a profit-increasing move; they've made it clear.
I signed up for Fios internet in 2008. They offered a 1-year and 2-year contract. I willingly picked the 2 year one. I have 20Mbps down and 5Mbps up locked in for 2 years at $45/month. How could it possibly be any better than that?
Verizon's billing system is a crime against humanity though. I think the FCC should yank their license to do ANYTHING until they put some money into fixing that convoluted piece of garbage.
According to my account currently on Verizon, the ETF is only $99 (though I'm no longer in a contract, that's if I changed my plan). Then again this is just for internet. Maybe it's more for TV.
Not a happy camper with FiOS right now. They promised me a free netbook for switching services from Comcast (which I had a great deal with), but decided to switch and pay more for higher resolution HD, etc. Of course after they install, I had billing issues and the cost of service seemed higher than I expected and when I called in for status of the free netbook they said I don't qualify? They gave me a "special number" to call and after talking to the Rep and he did some research, all they were going to do was give me one month off or waive my ETF. I decided to waive my ETF, so I can change services whenever I wanted. Make sure you get an email or something in writing before switching to Verizon.
Also, I had ordered an International channel package, which consisted of 4 channels, but after a couple of months they decided to reduce the channels by half, but keep the price the same. No notice or anything. What is up with that?
Does this mean that I can get out of my contract since the prices are changing? I currently have a one year contract.... Or are these prices effective for new contracts only?
@slaydemon New contracts only
I love FIOS and have had it now for almost 4 year, but I guess that means we need to track when our service is not working properly and send them a bill. After all, we signed up for "Service" and if we terminate it in some way we have to pay, well in that same gesture, if their service can't be what was promised, then I think they need to pay.
Any stop in service during a contract is a breach weather it's the customer or the provider.
I had fios for 2 years. I loved the service. The billing was the worst I have ever seen in my life. I called them every month because the bill was always wrong. Cablevision came and gave me a price I couldn't refuse and I switched. I had problems with Verizon for months over my final bill. I would receive one bill that had a $90 credit on it, then a week later get a bill that had said I owed them $108. I would call and call Verizon about it, and they insisted I send them $108. I refused telling them to subtract the difference. Finally I got a letter from a collection agency and after 2 hours on the phone, I paid them $18 and Verizon sent me a letter saying I was paid in full.
I even called up Verizon before I canceled my service to see what they could do. The customer service rep said that Verizon is a "premium" service and I can't compare them to Cablevision.
Many of my friends and family switched to Fios, but now they are slowly going back to Cablevision because the price is much cheaper.
I'm still downloading at 3 mb/sec on newsgroups at a consistent speed with Cablevision.
@aj9711 I'm sure that there will be some new discounts for you to sign up. When the 1 year discounts expire, Verizon will have rolled out new bundles and when you "re-bundle" you can usually negotiate the same price that you are currently paying. I went through the process back in November (going from 20/5 to 25/15)
@10nisman94
I'm sure that will be true, and I'd be able to get a good deal but, the billing issues that Verizon has will make me think long and hard before switching back to them.
if they had FiOs net service in my city in canada @ a decent bandwidth limit, i'd pay large for it and never cancel!
even if it costs me like $150.00 for setup fee....
still, thats hella fast speeds!
@sowhatu FiOS doesn't have a bandwidth limit :)
FIOS is great. If I ever see an increase in the bill, we just call them and threaten to go to Cablevision and they lower it. Early termination fee? The carrier you're switching to will gladly pay that when you switch. What's the news here?
@mikemaj82 no way in 100years will cablevision pay your $350 etf
"don't you love how competition works"
Where is the MAP for the idiot Verizon customers? LOL
First the ETF on Smartphones to 350 and now this....
Is fatest a misspell or did Engadget just coin a new word?
Give it time. They will.