And not fondly, either. I've had Windstream's DSL service since moving to Nebraska almost 12 years ago. Even when I know I've been overpaying these last few years, I've still stuck with it because it did what I wanted and was dependable. For the past 6+ years (maybe longer) I've used my own modem, and it's never been an issue. Even if there's a connection problem, I just explain that I'm using my own modem and need them to reset my connection.
That all changed after I talked them into giving me a discount, because of Allo being in my area. I was paying $80/mo for 12Mbit service with metered phone(outgoing calls are $0.10/min) and no TV, I finally got them to "drop" it to $65/mo (that's including taxes and fees, $45/mo without).
The last few months now, there's been several instances where I have not been able to get an IP, even though I'm still getting a signal from Windstream. And they seem to be getting more and more hostile towards customer owned modems, at least with me. Whenever I tell them I'm using my own modem, they immediately go "oh", and the demeanor in the sound of their voice changes. On one occasion, I even had a rep tell me that she couldn't assist me because I didn't have a Windstream modem. I'm not asking them to support the modem, just to do their job and provide me with the service that I'm (over) paying for. I told her to switch me to another tech, so she sticks me back in the queue and then the next tech was finally able to help.
Then came this last billing period, where after I negotiated a $15/mo reduction in my still overpriced service, they raised my rates by $3/mo without informing me. Of course, I call up their customer service department, and I'm told that there's nothing they can do because it's a company wide increase. They're more than willing to sell me a higher priced tier, however.
And finally, the last straw broke today. I come home from church and once again I have no IP. So I once again call Windstream support and explain to them that I'm using their service and have my own modem. At this point, the lady again tries to give me the runaround, and actually has the audacity to tell me I need to call the manufacturer of my modem. My response? No. Simply 'No'. There's zero reason to call the modem manufacturer, because the issue is not with the configuration or the settings in my modem. I then tried to explain that the settings on my modem are fine and there's nothing TP-Link can do for me, she deflects that there's nothing she can do because they don't support third party modems.
At this stage, I'm getting quite exasperated, so I ask to speak to a supervisor. First, I'm told her supervisor is busy. I told her I'd wait, and then she says they have
no supervisors on duty today. So, first her supervisor is busy, then there's none there. Riiiight. At this point, I'm fed up and demand to speak to a supervisor, so lo and behold she manages to find one that's actually on duty (after telling me none were). So, her supervisor tries to give me the same runaround about 3rd party modems, and again I keep pressing that there's no reason my modem would suddenly be incompatible after using one for years. I mean, I would accept that something could be wrong with my modem, but that's not what they were insinuating. They were insinuating (without actually saying it) that my modem just wasn't compatible with their service. She even tried to tell me that the rep simply hadn't been allowed to get far enough in the diagnostics before I demanded speaking to a supervisor, all of which is a bald-faced lie. The rep was trying to pass me off to someone else, not diagnose the problem.
So, after refusing to accept that as an answer, she finally acquiesces and agrees to push it up the line to their internal testing department, and it will take
up to 48 hours for them to resolve it, which I begrudgingly accepted. Here's where it gets funny. Not an hour later, I get an automated phone call that my support ticket has been closed and I should reboot my modem. Lo and behold, they fixed the problem that was supposedly caused by my modem. Surprise, surprise, surprise.
Sorry for the wall of rant, but I just really wanted to get that off my chest. I like Windstream's service, but their support is absolutely awful. Couple that with the fact that they're gouging me for the service I'm getting, and it's time to part ways. I found a deal on Spectrum's site for $29.99/mo to get 400Mbit, locked in for 36 months. Half the price for over 33x the speed I'm currently getting. Already got a modem on the way and I hope to have it switched within a week or two. Not a big fan of Spectrum, but I have to get landlord's approval before I can switch to Allo (due to drilling holes in the walls), so this is the easiest way to get something better.
