After using Cox@Home as part of the Excite@Home network for 3 years, I was already used to waiting "on hold" for 20 minutes or longer... Just to speak with a "Level 1" Support Technician. Typically, these individuals were unable to help, so I was placed BACK on hold to await a "Level 2" Technician. You guessed it, another 20-30 minute wait. Since I am an Electronics Engineer, with a background in computer systems maintenance, I have always found this to be a laughably incompetent way to provide assistance to customers. Cox's use of the phrase "Technical Support" can be directly compared to the phrase "Military Intelligence"... There isn't any.
Cox Communications was still claiming to offer such fantastic internet speeds even during the transition of their customers from the Excite@Home network to their new Cox.net service. Since I switched over at the beginning of February I've have experienced crappy speeds (barely above that of a 56K modem) and outright loss of all connection.in fact, I've called in more service complaints, in the past couple of months, than I had to during my previous 3 years with Excite@Home's network.
Of course, each time I called I was informed that the "transition" would be completed in a few weeks and all would return to normal. BULL!!! It is now into the second week since Cox Communications complete the migration of it's customers over to the Cox.net service. Yet, I'm still experience times when my speed is so slow that I believe I could walk over to the webpage I want and read it from the source. And last night, I had to call, yet again, because my slow speed became NO SPEED. After 20 minutes, my home page still hadn't finished loading but also hadn't timed-out either. Couldn't reach Technical Support via telephone. After several attempts, my call went through but after about 5 minutes on hold... I stopped hearing Cox's BS advertizing for their Digital TV and just got silence. After 90 minutes... Still nothing. I finally had to call Customer Service and have them patch me through to Tech Support.
And to add the proverbial "salt" to our wounds, Cox Communication increased the monthly rate of their Cox Hi-Speed Internet from $29.95 to $34.95 (rate for modem owners). Not only is they jack up the rate without bothering to tell their customers but they did so at the same time they started the migration from Excite@Home. So, joy oh joy, not only do we get to suffer from pathetic service but we get to pay even MORE for the privilege. What a load of crap!
Like all their restrictions aren't enough to make me want to just completely disconnect and stay offline permanently. It makes no sense to be able to download at 300 Kilobytes/second but can only send at 30 Kilobytes/second (a mere 10% of my maximum download speed). Even an increase to 25% would be acceptable. Of course, since they forbid home internet users from running any type of server (HTTP, FTP, etc.) over their network, I suppose 30KB/s is more than sufficient speed for doing nothing! I strongly resent ANY ISP from telling me what software I can run on my internet connection and how I can use that connection, assuming that I'm not breaking any laws.
I would drop them completely if my only other choice wasn't Qwest Communications and their over-priced DSL service. I like them even less than I dislike Cox.
Shawn
Phoenix, Arizona
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