The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Pizzabrewer on April 22, 2018, 09:39:49 AM
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We are in month 15 of a 2-year contract with Verizon Fios. Current charges are $59.99 per month for 50/50 speed. I've recently seen them advertising $39.99 per month for 100/100 speed.
I understand I signed a contract but this is quite a disparity. Am I being ripped off at this point? Any advice?
TIA
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I am paying for $39.99 per month through Spectrum. Unlimited, but I am not sure of the speed I am paying for, but just tested and getting 20Mbps / 2Mbps. I am sure when I first signed up, I was only paying for 4 or 6Mbps, and I have not requested an upgrade. Maybe they can not get it that slow anymore?
I am finding that most of those advertised deals require bundling, and are only for a limited term.
Most places will allow you to renew a contract prior to its expiration, but only if you spend more. You could call and see what you can do. Worst case is they say no, but then they are on notice that you are looking. You might "magically" get an offer around the time your current contract expires.
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I pay $75/mo for a 15/3 connection, and $50/mo for a secondary 5/1 connection.
Both rural wireless, both combined manage... maybe 99.9% uptime? Not great, but workable.
My work arrangements from home require reasonably reliable internet service, so between the two I can maintain connectivity most of the time.
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So I chatted online with a rep for about 20 minutes. I ended up getting $25 a month knocked off my price, although I did have to re-up with a new 2 year contract.
I consider that a win.
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We pay $60 for 1 gigabyte up & down.
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$50 USD per month for 100/20 fiber.
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$52.20 total for 45/5 through Att.
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We pay $60 for 1 gigabyte up & down.
That’s amazing! Where?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Suburbia, Mississippi. :)
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We pay $59.99 through Spectrum in Charlotte, just tested it: 13 download and 8 upload. We had a $20 promotional discount for awhile, but they wouldn't renew the discount despite several phone calls. (We're moving overseas this summer, and can't wait to be done with Spectrum).
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$39.95/mo for 3 Mbps
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$0, we use a hotspot from a phone plan with unlimited data.
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US$35/mo for 1 gigabyte up & down, and an extra mobile phone# I never use. Originally used the extra # when I had an AirBnB. Once the contract's up in Oct, I'll remove the mobile and pay $30 instead.
I live in Hong Kong, use HK Broadband Network.
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$A59.95 (about $US46) a month, 14/1 ADSL, 500GB per month quota.
If mobile data speeds were faster here I'd cancel my ADSL. I use maybe 40GB a month.
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I pay $40/month for AT&T 50/25. I believe there's like a 100GB limit, but never come close to it.
I only get it for $40 because we have an AT&T family plan
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$0, we use a hotspot from a phone plan with unlimited data.
Do you mean you just tether to the phone?
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I pay 50/month for Spectrum 100mbps
I had always gotten it for 40/month when it was Time Warner (slower speed), but now Spectrum claims those slower speeds no longer exist, they tried to charge me 59.00, but I talked them down to 50.
I hate paying that much, but I need it as I work from home 2x a week.
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Right now $40 with a recently signed 2 year contract. I was paying $60 with Charter Spectrum.
Note: Have you ever considered the installed investment of internet outside the home? Now consider the vast installed investment of your electrical connection outside the home. Most of the year, my electrical bill is less than the internet. For the bang for the buck, you get a lot more for your electric. Have you ever considered why? There is much more infrastructure to pay off with electricity. Doesn't it seem backwards?
Which is regulated and which is not? When someone wants to deregulate something, someone is pushing to make money from you.
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$60/month for 20 down / 2 up, 800GB monthly allowance (Blue Ridge Communications).
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We are in month 15 of a 2-year contract with Verizon Fios. Current charges are $59.99 per month for 50/50 speed. I've recently seen them advertising $39.99 per month for 100/100 speed.
I understand I signed a contract but this is quite a disparity. Am I being ripped off at this point? Any advice?
TIA
From what I have been told, Verizon's contract breaking fees are trivial. They're advertising that for new customers and also $79.99 for gigabit with TV. I don't care about TV but gigabit is lovely...
If I had my own service, I'd be paying $80 for Verizon (the aforementioned gigabit service). My in-building neighbors are sharing theirs though and refuse to accept money for it, sooooo I pay nothing at the moment. I just make them drinks whenever they stop by, lol.
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Currently $90 just for internet with XFinity. There are no other high speed internet providers that service us and they know it. I just heard an add for 2 year bundle of XFinity internet, xfinity mobile and cable for $70/month. I don't need cable but if I could bundle my cell phone (Verizon $50/month) with my internet with the same internet company for less than I'm paying now, sign me up! I know it will sky rocket again after 2 years but I can re-evaluate then. Problem is it is only for new customers. I'd be a new customer for their mobile plan so maybe it will work. I just don't have the patience to deal with it this week but it's on my to do list!
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$40 for "up to" 25 Mbps with AT&T. I doubt it's even close to that fast.
I hate it and want to switch to C-Spire fiber once our contract is up...they charge $80 a month for 1 Gbps. Don't know that I can justify the increase.
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$40 for "up to" 25 Mbps with AT&T. I doubt it's even close to that fast.
I hate it and want to switch to C-Spire fiber once our contract is up...they charge $80 a month for 1 Gbps. Don't know that I can justify the increase.
I think we got a $10 discount having our cell plan with Cspire too, and another bit off by having basic cable. We love the 1 Gbps, but my DH works from home so we can tell the difference.
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We pay $19 a month with Comcast for 50mbps.
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Comcast is my only option, so sadly I can't even threaten them with much. My previous year promo just expired, I will now be paying $70 for 60/undisclosed plus a $15 "installation fee" (translation: activation code) and $15 shipping. I'm incensed.
Edit: I can get Verizon FIOS now! No more monopoly! Off to get a better deal! Take that Comcast!
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$79/mo including fees for 1000mbps down and 250mbps up. Regional fiber provider that moved into town last year and is kicking ass. Comcast was the only real option before (AT&T exists but is slower and more expensive than Comcast).
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So I chatted online with a rep for about 20 minutes. I ended up getting $25 a month knocked off my price, although I did have to re-up with a new 2 year contract.
I consider that a win.
So $5 of the savings was for enrolling in AutoPay. Which I did.
I then got an email saying my AutoPay was canceled and therefore I won't get the $5 discount.
A very lengthy phone call with Verizon support ensued. The short version is they can not reinstate the automatic discount but will be happy to adjust my bill each month if I call in.
Sigh.
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Thanks for all the responses. It's amazing the wide variation in price and speed.
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A little late to the party but...
Currently $40 for 50/5.
SO will sign up this week for $35 for 300/20 and then I'll cancel the $40 service.
It's the same provider that doesn't even offer 50 down anymore.
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We have been on extended travel for the past two months or so. When I came back to our place a month ago I decided to cancel our ISP and use the GUEST Wifi of our building. So far it has worked, I will see how long we can keep this up. I am still able to work from home, hold conference calls, watch Netflix, ect. Although they do block certain sites, which in honesty I should not be visiting in the first place =(, it's working out so far.
Ideally I would just work with one of my neighbors to get a really fast line and share it among 2-3 households. Because I live in an apartment complex I can literally see a dozen Wifi networks with full signal. We are all paying a boat load together and leaving it 90% underutilized.
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So I chatted online with a rep for about 20 minutes. I ended up getting $25 a month knocked off my price, although I did have to re-up with a new 2 year contract.
I consider that a win.
So $5 of the savings was for enrolling in AutoPay. Which I did.
I then got an email saying my AutoPay was canceled and therefore I won't get the $5 discount.
A very lengthy phone call with Verizon support ensued. The short version is they can not reinstate the automatic discount but will be happy to adjust my bill each month if I call in.
Sigh.
Got the first monthly bill for the new plan. As expected the $5 discount for AutoPay was not included.
I called CS and did get the adjustment. It took 10 minutes while she "looked it up" and "checked with her supervisor". In the meantime she was constantly selling. "Who's your TV provider? Who's your cell service with? You can save a lot by bundling. Do you stream? We have a great Starz package."
I guess I have 23 more months of this to go through.
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$28/mo now for 20/2 service. The killer is the 100 GiB monthly cap though. That kills any chance of working from home and means we have to be *very* careful about streaming. We do the majority of our audio and video through antenna to avoid hitting the cap.
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$25 per month (inclusive of all taxes and fees) for 100 mbps, no contract. I could opt up to 1 gig speed for a good price, but I don't need any faster than the 100. The deal is particular to my high-rise building.
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$70/mo for google fiber. Gig up gig down. Same price I paid for TWC/spectrum 25/10, then 100/30 as google creeped in. Happy as a clam.
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0 dollars for 5 down/ 1 up.
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$70 for 60MB with Mediacom. Formerly was getting 100 MB for $60 but the discount ran out. Jerks.
Only other option for service is CenturyLink dsl which has a Max speed of 25MB for $45. Thinking about switching but I can't remember if streaming services suffer at that speed.
Sent from my H1623 using Tapatalk
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$70 for 60MB with Mediacom. Formerly was getting 100 MB for $60 but the discount ran out. Jerks.
Only other option for service is CenturyLink dsl which has a Max speed of 25MB for $45. Thinking about switching but I can't remember if streaming services suffer at that speed.
Sent from my H1623 using Tapatalk
I just ran a speed test. I got 22.9Mb download. We regularly run 3 Netflix and/or Hulu streams simultaneously with no troubles.
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$70 for 60MB with Mediacom. Formerly was getting 100 MB for $60 but the discount ran out. Jerks.
Only other option for service is CenturyLink dsl which has a Max speed of 25MB for $45. Thinking about switching but I can't remember if streaming services suffer at that speed.
Sent from my H1623 using Tapatalk
I just ran a speed test. I got 22.9Mb download. We regularly run 3 Netflix and/or Hulu streams simultaneously with no troubles.
Agreed. 25MB is plenty for multiple streams.
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$70 for 60MB with Mediacom. Formerly was getting 100 MB for $60 but the discount ran out. Jerks.
Only other option for service is CenturyLink dsl which has a Max speed of 25MB for $45. Thinking about switching but I can't remember if streaming services suffer at that speed.
Sent from my H1623 using Tapatalk
I just ran a speed test. I got 22.9Mb download. We regularly run 3 Netflix and/or Hulu streams simultaneously with no troubles.
Agreed. 25MB is plenty for multiple streams.
yeah this is piles - we stream 2-3 streams with 5mb
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$70 for 60MB with Mediacom. Formerly was getting 100 MB for $60 but the discount ran out. Jerks.
Only other option for service is CenturyLink dsl which has a Max speed of 25MB for $45. Thinking about switching but I can't remember if streaming services suffer at that speed.
Sent from my H1623 using Tapatalk
I just ran a speed test. I got 22.9Mb download. We regularly run 3 Netflix and/or Hulu streams simultaneously with no troubles.
Agreed. 25MB is plenty for multiple streams.
yeah this is piles - we stream 2-3 streams with 5mb
Quality is compromised, but it is possible. Here are bandwidth requirements/recommendations per Netflix:
0.5 Megabits per second - Required broadband connection speed
1.5 Megabits per second - Recommended broadband connection speed
3.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for SD quality
5.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for HD quality
25 Megabits per second - Recommended for Ultra HD quality
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$70 for 60MB with Mediacom. Formerly was getting 100 MB for $60 but the discount ran out. Jerks.
Only other option for service is CenturyLink dsl which has a Max speed of 25MB for $45. Thinking about switching but I can't remember if streaming services suffer at that speed.
Sent from my H1623 using Tapatalk
I just ran a speed test. I got 22.9Mb download. We regularly run 3 Netflix and/or Hulu streams simultaneously with no troubles.
Agreed. 25MB is plenty for multiple streams.
yeah this is piles - we stream 2-3 streams with 5mb
Quality is compromised, but it is possible. Here are bandwidth requirements/recommendations per Netflix:
0.5 Megabits per second - Required broadband connection speed
1.5 Megabits per second - Recommended broadband connection speed
3.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for SD quality
5.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for HD quality
25 Megabits per second - Recommended for Ultra HD quality
"Ultra HD" to Netflix means 4K. I can't imagine too many Mustachians are streaming in 4K, never mind multiple streams. :P 25mbps is plenty for multiple HD streams, assuming it's an otherwise solid connection (unfortunately not always a given).
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My apartment only has ATT. $60/25Mbps. I think there is 1tb limit. We never cross 100gb due to chrome cast gen 1.
Could get for $40 by switching it on wide name but since we may move, it's sitting on 60.
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Was $59.99/mo for my current 60/5 cable internet with Spectrum. They raised it to $64.99/mo for this year's annual increase. Nice 8.3% inflation there. Unfortunately, despite living in a major metropolitan area, my options are limited, and internet does drive our house (phone, TV, music, gaming, Alexa), so a good connection is important to us. DSL is available for about the same rate, though promos would be possible if I jumped back and forth. Maybe I could call to try to get a bit of relief (the last time I did that the best they would do was $5 off for 6 months).
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Was $71.02 (Verizon FiOS 50/50 in Philadelphia). Called to switch to Comcast and they lowered my bill to $51.81 (same service level). We'll see how long that lasts. They tend to slowly ratchet it up over time (even though they claimed over the phone that this price is locked in for 2 years).
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$80 for 100 down/ 25 up
Tested, I get about 150 down and 30 up.
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About $37/mo after taxes and fees for the lowest tier (can't remember if that is 5 or 15 mbps, we have at most 1 HD stream at a time) offered in Sacramento by Consolidated Communications, Inc. (12 month introductory rate was about $26/mo after taxes and fees).
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For those in ATT land, check out toast.net. It is ATT service at a better price. I learned about it here from Daley (I think).
If anyone wants a referral, send me a PM.
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For those in ATT land, check out toast.net. It is ATT service at a better price. I learned about it here from Daley (I think).
If anyone wants a referral, send me a PM.
They provide other circuit types as well. I had Frontier's DSL with Toast.Net in the past and currently they are providing me with cable.
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Thanks for the data points everyone! I think we will switch. Mediacom does not offer anything less than 60 MB. It's ridiculous. I think cable companies are trying to figure out how to recapture lost revenue from the loss of cable subscription and the growth in streaming. Sucks!
Sent from my H1623 using Tapatalk
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I think cable companies are trying to figure out how to recapture lost revenue from the loss of cable subscription and the growth in streaming. Sucks!
... this is not at all an unreasonable thing for a business with multiple lines of income to be doing, you realize.
I'd love 60Mbit. The only way I get that is a half grand a month and doing a long range (4 mile) wireless link, after convincing the local town to let me put wireless gear on their water tower.
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For those in ATT land, check out toast.net. It is ATT service at a better price. I learned about it here from Daley (I think).
If anyone wants a referral, send me a PM.
They provide other circuit types as well. I had Frontier's DSL with Toast.Net in the past and currently they are providing me with cable.
Thanks! I didn't know that. Hope it helps others to save some $$$
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$70 for 60MB with Mediacom. Formerly was getting 100 MB for $60 but the discount ran out. Jerks.
Only other option for service is CenturyLink dsl which has a Max speed of 25MB for $45. Thinking about switching but I can't remember if streaming services suffer at that speed.
Sent from my H1623 using Tapatalk
I just ran a speed test. I got 22.9Mb download. We regularly run 3 Netflix and/or Hulu streams simultaneously with no troubles.
Agreed. 25MB is plenty for multiple streams.
yeah this is piles - we stream 2-3 streams with 5mb
Quality is compromised, but it is possible. Here are bandwidth requirements/recommendations per Netflix:
0.5 Megabits per second - Required broadband connection speed
1.5 Megabits per second - Recommended broadband connection speed
3.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for SD quality
5.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for HD quality
25 Megabits per second - Recommended for Ultra HD quality
"Ultra HD" to Netflix means 4K. I can't imagine too many Mustachians are streaming in 4K, never mind multiple streams. :P 25mbps is plenty for multiple HD streams, assuming it's an otherwise solid connection (unfortunately not always a given).
The post I responded to was saying multiple streams at 5Mbps, which is going to be shitty.
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The post I responded to was saying multiple streams at 5Mbps, which is going to be shitty.
I would recommend a family select service of 5 Mpbs down per TV that would be used simultaneously with a streaming service; but even on just 5 Mbps, two streams at SD should be fine and four small screen streams could probably deliver acceptable results (360p or better).
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In the US I pay 74.95for cable only at 40/4 Mbps ... (no tv nor phone) - cheapest plan is 69.95 for 20 Mbps so I figured to get the 40 Mbps instead for extra 5 bucks! This is Central PA
In Portugal, I pay triple play (TV+Internet+Phone) where TV I have 250 channels, Internet is Fiber at 200/200 Mbps and Phone is landline free to 160 countries 24/7 and also free to cell phones from 9PM to 9AM ... I pay 24 dollars.
Gotta love the monopolies/oligopolies in the US
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$49 for 1Gb up/down
NextLight internet
Fantastic but local only I believe
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I think cable companies are trying to figure out how to recapture lost revenue from the loss of cable subscription and the growth in streaming. Sucks!
... this is not at all an unreasonable thing for a business with multiple lines of income to be doing, you realize.
I'd love 60Mbit. The only way I get that is a half grand a month and doing a long range (4 mile) wireless link, after convincing the local town to let me put wireless gear on their water tower.
You do choose to live out in the stix. You do realize it's a reasonable business decision for businesses not to offer you service because it's not cost effective? (I don't get why you jump to being pro business / anti-me in this thread).
It's not just the price that bothers me, it's the restriction from choosing a lower option. They push me into a ridiculously high option where it's the "same price" whether I use their internet or Internet+phone, or Internet + TV. The only reason I haven't added on their other services is that it would add about $20 in rental fees and taxes per month.