Cox Communications

Ok, first I guess I should explain my home setup.

I have Cox's Premium Internet deal, 5mbps connection blah blah, extended cable TV service.

My modem is sitting on my nightstand, atop a phone router and under a wireless router. The modem is plugged into the cable, power, and is the source for the wireless router. The wireless router has output connections running to my computer, my xbox, and the source input for the phone router. The phone router has one output connection going to my cordless phone. I also have one laptop in the living room that connects wirelessly to the wireless router.

Make sense?

I have Vonage broadband phone, the reason for the phone router connected to the cable internet.

Apparently, every so often you have to unplug your modem for 10 minutes to reset it, because "the modem builds up ions and clogs the data lines and they just need to be cleaned." Bullshit, your service just sucks and that's your excuse. Oh well, this is only supposed to happen like once every two months or something, when your modem goes offline and you have no internet. I get it 3+ times a day. When my internet goes offline, so does my phone, cause it uses the internet.

My phone call to Cocks:

Me: "How often, on average, do customers have to reset their modems?"
Him:(sounds gay) "Well, there really is no set schedule...."
Me: "ON AVERAGE, how often?"
Him: "Well, there really is no set...."
"ON AVERAGE, average, I know there's no set schedule, but how long, ON AVERAGE, should it go before I have to reset it?"
"Well, I really don't know because there is...."
"Ok, nevermind. I have to do it 3 or more times a day."
"Are you at home now?"
"No. When my internet goes offline I can't use my phone because it is a broadband phone."
"I'm showing your modem is offline."
"That's why I'm calling."
"Are you at home?"
"......"
"Sir?"
"No."
"Well, I need you to call from home when this sort of thing happens so..."
"I CAN'T, my phone is an internet phone, it runs through the modem. When my modem is offline, so is my phone."
"Well, I really need you to call from home so we can tell you what things to do..."
"What kinds of things?"
"Simple things."
"Like?"
"Little things like pulling the power cord from the modem...."
"Well, here's what I do."
"But..."
"I pull the modem power. I pull the router power. Wait 10 minutes. Plug the modem back in and wait for the little light on the far right to stay solid. This is the modem YOU sold us. Then I plug the router back in, let it run its setup deal, then go in to it's setup on my computer and reset it yet again. I check connections and I have a 4-5mbps internet connection and a 30 some odd mbps connection to the router, for about 30 minutes."
"Well, I need you to call me from home....."
"I CAN'T CALL YOU FROM HOME. THE PHONE DOESN'T WORK WHEN THE MODEM IS OFFLINE."
"Don't you have a cell phone?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want one."
"Can you borrow one?"
"Sure, but what are you going to tell me different to do than what I already do?!"
"Little things like unplugging....."
"Nevermind."
"Can I help you with anything else, Sir?"
"Can you? You can't help me with the first thing. What makes you think you can help me with anything else?!"
"......"
"No, you can't help me with anything else."
"Well, then you have a good day."
"Riight."
-click-

HOW FUCKING RETARDED IS THIS FUCKING SHIT?!

my service used to be great at my old place, since i moved to a new complex, ive had constant outages, i seem to be the only one in the building using cable internet, everyone else is on dsl.

this past weekend, i called several times, my internet was flaking out and in and out and in, it must of done this about 10 times sat/sun. so i call them, they tell me three more complaints need to be made before theyll send a tech out for an outage otherwise i can wait until jan 2nd to get it fixed. BSSSSS! so i call up there a couple of times, finally they send someone out at 8pm on sunday, they flick a switch, my internet works but now my cable picture is fuzzy

I have HD, and it looks like its running off of an antenna, i call them up and they tell me theres no problem that they see, theyll send someone out, the tech comes out, pulls all of the cables out and rewires my entertainment system over and over to no avail. needles to say he didnt try using the hdmi cable he had with him until i brought it up.

but still no picture, after about 1 hour 30 mins, he says hell have to call the big guns out here. well wtf, why cant you fix it? you look like you might know how. well he couldnt do anything until a second tech came out to try again. so then i had to wait until today, i called them up to make sure they are coming out, no they cancelled, said my problems are related to an outage. I asked, has the outage been resolved? Yes it has, well my picture still looks like shit. So they will be sending a tech out first thing in the morning to look again.


needless to say, this isnt the first round of this ive had with them. theyre phone support reads from a script. theyre field techs would make better plumbers

i call at least once a week, and have yet to speak to the same person.

hahaha.....good to see I'm not the only one.

That first guy I talked to was an "Internet Specialist" and couldn't grasp the concept that my phone uses the cable internet for service.

Well, I called back about 30 minutes ago, service is offline again, and got transferred to Business Technologies. The dude goes, "You're doing everything right, especially using Vonage instead of our crappy phone service, but I don't know why it would still be going offline. The only thing I can think of is to send a guy out there. Your modem is still warrantied so if that's the problem it's no charge to you. If the lines are too hot, that's us, not you. If something is wrong with our splitters, that's us again. Shouldn't cost you anything unless you have wired backwards."
Me: "Nope, usually will work fine for weeks on end, now this." Explained my setup to him, he said it sounded right, so....just gotta wait and see what this "tech" says on Friday.

jet-lee, two things.
1. how do you like vonage, I was supposed to get me package this morning, but apparently, i didn't hear doorbell when i was sitting next to front door watching TV!
2. I already set up vonage to simultaneously (sp?) ring on my cell. You can also have it fowarded when theres "no signal" for the calls to make it through. once you sign in, click on Features, then "Call Fowarding" shen SimulRing to ring at another phone at same time. Or "Network Availability Number" and it'll forward calls only when i-net is down.

hope this helps

Usually the rep gives you their name. That's so you know who to choke when you go down there.

I'd send them a bill.

Adelphia is the same way. All of a sudden one day my connection just died. It happens from time to time(cuz their service fucking sucks), but this time it was out for a day then i called. They kept telling me to open my e-mail and there would be a link to their support program. I was like how many fucking times do I have to tell you!!! I HAVE NO CONNECTION!!!!!! They were like well can you use another computer? I'm like and how is that gonna help??? So I can go to the library and keep running back and forth to attempt to fix a problem with your hardware/service???? THAT IS WHY I PAY YOU!!!!!! Finally they agreed to send a tech out and he replaced the modem on account that mine had been recalled because they just stop working(hummmm.... really nice of them to tell me about that). Tech said it was about the 10th time he'd replaced one of these after Adelphia didn't tell anybody about the recall. Man I hate these fucking companies. DirecTV is pretty fucking bad too, try to get them to come to your house is great. Same ol' shit. "Are you in front of your TV?" "I have no signal, it doesn't come in at all. Nothing" "Well we can't help you unless you're in front of your TV." Man i hate all these assholes. Peace-

Jet-lee, are you using the most recent firmware in your modem and/or W-router?

This is the only firmware he needs:

http://www.thetiledoctor.com/ewebeditpro/items/sledgehammer.jpg

Jet- i would have killed someone by now. How stupid do you have to be? Stupid things like "call from your phone you cant use." I cant stand that type of shit.

Jet-lee, are you using the most recent firmware in your modem and/or W-router?
I know software and hardware. What's "Firmware"?

Mike1224:
I love Vonage. ALL my family is in the 559 area code in Cali, and I'm in Arkansas. They don't get a lot of long distance time on their phones, so for $5 I setup a remote number in the 559 area, so since they get unlimited local calls, it costs them nothing to call me.

Bleed:
I forgot his name by the middle of the call.

D:
If I could reach through the phone and slap someone, there'd be a lot of bruised cheeks, especially service providers.

EDIT: My modem and routers are all less than 4 months old, if that helps with the firmware question.

I used to live in Fayetteville, I called them coxukr communications.

LOL wtf thats fkn hysterical there's so much worth quoting in that phone call :D:D

Just remember-you can't lick Cox.

having said that,Jet-you're problem is a signal strength issue on the street.Sounds like they have incompetent techs.

We have Cox in Tucson and i had to beat them over the head numerous times to get it fixed.
It was fine for two years and all of a sudden we started having issues.

Having been in the business for 20 years,they realized they couldn't BS me.It actually got fixed.

Email me at cobrabill@earthlink.net if you want a short lesson in how it works.

Bill

HA, customer service eh? Well if their anything like HP....
Heres what you do. Call in and ask for a supervisor, and refuse to talk to the rep. At that point he will ask you why, what happened all that BS. You continue to ask for a supervisor, sound pissed because this usually scares the shit of the newbs. Now he will ask specific questions before getting you the supervisor, such as name, number etc...answer them briefly. Now supervisor gets on the phone and say that they are non-technical so they can't answer your questions and that you will have t speak to the rep about your issues. As soon as he's done saying this ask him what resources the rep has at his disposal if he/she needs help (usually called a level 2 rep or a mentor) and that ask him how he can supervise a process he knows nothing about.
This will catch him off-guard thinking that you know what you're doing. Then proceed to explain the problem and complain as much as you can about everything. DO NOT THREATEN ANYONE, this will void your case and will not get them to cooperate. Just say you are dissappointed in the service and the custemer care is no reassurance. Tell them that you are thinking of switching company's and you will tell friends and family about your experience (biggest thing in buisness, no advertising is better than word of mouth).

DO this 2-3 times and your guaranteed to get somewhere and depending on how good you do it, you might get a "gift" as compensation for the ordeal.


Good Luck

HAHA, thanks Raz, I'll keep that in mind!

The tech guy has to come out today, hopefully it'll get fixed. Was supposed to be out Friday, but we had an emergency and had to reschedule.

Weird, I payed my bill and my service has gotten a little better.

Here's something interesting. One of my friends lived in springfield ma for a while, his connection started out awesome, gradually slowed down, tv picture went to crap. Comcast (or comcrap, depending on how long I have been on hold...) tried to communicate with his modem, no go. Sent a tech out, told him the entire house needed to be rewired, his problem to fix. My friend told the tech to check the signal where it came into the house, crappy signal. Turned out to be squirrels running acrosss the cable, finally wore through the insulation and started pulling the cable apart.

Here's something interesting. One of my friends lived in springfield ma for a while, his connection started out awesome, gradually slowed down, tv picture went to crap. Comcast (or comcrap, depending on how long I have been on hold...) tried to communicate with his modem, no go. Sent a tech out, told him the entire house needed to be rewired, his problem to fix. My friend told the tech to check the signal where it came into the house, crappy signal. Turned out to be squirrels running acrosss the cable, finally wore through the insulation and started pulling the cable apart.


lol, Tech Guy: Oops, i guess its our problem to fix now.

well id tell you to switch your service but they're all crap

my sbc dsl everytime i try and update my service to 3.0mbit they never bother to call me back tellim me my line cant handle it and they're switching me back atleast now im gettin around 200kb/s for my max down

they all suck plain and simple and unless you got someone inside to hook you up

Mike1224:
I love Vonage. ALL my family is in the 559 area code in Cali, and I'm in Arkansas. They don't get a lot of long distance time on their phones, so for $5 I setup a remote number in the 559 area, so since they get unlimited local calls, it costs them nothing to call me.

That's the best thing about VoIP, getting to save a ton of money yourself and save money for family and firends that all live in one area. I've done the same thing you have with SunRocket though instead of Vonage. works great.

Yeah, my line was getting waaay too much.

too much WHAT?!

They put oo many splitters in my line giving my modem too much, cut it down to 2 splitters, and all's good.

TOO MUCH WHAT?!!

Eh, it's all good now.

How can you call 911 on Vonage?

Vonage has a 911 service that routes the call to the correct 911 center based on the address you gave them for the phone location.

We've had Coxsucker Comm. here in N.E. AR. It blows.... I refused to call a scripted "Technician"... Had DirecTV's satellite for a while..It blew Clouds n rain screwed with it, and they set a 56k(true) speed if you exceeded a set number of Meg's. Now I just settle with dual 56k modems, and two phone lines. Or the Dual backbone T3 at the comp. store...