False advertising?

[jlee]

http://www.fairpoint.com/north...peed_service_plans.jsp

The standard plan advertises speeds "Up to 3Mbps." I'm on the phone with the tech now because I have never seen it above 1.5xMbps/sec - (very consistent - d/l's at 180-190k, speedtest.net is a steady 1.5-ish). He said that it's actually a 1.5Mbps line that will peak up to 3Mbps based on available bandwidth. Nowhere on the site does it say this, and not once have I seen download speeds over 200k/sec. He insisted that it's normal, and it's actually a 1.5Mbps line. He is double checking on that now and I am on hold.

What say you? I think I'm going to call Comcast.

Edit: He came back and said that it is in fact a 1.5Mbps line, and their system will not allow them to put in a repair ticket because there's nothing wrong.

So now I'm trying to figure out how exactly "50% of advertised speed" can be "nothing wrong."

 

[TheKub]

Technically, no.

That said drop the service and go somewhere else.

 

[tasmanian]

Comcast has a speed boost thing, that doesnt ever really turn on but can. Also remember the whole craptastic megabit and megabyte thing.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: TheKub
Technically, no.

That said drop the service and go somewhere else.

The only other option is Comcast, and I'm not even entirely sure they have service here..I have to call & confirm.

 

[Kalmah]

That's like saying, "This 1 liter jug can hold up to 3 liters of water".

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Comcast has a speed boost thing, that doesnt ever really turn on but can. Also remember the whole craptastic megabit and megabyte thing.

Originally posted by: JLee
I'm on the phone with the tech now because I have never seen it above 1.5xMbps/sec - (very consistent - d/l's at 180-190k, speedtest.net is a steady 1.5-ish).

190 * 8 = 1520

I think it is a little faster than a typical 1.5 line would be (IIRC I used to get about 160k/sec years ago, on a BellSouth 1.5Mbps line), but there's no way in hell this is remotely comparable to 3Mbps. This alleged "speed boost" not only does not appear to exist (in the 15 months I've used their service, anyway), but it's not mentioned on the website.

 

[Kalmah]

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Comcast has a speed boost thing, that doesnt ever really turn on but can. Also remember the whole craptastic megabit and megabyte thing.

Might want to look into this just in case. You know, verify that your download indicate is reading MB or mb.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Kalmah

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Comcast has a speed boost thing, that doesnt ever really turn on but can. Also remember the whole craptastic megabit and megabyte thing.

Might want to look into this just in case. You know, verify that your download indicate is reading MB or mb.

If that were the case, I'd be off by a factor of eight..not running half of what it should be.

 

[torpid]

Depends on the fine print. This reminds me of walkie talkies that work up to x miles, but if you look closely that range is only possible with one person at the top of a mountain and another person in a plateau beneath.

 

[Kalmah]

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: Kalmah

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Comcast has a speed boost thing, that doesnt ever really turn on but can. Also remember the whole craptastic megabit and megabyte thing.

Might want to look into this just in case. You know, verify that your download indicate is reading MB or mb.

If that were the case, I'd be off by a factor of eight..not running half of what it should be.

Oye, I like to type without using my brain.

 

[TheKub]

Originally posted by: JLee
The only other option is Comcast, and I'm not even entirely sure they have service here..I have to call & confirm.

Well, unfortunately if they are the only game in town your SOL regardless of their tactics.

Best you could hope to do is convince them to change thier advertisement (unlikely as they are bought and paid for).

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: torpid
Depends on the fine print. This reminds me of walkie talkies that work up to x miles, but if you look closely that range is only possible with one person at the top of a mountain and another person in a plateau beneath.

I linked to their website. I couldn't it anywhere - not in the FAQ, nowhere...

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Comcast has a speed boost thing, that doesnt ever really turn on but can. Also remember the whole craptastic megabit and megabyte thing.

I get downloads around 7.6mb/s and my advertised speeds are 50mbps. Comcast kicks ass.

 

[swbsam]

Never, ever take the word of one idiot - talk to his manager. Try to get a free upgrade to the "7mbs" tier

 

[Krazy4Real]

Unfortunately, they use "up to" to weasel their way out of everything. Your best best is to go with Comcast if they offer service in your area. I have had nothing but fantastic speeds with them.

 

[James Bond]

Wait, so you pay for a 3mbps line but it's provisioned for 1.5mbps? That's wrong.

Am I misunderstanding?

 

[Crusty]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Comcast has a speed boost thing, that doesnt ever really turn on but can. Also remember the whole craptastic megabit and megabyte thing.

I get downloads around 7.6mb/s and my advertised speeds are 50mbps. Comcast kicks ass.

So you're getting less then 20% of your advertised speeds and you're happy?

mb/s = megabits per second.
mB/s = megaBYTES per second.

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: torpid
Depends on the fine print. This reminds me of walkie talkies that work up to x miles, but if you look closely that range is only possible with one person at the top of a mountain and another person in a plateau beneath.

I linked to their website. I couldn't it anywhere - not in the FAQ, nowhere...

Based on the page you linked, it does seem like false advertising; but there should be a terms of service somewhere. AT&T seems to do the same thing but in the terms of service they do mention actual speed ranges and note things about throughput.

 

[spidey07]

Up....to.

Up....to.

Not guaranteed.

 

[hanoverphist]

welcome to shared bandwidth.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

the "up to" thing is bullshit, if it never hits 3.0 then they shouldnt market it as "up to 3.0" as far as im concerned they might as well say UP TO 123gbps!!!!!!!!!11111

Both ways its a lie, at least advertise what you can at least 50% of the time deliver.

 

[waffleironhead]

Is 3Mbps even possible on that line?

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: Crusty

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Comcast has a speed boost thing, that doesnt ever really turn on but can. Also remember the whole craptastic megabit and megabyte thing.

I get downloads around 7.6mb/s and my advertised speeds are 50mbps. Comcast kicks ass.

So you're getting less then 20% of your advertised speeds and you're happy?

mb/s = megabits per second.
mB/s = megaBYTES per second.

sorry, it's MB/s

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: swbsam
Never, ever take the word of one idiot - talk to his manager. Try to get a free upgrade to the "7mbs" tier

That's not a bad idea, actually...I just may give that a shot.

Originally posted by: James Bond
Wait, so you pay for a 3mbps line but it's provisioned for 1.5mbps? That's wrong.

Am I misunderstanding?

Not at all.

Originally posted by: spidey07
Up....to.

Up....to.

Not guaranteed.

No shit, but are you going be happy when you buy a car that's rated for 'up to 50mpg' and you never see better than 25, no matter how you drive it?

Originally posted by: hanoverphist
welcome to shared bandwidth.

Yeah, because at 4am, everybody in New Hampshire is on the internet.

 

[tasmanian]

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: swbsam
Never, ever take the word of one idiot - talk to his manager. Try to get a free upgrade to the "7mbs" tier

That's not a bad idea, actually...I just may give that a shot.

Originally posted by: James Bond
Wait, so you pay for a 3mbps line but it's provisioned for 1.5mbps? That's wrong.

Am I misunderstanding?

Not at all.

Originally posted by: spidey07
Up....to.

Up....to.

Not guaranteed.

No shit, but are you going be happy when you buy a car that's rated for 'up to 50mpg' and you never see better than 25, no matter how you drive it?

Originally posted by: hanoverphist
welcome to shared bandwidth.

Yeah, because at 4am, everybody in New Hampshire is on the internet.

well it can get 50 mpg if you coast down a 50 mile hill.