Cold Turkey

[exar]

Well, it's been a while since I've been around here, about 3 weeks. I moved to a new apartment just a couple days after Xmas, and have been without internet service at home since the day I moved. I went from having a rather good cable modem connection to nothing overnight. Most apartment complexes here set up deals with local providers for phone, cable, and internet. They think that they are helping by setting up these deals so that there is no installation charges.

However, in my case, they screwed me. I tired of paying for long distance charges a couple years ago, so I switched to using a cell phone as my home phone. So my only way to get internet is thru cable, which is what I would be buying anyway. Once you go cable, you never go back. The company (Qwest) that provides my complex with phone, cable, and internet service used to be only a phone provider. They have four cities that they provide cable and cable internet. So they have no idea what they are doing. They have one option for installation and it costs $125. The good news: they provide the cable modem. The bad news: they want to send out their tech to install a modem and their software. They have no option for those of us who aren't computer illiterate. It's $125 or no cable internet service for you. I could have went to dsl, but I would have had to bought a home phone line thru them also.

So I'm waiting for them to run some kind of installation special or something. But until that time, I've had to get my internet fix over my lunch hour at work, stay late after work, or come in on the weekends (as I am now). Needless to say, I've managed better than I thought I would. I've gotten to watch a lot more sports lately, and have finally gotten to play a bunch of games I had been neglecting. I had about 10 games that I had bought over the last year or so that I had never even installed, or had only played for a couple hours. I can't believe how much time I had spent on the internet each night and especially on weekends. Thank goodness it's football and hockey season...I'd be really bored if it was summer. I might even have been forced to do something outside...

The worst part is not being able to check news, phone numbers, etc. instantly when I think about them. And let me tell you, it's a pain in the ass to have to find a store in the yellow pages without a search function. Other than that, I've been able to make due with using the internet on a limited basis at work.

So as a warning to those of you who may be moving in the near future, check out the availability of internet before making your choice. I really like my apartment, now I just need the internet back to really make it home.

[nin_fragile14]

Three weeks without internet? That sounds like hell--but at the same time, you said it wasn't so bad because you got to finally do some things that you'd been meaning to do. My life actually might be better if I just ditched the internet for a while; I spend about 2 hours on it every morning after I get up (during weekends) and another 2 hours every night, just chatting or browsing.

I haven't been aware of the Omaha apartment situation, but it sounds pretty lame... can you not get Cox internet in the apartments?

[marqmajere]

I love it when they send those tech guys over to install a cable modem. If one thing goes wrong, they freak. Calling thier managers and so on. Nothing more than glorified button pushers. (Not that they are all like that...) Most of the time you don't even have internet untill the next day which really pisses you off.

[vampireuk]

I think we are kind of lucky....at least with my ISP. The tech support on the phone is great and when a engineer turns up they actually know what they are doing.

Then again we have crappy internet speeds over here >_<

[exar]

Originally posted by nin_fragile14
I haven't been aware of the Omaha apartment situation, but it sounds pretty lame... can you not get Cox internet in the apartments? What the large apartment complexes do is set up a contract with one company to supply phone service, one to supply cable/cable internet. At my new place, Qwest is supplying all of these services. I have no say over who I want to use for any of these services since the complex has signed on with them. It allows the complex to advertise that there are no/reduced installation fees since the phone/cable company has their equipment all previously installed. All they have to do is flip some switches and you're set up. It maybe a good deal for the apartment complex, and it's pre-sold connections for the phone/cable companies, but it usually screws the tenants.

At my last apartment, I wanted to get digital telephone since Cox gives discounts for having all of their services (I already had cable and internet thru them). However, since the complex had a contract with Alltel, I couldn't change my phone.

[The Baron]

At my last apartment, I wanted to get digital telephone since Cox gives discounts for having all of their services (I already had cable and internet thru them). However, since the complex had a contract with Alltel, I couldn't change my phone.

digital telephone service?

has living in Alabama finally disposed of any knowledge I might have had about technical advancements in the real world?

[exar]

Originally posted by The Baron
digital telephone service?

has living in Alabama finally disposed of any knowledge I might have had about technical advancements in the real world? Cox can provide telephone service over their cable line. Since they are piping digital cable and internet over the same system, I'm guessing that they have some equipment that translates normal phone to a signal that works on their cable and in doing so makes it a digital signal. They claim you get better clarity over normal phone service.