[Fwd: Re: RCN vs Mediaone cable modem experiences?]

[jcallen at narsil.com (Jerry Callen)]

Bill Horne wrote:

> Ah, there's the rub:  when you cut to the chase, it comes down to
> corporate attitude.  Cable companies have historically had terrible
> customer service records, since they were never in a business where
> lives are at stake.  As an employee of a well-known
> "baby bell", I can attest to how much of a difference it makes when
> you're used to dealing with 911 service, doctor's offices, pharmacies,
> fire departments, police departments, etc.
> 
> Of course, there are technical differences:  not the least of which is
> that (ironically) you'll have a wider choice of xDSL providers, since
> the phone company is required to lease out its pairs to every other
> LEC.  Even for service provided by other LEC's, you'll get more
> consistent speeds because we're used to engineering for peak loads and
> high levels of performance.
> 
> The technical differences are not, however, the key differentiator
> between cable and xDSL.  What matters most, IMHO, is that if you get
> xDSL, you get the corporate attitude that goes with the copper: no
> matter if it's 9 A.M. on Monday or 3 A.M. on Christmas, we get in the
> truck.
> 
> Bill "certified bellhead" Horne

I really probably ought to ignore this (drifting into flamage...), but...

Could this possibly be Nynex/Bell Atlantic you're talking about? If so,
it's got to be in a parallel (and superior) universe. I won't bore you with
the details, but my experience with ma bell has been an unending saga
of crummy line quality, screwed-up CO service orders, repair appointments that
didn't happen, inept repairmen when they *do* arrive, and of course the famous 
"service with a snarl" that I've come to expect from The Phone Company. I guess 
mere homeowners don't count as "mission critical."

I had VERY low expections of MediaOne. Their reputation is a few notches
below that of used car salesmen. They've managed to astonish me
by providing (I'm jinxing myself, I'm sure...) excellent service. Given
the reports of others, that experience is far from universal. Still...

Finally, in this day and age, I wholeheartly agree that The Phone Company
has the attitude that goes with copper. I prefer the attitude that goes
with fiber optics and other 20th century technologies.

-- Jerry Callen                      Mobile: 617-388-3990
   Narsil                            FAX:    617-876-5331
   63 Orchard Street                 email:  jcallen at narsil.com
   Cambridge, MA 02140-1328

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