 Review by JIGA 
UPDATED: 339 days ago
member for 6.8 years, 2153 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Azle,Tarrant,TX
 $110 per month
 about 5 days
 "Only broadband available in my area"
 "Horrible HORRIBLE customer support"
 "Sucks that it is the only BB option available"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
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Speeds ordered 3meg/256 at $39.99/month - Dynamic IP
2 Digital TV boxes w/ all channels for one year at $29.99
2 Basic Analog lines
Free modem
1 Exterior line drop/charges waived
Ordered Sunday, May 1st. Installed May 6th - Had day off, Installer came early for me 
Most of you that visit Stan Gunn's Charter Support Board »pub122.ezboard.com/fcharterpipeline961.. know me pretty well as JigsTX
After 9 months of emails, web posting, phone calls, 4 unsuccessfull installs I was finally hooked up last Thursday, May 6th.
I have been waiting for "true" broadband for some time now. 3 years with dialup and I'm a heavy internet gamer. I tried 2 Wireless ISP's and you can see how they went in the reviews I posted High priced installs ($400) and high priced monthly fee's for sup par speeds IMO. But I guess that's how wireless is.
The installer I had was the same guy who came out the 4th time, I asked for him to come out again since he did allot for me on that last nogo install, explained what was going on, etc.
Once he had everything wired up he showed me how to use my TV.... but I really wasn't interested in that I was ready to test out the internet! Once he finished the line and hooked up the modem I took over. He stayed by while I ran several speed tests and checked latency in various gaming servers. Just an overall really cool guy.
Happy to say I get a constant 3.19/239 speed test at various sites. Instead of the 300ms+ pings with my dialup I'm now getting 30ms or lower, I'm loving it!!! Course... my wife isn't lol. But she loves all the extra movies channels we get free for one year.
So far so good, no problems what so ever. Have both my PC's hooked up to my linksys router along with my Xbox. Haven't installed my XBL kit yet (that I bought back in August of 2003!).
PS: Had to call Charter support line once so far with an email issue. Was talking to a live person and problem fixed within 5 minutes on a Friday.
8/8/2004 - Still running great. I have had a total of one service call and that was an issue with webspace. Call was completed within 10 minutes. Other than that, speeds are still great and no issues what so ever.
11/2/2004 - Still running great. Only problems I have had are with my router. BEFSR41 v2, guess it's been to to many lan parites. Tried all firmware updates but I still lose connection for a couple seconds. It is the router, hooked up directly to modem and had no problems at all for a week straight. Other than that, everything runs great, had the TV go out due to a bad storm Sunday night, 10/31, but it was back up and running when I woke up Monday morning..
UPDATE 06/23/05 - Well, I went to call in to cancel a few channels to lower my monthly bill, we have our first child on the way When I spoke with the rep she told me they had an offer going till October for all channels and my internet for $62/month! So ya, I jumped on it in a heartbeat.
Internet has been running great and have had no outages. Well, there was one outage for a couple hours, but I was at work anyways.
UPDATE 03/27/06 - Had to move out to the sticks a bit, still in Azle but more into the country side now. Charter was available here as well, pole ran. Ordered, had install the next day. I was expecting it to run a bit different since I'm out in the sticks now, but it still runs great!
UPDATE 07/08/07 - Had a new custom house built right next door to old one. I am in the process of the biggest headache of all time transfers. You would think a transfer of service would go pretty smooth, especially since its only 100 yards away from your own house... well, nope, its a freakin nightmare. Heres how it has gone so far:
July 27th 07 - Schduled install date for new house. Tech never showed up. Called in and had tech call me. Tech called and asked if my modem was working now... Informed then this is not a modem issue call but a transfer of service call, they rescheduled me.
August 2nd 07 - 2nd scheduled install date. Tech never showd up again. Called in and they stated tech is 2 hours behind schedule and he would call me. Waited 2 hours no call/show. Called in and CSR stated the tech informed them they need to run lines for me to my new house.... well DUH I told them on every call I made this is a new construction house, lines will have to be ran to my house! They rescheduled me.
August 3rd 07 - Maintenance was suppose to come out and install the new lines to my house, they never showed up. Called in and had a huge hassel over me having cable access at my old house.... Well yes I had it, I paid a bill to Charter for 1 1/2 years for 5meg HSI service. So now they said they have to do a survey to verify service at my old address and if I can get it at my new address (which is only 100 yards away from old house...) And this is after they told me that they needed maintenance to come and install new lines already.
August 7th 07 - No call, no show, no note, no nothing. Called in to find the results of my survey. CSR states tech did not put in any notes so it must be serviceable. Yeah.... So now I am scheduled for August 15th for my install, we'll see how that goes. If they even try to reschedule me or give me anymore lines of BS I'm going to lose it.
I have dropped my score for Charter for mainly this huge headache and for their prices that keep increasing. If Charter wasn't the only broadband out here I would ditch them in a second.
UPDATE 12/17/2007 - Dropping score again. Charter just plain sucks in every area. The one and only good thing they have going for them is that, well... its broadband... I wish they were not the only broadband option out here. Sure, we have WISP's but no thanks on those, been there done that.
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