Thread: Just got off the phone with Time Warner

I have been having trouble with my download speed on my cable modem for the last couple of weeks. I've been getting about 600 kb/ps on average down and that's with TW's 'premium' service. Obviously I am being bottlenecked and they have too many people on one node in my area.

So I called into TW for help. After clearing their level 1 tech support I get some girl at level 2. And she tells me... now stay with me here... that the reason my service is going slow is because I have more than one thing on my network (desktop, laptop, VOIP phone) and that is causing the cable modem to drain! She goes on to say that the cable modem is like a "battery with too many thing hooked up to it" and that is what is causing the slow down in service. I tell her that I have been doing PC tech support for the last 10 years and I have never heard anything like this. I ask her for any kind of citation to back up her claim since what she is proposing is next to impossible. She insists that this happens and that they will replace the modem but if that does not work over time, I will have to just run one thing (my desktop) to the modem. I tell her that is crazy and that they must have to replace modems all the time if that is the case since everyone runs a home network with several bits of hardware hooked up. I then remind her that TW offers a VOIP solution of their own and ask her how they deal with telling people that their own VOIP hardware is making an additional drain on the cable modem within a service TW provides.

The bottom line is this- F#ck Tim Warner! I left cable for sat TV service a long time ago and now it's time to ditch them altogether. It does not look like FIOS is available in my area. So who here has At&T DSL? What do you think about it?

I was happy w/ DSL extreme and now w/ Verizon DSL (no longer available in my area for new customers cuz of FIOS)

Originally Posted by sonnyboy11

I have been having trouble with my download speed on my cable modem for the last couple of weeks. I've been getting about 600 kb/ps on average down and that's with TW's 'premium' service. Obviously I am being bottlenecked and they have too many people on one node in my area.

So I called into TW for help. After clearing their level 1 tech support I get some girl at level 2. And she tells me... now stay with me here... that the reason my service is going slow is because I have more than one thing on my network (desktop, laptop, VOIP phone) and that is causing the cable modem to drain! She goes on to say that the cable modem is like a "battery with too many thing hooked up to it" and that is what is causing the slow down in service. I tell her that I have been doing PC tech support for the last 10 years and I have never heard anything like this. I ask her for any kind of citation to back up her claim since what she is proposing is next to impossible. She insists that this happens and that they will replace the modem but if that does not work over time, I will have to just run one thing (my desktop) to the modem. I tell her that is crazy and that they must have to replace modems all the time if that is the case since everyone runs a home network with several bits of hardware hooked up. I then remind her that TW offers a VOIP solution of their own and ask her how they deal with telling people that their own VOIP hardware is making an additional drain on the cable modem within a service TW provides.

The bottom line is this- F#ck Tim Warner! I left cable for sat TV service a long time ago and now it's time to ditch them altogether. It does not look like FIOS is available in my area. So who here has At&T DSL? What do you think about it?

I've noticed the slow down, as well. Mostly the past few days. It's a total load of ****. Honestly, folks all over SoCal are having this issue. What? Did we ALL get out modems at the same time? Of course not. And even if we had, we both know that line she's dishing is horse****.

I have Verizon fios (as do a few of my aquaintances) and we all have been complaining about the slowness of downloads recently, and at times the inability to connect to the internet at all! We were told by a rep. that he would have someone "look into it". ????? Yeah, right!

Originally Posted by sonnyboy11

I have been having trouble with my download speed on my cable modem for the last couple of weeks. I've been getting about 600 kb/ps on average down and that's with TW's 'premium' service. Obviously I am being bottlenecked and they have too many people on one node in my area.

So I called into TW for help. After clearing their level 1 tech support I get some girl at level 2. And she tells me... now stay with me here... that the reason my service is going slow is because I have more than one thing on my network (desktop, laptop, VOIP phone) and that is causing the cable modem to drain! She goes on to say that the cable modem is like a "battery with too many thing hooked up to it" and that is what is causing the slow down in service. I tell her that I have been doing PC tech support for the last 10 years and I have never heard anything like this. I ask her for any kind of citation to back up her claim since what she is proposing is next to impossible. She insists that this happens and that they will replace the modem but if that does not work over time, I will have to just run one thing (my desktop) to the modem. I tell her that is crazy and that they must have to replace modems all the time if that is the case since everyone runs a home network with several bits of hardware hooked up. I then remind her that TW offers a VOIP solution of their own and ask her how they deal with telling people that their own VOIP hardware is making an additional drain on the cable modem within a service TW provides.

The bottom line is this- F#ck Tim Warner! I left cable for sat TV service a long time ago and now it's time to ditch them altogether. It does not look like FIOS is available in my area. So who here has At&T DSL? What do you think about it?

As you are seeing for yourself; you buy crap service, you get crap service.

If FiOS is in your area then you wouldn't be able to get AT&T. Have had zero problems with FiOS.

No problems with FiOS internet over here.

Time Warner Cable pissed me off for thee LAST time last week and now Im going renegade (aka: cableless) until Friday when Verizon will be blessing this home with a kajillion digital channels PLUS VERSUS!

Between this thread and that other thread I think it's time for a Taffination of Time Warner.

ROFL. TW level 2 support hiring test:
"What is this?"
"Well, lemme see.... Umm, err... Kompootor?"
"Congratulations!!"

Originally Posted by sonnyboy11

I have been having trouble with my download speed on my cable modem for the last couple of weeks. I've been getting about 600 kb/ps on average down and that's with TW's 'premium' service. Obviously I am being bottlenecked and they have too many people on one node in my area.

So I called into TW for help. After clearing their level 1 tech support I get some girl at level 2. And she tells me... now stay with me here... that the reason my service is going slow is because I have more than one thing on my network (desktop, laptop, VOIP phone) and that is causing the cable modem to drain! She goes on to say that the cable modem is like a "battery with too many thing hooked up to it" and that is what is causing the slow down in service. I tell her that I have been doing PC tech support for the last 10 years and I have never heard anything like this. I ask her for any kind of citation to back up her claim since what she is proposing is next to impossible. She insists that this happens and that they will replace the modem but if that does not work over time, I will have to just run one thing (my desktop) to the modem. I tell her that is crazy and that they must have to replace modems all the time if that is the case since everyone runs a home network with several bits of hardware hooked up. I then remind her that TW offers a VOIP solution of their own and ask her how they deal with telling people that their own VOIP hardware is making an additional drain on the cable modem within a service TW provides.

The bottom line is this- F#ck Tim Warner! I left cable for sat TV service a long time ago and now it's time to ditch them altogether. It does not look like FIOS is available in my area. So who here has At&T DSL? What do you think about it?

Tell them you are running Wireshark and the only traffic going outbound is your PC and router. Tell them your laptop and VOIP phone are turned off.

I've had timewarner for a few years now, and while it has slowed down compared to the download speeds I use to get, their service hasn't been that bad in my area. All of these internet companies have about the same service, so its not worth getting your panties in a bunch. Its all in how you talk to the tech. If you have a tier 1/2 tech, just be persistent and talk over their head. They'll get frustrated and eventually get someone who knows WTF they are doing.

I currently have 2 video podcasts downloading simultaneously (both doing 600-800/kbps speeds) while I did my speed test (via dslreports), and things seem to be back to normal.

I'm going to go with my initial suspicion that the fires were having an effect on the service.