RCN Cable TV Consumer Reviews

BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA -- Our internet connection was consistently turning on and off I upgraded our service from 25 mbps to 155 mbps service and the only difference that we paid a higher premium and the internet service was about the same. I called RCN Tech support and on their end also noticed the service turning on and off. After unplugging and rebooting the service it still continued turning on and off. We had Technical Support come out to our residence 3 different times and I was told the problem was on a particular pole and that we had neighbors also experiencing the same issue. I asked billing if they can adjust our bill for all the poor service and they lowered our bill slightly which seemed to be a slap in the face.

I talked to RCN E-Care about downgrading back to 25mbps and asked about using my own equipment rather than paying $6.95 per month and I was told that we could use our own router but we would still get billed 4.95 if we use out own router so either way they are going to milk a customer for all they can.

We had some billing issues and made a payment before it's specified due date and later that week.

On 01/16/17 we dropped off RCN's equipment. We just received a Statement Dated 01/29/17 and noticed we are still being billed for service that we cancelled and no longer have or need. I asked the RCN E-Care person if she can prorate our past due balance and remove the other charges that don't apply and let us know what our balance would be and we got that bill and she contacted me on 02/16/17 and told her I would pay the balance of $82.10 soon. Today we got a letter dated 02/15/17 from a collection agency!

This is how RCN treats loyal customers of 8 years!

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS -- I signed up with RCN in May of this year and they scheduled and came out and installed it. The following morning I was trying to watch the local news when a radio broadcast was all I could hear on the local channels, the rest of the channels came in fine. I contacted RCN and was told they would need to charge me $45 to come out and assess the problem.

I told them absolutely not, the cable guy had acknowledged that he was out of time and did not get to the bedroom hook up, would I be OK, I said sure. CS said because it was a failed install that they would contact me to fix it for no charge, I just needed to be there. They never called. I had asked to speak to the supervisor they refused to put one on.

Over the next few weeks, I experienced many signal problems on the internet and television. Each time I called in, I was on hold for a half hour listening to a message about problems they were having in NY and never got through. I finally called them from work to cancel, they would not let me because I did not have my access code for my account and could not remember my favorite food or vacation spot (my verification prompts). I told them there was a reason that most companies use mother's maiden name, etc, they are facts.

I finally was able to remember my access info a month later and was able to cancel. I asked them where I could drop off my box, there were no Boston locations. I asked what the hours were for the non-Boston locations and they were Mon through Friday, not during work hours, so I would need to take a half day to get rid of the box.

Finally, they agreed to pick up the box when I suggested they could pick it up with my door man. They charged me a $50 pick up fee. I called back to verify the disconnect and pick up. They had the right pick up date, but no note to get the box from my doorman.

In the meantime, I had forgotten to pay my bill, they called me from an automatic service at 7PM and told me to call the 1-800 number, which I did right away, but the office was closed, they close at 5. Today, the service is gone, but I got a notice that they were disconnecting my cable because I was behind by $34 on my account. I figured I would wait to see what the net is since I pay in advance and should actually be due a refund.

The service itself was sub par. They have around 4 PPV HD movies and no free on demand content. Compare that with Comcast, which I got for less and you are talking about a horrible package. But, what really stands out for me is how inept the customer service is. The timing of the call, the hours the CS group is available, etc. I don't think this company should be able to report on your credit report because they are thoroughly clueless.

This is the first complaint I have written in my life. I can usually work out any discrepancies over the phone with CS reps, since I am only asking for what is fair. I would recommend that no one buy this service and will continue to pursue any avenue I can find to complain.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- I purchased a static IP address from RCN in July, since then it has changed 5 times and it takes up to 2 weeks at times to get the IP address that I paid for restored. Since the beginning of February, I lost the static IP again, and my cable modem service stopped functioning. RCN refused numerous times to restore the IP address that I paid for.

Shortly after getting connectivity again, I lost service and it took a week and 5 technicians to find the problem and correct it. Then my service lasted a day after that. They have sent 2 technicians out to check my lines (which I requested). Both technicians did nothing and left. During the second attempt at getting a technician, he showed up, refused numerous times to perform the repairs requested and attempted only to sell me more services. He was not called to sell me services, only to fix my problem.

I called back and was promised his return that day. After an hour of no confirmation I called back and spent 2 hours on hold only to be told that they would not fix my problem. They have scheduled another technician, but I seriously doubt that the technician will do anything upon arrival. I have been lied to about my service being fixed and overheard conversations while on hold between co-workers on the customer service line talking about drinking alcohol at work.

I have been promised that my problems would be fixed I call but nothing happens. It has been a month of no resolution. I have been told by the supervisor of their call center on 2/28/04 that she did not care about my problems because I was not a corporate account customer. The technician that came on 2/28 refused to give me a signal amplifier and refused to test the signal strength on my cable line.

I have spent over 15 hours this month on hold and over 8 hours waiting for technicians in this past month only to not get anything resolved. I have asked to speak with technicians concerning my problems and told that they will not speak with me. My home business is losing money and customers over this and there is no remedy offered for my loss in revenue.

The customer service representative does not provide information or assistance with anything not involving just turning off my cable modem and plugging it back in. There is something more to this issue than simply unplugging my modem and plugging it back in. It is obvious that there is something else wrong at my residence, and they refuse to fix the problems.

The supervisor that I spoke with on Saturday explicitly told me that the customer service representative that promised to transfer me to my local dispatch office probably transferred my back into their queue, which means I was lied to about who they were getting for me to fix my problem. I was also lied to about the fact that the technician was going to return to my residence that same day and actually fix my problem. I have lost a lot of time and energy that could have been devoted to my business trying to deal with this issue.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- Letter to RCN Fraud Dept 4/9/10 explains the complaint pretty well... I have spent almost 7 hours dealing with YOUR company today. I am sure if you look up the notes you will see everything, however what you will NOT see is the way that the employees who spoke to me actually spoke to me. I was called a deadbeat, liar, loser, was told to "**OFF", yelled at, talked over, hung up on, told to quit calling, quit talking, shut up, and the list continues, but I am sure that was NEVER noted in the notes in fact I know it wasn't because I just talked to someone who was nice enough to take all of these notes about how I was spoken to, and how horrifically I was treated today by your company.

My mother was called a liar, was told she sounded too much like me, was told that I was a deadbeat, to never call, and again, to shut up and again, I could go on...MY OWN MOTHER. I had service all set up for about 2 weeks now at my new condo, there was never an issue, there was never a problem. I even called to confirm set up time, and then received a call, after all of this even, confirming the setup tomorrow.

However, at 940 this morning, I receive a voice mail from RCN stating "you're account's been terminated please call financial services if you still wish to have service". Which quite frankly after that, I didn't want service, but unfortunately, and sadly I truly mean unfortunately, RCN is the only company that serves this building...for now. I believe the contract with our building is up on June 1, and this is not the first occurrence of something happening like what happened today.

Someone with the same name which, please, correct me if I am mistaken, Chicago is the 3rd largest city in the country, chances are someone has my same name DIFFERENT SSN and DIFFERENT PAST ADDRESS had RCN and owed a balance. I am SOMEHOW being pinned for this person! THAT is just the beginning of it! They then have proceeded to talk to the condo building MANAGER, and told her that the OWNER of the unit would have to call and set up service.

So, I then called RCN back to check to see WHO he needed to speak to and WHAT he needed to do. I was ever so nicely informed that no matter what, NO ONE WILL EVER GET SERVICE IN THAT UNIT....EVER...EVER...EVER and the words were, not the owner, not your mother, not the manager, not John Doe, NO ONE will be getting service there.

I was again told to quit calling, to quit arguing over how ridiculous this is, and to just shut up and if it true that you didn't live there then prove it then she hung up. I WAS NEVER GIVEN EVEN HOW TO PROVE IT!!! FINALLY, I called back again, hoping, in a way to get HER again, but thankfully got a woman who was very nice, and gave me your contact information and then said she was putting in the system how horribly I was treated and talked to.

I can say that I have NEVER IN MY LIFE been treated the way your company has treated me or my mother in my life. Quite frankly, if I didn't HAVE to have your service, I sure as heck wouldn't, I have NEVER IN MY LIFE been talked to or treated so horrifically in my entire life, truly, NEVER. I will be filing a customer service complaint with the BBB, because oddly today...no one had a manager...

Then I am told, as icing on the cake, that "yeah little fairies just decide to put in different ssn for you so you look like you have fraud" and my response was..."actually, every time I call, there is a new number in there, so I truly believe that is what YOU are doing, and I will go to EVER length to report you and what you have done."

I have had my identity stolen, but this person doesn't even have the same ssn! I want this taken care of. I want to ensure that service is placed in this unit. I don't want your internet or your phone. I want cable and a DVR box and THAT IS IT. I want to deal with RCN as little as I possibly have to after this. Regardless, I want this taken care of immediately. It is the absolute LEAST your company can do after what you have done to me!!!

I expect to hear from you within the next 72 hours via email or phone. When contacting me, I expect this to be resolved and the unit be released from whatever it is this jerk did to it and did to me. This "** who has no manager" better watch who he speaks to like that, because one of these days he will get an attorney wanting nothing more than to see him in civil court for slander, and that is just ONE of the things he did today, and he wasn't the only one.

I expect this to be resolved by Monday at 5pm central time, which means a phone call and an email from one or both of you, if it is not, I will take a look at what legal action I can be taken to resolve this matter as it should have never happened to begin with, but you can thank everyone on the phone today for allowing it to get to this level. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

I complained to RCN support when my rate was increased by $20 a month with no explanation accept my service plan was being changed and 'improved'. Below is the email to them. Please read your reply and point out to me where it explains the increase so that I can understand what I am now getting that I was not getting and the higher value that the 'change' is going to provide me.

From my perspective it is simple. RCN is charging me more and telling me it is good that I am being charged more because I am a 'valued' customer and the increase charges will improve my service. How is it improved exactly? Your apology is insincere at best. Your reply specifically has forced me to call your competitors today and seek to switch to them. Have a nice day!

TAKOMA PARK, MARYLAND -- RCN has provided THE WORST customer service I have EVER experienced. On Monday, April 6, I called RCN inquiring about their cable/internet bundle packages. I told her I saw a package online for $63, but it did not include the Kid's package that I really wanted. She said for $10.00 more I could get the kid channels, which would total my bill at $80.33 before taxes. Plus, I would also get one month free. I agreed to the service and an installation appointment was made for April 7.

Upon arriving home on April 7, the children's channels that I requested were not working. I immediately called RCN. I spoke with one technical care representative and a customer care managers, whose names I did not get, who told me they could not help me. They both said they saw the one month free promotion, but nothing about the kid's package. They both offered to add the children's package to my order for an additional $4.99 a month. I was very insulted. The only reason I subscribe to cable is so my young child can access channels like Sprout and Noggin. There was no way that I was going to pay extra for channels that I was told were already included in my initial order.

The next morning, April 8, I called RCN again. I spoke with **, in the Arizona office. She said she would adjust the promotion to include the Kid's Channels. I thanked her very much. I thought my issues with RCN had been resolved until I later that evening when I discovered my internet was not working. On April 9, my boyfriend called RCN for troubleshooting help, but they could not help him over the phone because they were not receiving a signal from our router. They told him they would send a tech out on April 14 to take a look at the router.

On April 13 I received a bill in the mail from RCN for $130.49. This bill included an installation fee and one month of service. According to the customer service representative who sold me the bundle, I would only be paying for the installation fee on my first month's bill. Today, April 14, 2008, I spoke with **, whom I asked to cancel my service and the tech who was supposed to come out and look at the router. She said there were no notes on my account that said anything about one month free. She told me billing on my account would end on April 23, but someone could not come out and disconnect the cable until 4/28. She then transferred me to the billing department.

[snip], employee number 594923, in the billing department told me that the one month free doesn't apply until the second month. She also admitted that the representative gave incorrect information. She also told me that I will be charged for cable until someone can come out and disconnect the cable on 4/28. I asked her if that means I would also be billed for 4/24 until 4/28, the connect date. ** confirmed that I would have to pay for April 24 through 28, but there would be a credit on the account because the internet service never worked.

I think that is absolutely ridiculous. I don't think I should have to pay for any of this service. The service wasn't what I order from the beginning and half of the service, the internet, never worked. I am definitely going to write a letter to the small business association outlining the horrific experience I've had with RCN. Not to mention, when you go on RCN's website to submit a question or concern under the “Contact Us” tab, there is an error on the page when you click the submit button. This is unbelievable. Please see the screenshot below of the page error. I also tried to submit my letter on April 15, 2009, but received the same error.

PENNSYLVANIA -- I purchased a Samsung HD DLP TV. I called RCN to find out what needed to be done so I could receive HD channels. (No premium channels, no PPV, no VOD). I was informed I needed to acquire a HD converter @ $11.95/mo + $25 installation, to which I agreed. Shortly after successful installation, the converter failed to work. I called 800-RING-RCN.

After failing to correct the problem, they agreed to send a tech the next day. In the meantime, I discovered I could receive almost all the HD channels without the converter box by keying in the correct digital channel number, e. g. 93-1 ABC HD. My TV had "discovered" these channels during setup.

It required some time and effort but I was able to correlate the "discovered" digital channels against RCN's published listing. I decided I would not pay $11.95/mo for a converter box I did not need. When the Tech appeared the next day, he was apparently able to "reset" the box from a computer in his truck. I explained my experience.

He stated: I was "stealing" the HD channels since I was not paying for a converter box. (From the RCN website: Basic Cable $45.94/mo. 1-year promotion (reg. $60.94). What You Get: Over 75 all-digital cable channels. 30+ free HD channels with HD or HD/DVR box. 2,500+ hours of free Video ON DEMAND. 45 commercial-free, digital music channels. Interactive program guide with parental controls. A digital converter box. Access to order PPV events & other à la carte programming).

I responded, I had no problem with additional fees for additional service. I just didn't want a box (another remote, more space, more cords) I didn't need. In about 6 months everyone would need a box since RCN was converting to all digital as they had done in Chicago.

I responded that I understood the need for a box for an analog set, but why would a box be needed for a TV with a digital tuner and no premium services. He responded that ALL channels would be scrambled and a rental box would be needed for every set in the home. I said I would deal with that when (and IF) it happened.

In summary: RCN is forcing rented cable boxes on customers that do not need them. I am amenable to paying a higher fee for expanded service; I just don't want a box (another remote, etc.) that I don't need. RCN intends to force every customer to rent a converter box for every TV set in the home, even though the current technology does not require this.

Recent ads re the conversion to digital over-the-air transmission have clearly stated that cable customers are not affected. SURPRISE for RCN customers. I predict this conversion will have enormous adverse consequences for RCN, a company that is already losing money. To be fair, I have to date been a contented RCN customer. Their high speed internet support has been good; cable TV and phone work fine.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- I wrote to RCN - not that they would actually care. Even submitting a complaint to them was a huge headache. Had to submit on their web site, which only allows so many characters. So, I had to cut this into 5 and fill out their submission sheet 5 times! Everything involved with RCN ends in frustrations and time, lots of time wasted... It is long - I was angry!

12/10/08 ISSUE (reported later due to your web site not working): I need to report problems that I have had with RCN. I am a very dissatisfied customer regarding your bill posting processes and RCN's customer service skills. I signed up for RCN Showtime awhile ago, and when I received my first statement, I immediately set up monthly payment to you through my online banking.

After a couple months, I received a statement that showed that I had not made the previous month's payment. This surprised me, as I had set up a monthly payment to RCN. I looked at the statements and called my bank, and they could see that my payment was sent to you from my bank (one day service) and was received well before the due date.

However, the RCN internal processing took a couple days to post, so my payment registered as late. The payment did not appear on the next statement, and I had a late fee. I had my bank talk directly with RCN to verify the payment was received by RCN on time. As advised on this call, I moved the payment 'pay by' date for future monthly payments to be received by RCN TWO days before the due date. (Note: I do not have this problem with any other company and pay all of my bills online.)

Months go by, and all is working OK. I feel I have adjusted the receive date properly so RCN has time to process. Then, for December 2008, I receive another statement with no payment registered, and a late fee. I'm not as worried about the late 'fee', as I am you properly recording that you have had my money at RCN well before the due date! My bank sent me a copy of the send and receive information for the monthly transfer, showing that my payment was sent on 11/26 and received by RCN early in the morning of 11/27. However, RCN didn't post my payment until 11/29 - two days later.

So I called RCN today to discuss. I am obviously frustrated and started out planning to cancel this service. It isn't worth a problem with my credit to watch Showtime! I can order later through Netflix instead! At RCN, I talked with a guy named ** first. He wasn't able to tell me any details about the late fee, or the due date of last month's payment. When I questioned him, he obviously took my frustrations with RCN personally and got very defensive. This is not good customer service. I have things I need to be doing this afternoon. Instead, I'm spending time resolving a late payment issue that is really a problem on the RCN side.

Because ** could not find the details I needed to prove I paid this payment on time (early actually), I asked to talk with a supervisor, who could help me. He responded with a very sarcastic, cynical response and there I was on hold for the supervisor... I was on hold for at least 30 minutes! And when a representative answered, it was not a supervisor as I had asked ** to transfer me to.

Instead, I had a representative named **. I told ** I'd been on hold for 30 minutes. And I asked if he was a supervisor. He said no. And when he realized I was not going to be a happy customer after waiting 30 minutes for the supervisor I didn't even get, he must have hung up on me!!! After I wait 30 minutes, I get hung up on? Thanks, **!

So, I call back again. On hold forever again. Need to go to the copier, so I go, figuring I'll be on hold awhile anyway. When I get back, the phone line is dead. Obviously, someone picked up while I was trying to get something done through all this headache. So, I call back again!!! How many is this now? 4? 5? ** picks up very quickly actually. (Odd that I waited 30 minutes earlier? Did ** trigger that in his defensiveness somehow? Made me wonder...)

** was wonderful. She gave me her employee number #######. She was gracious, helpful, and not defensive. When I asked about due dates, etc, as I had earlier, she simply stated, "I'll find out." She answered all questions as well as I could expect. She added comments to my account to state that my payments are sent and received by RCN DAYS before the due dates, and the late problem resides with RCN's timely posting process.

So, now I'm advised to pay 3 days before the due date. So, I went online to my bank payments and made this adjustment. In fact, I adjusted to pay a full WEEK before the due date!!! Will that be enough for RCN? I do not know. How would I know for sure? Something wrong with this process...

Here's what I need to ensure occurs with RCN: Make sure my account is updated such that it states that all payments have been received by RCN before the due dates. No late payment records should appear on or be reported regarding my account. Mark my account that I am a good paying customer who pays on time.

Suggestions for RCN: I am absolutely sure that I am not the only customer with this issue occurring. So, please consider adjusting your processes and late payment policies. Perhaps you could give you customers a 3-5 day grace period past the due date. That would be for RCN's processing time frame, not the customer's. You do not even have to advertise this to customers. Just know that it can take YOU 3-5 days to process, and give your customers and your customer's credit histories a break on that.

IT IS NOT WORTH IT TO HAVE SHOWTIME OR OTHER RCN SERVICES, TO RISK MY CREDIT SCORE!!! It is absolutely crucial that all payees are paid on time. So, reconsider your late fee policy! You will lose customers over this. Personally, I will be thinking between now and next month how I feel about this credit risk. If I do decide to cancel my Showtime order, it will be for this late payment issue and for the poor customer service as I experienced today on my first two calls with **.

Feel free to call me with further details. I take this issue very, very seriously. Now your web site will not submit my writing! Why does that not surprise. I will need to try again tomorrow??? RCN, you are really not doing a good job here...

12/17 Sent a link to THIS site to RCN with this comment / obvious business suggestion: Does anyone at RCN read these types of complaints from their customers (see internet link below). There's a common thread of complaints:
Customer service representative are terrible (50% of the time for me), billing procedures are terrible. I read that one persons experience was that you sent a notice that you were suspending her service - this letter was sent even before the bill was due. That sounds very familiar!

I have gotten 2-3 statements from RCN stating "no payment" was received with a late fee ding, when the money WAS received by your company BEFORE the "due date" on the statement "you just couldn't" get it posted in time on your end "that's not the customer's problem. When customer's read “due date”, they should be able to walk into your company and hand you a check that day by close of business. THAT is the time you should go by. How on earth does a customer know how much time it takes YOU to process and post a payment?! WE CANNOT KNOW THIS!! RCN needs to fix this timing problem in the billing department.

I know that my condo building is considering a new cable company for service. Maybe all this and my experiences with RCN are why. My building has 44 floors of 10-12 condos per floor. That's quite a few customers to lose all in one shot! Does anyone at RCN even care? Until this time, I'm stuck with dealing with RCN.

By the way, if RCN would like to know who is doing a good job in your industry, it is TiVo. That company has awesome customer and technical support skills. I set up my TV years ago, and haven't had to worry about billing issues since. When I had problem with cable the other day, I was actually relieved to find out it was an issue with TV vs RCN (new channels, simply needed to set up in TiVo) that's pretty bad, RCN! TV representative was great.

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA -- In an age of lousy customer service being the norm - RCN manages to take it to a new low. Upgraded our current RCN basic cable service to HD Digital Cable and Internet with 3 movie packages and boxes for 4 TV's. Installer came with a really bad attitude and said that the Free Install I was supposed to get was only to turn on the service and that actually hooking up the boxes to our already prewired house was "extra work" that would be charged separately.

I told him that he was not to hook anything up unless he was sure there was sufficient signal coming in on the lines (due to similar problem at another home) and that all channels that we were paying for should be coming in clearly. He hooked it up and said that the remotes had to be programmed by us and that it would take time for the boxes to "download" and it would eventually come online and all the channels would be good and clear.

He left, we programmed the remotes our selves cleaned up his mess all over the house and discovered that channels 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 would not come in at all. About fifteen other channels would come in but would freeze up. The premium channels we were paying for only came through on 2 out of the 4 boxes. Total nightmare, especially since I specifically told the installer not to bother with the install if he could not verify adequate line strength.

Called customer service the next day and was put on hold for 67 minutes. Finally was told that a tech would have to come out but there were no appointments available. I then told them since it was their fault that they should fix it or I would cancel. After another 60 minutes with customer service (about 55 minutes of which I was on hold) I told them I wanted to cancel my account. I was then transferred to the Cancellation Department.

I was made to wait another 45 minutes on hold, then told by the representative and her Supervisor that I could not cancel the account since the account was billed to my wife. When I asked why I was not told this 2 hours ago even though they had all the information they said that the other departments had no access to this information. I inquired why I was allowed to upgrade services and agree to go from $72 a month to $142 a month, since it was under my wife's name.

They said that must have been a mistake. Had to then ask my wife to call them so that she could officially cancel, she was on hold for 58 minutes. They then begged to be given another chance. No dice. We cancelled on principle. Will probably have another battle when we get our last bill. So please take your business somewhere else.

You will be glad. Bad products, bad service and being put on hold for almost 3 hours is simply inexcusable. It is a shame that RCN chooses to treat its customers so badly. A horrible experience that we sincerely do not wish on anyone else. Please stay away and save your self the migraine and heartburn. Hope this was helpful. Cheers.

WOODSIDE, NEW YORK -- Ever since I signed up for RCN Communications' services on Sept 25th, 2003, the experience has been extremely horrible. Day 2 of my new service, I had to have a tech out to test the modem (customer supplied) RCA DCM 245R. It could not connect to the internet. The modem was the closest to the cable drop, which was split by a 3 way splitter. The initial technician (a RCN contractor) had removed an existing good 2000 MHZ splitter from the line and replaced it with one of his own.

10 days later, I had an issue with the cable TV service on my second TV. This was because that the cable line was existed before RCN came and it had no copper in it. The tech then came out to replace the entire line setup from the drop on with all new RCN lines, just to alleviate problems. He also noticed the work of the previous contractor, which had run 200 ft of coax along the house, and then split the signal to the 2 TVs and cable internet with a 3 way splitter.

The technician then proceeded to rerun the lines. His name was ** and his tech number is ** and he was extremely professional and courteous. He told us that the previous contractor should not have run the lines like that. He then proceeded to correct the problem. He also allowed us to use his caulking gun to seal a hole in the house where the 2 TV line enters, which was very thoughtful of him.

The internet problem persisted a week after the tech ran the new lines, and I tested all my connections. I then determined it might have been the cable modem being defective, and I shipped it back to RCA for repair. It arrived back 4 weeks later, and it still was never tested by RCA to ensure it worked properly since the tamper seal was not broken.

I then called RCN for a tech to come out to my house to test the lines and the modem and the signal levels were downstream 5 dbMv, which I was told was in range. Although, the signal levels seemed fine, the extreme amount of packet loss upwards of 40% made the connection extremely unstable.

I later decided to purchase a retail boxed Toshiba PCX 2200 from Staples, and test to see if it was the used RCA modem that was causing the problem. I know that Toshiba modems, are a cable industry standard so they would work with any provider. The Toshiba worked amazingly even with extreme swings in signal levels like -12 to 12 dBmV. Unfortunately, the internet connection speed and quality suffered due to the high signal levels.

At times, I have experienced 200ms pings to the rcn.net, rcn.com servers. I even tested with Google’s servers, and I experienced the same results. I tested the connection yesterday, with a tech by the name of ** and he was extremely helpful and viewed all the data I gave him. He even conducted tests of his own and found 75% loss on the connection. In most of the tests I have conducted, I have found that there is 2% loss on all rcn.com routers to my connection. In some instances, it can go even as high as 20% on all 5 RCN routers used to connect me to the internet. This means that in effect there is no way I am able to connect or route to the internet.

I have tried on many different occasions, to get service credits for the lack of service on my account. I contacted ** yesterday, and he spoke with a supervisor and credited my account for one month’s internet service. I have experienced inconsistent billing with RCN, my bill should come out to $85 a month, and last month it came out to $75, and this month it came out to $90. It is extremely difficult to correct the billing issues I have had with RCN.

I was provisioned for the MegaModem Mach 3 service, and was to be upgraded to Mach 5 automatically when they changed the tier on Oct 15th. I had to call customer support to get that changed. It was part of the package deal I had when I first started with RCN. If ** wants to keep existing customers, he should focus on correcting the problems with the service. This costs RCN in both the time and manpower used to alleviate these problems. If these problems did not occur, RCN would save millions all that is needed to fix this is attention to details, and follow through.

I have relatives who wish to switch to RCN to save money since Time Warner always keeps raising their rates, but I tell them not to. If they have to endure the horrors I went through with this service its pointless. I switched from Time Warner & Verizon to RCN because of their bundled packages. Its everything under one roof. It also would save me $60 a month for the 1 st year, and then $40 thereafter.

If I would have know that I would have wasted this much time fixing internet problems with RCN. I would have never switched. The phone and the cable TV service is amazing, no converter needed for basic, which saves us $10 a month on rental costs. With all the positives they have these negatives.

Also, I am not a gamer, and I really do not use my internet connection to play online games. Most of the people that are signing up for your services now, happen to be gamers. They are the most demanding customers out there. I even talked with one of them and they switched to RCN because of me. That was before all of the routing, DNS, and connection problems arose. This was after the Mach 5 upgrades. I would have to say that plan may have destabilized the network.

I have lodged 5 complaints with the NYC DOIT with regards to RCN services. I have 2 phone numbers from RCN. One for cable plant maintenance managers, and another for the Queens Operations manager. I call them and they never respond to my queries. If they do, the issue is resolved when they call. The connection seems to go down between 5 pm-2 am. Sometimes it stays off for days at a time. This issue is really annoying me. I wish I could switch but I probably would have the same problems with Time Warner again.