I've had DSL here in Dallas/Fort Worth for 4 years altogether now - first of all from GTE, then with SW Bell for the last 18 months after I moved apartments.
My experience with both installations is nothing like the horror stories of mixed up work orders, bad connections, etc. The GTE installation did take a while to schedule - I guess it takes time to train engineers etc - but once the line-man came, it worked straight away. I had to pay an installation fee for the hardware, and a "nominal" fee for the modem, but it worked fine. Had to fart around with software settings myself, as I was running Win2K beta, and they only "supported" Win95/Win98, but other than that, no problems.
After I moved to SW bell coverage area, service was even better. I took the precaution of calling SW Bell to see if they had DSL in my apartment before signing the lease; many apartments said the service was "coming soon", but calling the phone company was the definitive way to find out how soon! Anyway, the SW Bell engineer made an appointment with me, and even called me at work an hour before he set out for my location, so I could meet him without having to wait around all day (other so-called "service companies" please take note - customers do not like sitting around all day waiting for someone to turn up!). When he arrived, he checked the line, gave me a few filters to put on phonees connected to the same phone line, and told me to plug in. The service worked straight away (SW Bell now have a self-install option in this area), I got a free modem, and didn't even have to pay a service charge (I just happened to move in while SW Bell were running a free installation promo). Seems to me that companies like Bell Atlantic etc. should send their engineers to Texas for some training, or else start hiring SW Bell folks away; having seen many complaints from others about poor service, lost work orders, etc. I really feel glad I live where I do - aside from the great weather, low taxes, cheap gas....
I agree about the dial-up speed when travelling, though. By and large, I'm always pleasantly surprised at web page response when using a laptop in hotels. It seems a lot faster than I remembered dial-up used to be prior to DSL; however multi-media is still REAL slow, as are file transfers when downloading service packs etc. Thinking about subscribing to Ricochet service for on-the road use.......
As an expat Brit, working in the US (Dallas) since 1986, I've gotta sy to y'all that I had great difficulty understanding what Texans were saying to me too!
And, bseides, don't criticise the English - who do you think invented the damn language in the first place ?... LOL!
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I've had DSL here in Dallas/Fort Worth for 4 years altogether now - first of all from GTE, then with SW Bell for the last 18 months after I moved apartments. My experience with both installations is nothing like the horror stories of mixed up work orders, bad connections, etc. The GTE installation did take a while to schedule - I guess it takes time to train engineers etc - but once the line-man came, it worked straight away. I had to pay an installation fee for the hardware, and a "nominal" fee for the modem, but it worked fine. Had to fart around with software settings myself, as I was running Win2K beta, and they only "supported" Win95/Win98, but other than that, no problems. After I moved to SW bell coverage area, service was even better. I took the precaution of calling SW Bell to see if they had DSL in my apartment before signing the lease; many apartments said the service was "coming soon", but calling the phone company was the definitive way to find out how soon! Anyway, the SW Bell engineer made an appointment with me, and even called me at work an hour before he set out for my location, so I could meet him without having to wait around all day (other so-called "service companies" please take note - customers do not like sitting around all day waiting for someone to turn up!). When he arrived, he checked the line, gave me a few filters to put on phonees connected to the same phone line, and told me to plug in. The service worked straight away (SW Bell now have a self-install option in this area), I got a free modem, and didn't even have to pay a service charge (I just happened to move in while SW Bell were running a free installation promo). Seems to me that companies like Bell Atlantic etc. should send their engineers to Texas for some training, or else start hiring SW Bell folks away; having seen many complaints from others about poor service, lost work orders, etc. I really feel glad I live where I do - aside from the great weather, low taxes, cheap gas ....
I agree about the dial-up speed when travelling, though. By and large, I'm always pleasantly surprised at web page response when using a laptop in hotels. It seems a lot faster than I remembered dial-up used to be prior to DSL; however multi-media is still REAL slow, as are file transfers when downloading service packs etc. Thinking about subscribing to Ricochet service for on-the road use.......
You didn't read the article: No pornography, alcohol or firearms!
As an expat Brit, working in the US (Dallas) since 1986, I've gotta sy to y'all that I had great difficulty understanding what Texans were saying to me too! And, bseides, don't criticise the English - who do you think invented the damn language in the first place ? ... LOL!