When DSL first became available for me, I was able to select from three different speed plans. This is back around 2008, for those interested. I think they mimic the plans that are offered now on the "Enhanced" internet plan.
I selected the mid-grade plan, my connection was always somewhere 2.1mpbs or above.
Some time ago, we decided to change the household plan to a bundle. Apparently, this may not have been a good idea.
My download speeds have reduced to anywhere from 30kb/s to 90kb/s, when they were at a minimum 150kb/s-300+kb/s
I never connect at more than 1.5mbps now.
Looking on the website, they will not even OFFER me the enhanced internet plan, when what I had previously was identical. I had the higher download speeds at least a few months ago, and I am really doubting an equipment downgrade.
I'd rather not call and deal with customer support on this issue (because I always get forwarded to India), but any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated. I know well enough that because I have a stable connection, it is unlikely anything will be done about it unless it's by service reps in the US.
Thanks
This is a quote from a customer review site - apparently, I'm not alone in having these issues with the bundle package.
"So I had a locked in double play rate for two years that expired on 12/27/14. I decided on 12/23 to select a new double play package online with chat assistance. There is no FIOS in my area and I had to choose DSL again. My speedtest always came back about 5.34 mbps, the package only allowed 1.1-3mbps. The service rep insisted I would get the highest bandwidth available in my area. On 12/24 I did the speed test at 5.34 mbps. The new service "kicked in" on 12/25. On 12/26 my speedtest showed 1.53 mbps. When I contacted Verizon they insisted it was the fastest possible speed for my area. My entire zip code did not expire on the same day. My fastest possible was magically cut from 5.34 to 1.53 in one day."
He goes on to say that he has heard verizon is phasing out DSL because it is not cost-effective to maintain. While I might be able to understand this, locking people into long-term deals that cause a loss of quality of service, when the equipment can still easily run at the higher speeds (and then lying about the maximum service quality) is corrupt at best.
Here's the way to see this. Yes, it is very much true Verizon is trying to dump the DSL network. For now, the network is being kept running through bandages to the plant and software designed to "optimize" connections in a way to decrease support calls.
If you are currently receiving 1.5Mbps, then you are already paying for any speed from 1.5Mbps to 15Mbps. You can get your speed up by talking to support as the upgrade will be FREE. The only issue comes with what the system says compared to what your line can do. You will have to be persistent with your push to get Verizon to increase your speed back to 3Mbps or higher, and it may take a few tries pushing a support rep to ticket the request.
When Verizon is working to increase your speed, request that they disable the ASSIA optimizer. This will help maintain a consistent level of performance on the DSL, and not leave you stuck wondering if you'll wake up to unstable DSL or slower DSL. Provisioning, IMO, is best done by an engineer who is familiar with the equipment and the plant you're on, not by some software solution and a database entry.
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