We’ve had Starpower as our cable, phone, and Internet company for years, even back in the apartment. I’ve always been a big Starpower fan, recommending it to friends and family. Well, no more.
Ever since we got the cable modem hooked up in our house (we were the first customers on the block), I’ve requested that they give me a static IP. I was told time and again that static IP addresses were not possible with their current system. I thought that was kind of strange, since I remembered having a static IP at the old apt. (for about $2.50 / month), but I accepted the answer.
Last year, Starpower saw fit to change the service agreement in order to block port 80 for all its customers. They didn’t want people running web servers from their homes. It was understandable, but the way in which they did it left a sour taste in my mouth.
This year, Starpower has seen fit to block port 25 for all their customers. That means that you cannot run an e-mail server from your home. Again, it was done as a change to the service agreement posted on their web site. They didn’t notify anyone — if you had a mail server up it just stopped working one day.
I understand that they don’t want to take responsibility for people running open-relays (SPAM distribution servers) on their network. Fine. But the next step is unconscionable.
I was notified that I can buy their new Static IP service from them, and they would restore access to port 80 and port 25 on the network. I was a little non-plussed. Here they are, selling me access to something I already had when I signed up, for an additional fee. But, I expected to pay a few bucks a month extra for a static IP anyway, so I called yesterday to sign up.
When I asked the salesguy how much it was going to cost me, he first told me about the $25 set-up fee. OK, I thought, I can probably get that waived since I’m a “Starpower Gold” customer and I pay them close to $150/month as it is.
The monthly fee for Static IP service? $19.95 PER MONTH! I asked him to repeat that twice. I hung up. I went to their web site, incredulous. I found the same price listed.
To recap, in roder to get the service I originally had when I signed up, a service that cost me $2.50/month in DC, a service that cost me $2/month when I had Speakeasy DSL, was now going to cost $20 extra per month??? For that price, I can get TWO accounts with most web and e-mail hosting companies, where they do all the work FOR me, and I get twice the service!
Amazing.
I called up Cavalier Telephone an hour later (after much research) and we are now signed up with them. They provide unlimited long distance calling and DSL and local phone service. I’m also going to sign up with DirecTV this week. By having DSL and a satellite instead of Starpower cable and AT&T long distance, Danielle and I will save approximately $50 / month, AND we’ll get more services (including, I just found out, all the NFL football games this season). I’m still stunned.