Comments on: Time-Warner Milwaukee / Roadrunner Problem May Finally Be Fixed…?

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:31:54 +0000

We have the same issues with TW in Round Rock, Texas as well. We lose connection and go through a modem reboot about 3-5 times a day. 6 tech visits and multiple phone calls to customer support with a different excuse each time; solar flares, mis-wiring, user error, bad modem, sub station issue, etc, etc.

By: a l e x f a l k e n b e r g » Blog Archive » Two Months Later, Time-Warner Milwaukee Still Hasn’t Apologized

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:16:39 +0000

[...] a l e x f a l k e n b e r g We think it. We do it. « Time-Warner Milwaukee / Roadrunner Problem May Finally Be Fixed…? [...]

By: TheMom

TheMom — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 04:50:58 +0000

Wow, I would be absolutely furious too. I really do sympathize with your situation but I’m in Milwaukee also and subscribe to Turbo but yet haven’t had any issues. We’ve had it since they started it and our service has been impeccable. I always highly recommend TW and RR to whoever asks. I certainly hope that all your problems are solved now and you get the compensation due to you. Good luck!

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 19:38:48 +0000

@Steve: Thanks for stopping by; I appreciate the feedback. I was only offered the Motorola Surfboard 5100, which so far seems to be working, at least as far as the reboots are concerned. I’m certainly interested in learning which of the two is generally preferable relative to each other.

I’ve had two reboots since the 5100 was swapped in–one at 3am for about 10 mins (iirc) and another a few hours later that lasted nearly an hour. We’ve not done any serious testing yet, but plan to. We did download a couple of Linux ISOs that first night, as a quickie test. During that time, no reboots, and while speeds were noticeably better, they’re not really up where we think they’re should be (hovering around 10Mbps instead of closer to the 15Mbps that’s advertised; and yeah, we know 15Mbps is not always possible).

@Norb: Thanks for commenting, and we hope your stuff gets fixed. You’re apparently right about the fix memo and who does/doesn’t know about it; I’ve been following this situation very closely online for a LONG time, and haven’t seen any mention anywhere about it.

If it’s been published/public knowledge for a month and a half or so already (as I was told), you’d think SOMEONE would get around to mentioning it online SOMEWHERE. Maybe I just haven’t stumbled across it yet, I don’t know; I’m certainly not infallible.

UPDATE: I did find some mention of people getting newer cable modems and having issues improve, but I’ve not seen any mention of any TW employee confirming it being a CM issue “officially”.

I would very much like to know when it actually came out, who received it, and why customers haven’t been notified (I was told I should have been, but never was, afaik). Is it limited to the Milwaukee service area? No answers so far…

It really does seem like they’re waiting for people to notice things are broken; most people, if they have the problem we’ve had, probably won’t. And Time-Warner is notoriously, shamelessly insistent on blaming the customer (house, wiring, equipment, etc) instead of taking responsibility, so most customers that DO notice will either believe, or be led to believe, it’s their fault somewhere, somehow, anyway. I’ve literally heard every possible excuse why this has been OUR fault over the last year and a half. Very frustrating.

There’s nothing a tech coming out to do a speed test will do that you can’t do sitting there and running one yourself. What a waste of a 4-hour chunk of your time waiting for them to show up for…nothing, except another chance to reinforce how it must be something on your end, and your fault, not theirs.

You can go to a local TW store/office and swap out your cable modem anytime at no charge, by the way–assuming they provided it. I was told people should “ask for a black one”, which the SB 5100 is, and I’m assuming the Terayon model @Steve mentioned is as well (but I don’t know, yet).

Good luck to you, again. Looking forward to hearing from you again after your next encounter(s).

By: Norb

Norb — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:23:42 +0000

Time Warner//Road Runner customer services are just horrid. Called them up to get a new cable modem. In order to simplify the process, I tried to get the help desk person(s) to read your website http://www.alexfalkenberg.com.
Their answer…. the website is NOT work related. ::sigh:::
None of the support person have heard of a memo regarding the premiun service being incompatible with 4xxx series cable modems. ::sigh::

However, they are sending someone out to perform a speed test. more news to follow…

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:05:28 +0000

I had alot of problems with my modem a few months back and they replaced my surfboard with a Terayon TJ715x. You should see if you can get one of these. I haven’t had a problem since.

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:22:59 +0000

@Cloud: Thanks a lot for stopping by and taking time to comment.

I have always been of the understanding that Time Warner (at least here) will indeed let me purchase my own cable modem and use it, but they don’t give any sort of credit or discount because they don’t bill modem rental separately.

By: Cloud

Cloud — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:27:05 +0000

Back when I used to support cable TV and Internet (never ever again) one customer told me that he called Motorola about his problems with his surfboard (4100 or 4200 I forget which one) and Motorola exchanged the unit for a new unit. This was somewhat humorous given that the customer did not own the modem, the company I worked for did - hah!

The best modems out there are the Toshiba modems (they quit making them), surfboards (not 4100 / 4200) and the ZyXEL modem P971 (good luck getting one).

You can buy a quality modem and not have to pay for modem rental.

By: abacab

abacab — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:40:40 +0000

This entire ordeal with you guys has been just terrible. It’s gone on for soooo long, and I know it’s been really hard on you guys with your toddler and new baby, too.

It’s unfathomable, frankly, that companies can act this way and be so irresponsible. You really should still consider an FCC complaint at the very least, if not local-media “consumer affairs”-variety coverage of your issue. And don’t forget your state’s Attorney General’s office.

Here’s to hoping that the new cablemodem fixes you up, and that TW gets their act together. They OWE you, BIG TIME.