An Astound VP saw the review and had their team work diligently to investigate the issues I and many others were experiencing. It was 100% an issue on Astound's end. The nodes looked to have not had maintenance done on them in years, maybe a decade or more. Illegal splitters, damaged cables, water ingress was found at the nodes as well as issues directly impacting service from the plant. The maintenance team successfully reduced the noise, creating a much better, stable signal overall over the course of 6 days. The maintenance team and their supervisors are friendly and knowledgeable. Astound's signal still is coming in too high and causing my modem to run out of spec, but the connection is overall 10x better now. The downstream power increased, but my modem's upstream power decreased a lot. This is because the noise/interference has been removed greatly so the signals are able to get through better. On the other hand I've spent a ton of hours troubleshooting, monitoring my network and helping assist Astound (for free.) I've even had to spend over a $150 dollars on parts to test and see what I need on my end to reduce the downstream signal (which looks to be a 7dB attenuator.) Even after the signal was fixed there was an issue with tons of latency. I pinpointed this to be caused by bufferbloat brought on by Astound's network router QoS settings. Astound obviously tweaked the QoS settings on their end especially since the VPN connection all of a sudden was performing better than a direct connection to Astound. I then had to turn on my router's QoS setting to manage the traffic and eliminate the remaining bufferbloat download latency which is something I've never had to do in my 15 years with Xfinity. Bufferbloat is brought on by the pipe data is traveling through being too small so the router tells the network packets to hold on while they sort things out because it's too much to handle. The fact that QoS settings have to kick in means it's too late. QoS deprioritizes certain network traffic (meaning it just drops that traffic to the floor) and lets higher priority things through first. Astound's network is too easily congested (a combination of excessive noise and outdated infrastructure.) My concern is what Astound has listed as "priority" since all of my traffic seemed to be deprioritized and I have a suspicion it could be due to me having my own modem instead of paying for Astound's inferior modem. Astound's customer service also leaves a lot to be desired. A few days ago before my now rescheduled appointment, I received a voicemail from a not so nice sounding lady pretty much telling me the issues have been resolved and that I should cancel the appointment to avoid unnecessary trip charges. The issue isn't resolved though. The downstream signal is still too strong and the supervisor explicitly said they want to find a way ro remove the three-way splitter I had to install originally in-order to lower the downstream power signal to within spec. Right now I have a 6dB high return loss attenuator installed and the network is performing better than it was originally. Unfortunately no one I'm aware of makes a 7dB high return loss attenuator so I had to settle for a regular one which should hopefully be on the way soon. 6 or 7dB should leave enough wiggle room to account for thermal attenuation. The storms over the last few days highlighted another issue. Astound's network seems to experience noticeable degradation when it's raining. This is probably once again due to high levels of water ingress (water seeping into the system and causing electrical shorts and other issues.) This is again another problem I never really had with Xfinity. As it is now my latency levels under load are normally under 100 milliseconds, but when it's raining they go over 100 and the network is noticeably slower. It got to the point where my VPN became unusable as I waited for a web page to take over 20 seconds to load multiple times. To Astound's credit a direct connection over their network worked much better this time around so I suspect once again they tweaked their QoS settings. Overall, a lot of work still needs to be done in order to whip Astound into enough shape to be a true contender against Xfinity. It's pretty obvious they weren't doing nearly enough maintenance on their equipment if it at all over the last decade. Hopefully they eventually figure the rest of the issues out. Also, please send out an alert when you're working on people's lines because my network going out as I'm trying to work then I get a call an hour or two later from a maintenance tech asking me to see if my network is back online since they were working on things is not what most people are used to. I doubt a lot of people have redundant networks to deal with outages. Luckily I have a cellular modem I use to setup temporary connections at work sites that I can use as a failover because my router has dual WAN ports. read more

From 2005 until 2017 RCN was THE ABSOLUTE BEST 2020 and onward ... HORRIBLE WiFi has gone out 3xs in 3 weeks and they want to charge me again to send another technician out Their customer service and tech support passes calls around without any of them possessing any technical skill or ability troubleshoot which results in them having to send a technician out so they can bill for it. What happened to this company..?!? VERY SAD to see a once straight forward, reliable and helpful Company turn into revenue-before-customers ruthless business. Several class actions against Astound/RCN which is RCN Telecom LLC read more

Internet out for more than 24 hours. After multiple calls, representatives refuse to give any useful information or updates.

Absolutely terrible service. I will NEVER use Astound again. Their fiber in Chicago is slow and unreliable. Their technical and customer support is worthless. We had to have this trash service for 2 years and it was awful. When we moved, I called to cancelled the service, but it was two days after my billing cycle and I was informed that somewhere in the tiny print, I agreed to pay a full month regardless of when I cancelled because RCN does not pro-rate billing. That is outright theft. I specifically asked the women who cancelled my service if there was anything else RCN would try to steal from me and confirmed that there was no equipment to send back or other actions I needed to take to complete the cancellation. She assured me there was nothing. A month later, I get a bill for phone equipment. We didn't have a phone! When I called they gave me a case number and said someone would call me back. I got a message and called back again. After waiting 30 minutes on hold, the rep tells me their is some black box that was installed that I have to return. I told him it can't be returned. We don't have it. And spent 30 more minutes having a ridiculous conversation with and idiot reading scripts to me and then telling me if I don't pay they'll send me to collections. I don't care if it's $1, I am not giving RCN another cent and will tell everyone I can never to use their service. I filed a BBC complaint today and found Astound Broadband is F rated for "Failure to respond to 35 complaint(s) filed against business. 22 complaint(s) filed against business that were not resolved. 710 complaint(s) filed against business." Absolute garbage! read more

I've always tried to be positive and respectful but I'm at my wit's end with Astound. Eight days since first reporting issues and it's still not resolved. We were thankfully out of town for four of those days and I watched my Internet connection go up and down repeatedly thanks to my security system's cellular backup functionality/notifications. Astound is just astoundingly unreliable, has no centralized status page or app and I'm ending up texting with the tech that came over last week and sending Twitter DMs to the support team. This is a clown shoe operation. Comcast ahoy. read more

There are no other providers in my building except Astond. I called Astond to submit a connection request on September 30th. Three days later, they still hadn't sent the router. I called them again on October 3rd. We found out that the previous representative had made errors in my first name, last name, and email address. They also didn't send me the router because I didn't agree with their policy (the link to it was supposed to be sent by email). We fixed the errors, and they told me to wait five business days for the router. Today is October 11th, and I still haven't received the router. Support can't help. They're just using boilerplate phrases. And they tell me to wait another five days. Are you ok? This is a very bad provider with very bad customer service. read more

The good. Astound is contracted to our high-rise. General internet service has been fast and reliable. The TV channel line-up is good. Adding a phone line is cheap. I have generally had a good experience with their service. The Bad. Their email has been problematic. Our legacy RCN email account has issues with spam and some incoming emails get bounced. So it's become unreliable. The newer Astound email will not do IMAP. They claim it does but we have 5 devices with 3 operating systems none will IMAP... only POP. I have spoken to their service reps and Apple service reps. Neither could make it work and, of course, each claim it's the other's fault. I have abandoned RCN & Astound for gmail. read more

If I could give them zeo stars I would. Their internet service is terrible and their customer service is worse.

Julie - i sent out two separate private messages per your request on my previous review, but no one reached out! I hope this is a sincere attempt to address my concerns and not just an attempt to mislead others into believing that Astound is responsive and fixes issues raised by the customers. I still face intermittent service outages and it's been only 10 days!! read more

In my Chicago suburb area, our WOW (wide open west) had been replaced with Astound/RCN. Since the conversion, we've experienced more outages, and downtime, than I've ever experienced in all my internet times. It was going out consistently every week last few months, and they seemed to have fixed it temporarily, now we're right back to daily/weekly outages. I'm constantly getting kicked off my home network during business hours and forced to use my slow/laggy hotspot. Customer Service doesn't help at all, either. read more

Astound received my router, charged me for it anyway, then spent six weeks trying to get the money back only to be lied to and put off. I still have no refund of the money they never should have taken. Thieves. Nothing could convince me to do business with them. Dont do it. read more

repeated signal interruptions. reboot and disconnect of a device outlet. This can happen 2 to 3 times a day. It's unusual for it not to happen at least once a day. read more

I started out $55/mo all in two years ago. Now I'm at $112. Also I have an existing conduit in a nice little closet where Comcast and AT&T come in. The first tech wanted to reschedule so they could string the fiber through. The second tech was insistent on drilling through the wall and honestly I (regrettably) caved just to be done with it. Dude also messed up my closet door due to being in a hurry. Speed is good but the price gouging is blatant. When I'm not too lazy I'm definitely switching back to XFinity until they do the same. read more

great company- after signing up for autopay my price has stayed the same for just 50$ and i was able to connect up to 30 devices on my wifi. great connection for those working from home and have gamers in the home. they also offer free mobile service for a year and give out 200.00 gift cards , which came in handy for groceries. read more

some of the rudest customer service on the phone. chat option on their website is better

Absolutely terrible and the lack of communication when there are service interruptions and delays in technicians coming is UNACCEPTABLE. If you have the ability to go with another provider, please do. Internet has been unstable for 24 hours and my tech was supposed to be here 3 hours ago. I called them and they said the techs have been delayed all day. WHY NOT COMMUNICATE THAT TO YOUR CUSTOMERS?! read more

I have had Ala Carte Internet Service for 3 years at the rate of $61/month. I get my new bill in August and it is 73.77% higher. That is right, 73.77% higher!!! Have any of you ever seen that kind of price hike on anything ever? Me either!!! I then called in and complained, took about an hour to get through. The agent gave me what he called a "deal" and only raised my Internet 41% per month. I told the agent, "I never received notice of this HUGE PRICE HIKE". The agent let me know, an Auto-Pay customer, the notice was on Page 4 of the prior months bill. WOW! Talk about shadyness from a company. That is super SHADY. Obviously, I will be moving on from this company. I saw a different company for $45/month for basically the same services. Make the switch. One other complaint is RCN charges like a $65/yearly fee just for being a customer. The "Fee" has nothing to do with anything, just another money grab from this company. I would honestly give the internet service an 8 out of 10 for reliability, but this kind of price hike is OUTRAGEOUS and ridiculous!!! read more

Astound sent tech to remove old lines.So very happy with the service and the results reliable,dependable and timely.It took a while to get it done, but worth it. read more

Astound - Chicago - Astound broadband - Internet Service Providers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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They make deals with you for prices for your internet, and then state that they cannot price lock and that the prices can change ultimately. It's ridiculous that this can occur. Ultimately their quality of internet is decent, but watch out for them changing prices on you. I've been with them for years but I'm currently shopping around for a new provider read more

Requested to transferred services, was told it was possible. It really wasn't, couldn't get fiber at the new location. For a service where I'm getting 5% of my original speeds, they are charging the same price. They don't see this as an issue. And they didn't tell me that it would be the same cost for 5% of the service until after putting a new hole in my wall. read more

Absolute worst service. Had issues with my TV with the box not working. Was told to schedule an appointment for a technician to take a look. On the appointment day, technician did not call me to let me know he was here nor did he talk to the building receptionist and just left. I called back RCN to find out what happened and they told me they would reschedule an all day appointment. Called multiple times throughout the day to ensure the technician didn't try to come again. Waited around all day till 8pm and technician still hasn't showed up. Now I'm being told the next available appointment is 3 days out. Absolute garbage! read more

Quite possibly the worst customer service available. Borderline sketchy how much they just want to squeeze a dime out you. Had to jump through hoops just to stop service! Terrible website, terrible customer service, and terrible company. read more

I had Astound for about 8 years. When I first signed up they were great. After a few years my plan rate slowly started ticking up and we were getting additional monthly fees tacked onto our bill that were over $20. It required calling them every year to negotiate a new rate and being offered some kind of "special" discount of a few dollars. When our speed started slowing I called last month to negotiate a new rate for a higher speed and request something closer to a promotion they were offering new customers. When they said I didn't qualify for it I immediately went to a major competitor and was offered a speed 2 times faster for 30 bucks less a month - guaranteed not to go up in price for 5 years. It wasn't until I called Astound to cancel service that I was contacted by a retention specialist and offered the promo rate. Had they simply offered that to me to begin with and didn't give me the run around on the phone for 30 minutes when I first called, and agreed to reduce their fees I would have stayed with them. They're price gouging and I simply was tired of having to constantly deal with their rate increases and negotiating new rates every month. I now have speeds 3 times faster than what I was getting with Astound and a monthly rate and service that is running great. read more

Good luck if you use RCN for internet. If the service goes down plan on waiting a minimum of 30 minutes any time you call for help before you are able to reach a human being. read more

I called for their20 deal for internet. When I went to check out the price more than double

RCN has to be the worst internet provider I have ever had. Their prices are atrocious and their service is literally terrible. They have outages all the time and they won't even tell people when internet is supposed to be restored or connect you with an agent while service is out. They raised the price from $50 to $105 after the promotion was over for the lowest internet possible which is an insane increase and they are useless when there's an outage. If you actually need internet and work from home I would recommend going with any provider BUT RCN. read more

They have become obnoxious. Just like TV providers years ago they ramp up their volume for commercials simply because federal laws do not permit that on broadcast TV etc but overlook it for streaming services it's not just slightly louder it's quite a bit louder and it's annoying read more

The prices are lower than the other options my apartment had. They raise prices after one year, though. Also, lately, the internet's been going out pretty often. Just since May, my internet's been out 5 times. I'd say the service is unreliable and wouldn't recommend it if you can afford better options read more

I was sent a modem that did not work and they tried to charge me a $99 installation fee to fix their mistake. They are impossible to communicate with and they do not call back when they say they're going to. read more

This Company is new in my area .They just start in my area not long ago .I order my internet and they offer 800 Mb for $50.0 if i sign for automatic payment and papeless .I just sign for .and make my first payment.Week latter i have the bill thru the mail.So i sign in the website and canceled my auto pay .Now i went back to make the second payment and they charged $55.00 plus a dollar fee.In other words this is this is the worst company of internet so far in Chicago .I will go back to At&T even if it cost more .Withe them i only pay momtly cost no fee. read more

I had Astound for 3-4 years and didn't have too many problems. My biggest issue has come after cancelling the service. I cancelled my service and returned all of the equipment as instructed by the company itself. However, I'm seeing an outstanding charge for the modem for over $600. I've called over and over, but since I no longer have an account, they keep routing me to the reps who handle establishing service. It's ironic how online it says they're going to charge me due to my account being on autopay, but they won't let me speak to a rep or access my account. Update: They received my equipment 2 weeks ago but didn't check it in. It took me calling for them to do their job of updating my account and removing the charge. read more

Horrible customer support. I had 2 technicians come to my house for them to do nothing. My upload latency was still through the roof and they kept saying my signal was strong. Do not buy their services. read more

I have been a customer with them for over a decade when they were WOW. The service was fine enough when I was paying lower prices. However, the cost jumped up to $85 for 200 mbps. When it went from $75 to $85 last week they told me I was already on some type of promotion and there was nothing else available. When I told them I would be find a new internet company, they didn't offer anything to keep me as a customer. They also didn't tell me that they do not prorate any longer, so I'm on the hook for 3 weeks worth of service I won't be using. Supposedly they made the change last year and somehow failed to communicate that to customers. Seriously, just don't bother with them. read more

They charge you random fees and then can never explain then or refund you. Dont use them, customer service is bad too.

About 2-3x /year the internet drops. Typically takes 1-2 days to have RCN (formerly WOW) repair their distribution amp in the neighborhood. I've been a customer for 15+ years. RCN (aka: WOW) is the lesser of two evils. I'd go back to dial-up before I'd ever give Comcast/Xfinity a nickel. I keep diligent notes about all service calls for the last 15 yrs. Back in 2014, we started regular outages. In 2015, one field tech said the distribution amp at GN28 was acting flaky. That's the local node for distributing the signal to this neighborhood in Glenview. He said they'll make temp. repairs, but sadly, WOW (at the time) needs to update it's equipment. Since then, there's been a problem where the entire neighborhood drops internet due to this node on 3/26/15, 4/9/15, 2016, 2017, 1/4/18, 2020, 10/11/21, 1/3/22, 11/27/23. I'm sure I missed a few times, but mostly due to freezing temps or after heavy rain storms. As of now, it's been down 48+hrs so far. RCN sent a tech to my house to make sure my modem was connected properly, even though I told support that six neighbors all had the same problem since Sunday. He finally realized I was correct & requested a field tech, but said it'll be another couple days!!?? The neighbors are all reporting no internet. RCN needs a "reboot" in both the C-Suite and customer service!!!!! read more

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Astound is horribly slow at setting up new service. I moved into a new building and was forced to use Astound because it is the provider for the unit, but after having a great conversation with a rep to set up my WiFi, I never heard back. After following up and still not hearing back, I ended up with a week without WiFi after I moved in thanks to their lousy customer service and no follow-up. It was almost as if I had never called or sent them any emails. I would pay a higher price to not be stuck with this company if I could. read more

Astound Broadband so my charge went up from $65 to $148 for the same service from one bill to another. contacted them and they just offered reduced service to reduce price. GONE! shitty business model. read more

Absolutely the worst internet provider! I was promised $30/mo if I enrolled in direct bank deposit. But a month later, I was still charged $35. The online agent told me the direct deposit discount was only for new customers. After threatening to discontinue the service, the agent finally said they could give me the discount. Then a month later, I was again charged $35. Another agent said the $30 rate was misinformation and there was nothing they could do to lower the rate. Then when I came back to discontinue the service later in the day, another agent told me they could get me $27/mo for the same plan. I was very confused and upset because if the promotion existed, why couldn't the previous agent get it for me? Then I decided to go ahead with the uninstallation, because I really didn't want to be charged more again and then be told it was misinformation. I asked the agent to set the uninstallation date as 7/14 when my new internet service would be installed. The agent refused and said my service had to end on 7/13 when the billing cycle ended and they couldn't prorate it. So I would have this gap between services. Go with better providers, folks! Even if they cost a little more! It's really not worth the headache! read more

I had Astound internet and cable service i 2023 and 24 and the service was good but the price increased from around $240 to $385 and I could not pay that anymore and decided to switch providers.I returned all their equipment to their site in Chicago via Fed Ex with receipt and they sent me a bill for 183.00 for unreturned equipment. When I called customer service , a young girl answered with a baby crying in the background and said someone would call in a week, no one ever called. Now they sent a notice from a collection agency 10 months later! Terrible customer service, stay away! (NO STARS) read more

If I could give them no stars I would. I have never used there service. But a family member jn another state did. When they passed away I tried to get the bill adjusted accordingly and wanted them to send me the corrected bill in care of my deceased relative and they would do it. Only place that would not work with me trying to take care of there bills. Sure glad I don't have them as my provider read more