I am not sure why Zoom Broadband gets such low reviews; maybe happy customers don't write reviews. But I do.
We needed internet at our rural property and the only possibilities were some wireless setup like Zoom or satellite. Everyone I know who has had satellite internet service has ended up disappointed, mad, and out money. I called a few places for DSL service and they invariably connected me to a satellite provider. So I googled a little and found Zoom in Marshall, Texas.
Our place is very rural. When I realized Zoom used Tmobile cellular service I almost returned the box that came from them (surprisingly fast-1 business day after my order). Why? Because I tried all of the major carriers (Tmobile, Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T) on an unlocked phone and they all had terrible-or no-reception. Calls were spotty, and data was non-existent.
My wife convinced me to try it out. To my SHOCK, it worked; and not just a little, it worked well. I ended up adding a signal booster (WeBoost) and was able to get the same speed we get in town using cable internet. Our cable internet went from 20 daollars a month to 80 for no good reason (same service) except that our "new customer" discount ended. Okay, maybe we will be a new customer of the cable company someday, but we are not customers now.
A few reviews I have read mention Nikki, a CSR at Zoom. I have emailed and called Nikki twice. Not only was she helpful, she called me after hours to fix a small problem (she fixed it). Cellular internet is pretty simple: towers are connected to the internet, they send a signal to your modem, and your modem sends a signal back. The lights on the modem indicate your signal strength, power status, and network activity. In short, the modem tells you 80 percent of what you need to know, and 100 percent of what you can control. Zoom doesn't own Tmobile. Some European company owns Tmobile, so if Tmobile is having a problem, there's not much Zoom can do. Nikki is direct because she knows the modems and the service inside and out. I like that. I HATE calling CSR's who start at the beginning of a dummy script ("Is your modem plugged in?") in broken English with a thousand voices in the background and delay while your call is bounced to India or wherever. Nikki called me while taking new modems to UPS-from her car. She even called after hours. She speaks perfect English. That's real customer service.
Zoom Broadband is a winner in East Texas. It isn't just the best of the bad choices for rural properties; it is actually great internet service.
We have not had any problems with billing. Our bill is paid automatically and Zoom communicates clearly about when the charge is about to occur, and when it has been done.
It is pretty amazing to be sitting in a rural cabin that has almost no cell service and barely has electrical service, and be watching Netflix in HD on a large screen TV, or televideo conferencing. Wonders never cease.
Zero complaints. read more