Qwest or Comcast interwebs?

January 27, 2010 2:42 PM

Qwest or Comcast internet? (especially in Denver)

I'm moving from Columbus, OH where I have Time Warner. Surprisingly enough I'm satisfied with their internet service. $35/month for 15down/2up. I do not want TV or phone service so I want your opinion on internet only please! Either provider have frequent outages or not able to provide you with the bandwidth advertised? If you have other suggestions for high speed internet in Denver I'm open to suggestions. I'll be moving into Capitol Hill area if that makes a difference. Thanks!

posted by no bueno to Computers & Internet (15 answers total)

I have had no problems with Comcast delivering what they advertise on the internet front. It's tons faster than my old AT&T DSL (that I had for five years or more). They do have a cap of sorts at 250 GB up/down combined per calendar month. I would think the only way to hit that is with torrents.
posted by smackfu at 2:47 PM on January 27, 2010

Response by poster: well i do download quite a bit.... plus without tv service we would be streaming EVERYTHING we watch. most likely in HD. does qwest have a cap yet?
posted by no bueno at 2:49 PM on January 27, 2010

I'm in Boulder and have had both Comcast and Qwest. Qwest had frequent outages, slow speeds and their customer service was a hassle to deal with. I haven't had any problems with Comcast and am quite satisfied with my (new) service. I'd recommend Comcast.
posted by mrrisotto at 2:56 PM on January 27, 2010

Best answer: I'm in Fort Collins (also lived in Greeley for 10yrs)..and I've had Comcast for a very long time (ever since they were @Home.. more than 10 yrs ago) ... even through 3 or 4 different residences, everythings been rock solid with very little outages. I'm not sure I qualify as a "heavy user" (although I too do not have a TV and watch everything online.. and I do do quite a bit of heavy newsgroup downloading).. and I've never heard 1 peep about approaching any download limit. (Not that couldnt change in teh future.. but its been fine so far)
posted by jmnugent at 3:29 PM on January 27, 2010

I'm in Boulder county, and have had maybe 1 short outage a year with Comcast over the last several years, which I think is pretty good. Get ready to pay twice as much for half the bandwidth you're used to. Hopefully you'll get a good introductory rate.
posted by partylarry at 3:31 PM on January 27, 2010

Unfortunately, if you need any sort of reliable speed, Comcast is it. The only reason to go with Qwest is if you _really_ need a cheaper alternative.

I hate both. I wish there were real alternatives.
posted by -t at 3:33 PM on January 27, 2010

Response by poster: no verizon FIOS out there yet is there?
posted by no bueno at 3:39 PM on January 27, 2010

I'm in Denver, near downtown. I've only had Qwest since November, but I haven't had any problems with it. I have their cheapest DSL option, and it works great for me, and we torrent stuff and watch things on netflix all the time. Also, they have a month-to-month option, which was nice since we only need it for 6 mo.
posted by craven_morhead at 3:52 PM on January 27, 2010

i have lived in Capitol Hill and still live very close to that area. I have attempted to get service from both providers. After I stayed at home all day waiting for Qwest to connect my internet and TV, I finally called and was told that they sent someone out, but s/he couldn't find my address so s/he left. I got not phone call when the service person was lost, and they wanted to re-set my connection date for a week and a half later. That may be a one-off situation for Qwest, but I have used Comcast since. They have great customer service. There's always someone to answer my questions, and when I had to have a modem replaced they came out the next day.

As the current situation stands, I get most of my TV by streaming from the internet. I have never had issues (like getting kicked off for downloading too much) with the service.
posted by Term of Art at 4:31 PM on January 27, 2010

I've had both within the past 8 yeahs...comcast all the way. It's faster and has fewer outages. Although I wouldn't rave about either one.
posted by angab at 6:40 PM on January 27, 2010

And by "yeahs" I meant "years." No, I'm not from Boston.
posted by angab at 6:40 PM on January 27, 2010

I've had both. I currently have Qwest, because it's cheaper, but if I had the option to easily choose neither, that's what I would do. Comcast seems a bit more stable, but not so much so that it's worth the extra money.
posted by heurtebise at 7:14 PM on January 27, 2010

I live in Denver. I've had Qwest at two different houses and I hate them. Service went down frequently and customer service was horrible. Comcast is more expensive but generally better.
posted by fieldtrip at 9:05 PM on January 27, 2010

When are you getting here? We are having a meetup Friday. Let us know when you are coming and we will have a meetup to welcome you!
posted by fieldtrip at 9:06 PM on January 27, 2010

I live outside of Boulder and have had both Qwest and Comcast and Comcast is certianly more reliable and faster for a given price point.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 5:02 AM on January 28, 2010