• KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    9
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    11 months ago

    First, look into 5G competitors. They have higher latency but usually decent speeds. Unless you’re playing tournaments in competitive video games, they work just fine.

    Then, call your ISP with a complaint, and say you’re considering moving over to that competitor. You have to actually be willing to make the move though, because retention lines are starting to care less and less about actually keeping you. I had one actually just say “okay done the line is cancelled.”

    Be sure you actually call them on their bullshit though. “They aren’t as fast” may be true, but “I don’t actually need the speeds you’re offering 99% of the time.” “They have high latency” again may be true, but “I don’t actually use the internet for anything that requires an obscenely low ping.”

    It’s annoying to have to do, but you can save money with it. And you may actually find a competitor you’re willing to make the move for, saving yourself some money in the process.

    • ripcord@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      11 months ago

      For me, unless the 5g has truly unlimited usage, data caps (even slowdowns) would be a bigger deal than the latency.

      One provider in my area does 1Gbit truly unlimited, the other has 1Gbit but with 1.2TB caps (which we would probably hit each month)

      • KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        11 months ago

        That’s a good point as well, and people should likely check their own current cap as well, because a lot of people don’t realize they have a cap already.

    • habitualTartare@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      11 months ago

      My choices are Verizon FiOS and Xfinity. I’d rather stay with FiOS than move to 5G because I do have some applications that benefit from 1% highs being <20ms ping. Plus when I looked at 5G the pricing was still around that $40-50 range for a decent line of service.

      It’s just annoying because FiOS has a “2 year price guarantee” for new subscribers but is shafting my prices after 12 months. Xfinity is ~$5 cheaper but setup fees are ~$200 and I have to buy my own modem if I don’t want to pay the $10-20 rental fee. All that assumes Xfinity doesn’t raise their rates in 2 years.