Innovative DSL-Don't Do It!

I know. I had it once as well. BroadbandVI for me. Formally Ackley in STT.

I'm using Innovative DSL on my phone line and it seems to work OK....Why would Broadband VI be better? More speed?

I've found that everything Innovative sucks. I too highly recommend Ackley/BroadbandVI! Great speed (for the VI) and outstanding customer service.

I also use Innovative DSL, and everything works fine for me. (knock on wood, lol)

I tried to use broadband and for me it sucked. Service went out all the time. Their customer service was great, but I assume my location is bad for their service. When it did work I noticed no difference in speed from my innv dsl. So I'm glad I kept innv while I tried broadband out. Going thru the process to get the modem was a pain. But so was getting electric and phone.

In regards to speed Ackley ( broadband Vi) Is the best..........

Innovative is a joke. After a month of waiting for DSL I gave up and brought back their modem. They missed every deadline. They showed up unscheduled. You have to deal with each division like they are separate companies. There were interminable delays trying to get through to customer service. I got a call from them today telling me that the bill I just got was wrong--a difference of $140.

BroadbandVI was considerably more responsive. It took less than a week and the speed is decent compared to my Sprint Card.

I was thinking about ditching Innovative telephone but I need to make a lot of business calls to the mainland. Anyone use an Internet phone at this kind of bandwidth:?

There was a thread about VOIP about 10 months ago. I didn't read through it (I'm guessing that things might have changed by now). I've had VOIP here in Virginia for about 3 years. Here's what I've learned:
- I had Packet8 at first (for 2 years):
------ a little cheaper than Vonage (not by much)
------ all of the same great features
------ no additional charge for calls to/from USVI
------ calls to USVI often would not connect (probably 80% of the time) - it took me a few months to figure this out... then they admitted it
------ a virtual phone line is only $5/month
------ you can take the VOIP box with you on travel (I took mine to Divi/STX last year.. it worked)

- I switched to Vonage about a year ago
------ reliable calls to/from USVI
------ USVI calls are 6 cents/minute
------ everything else about the same

I've used VoIP here on STT since Ackley began offering the service (about three years I think) and it's a pleasure to be an Innovative-free household!

I have an Ackley/Broadband VOIP as well as our Historical Trust office, no problems!

Innovative is a joke. I have had their DSL as well as BroadbandVI for many years. When I set up my DSL account I requested autopay via my credit card. I also requested a static IP address so that I could host a server on one of my computers for $5 extra per month. About a year later I get a past due notice from Innovative. I explain to them that I am on autopay and can't possibly be past due. They tell me that they can autopay the monthly DSL charges but the $5 per month for my static address will have to be paid by check. CRAZY!

Vonage only worked OK when using Broadband VI. OK for personnel calls, but not well enough for serious business calls. You would get pauses and sometimes sentences would get lost. Another problem was making local calls in the 340 area code was treated as an expensive international call. At the time I had Vonage they did not offer a 340 AC.

Jim

I forgot to add one the best features of VOIP (IMO)... call forwarding... you can:
- have incoming VOIP calls automatically (and simultaneously) forwarded to your cell phone
- so, if I'm in my office and a call comes in, it rings my office/VOIP phone AND my cell phone
- that means that if I leave my office and someone calls the office/VOIP phone, I still get the call

I think that all VOIP providers offer this.

Jim, I know what you're saying about pauses or dropped calls. I still get this with maybe 1 of 20 calls. So, it's not as robust as land lines, but in the research business that I'm in, it doesn't cause any awkward business situations (maybe my awkwardness far out-shadows phone problems!).

Thanks for the responses about VOIP. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the rate for Innovative LD is 8 cents a minutes. I average an hour a day, and so that's roughly $100 a month in LD. That's a good case for pulling the plug.

It's shocking that Innovative bills each service separately. I had no idea that was the case until I stood in line at their office by Sunny Isle this morning. After I wrote two separate checks, I asked the lady if she could provide details on the telephone bill because it seemed high. She said to sign up at customer service and they could tell me. I declined to wait in another line...

It sounds like Innovative DSL is working OK for SOME of the people that already have it. But the way they treat there customers they are probably headed for bankruptcy (after they emerge from their current bankruptcy).

Innovative is still two companies with one name. The merge didn’t really merge them. I really don't find their customer service any worse then anywhere else on island. We have to be the ones with the smile and the charm. But isn’t like that stateside with any business that doesn’t have to compete? And let’s face it; no one is giving them a run for their money with phone or cable. To get hook up with satellite is still too expensive for most of the island population.

I am the master of smile and charm! I didn't say they were rude or unfriendly. Everyone, except the supervisor who never called me back was very nice, but I will go on the record as saying... dishonest and inefficient! I know the first level guys say what they are told to say. The supervisor did not return my 3 messages, and it's business as usual.

My first job as an adult was with Southern Bell in Atlanta. Boy, were we ever trained!. We had a stock answer for every situation. I will say that every response started with "I'm sorry, if.....". Also, nobody stayed on hold more than X seconds. I don't remember, but it wasn't long, and there was no dead silence on the line. If we were researching a problem with the customer on the line, we had to speak like every 10 seconds. I find myself now saying "Are you there?" all the time. The answer is usually "yeah". It's a different time.

I've installed internet connections all over STX and in some places on STT for years now. The service is great in some locales, lousy in others. Doesn't matter which provider you have, you have to figure out which service works best for you based on where you live and what options you have there. Unfortunately, you must do the trial and error on site to find out which is best for you. Customer service is also spotty at best. If you want consistently honest, pleasant and efficient customer service ... well, you know... 😉
Jeff