RCN Washington

I wish I could give zero stars… So sad that’s not an option.
I am more than excited to join another cable company after the despicable customer service received through RCN. I have never encountered a company with such terrible interpretations of what customer service is. I was never asked how my experience could be made better until I called to CANCEL. When I first signed up, I was not made aware of all charges, even though I specifically asked if there were any charges I should be aware of. Every month after this, I received a bill with some sort of error. When I called to inquire, the tone of the agent always seemed to be an «I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is» attitude. To top off the horrible experience, RCN always has a way of leaving out critical information during phone calls. Although I told an agent I was cancelling three weeks ago, I wasn’t told the complete process until I called to get and pay the final bill. RCN is so manipulative to customers, and knows the right amount of information to conveniently leave out of the conversation. Glad to be leaving, and I’m sure I won’t be missed.

So disappointing!!! I will be discontinuing my services. With the frequent rate hikes, slow internet connection and poor customer service. RCN is up for an Oscar. I thought Comcast was bad. I guess it’s an open game of monopoly. SO the cable companies are in competition to see whose the worst. Unfortunately, in today’s fast pace culture we rely heavily on our internet and cable services. ALL Required from the cable provider is Great service and affordability. This is what customers are asking for! PEROID

Cons:
– I have a desktop that converts to a television, which I’ve had for four years & which I’ve used to watch t.v. mostly– I had to disconnect the cables almost once a week in order to get the t.v. feature to function with RCN. Sometimes, this entailed calling RCN and having them assist with a signal; I never had this issue with my previous provider. Also, the t.v. guide often wouldn’t show up.
–I purchased the cheapest internet/​cable package for $ 39.99 2.5 years ago, as I have limited time for t. v… Word of advice: read the fine print. As of two months, RCN was deducting $ 70 a month for internet & a poor selection of mostly local t.v. channels; almost a 100% increase. I cancelled the cable service last month & am now stuck with a $ 39.99/month internet bill.
Pros:
–The customer support is WAY better than it was with my previous provider Time Warner Cable (HORRIBLE, read their online reviews for unbelievable tales & a good laugh). For the most part, RCN reps are trained well in the area of customer service which is a rarity within the industry & just in general nowadays. The reps are patient, knowledgeable, and understand frustration for the most part, which is a pleasant relief. Some have gone above & beyond to assist. I had a pleasant transaction within their DC location as well when returning the cable parts.
– I have never had any real problem with wireless internet speed on my laptop, and I am at 25mpb. However, there are usually only 2 devices at most using the internet in my small unit, so I do not say this to take away from the reports of speed issues from other Unilocalers.
Would recommend based on the customer service alone, in all honesty, as respect for time and professionalism go a long way and I cannot tolerate piss poor customer service anymore.

We have RCN with our HOA, so I have to pay for it. Literally every 3 – 4 months we have to have someone replace our modem or a cable box. Internet is s-​l-​o-​w. My kids hate using it when they come over. Phone service and technicians are very nice and helpful.
I am beginning a campaign to remove RCN from our HOA. Terrible.

Totally, totally… INCOMPETENT!
I was lured into trying out this company due to their low prices, and advertised internet speeds. Verizon also missed their appointment with me as well, so that was an added insentive to try RCN.
Now let’s get to the good stuff (spoiler alert: it’s all BAD)
They arrived on FRIDAY for the initially scheduled service installment
— They gave me a spiel about how Comcast and Verizon cables are already in my unit and they would need to remove some crown molding in order to access their cables. (bullshit)
— No biggie, I had my carpenter come over the next day to remove the molding among other things
Fast forward to SUNDAY (the date that I setup for a reschedule)
— Technician is an hour and a half late… later than the two hour window that they already provide
— Technician has no clue what to do, and gives me another spiel about how he needs to break into a lock box in the trash room
— Tries to make me wait for another «technician» to come and take a look at the situation… I declined, because I already know how that will turn out
I’m tired of these bullshit artists, posing to be «technicians», when they don’t know a damn thing about what to do. Pure incompetence and lack of integrity; not to mention a waste and disrespect of my time.
Fuck RCN, I will not be «trying them out»…I need some internet connection, so I will reluctantly return to trying out Verizon. Verizon is dodgy too though, FMLuck.

My roommate and I have RCN for internet and cable. Our internet stops working at least once every two weeks, if not every week. We’ve had a technician come out, and nothing was resolved. I called this morning because we didn’t have internet, and they told me the standard «unplug your modem, plug it back in,» and I asked why this continued to be a problem. The customer service person’s response was, «Sometimes modems are just like that,» and insisted the problem was not their own. The rep then told me he used Verizon in his own home (which I found hilarious) and then said he has to go to the roof sometimes to get a signal. Never was a solution presented, never did they offer to compensate – they just continued to insist that having no internet was completely normal.

I just got off the phone to discontinue our service as I am moving and they don’t service my new building. I’m pretty sad about that because the whole process has been painless from the start. When I called to set up my account, I was ready for an hour-​long fire storm of back-​and-​forth like I’ve had with TWC in the past but my account was set up in 15 minutes and a technician was over the next day. He was a bit late but extremely polite and thorough. He took one look at our wireless router and explained that we weren’t going to get fast internet with that old thing (true, it had been there in the group house for at least 4 years) and made some recommendations as well as what specifications I should look for in purchasing a new one to make sure we got the most out of our internet. I went out and bought a new router (he didn’t try to sell me one, which I appreciated), and have enjoyed high speeds ever since.
I will say that we have noticed a 20 – 30 minute «blackout» period every 2 weeks or so, kind of randomly the speed will tank. It never lasts too long and it’s never been a major issue for us.
The customer service, the few times I’ve had to call them, have been exceedingly nice and polite. I have enjoyed every interaction with RCN employees — in person and on the phone.
Now that I’m moving, I called to see if we could continue service at our new place, but unfortunately cannot. The customer service representative was very nice and set up the turn off date in just a few minutes. Now to turn in my modem, I can either print off a prepaid UPS label from their site and ship it in, or go into the store in person. I’ll probably ship it, and it’s definitely nice to be given that option.
I’m sorry to go but if my next move puts me in their service area, I’ll definitely be back! Thanks, RCN for 2 wonderful years!

I have no choice but to use RCN — it’s the only cable company my condo is wired for. I have had both Comcast (awful in MD, worked great in DC) and Fios (worked great but isn’t widely available), and RCN compares unfavorably to both. It is definitely «off brand» but the prices are outrageous — for basic Internet, landline, and cable with TiVo, it’s $ 130/​month — and the Internet is at dial-​up speeds a lot of the time. For Comcast I was paying under $ 100/​month for tv, Internet, and phone. They don’t have any «triple play» deals or anything like that. I used to get those deals and not even hook up a landline, but now that I want a landline, RCN offers no such deals. Their tech who came out to fix my cable (losing all our TiVo recordings in the process) was telling me all about their «new updates» — which are things Fios and Comcast have offered for a long time. Also, they quote you a monthly price and then add on $ 40 worth of taxes and fees that weren’t quoted in the price. Pretty frustrating. I wouldn’t recommend RCN if you don’t need to get it.

I have the highest speed package at 155Mbps and I average around 15Mbps.

I am shocked how consistent the Download/​Upload speed is for their cheapest internet tier 10mb/​1mb. It’s been pretty reliable for my PS online games, and am able to download large work files with no problem. I am in an large apartment building FYI (typically better fiber setup). Signed up online easily and technician came when they said he would and he was nice and fast, and even spent extra time to make my older (but compatible) cable modem work with their service. May consider the bigger tiers in the future, but for now since I’m rarely home, this makes sense.

Agree completely with the last few stellar reviews. Good prices, great customer service, very reliable. Also, look at the competition, I think in my building I can choose between Verizon (expensive and not very fast around here), Comcast (DEAR GOD NO), and RCN. The choice is clear!
I agree with the guy who rewrote Journey’s «Open Arms» for RCN. Couldn’t have said it better.

I had RCN for a little over a year. Their prices are incredibly reasonable. They were able to come out and install the next day. I had zero issues with my service the entire year. When I called to cancel my service (because I am moving) they were nice and extremely helpful. I would definitely use RCN again.

I don’t understand the good reviews.
I’ve had RCN service for almost two years. It works well 90% of the time, and 10% of the time it’s extremely slow or the connection doesn’t work at all. Customer service is poor, I’ve had representatives claim to fix the problem over the phone, and then when I’ll call again a few days later the person on the other end will tell me that there’s nothing they can do. The inconsistency is frustrating.

We have had RCN for our internet almost 2 years. So far, very reliable service, and the speed has been consistent as well. My husband works from home and teleconferences frequently during the day, so this is very important.
The reason I am writing after all this time is that our condo building had to request cable wires to be rehung to the building. Ours was the only wire that had been hung correctly to begin with– which seemed indicative of RCN as a whole and made me doubly appreciate them as a company.

I was skeptical of choosing RCN after reading reviews on this site, but after struggles with Comcast over two years, including non-​existent customer service, inexplicable monthly price increases, and dial-​up era speed (if that fast), I decided to take my chances with RCN.
I can only speak for the internet service as I did not buy a combo package. (This was also the only cable company that didn’t try to force me into a cable/​internet/​phone combo package as part of the low, low price.) I’ve had RCN for a year, and everything with this company has been easy and painless. My installation was performed as scheduled, 15 minutes in to the two hour window. My service has been consistently good, both in speeds and continued coverage (no sudden loss of service).
Plus, their customer service is outstanding. I had my credit card stolen and canceled right before my auto-​pay bill was due — I got a call from a real person, that same day, checking in on the payment and offering the quickest way she could reset my billing. This was DAYS before the bill would have been late, and the whole process took about two minutes.
If you have the choice of choosing RCN — do it! Don’t hassle with Verizon and Comcast.

I’m extremely satisfied so far. I got the 110dl/​15ul mbps internet package and I consistently get 110+ mbps when running speedtests via wireless connection. Netflix runs smoothly and I have yet to experience an outage. I used my own modem (Motorola Surfboard) and router (Airport Extreme).

First off, I really dont understand all these bad reviews on here!
When I moved to DC, I first signed up with Comcast because it was cheaper than RCN. Nothing worked, customer service was absolutely terrible. I decided to cancel (free cancellation within the first month) to not have to deal with it any longer and then signed up with RCN. I got the basic internet package — 50 mbps for 40USD including modem rental. This is about 10 USD more per months than comcast, but well worth it for not having to deal with comcast customer service ever again.
All my interactions with RCN customer service were great. They are very helpful and actually know what they are talking about. Since I am moving overseas, I cancelled my service. Cancelling was easy (over the phone).
I would definitely recommend RCN to anyone that can get their services!

I had the choice between RCN and Comcast upon moving into my apartment last year, and after hearing such horrible things about Comcast, I went with RCN. I’m glad I did. The ordering and installation of internet/​tv was simple, the monthly cost was reasonable, and I liked that I was able to get it without being tied to a contract. I never had any problems with service interruption.
I’m moving to a new building that doesn’t offer RCN, so I called to cancel and it was easy enough. Plus, I like that you can call ²⁴⁄₇ to cancel service and don’t have to wait until Monday. I’d use RCN again if it were an option.

After having RCN customer service for 3 years, 2 things were clear.
1. I was spoiled.
2. I had taken them for granted.
Seeing shiny new ads from Comcast, and constant mailers offering rock bottom prices; I decided to throw them to the wind. A wind that would subsequently boomerang and rock me like a hurricane.
After I said my peace, a kind voiced woman by the name of Jackie called me up from RCN a couple days later. She asked if there was anything they could do to bring me back. She did her best to offer me a deal that was comparable to Comcast’s, but simply could not match or beat their prices. At the end of our conversation, I asked if I could have her number. She gave it to me, and I was a bit curious and surprised that she did not affix an extension to it.
Well after the most nightmarish and hell-​like scenario with Comcast, not having two technicians show up, sending me a self install kit when my service couldn’t be self installed, and generally transferring me like an unwanted stepchild… I realized that I had made a huge mistake.
So I called the number Jackie gave me, I wanted to see if she could remind me of the price she quoted. To my complete surprise, it was her personal desk phone, with customized voicemail «Hi! You’ve reached the voicemail of Jackie at RCN, I can’t come to the phone right now.» At that point, everything clarified. The customer service that RCN had provided epitomized the customer service we wanted with our cable/​internet company. After all, I rely on quick internet as I telecommute for work.
I called her up today and explained how Comcast had done me wrong, and how I realized that I had made a huge mistake. Jackie accepted me back with open arms: So I wrote this song for her: (Funny enough, I didn’t have to change too many lyrics)
Adaptation of Open Arms From Journey
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -
Crying beside you, here in the dark
No cable or internet you’ll find
Softly you whisper, you’re voice is dear
HBO for 5.99!
3 years together
We drifted apart
But now again by my side!
So now you come to me with open arms
Comcast is ratchet, believe what I say
So here you are with open arms
Hoping you’ll see what your service means to me, open arms
Living without you, living alone
This empty house seems so cold
Wanting to switch back, hoping you’d hear
How much I wanted you in my home
And now that you’ve come back
Turned night into day
I need you to stay
So now you come to me with open arms
You scheduled a technician, 2 hours from my call
So here you are with open arms
Hoping you’ll see what your service means to me, open arms
— — — — — — — — — — — — -
The end of the story is that upon calling Jackie at 12:45 and literally spending 15 minutes on the phone with her, she brought back my service AND scheduled a technician to come out between the hours of 2−4pm.
Repeat: Likening to a magic cable wizard of sorts, I ended my call with her at 1pm, and she has a scheduled technician to come out between 2−4pm the same day.
Thank you RCN for accepting me back with Open Arms. My next review for you will include the popular 80’s pop hit «Never Gonna Give You Up» by Rick Astley.

RCN wasn’t available in my area– but I needed to call their customer service. I got connected with a person right away who was really helpful. They didn’t have service for my area, but they recommend
which shows available cable internet providers where you live.
I appreciated the rapid customer service!