Recently I moved to Franklin, Ohio and into a new apartment. It’s the first time living in the Dayton area where I needed to have my own utilities and internet. Previously I lived in campus housing where everything was provided for me, but now I need to get all of that in my own name. Dayton is a large city, but the only place that really provides internet service is Time Warner. They were advertising on television, radio and billboards about a special deal where you could get phone, cable and internet for $80 a month. I checked on the website and was told that the deal was still in place. When I went to make my reservation and appointment though, their website told me that my address didn’t exist.

This wouldn’t usually be a problem, but I knew that my address was in their system. I knew this because the previous occupant of the apartment still gets bills from Time Warner. I finally called their toll free number and the representative found my address in the system right away. He was able to get me an installation appointment for the following day, which really surprised me. I thought I’d have to wait a long time and maybe even a week before they could send someone out. I was disappointed to learn that their special promotion had ended and I was stuck paying almost $70 just for internet and cable.

The other thing that bothered me was that I’d have to keep my plan for two years, otherwise I’d have to pay even more just to get service. Luckily they explained to me that even if I move, I still lock in my rate as long as I move to an area that Time Warner services. I highly doubt that I’ll still be living in the same place in two years, but I do appreciate the offer. However if I cancel my service completely, they’ll fine me for it and if I chose a smaller length of time, my rates would have been a lot higher.

I haven’t had any problems with my cable or internet since they installed it. The internet tends to slow down a little bit in the morning, but since I usually work at night, that hasn’t been a problem. The cable looks great, but they only installed it in one room so while I have a television in my bedroom, I can’t watch cable. I will say that I’ve had a few problems with them calling me quite a bit, but I’m willing to live with that as long as I keep my service.

Rating: 8