What is Digg?93 Comments
- mrdirkdiggler, on 10/26/2007, -3/+92Oh no... major, major suckage. I mourn the loss of my favorite ISP. It's a black day :(
- ChiefUCF, on 10/12/2007, -0/+46So if I go to buy business DSL in the store, are they going to have an internal webpage that lies to me about how much the service should cost?
- Wolfman~K, on 10/12/2007, -0/+38A retailer owning an ISP? yuck....
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+38*cancels Speakeasy service*
- BornWithRage, on 10/12/2007, -3/+38makes perfect sense. best buy needs a secure connection to run its store-only scam website.
- mitrovarr, on 10/12/2007, -1/+26Seriously, given the goals of Speakeasy and their customer base, I can't help but think they're doomed. Their customers are the exact sort (highly technical with long-term internet experience) that will refuse to deal with Best Buy and leave in droves. Plus, I can't help but expect that Best Buy will corrupt their service, making it cheaper and friendlier for non-techies, but taking away what made it different. It'll just be another ISP.
Someone had to have a dramatic and total failure of business sense to let this happen, on both sides. - Valdar729, on 10/12/2007, -1/+24Does this mean I can cancel my speakeasy contract? I love using their service, but with Best Buy taking over I want to get out as soon as possible.
- TheBlindGuy, on 10/12/2007, -4/+24Did you know Best Buy spelled backwards is Satan?
True story. - pyrox420, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14We'll there goes the Network Neighborhood...
- forcedfx, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15One of the largest and certainly most popular DSL providers in the United States has been acquired by Best Buy, according to the two companies. The plan is to run the company into the ground, and promote its GeekSquad service.
- forku, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16oh *****
- whiledo, on 03/25/2009, -1/+14@mrdirkdiggler
Same here. I've loved their service, but this is the end of all that. Best Buy has a history of buying great companies and then turning them into soulless automatons. They're making a big deal out of how it will continue to operate independently and will be separate from BB. But either they're lying through their teeth, or they are deceiving themselves. It NEVER stays that way.
Here's the most insulting part of the e-mail they sent out to customers:
Best Buy, like Speakeasy, is known for its high level of customer service. Our reputation as a trusted provider of voice and data services with stellar customer service will not change. Our values are similar too -- Best Buy shares our customer passion, respect for individuals, and drive to do the right thing while achieving results. - mysticalone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12"No, I do not want 'Best Buy's Protection Plan' on my DSL package. I know there are hackers, viruses and especially scammers"
=/ - hanapbuhay, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9I agree. This is a strange combination...
- PhillyMJS, on 10/26/2007, -2/+11I use Speakeasy because they give me static IPs and let me run servers. Their support is also highly clueful. I ditched Comcast for them in early 2003, and I have been very happy with them. I've been paying $100/mo for 1.5Mb down/768Kb up, and just this weekend upgraded to 3.0/768 for an extra $10/mo. My employer pays $50 per month, so it's a great value for me.
I damn near wept when I read the email this morning, because my first thought was that Best Buy will do to Speakeasy what they did to Geek Squad-- utterly ruin it.
I'm sticking with them for now, but if things take a turn for the worse in the future in terms of service, support, or anything else, I'm shopping for another provider. - floridiot2, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10I honestly read it as: "The plan is to run the company into the ground."
I had a chuckle. - isaaccs, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9It would appear there isn't a single positive thing to be said by anyone about this.
I've been with Speakeasy, and have highly recommended (and indeed been dually compensated by Speakeasy for doing so) them for the past two years. Their tech support is generally very knowledgeable (ie, if you know what you're talking about, they realize it and escalate issues without making you "check your power supply" before talking to you), if somewhat limited by the fact all physical work is performed by subcontractors and telcos (Verizon clipped the copper for my Speakeasy connection mulitple times).
If everything stays the same, I'll stick with Speakeasy for the time being, but I was really hoping for a reason to stay with Speakeasy even after FiOS becomes available in NYC and this looks like.... well, the exact opposite of what I was hoping for.
Another great independent company who really valued its customers, treated them intelligently and well (anyone else go to one of many parties they've thrown?), swallowed up. - adml_shake, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9"Its not that unusual. Back in the modem days Sears owned Prodigy"
And that worked out REAL well for them... - panique, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Speakeasy has been on the decline over the past 12 months. I liked them. No, loved them. Loved them so much I had them at home, and installed 3 Speakeasy lines in my family's business.
All is fine and dandy with them until there's a problem on the local loop, which is what happened at my former residence. It's a big fracas of finger pointing between Covad and the Telco. I ended up after my ticket was open for 30 days, 3 visits from different Covad techs, and 2 visits from Telco techs. It ended up with my local loop disconnected by the Telco and only after the fact did they tell me I was looking at 10 BUSINESS DAYS of down time. I had Speakeasy VoIP too so I was left without phone service as well. ***** that I said, dumped them in a heartbeat, went to the mall and got an EVDO card from Verizon to tide me over until I could get Comcast in.
More recently, we had a similar problem at our warehouse. The best they could do was downgrade my service. Some crap about the loop length...they had no problem selling me capacity that was beyond spec for the known loop length, and it worked just fine for a time. Something happened to degrade the pair of wires running to our facility. I pushed hard and insisted that they get Covad to provision a different pair with the telco, citing all the previous capability to operate at higher speeds. They wouldn't even try to go there, after all the money we paid them for years. Guess what...Comcast is wiring that building in the coming months, and Speakeasy will be out of the warehouse, and eventually out of our other two locations too.
They used to be the best and I would stake my reputation on it. This is no longer the case. - ksadya, on 10/26/2007, -2/+8I wrote a little letter to the CEO of Speakeasy to let him know what I thought:
Dear Mr. Chatterley,
I must express my deepest regrets that Speakeasy has been acquired by
Best Buy. As its name implies, Speakeasy is a company that has
founded itself on customers who want what no others can supply:
excellent reliability and customer service, simplicity, a broad array
of essential services, and much more.
However, after hearing that Speakeasy has partnered with a company
which I despise, I find myself in a predicament. I am involved in an
active boycott against Best Buy for all their business wrongs against
me. I find myself asking, do I continue to promote Speakeasy as the
best ISP I've had the pleasure of dealing with, or do I promote the
fact that Best Buy has acquired it? The latter has heavily negative
connotations in my circles.
I understand that my letter is of little consequence this late into a
business decision, and that I am but one voice in a crowd of silent
seas. I ask that you please keep these sentiments in mind as your
company progresses. Should your customer base begin to change, the
likely cause is that which I've written here; that Best Buy is not a
company that I, or many of my peers, would choose to do business with.
My sincerest regrets for such a successful business,
-- signed -- - laserdisc, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I'm with you, sure Speakeasy is more expensive but they're worth every dollar. I've had bumps with Speakeasy but they were CHAMPS when it came to resolving issues. It's a sad day that of all the companies to acquire it would be ugh... Best Buy. They ruined Geek Squad and now they'll ruin Speakeasy.
- JangoFett, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Yeah, I originally read the title as: " The plan is to ruin the company as a subsidiary"
- paulexander, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5NOOOOOOO ! ! !
Now, I'm going to have to fill out a rebate coupon every month to pay my bill. - Merrick178, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5People, Chill down. All this means is that there will now be 2 speakeasy websites. One that you see while at the building signing up for the service that promises you great rates and top notch service. And then the one you'll view from your new connection, that shows you porn and says "lawl n00b u just bauht ***** interwebs!"
- fodder650, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Its not that unusual. Back in the modem days Sears owned Prodigy
- sportsbetting, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4That is most unfortunate.
- cloudyprison, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I can see their Internet troubleshooting support now.
"You are having Internet connection problems? We'd like to send out a Geek Squad Agent to take a look at it, if we find you are a moron, the problem is easy to fix, or we can hide it in someway, We will be glad to charge you a trip fee of 129$." - BigDelite, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Welcome to the Suck! Geek Squad meet your doom.
- bhaugh, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Speakeasy, I love you—I LOVED you, past tense—but sorry, PEACE OUT.
Oh, and I'm in San Diego—good riddance, CompUSA. - Y0tsuya, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Clerk: "Do you want to purchase the extended warranty? You never know when the connection will go down."
Cust: "How about just fixing the connection?"
Clerk: "But you get a free new replacement connection if the old one ever goes bad!"
Cust: "???" - cprincipe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Nothing like a company generally known for good customer service getting bought out by a retail giant that hates its customers.
- Van3ck, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Yeah, I just received the notification email a couple hours ago, and was not very happy about it.
I've been using their service for about 4 years now, after telling Comcast to SUCK IT. I've never had a complaint until today =( - uownedge, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Very sad, for sure. In my dealings with Speakeasy, I've had nothing but good experiences, and can't think of a single negative comment I could make towards them. Unfortunately, I can't even come close to saying the same for Best Buy.
Such a shame... - cloudyprison, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Excellent, another question I'm going to have to say No too. Those poor poor non commission little sales monkeys are the tools of their corporate masters.
- KernelPanic, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Now who am I supposed to recommend?
KP - jefbob, on 10/26/2007, -0/+3@chris5977 - Not everybody has a land line phone. I know i don't. I might pay $10 more for my internet with the cable company than the phone company, but if you add the price of the phone line I wouldn't use, then its senseless to go with the phone company.
- PhillyMJS, on 10/26/2007, -2/+5@Y0tsuya
I am well aware that there are other DSL providers out there. Speakeasy came highly recommended before I switched to them, and have provided me excellent service in the four years since. I don't want to see Best Buy turn them to *****, that's why I'm unhappy with this development. - BWhaler, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I have been a customer since very early on. I loved the service, and was willing to pay more for it.
But, as others have pointed out:
1. Speakeasy has been slipping. Service is still better overall, but it is no longer worth the premium. After being a residential customer for many years, I switched to Comcast. Sure, we got crappy service and an installer with attitude who took the time to lecture my wife about why our Tivo was a dumb purchase, but now that fat dude is gone and all that is left is an internet connect at 10x the speed--yes, that much faster--at 70% of the cost.
2. We still use Speakeasy in the office. Given the purchase by best buy, we're gone though. My CTO emailed me this morning with a copy of the email and his intent to find another provider. I know the CEO and investors just want to get liquid and get their money out, and that is cool for them. But as a customer, I am taking my business elsewhere as BB is one of the most disgraceful companies in the world.
A sad ending to an otherwise good story. I just hope folks made some money off of this...(outside of the scumbag VC's) - FishRHuman2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Damn. When I first read this I thought that best buy was buying a speakeasy--cheap beer!
- treed, on 10/26/2007, -1/+3The real benefit of using Speakeasy is that they promote the use of the internet as it should be. Unlike a lot of other ISPs, they don't have Acceptable Use Policies that deny you the right to run servers on your connection. They also (I'm told) have top-notch support.
- jamespa66, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4I think this sums things up pretty well!
- thelastdyingday, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2http://www.bestbuysux.org/index1.html
read most the anti-bb comments.
now i just go to compusa or fry's electronics - dorianh49, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Maybe not if you buy the PSP.
- ksadya, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2CompUSA just closed all of its San Diego stores...
- Seidoger, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Nah, It'll simply become "Geek Squad Online"
Oh and it'll come as de facto with all their computers. - Van3ck, on 10/26/2007, -0/+2I have Speakeasy Onelink DSL service because I don't HAVE a phone company.
- paulexander, on 10/26/2007, -0/+2You're right, but for some reason, phone companies have a completely different mentality from ISP's.
Phone companies don't understand the web, and don't want to. They price things differently, based on connection times and distances. Most importantly, they visualize their connections differently. A telco system was just different enough from routers and data lines. Even now with the advent of VoIP and data based phone networks as opposed to audio channel based networks, the cultural shift is still occurring.
So, naturally, the retail mentality is a perfect fit!! - mahmoodsdotjpg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1speakeasy used to be such a great gaming ISP too =/
they ran a nationwide quake 3 server network that finally gave parity to the team deathmatch scene, allowing relatively fair-pinging competition. hell, they used to sponsor a quake3 team in a gaming studio back around 2000-2002!
RIP spkz, you served us well. - dgp1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Boo!
I will cancel when my contract runs out. We have a $400 T1 line with Speakeasy.
I can't imagine a worse company to sell out to. - prothid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I loved my Speakeasy lines before I moved and had to consolidate to something cheaper.
I even got a service credit once for notifying them of a bug in the http://my.speakeasy.net site. -
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