Review of Rainier Connect frmrly HarborNetAll reviews of |
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Edit: Well, here it is nearly 4 years since that prior review. All I can say is that I'm very satisfied with HarborNet. My connection is constant and pretty fast. Everything's been working so well for the last 3 or 4 years that I don't even think about my ISP until it comes time to pay the bill! Edit again on 11/19/2009: HarborNet was taken over by Rainier Connect awhile ago but my comments still apply. I've been very pleased with their service. Followup comments:
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If I hadn't been satisfied with their service, I would have left long ago. No ISP is perfect and I don't expect them to be...all I want is good, reliable service at a fair price...Harbornet fits that description. Followup comments:
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Tech Support: Over the last year I have had multiple technical issues, mostly resulting with problems somewhere between HarborNet and ClickNetworks routers. Whenever I called HarborNet about a problem I would only get their answering machine and only in once case did a representative from HarborNet call me back. After leaving two messages for a problem I would end up having to drive to their Gig Harbor office to get the situation resolved. Rate Increase: After 6 months of service HarborNet increased their rate from $28.99 to $30.99 per month on my account while the other ISP rates through ClickNetwork remained the same. I was told that the increase was going to be universal throughout ClickNetwork but this was not the case and the other ISP's through ClickNetwork are still ranging from $28.99 / month to $29.99 per month for quarterly billing. Billing Issues: With my agreement with HarborNet I was paying on a quarterly basis. After two quarters of receiving Invoices via email I requested that my invoices be sent via standard mail since I don't use their email service. The next set of invoices came through the postal service but this last one never came. I did not know that there was a problem until HarborNet terminated my Internet access. When I contacted HarborNet about the lack of service they told me that I was delinquent on my account and that there would be an additional fee to reconnect through HarborNet. When I stated that I never received an Invoice they said that they sent the invoice via email even though I had previously requested that my invoices be sent through the mail (I received the two prior invoices via mail). They refused to reverse the $20 fee and would not release me from ClickNetworks routers until I paid for an additional months service which would act as my cancellation notice even though they wouldn't allow me Internet access for the last month of service that I ended up paying. Followup comments:
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As I have stated the biggest problem is Century Tel, the only source for ISDN and DSL other than cable. A direct competitor, CenturyTel, has the ability to control rates and services, but Harbornet is very active in maintaining their service to me. I have lived here for over 35+ years and would reccomend HarborNet to anyone seeking ISP and general PC assistance. Followup comments:
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So far, so good. I have read that Harbor Net's speeds are slower than Comcast's (though there is a $49/month plan with twice the speed) but I haven't noticed a difference. Maybe that's because I'm not trying to run a game server or other such things- our household just uses it for web access, e-mail, online radio/video, and I use it to connect to my work via VPN. All of these things work great. I could say more good things about Harbor Net, but all really I expect is a constant internet connection with decent speed. This provides that, for a price that is with in $10 of AOL dial up. What more could you want? Ok, one thing I do want is better e-mail. They do provide both POP and web access to e-mail, which is good, but the web interface is so-so and you cannot change your password online- you have to call them and give your password over the phone. Then they charge you $5 to change it. They claim you can't do it online because of security. Come on! My work is a secure environment, and we HAVE to change our passwords online because of security- that way even the system admins don't know my password. I also had a hard time adding a second e-mail account. However, a simple and relatively cheap solution is to use another e-mail provider; I'm using smile mail (www.smileglobal.com); $29 for the first year for 5 addresses, tons of storage, and great services. However, if I were to do it again, I might try Net Venture or Advanced Stream (the other two Click! providers) and see if they have better e-mail. Still- this is a small complaint about a service that is otherwise a great bargain! Followup comments:
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Getting Service was fast, like I said it was over 5 years ago, so I can not remember how fast it was, but I know I was online the same day I ordered it. I started out with dial up, and now have ISDN, as soon as DSL becomes available for me I’ll be bumping up to that. My only disappointment is they do not have 24/7 support, and they are closed on sundays, so if a problem happens on the weekend, I’ll be waiting till Monday for support. Speaking of support, so far if I had a question or a problem I was always able to get the answer to fix it, even if it has nothing to do with the internet, as in computer problems. Now if the phone company can be 1/10th as good as Harbornet, then what a sweet deal that would be  Followup comments:
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Rainier Connect frmrly HarborNet
Tacoma,Pierce,WA
$32 per month
about 5 days
"Relatively cheap"
"Business hours of support"
"Highly recommended"
CenturyTel