Hotwire Communications

Zero stars. The building we live in includes Hotwired internet & basic cable (Dish network). We also have the option of Comcast. Decided to use Hotwire/​Dish for extended cable/​DVR as the pricing was significantly better. You get what you pay for. Service is horrid, any time there’s so much as a cloud in the sky or a 20mph wind, the network goes down. New development, our entire system regularly freezes and the DVR randomly reboots multiple times a day. Technician has been out several times and he has no clue how to resolve, other than replace the box. It’s NOT the box, we’re on the 3^rd one and the same thing keeps happening. Defective everything, epic fail. Switching to Comcast this week. If you have options — DON’T choose Hotwire and/​or DISH!

I’ve had this service for about 1.5 years as it is the provider for my apartment complex. I was glad to get away from Comcast which was ridiculously expensive and horrible customer service. For the most part I’ve only had problems in the past once a month – maybe an outage. However, this past week the internet has gone down FOUR times, including today. I’m sitting here in a café where i had to buy something in order to use their internet. Also, I lost half a days pay because I was working on a project from home and the internet went down in the middle of the afternoon today. I do not know what is wrong with this company. The reviews are bad, but I’ve been pretty satisfied up until now. I am planning to switch to Verizon – it’s more expensive, about double the price, but I can’t have unreliable internet since I need it for work.

Terrible customer service & even worse internet service!!! I live at Summit Park & we are forced to deal with these assholes & aren’t allowed to get different service. My 4G LTE speeds are like 32 down & 8 up but the wifi is like 5 down & 1.5 up. TERRIBLE!!! They say they are «upgrading» by the end of Feb but I feel like suing them for past dissatisfaction & causing my data to go through the roof!

As we speak, my Ethernet connection is again down. I hate that we pay for a service that only works about 40% of the time. I have had to resort to using my personal hotspot on my phone in order to have a stable connection. If our complex gave us the option to choose a carrier, Hotwire would never be on our list. Not worth it… instead, get a personal hotspot from your phone carrier, subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon prime, etc and connect to your preferred services that way. There is really no place to be mediocre in such a competitive field.

Cable and Internet are bundled into our HOA so we don’t really have much choice without throwing additional money out the window.
When it works it’s good but when there’s and issue it will literally be weeks before you get service. Seldom has anyone every solved an issue without dispatching so when your internet or TV is out, might as well check into a hotel with free cable/​internet.

Almost 2 months and more than 6 cancellations later, still have no internet installed. I would go with a different provider but the apartment building I live in has few options. Absolutely the worse service I have ever experienced (I have had every major ISP at some point). At least other ISPs will show up to install your internet! Unable to review download speeds cause havnt gotten it installed. First time I have tried to give a utility money and they won’t take it.

The building I live in offers free TV through Hotwire, which I am fine with. However the internet we are able to set up is through Hotwire as well and is AWFUL! I am a full time nursing student and NEED good internet. It is so slow, frequently is out, and takes forever to reset. Billing was tricky at first — definitely do not rely for the promised email reminders because your bill will be overdue! I am looking forward to moving and be able to have a different service provider!

I’m throwing Hotwire two stars for their customer service, they pick up on the first ring. This is important because you will be calling once a week when your internet is constantly out of service. Repeated calls and service tech visits will solve problems momentarily, but don’t worry, the internet will be out again in no time. Stay away.

My current living situation includes free cable and Internet through Hotwire. No complaints there. I’m not a fan of Dish Network which is what they use for cable. For Internet, the speed is okay I guess. I play Xbox online sometimes with little to no issues.
6 days ago I lost all Internet capabilities for no reason. Called tech support. First attempt, tech guy asked if I reset everything, (routers, ect) duh. I understand they have to ask that. He put me on hold to get his supervisor. After ten min on hold the phone hung up. He probably pressed the wrong button on accident. Second attempt, another tech rep asked politely if I minded to try something different to resolve the issue and he would talk me through. Did what he said and nothing worked. He was as bummed as I was. Then he scheduled a guy to come to my place to try to fix the problem. The soonest they could dispatch someone was in 9 days. I was now even more bummed that I have to go that long without Internet. The company has only one field guy in my area and he’s constantly busy. Third attempt, I called to see if they could dispatch someone sooner. I’m a full time student and I have finals to study for. I needed Internet asap. I got ahold of a tech rep named LaMar and I told him I couldn’t wait anymore to get my internet situation resolved. He had me try something different. I couldn’t stay on the line with him anymore because I had to send him pictures. So through his personal phone he helped get my internet back while he was simultaneously helping other customers through the company phone like a Boss.
Just wanna say, calling Hotwire for support I never once was put on hold waiting to talk to someone. All the tech guys are helpful and kind.

RIPOFF. Pay for 30MBPS and get 1 MBPS connection speed. Support staff is useless, keeps blaming the wireless manufacturer. I tried with 3 different routers and same thing. Everyone in the building complains. I am complaining the BBB and FCC for this. Will report University Crossings too. They are fleecing the students.

If I could give this company negative stars I would give them a minus 5.
THEY ARE THE WORST!
Cable sucks, they sub-​contract Dish, which is not the best option out there to start with. So if you have an issue and you call customer service they are only capable of resolving the very basic like, restart the the cable box, turn it off, unplug it, etc. … that kind of stuff are the only things they can help you with over the phone. If that doesn’t work they ask to please wait on line and leave you there for 30 to 45 minutes to come back you and tell you they need to send a technician. WTH?!!
After a few calls like this I understood what was going on and why they put you on hold… What they do while you’re on hold is that they are calling Dish customer service themselves. How ’bout that?!!
If they set up a ticket to send out a technician, they offer only 4 hour windows and ask you to be present at the the unit when they come. They will be there from 9 – 1 or 1 – 5 and NO weekends. As I’m NOT retired, don’t live with my grandmother –or anybody who can stay home all day– and have a regular office job Mon. to Fri. what they offer doesn’t work for me … and I guess it doesn’t for most folks. If you happen to be there when the technician comes, what he’ll do is that he goes in your apartment, checks the wiring to see if there is anything disconnected (which I obviously have not done) and in a matter of 3 to 5 minutes he’ll most likely say that he needs to go down to his truck and get a new box. He just changes the box and that’s it. In 2+ years I’ve been living in this unit I have had the Cable Boxes changed at least 4 times. I don’t know what the issue is with the boxes but I remember that when I was a customer with Atlantic Broadband for 4+ years the only time they changed the box was when I upgraded to HD.
That is just Cable. Internet is another annoying story. They charge me $ 49.99 for 20Mbs speed. It is BAAAAD. The average speed you get is much lower than that and the times I’ve called CS to complain about the speed, they give me answers like; «If you have a router we cannot guarantee the speed of 20Mbs because by using WiFi you are switching to a complete different network that we did not provide and we cannot guarantee the 20Mbs on that network because it yours, not ours.» …Really? …Who doesn’t have WiFi? …so I’m supposed to go back to 2001 and connect every single PC to the wall? What about iPads and iPhones? …they have also come up with something like; «…the 20Mbs speed you are paying for is just the maximum speed we guarantee, but the average speed is „nomally“ lower than 20 Mbs.» OKAAAAY… …is that why my speed is «normally» between 0.8 and 1.85Mbs??? …so if I get 20 Mbs for a split second during the whole month and the rest of the month my speed is drops to Dial-​Up speeds of the 90’s … they are good. I can’t describe how frustrating and exacerbating it is to watch a rented movie from iTunes or stream from HBOGo. It is ridiculous.
One day I had no Internet at all, after about a week the technician finally came in. After checking that the wiring in the unit was Ok, he went back to the room in the building where they have all their equipment, racks, etc. and came back to my apt. to tell me he had already solved the «technical» problem. What he did was just connect my unit to another jack in the switchboard because mine was damaged. Everything Ok until one day I realize I’m connected to my neighbor’s network and I can see all his public folders and his connected devices … the next day, this neighbor SENDS ME AN INVITATION VIA E-​MAIL TO ADD ME TO HIS LINKED IN NETWORK!!! How did he get my e-​mail??? THIS IS A SERIOUS SECURITY-​PRIVACY ISSUE!!! If I have ever have my Identity stolen, I’m blaming Hotwire and my neighbor for it.
As you can see HOTWIRE IS TERRIBLE in every aspect.
Somehow they partnered with the developer of this building and signed a 10 year contract and this condo is stuck with them until 2016. Because of Hotwire I will not be renewing my lease next March and will be leaving this condo. If you are out there looking for a place to buy or rent and the building has a deal signed with Hotwire, believe me, it is a DEAL BREAKER!!! Stay away from them as far as you can!

VISIT THE REVIEWS NOT RECOMMENDED… AKA, the 20+ bad ones that they hide from the 2 semi– good ones.
Cable TV always loses signal, when you call the number on the screen they tell you they can’t help you and to call someone else. I lose service when someone SNEEZES… DREADING THE FIRST REAL SNOW STORM.
AND NO ON DEMAND LIKE OTHERS…$ 7 movies only. Give me On Demand for channels I pay for.
HORRIBLE

This is the sorriest internet service that I have ever had. Unfortunately, my building has some agreement with them so I am unable to chose another provider. Not only is the internet spotty, but it is nearly impossible to get in contact with anyone if you are having an issue. All of the phone numbers available on the bill or on the internet do not work if you are having any technical difficulties.

Chirtoian JAcob was a great help…

Sadly, I have Hotwire Communications. They have a monopoly on the building in which we live, so we are unable to choose a different provider. which we would have done a long time ago if we could have.
#1, The satelite signal is very spotty. They recently fixed and amplifier on our hallway which has helped, but I’m incredibly angry it took 18 months and a too many service calls to get to that point.
#2, you can’t get On Demand. They say you can, but I’ve called, I’ve asked, and we can’t. But they still advertise it on their website.
#3, the technicians you call with issues are useless. They will ask you if you’ve reset your system, then they’ll schedule a repairman to come out. Recently, the repairman walked in, checked the settings on my computer (something about a fixed IP address??), and walked out within 2 minutes with everything working fine. I was LIVID! I am not a very tech savvy person I admit, but the repairman knew to check my laptop first. Why couldn’t I talk to a competent technician on the phone and save everyone some time?
#4, the repair visit windows are four hours with no exceptions. I have better things to be doing from 9a-​1p (or 1p-​5p) during a weekday, as most folks do. Sitting at home for four hours for a three minute fix is infuriating beyond belief.
#5, when it isn’t a three minute fix, the repairman will likely try to give you a new DVR box or a new modem instead of finding the problem. I’m an avid DVR-​er, and lost all my DVR-​ed shows several times because of whatever issue and the repairman decided it warranted replacing the box. And we’ve lived here less than two years.
#6, The digital bill pay system they use is annoying and unreliable. I hope you like paper bills, because if you wait for the email reminders that you sign up for, your bill will be long overdue.
#7, they are a middle man for Dish Network. Dish Network wouldn’t be my first choice on its own, so I especially cannot support having to deal with an incompetent middle man for a service I’m not that big of a fan of to begin with.
I can only hope Philadelphia Management Company drops Hotwire and finds someone new.