Review: Applying for PLDT MyDSL Home Broadband Connection

Me thinks 2012 is really a Lucky Year for me. I am hoping 2013 will even be luckier. 🙂

I’ve been having trouble with our SmartBro Home Wireless Canopy connection especially at the start of December. Slow loading and getting cut off from the net from time to time. This is bad news, I have to have a reliable and stable internet connection at all times as my freelance work and blogging projects hinge on it.

The techguys from SmartBro have been at our house countless times that I bet they know our rooftop intimately now hehe. On their last visit, the technician finally said “Maa’m we have to report this as ‘Field Close’. Your connection strength signal is 73; minimum acceptable to SmartBro is 90. We have raised the masthead with the canopy as high as we can make them. We have also tried moving the masthead to different locations.”

Yep, the masthead is really high now, Look!

SmartBro Canopy Antenna at the Rooftop

*It towers over everything within 30 meters radius, I think or I could be wrong about the distance approximation lol. The roof is that of the two storey house of my grandparents.

And Yes, they have moved and transferred the MyBro canopy antenna attached to the masthead to different locations on the roof previously. 

The rooftop is our dad’s domain; he can get pretty, pretty cranky when someone is up there on the roof and not stepping on the G.I. Sheets with the precision that he expects. I felt sorry for the Smartbro guys at times when they are up there hehe.

Anyhow, hopeful that I am, I still say ‘nahhh let’s give it a few more days,  I’ll call again if nothing changes and connection remains intermittent during the day (connection at night was better that time)’.

After a few days, connection was not intermittent. It was almost gone like nada like the signal flew to Mars or something.

*Almost* because you can connect for 5 seconds then lost connection for 3 to 5 minutes, then you repeat the whole cycle. Lol. Our SmartBro internet that time was pretty useless. So Yes, I finally had it and I’ve decided to cut our Canopy connection provided by SmartBro which they are now calling MyBro by the way.

We went to the SmartBro office in SM Cebu last December 23 and made a  request for ISP disconnection. We still have 7 months from our contract with them but they waived the disconnection fee and any penalty charges simply because the problem lies with their service. SmartBro can’t deliver on their ISP service commitment to us. 

***********************

Next decision – What new ISP to get? PLDT MyDSL or Globe or Bayantel DSL or what?

I of course did the only logical thing – post a shoutout question to Facebook and wait for a flood of response. Lol.

Responses from friends and relatives were skewed in favor of getting PLDTMyDSL but all suggestion comes with warnings “Expect PLDT to be so delayed in processing your application.”, “You will need to give a bribe to the installer or sales agent to hasten the application”, “They (PLDT guys) are so slow, expect at least 3 weeks to a month before mo makabitan.” There were really lots of concerns and warnings along those lines that I was expecting for the whole set-up to be done by end of January 2013 or later.

What transpired was this… Thank you PLDT Personnel!

I went to the PLDT office one Tuesday morning (December 18) and Saturday (December 22) the wirings have been installed and Sunday (December 23) we have our PLDT MyDSL connection fully functional. So far so good and I am happy with it, seems reliable now that this connection is wired. Three houses of cousins surrounding our house are all on PLDT and they recommend PLDT for Home Broadband. I really don’t know why I’ve chosen SmartBro in the first place. 

I by the way got the PLDT MyDSL Bundled Plan 1299 that comes with Internet and Landline. Plan was for speed up to 1 mbps. I wish I can afford the High Speed Plans but I have to work with limited budget. The land line comes with added freebie of free long distance calls to PLDT phones for a year which is a sweet deal.  😀 

PLDT MyDSL Charges and Fees – Bundled Plan P1299 – 1 mbps:

*Landline Phone and 1 MBPS Internet Speed

*P1,299 Monthy Service Fee (MSF)

*P1,100 Installation Fee Phone and Internet

*P1,200 PLDT Wifi Modem and Router in one

*24 Months Contract

*Free 1 year NDD PLDT to PLDT calls

*Free Caller ID for the first three months, add P99 on top of MSF if caller id service will be continued after trial period.

Modem and Phone for PLDT MyDSL Bundled Plan P1299

Contrary to the concerns and warnings about getting PLDT MyDSL:

1. Submitting application documents and signing our new ISP contract was fast. Their CSR at their Mactan office was really helpful. In case someone from PLDT Cebu is reading this, she was a morena with a bit of wave to her hair. Bummer, I didn’t get the name but she was really helpful when mom and I were there.

I only requested, if possible, to have the set-up completed before Christmas because I was desirous to be online during the holiday. She said that they will try but can’t promise. Well, they delivered above and beyond my expectation. Lucky, lucky me! I had Facebook for Christmas hahaha. 

2. PLDT was quick to install our home broadband connection; it took 6 days from the day the MyDSL contract was signed and not the three weeks that I was readying for. The tech guys arrived at our house to install our MyDSL wirings and whathaveyous around 6 pm to 7 pm on a Saturday! Came back to do the final checking et al on a Sunday! It was Sunday before Christmas, impressive. Kudos!

3. No, I did not give ‘bribe’ or strike an ‘under-the-table’ arrangement with any PLDT staff. Nothing of that, the application process was by the book and it was a seamless experience.

I don’t know if my awesome experience in applying for a PLDT MyDSL Broadband for Home Connection was an exception to the norm. I don’t know if I was just plainly lucky to have applied for the P1299 Bundled Plan at the right time when there are available connections in our area.

But if I think about it all, the PLDT staff whom I interacted with from the CSR during the application process to the technicians who manually set-up the wirings at our house, to the 171 Hotline Staff I talked to today so our Free NDD PLDT to PLDT calls will be activated and another 172 MyDSL Hotline staff to personalized our modem’s wifi name – they all showed commendable customer service.

Excellent service more often than not only stems from a customer centered culture of a company. At this junction, hats-off to PLDT and their employees.

Trust me, if I will encounter consistent poor service from PLDT, I’d update this post sooner than a flash hehehe. 

Give credit where credit is due. Be Positive and Positive Vibes and Happenings will follow you.

Merry Christmas Everyone! Cheers to a Prosperous New Year!

UPDATE: April 29,2013

Seems like I was a lucky applicant. My aunt who paid for her PLDT connection last April 10 is still waiting for  the PLDT Home technicians to come to her home and install the package she availed of. It’s almost 3 weeks now of waiting, not good. Tsk.

NEW POST! PLEASE READ —> Why Oh Why PLDT? Your service is nearing bottom pit.