Time for another round of Reader Requests – a regular feature where readers submit questions on where to find products or services here in the Springs, and we all pitch in to help each other out!
Here’s Rebecca’s request:
I would like to find a reliable exterminator here in the Springs that does not require a contract to spray. I have used High Country Pest Control for years. Now, they want to tie their customers into contracts and I’m unwilling to tie up my money long term for this service.
And, SeungHee says:
I’m looking for the best internet service provider in our area; faster and reasonable price. We’ve been using Qwest but so tired of it. We don’t have cable so it is not an option.
Can you help out your fellow readers by recommending an exterminator and an internet provider here in Colorado Springs? Remember, these requests are submitted by bargain hunters so any information you can give on pricing is great!
Please include contact information for any business you recommend if they’re not easily found on Google! If you provide these services yourself, you may post a comment, but please disclose that you are recommending yourself.
By the way, there’s a wealth of information on archived requests in the Reader Requests archives. You can also submit a request.
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WE currently have Comcast, and I loath Comcast, their cust serv is HORRIBLE!! So, I am consider Sky Beam. Have you looked into them?
I’m curious about SkyBeam, too. We considered switching, but got Qwest to renew for another year at the “new subscriber” rates so for now we’re staying.
We have Sky Beam for phone and internet. Someone said it was really expensive for install and I don’t remember that at all. I called whe we got an ad in the mail and I think it was maybe $40 for initial install. We got the faster upload speed and pay $49 per month. Phone is $20 and that included long distance.
Now, to be honest, the phone service is a bit spotty. The upside is that the customer service is great! I have called in and they can look at my connection and try to adjust thing.So, I am not sure I could really recommend their phone service.
But, the internet sevice is great! I don’t really ever recall a time that it has been down and it is really fast. We switched over last May and I have been very pleased.
Overall we have been pleased. Oh, one other thing I like – if you call customer service it is local (well, within Colorado) and that is so nice to me!
If you consider them you need to have them come to your house and test to see what your reception would be. There are places in town that have a better connection to their towers. But they are very honest about telling you if you can get it or not.
We use PCI broadband for our internet and VOIP phone service. They are small and local. I really like them and have used them a couple of years now. I know everyone in the office and it’s personal service. We have super fast DSL and our VOIP line and pay $66.85 a month. It hasn’t gone up in as long as I remember. We too dislike qwest, their service etc. Just keep in mind that Qwest owns literally everything and all other companies must rent lines so in one way or another you will be tied to Qwest no matter what company you choose. Though saying that you don’t usually deal directly with them. I have had a few cases over the years where qwest gets involved because it is a line issue, a box issue etc. Is it awful, yes but then in my opinion qwest is awful but you can’t avoid them and it really stinks. I would highly recommend PCI. Their service is really good and tech support is great. They do have a referral program so if you decide to go with them tell them call Carol and tell her I sent you and you’ll get a month free I think, and I get some sort of credit…don’t remember what exactly it is. Their office is off of Flintridge and Vickers and their number is 264-1111. Good luck!
I say no go on SkyBeam, they charge like $140 for install, plus where I live I don’t have a direct line to their site/tower to get service.
We used Anderson Pest Control about 3 years ago when we discovered black widow spiders in the crawl space. He was recommended by the little old man we had always used but who had recently retired. He was very careful around our toddler and the dog. His phone number is (719) 596-1004.
Call Qwest – most people don’t know they offer VOIP and they don’t advertise it. But, with their DSL and VOIP phone line they are a “bundle” and we get $5 off each service, making our total less than $55 for both options. Not only is VOIP inexpensive, you do not have to pay the fees. Call and check – and you have to ask about the VOIP. But we saved about $30 a month by making the change last summer…
We have had Qwest for 5 years and never had a problem with them. We hated DSL service with Adelphia but haven’t tried Comcast. We use Skybeam at work, it seems fine, though we have bandwidth problems from time to time when all of us are trying to use it on cloudy days. Not a problem you would have at home, most likely.
About the exterminators, I also use High Country Pest Control and I don’t have a contract. I have LOVED the service, we have some acerage and the ground squirels were eating away at the roots of my trees, they came and laid bait for them but at the same time I was talking to him about the spiders in my finished basement (have you EVER seen a sun spider? OMG) and he sprayed for no extra charge. Daniel is just the sweetest man and very polite. I feel very comfortable having him come inside to work in the house while my husband is at work and it is just the kids and I at home. I would definately talk to them and let them know that you need to negotiate different terms. I would imagine that it would be better for them to have some business from you rather than no business.
We use PCI, too, and have been very satisfied with our 3+ years of service. I don’t believe the rate we pay is available anymore, though.
We use Global Pest Control and LOVE them. I don’t think they require a contract, but I think they give you a discount if you do a contract and pay in advance. They are a small local business (love to support local businesses) and their customer service is phenomenal. We have a monthly contract so they come out once per month and also come out if we have any issues between services, like the eight wasp nests my poor husband discovered in the attic last summer after stepping on one! We’ve been using them for three years and I know they’ve raised their fees, but have never raised our fees since we’ve remained loyal customers. We’ve been very impressed. (719) 573-1686. Hope that helps!
also, you don’t have to have cable television to get cable Internet. We don’t have cable tv, but do use cable Internet. I’ve heard a lot of people say they’re unhappy with comcast, but we’ve actually had great service from them for three years. We needed the location of our hookup changed and they came out and did it for free.
A couple of things to think on for local internet services. Most of them are DSL because Cable is a huge investment. What this means for you, is that your neighbor’s speed won’t be yours. Some have great experiences. These are ones who are most likely near the DSL hub. Qwest is DSL and we’ve had that, but were too far away to get their advertised speed. The farther you live from the base, the slower your internet gets and most of them do not reach advertised speed, but because they need the business, they have a no-out clause for guarantee on speed. You can get slower than dial-up in some cases.
Cable is delivered equally to everyone. Comcast does NOT require cable service, we have DirecTV and Comcast for internet. We play a lot of graphic heavy games, so we need a bigger package for $55, however there are some smaller packages that will do fantastically for most people at $45 for regular rates and new subs even lower.
For phone service, we’ve been with Vonage for 6 years. We’ve never had a problem with them, we get calls around the world for free and my most favorite feature is they transcribe automatically your messages and send them to your email. No matter where I am or if I forget to look for the blinkie on the phone, I know right away what my message is. It’s $24.99 a month and all the services and world calling is included. I love the call forwarding and simulring I can set up on the site as well.
With Comcast at $55 and Vonage at about $30 after taxes, we pay $85 for premium internet and a huge huge huge features package with Vonage. If you just want a landline, they have a 500 minute phone package with all the features for only $14.99.
I’d tell my DirecTV bill, but that’s our splurge with movie channels, HD, TiVo and the NFL, MLB and NHL packages… :D
In fact, bundling is actually one of the worst things you can do for your budget unless you are brand loyal. You pay for ease of having one bill, but if you don’t shop around for what fits you and your life, you could be paying *thousands* more a year in services you don’t want or need because you “have to” when bundling.
Just checking the followup box. Oops.
I will chime in here about comcast. We do not have cable (it is not required) but we have cable for internet. It is much faster than DSL. I don’t really know about the customer service because we haven’t had any problems with the service since we had it installed about a year ago and have never had to call. We pay about 45 a month (that is the slowest speed – but is much faster than DSL). We regularly have 3-4 computers hooked up to the internet at a time and the speed seems to be just fine.
Andersons pest control is the best to go with. I have used them for several years now . They are a father and son kinda buisness and great to work with . They do a great job . I have never had to sign a contract.
We don’t have cable, but we do have comcast for phone and internet. So far (we just moved about an hour from the Springs), we’ve had really good service from Comcast. We have a CSR that we can call directly, and when something weird happened with our phone install where we couldn’t use any other jacks in our house, they were out here the same day to fix it! Much better than Charter that we had in Oregon!
Thank you, ladies, for all the information on internet service!
We’re still deciding which one we should try but definitely feel much more like we can find the best deal soon. I’ll keep reading the comments, though, so hope to read more.
I have a wonderful pest control guy that I have used for about 3 years. The company name is ANDERSON PEST CONTROL phone # 596-1004. The owner’s name is Randy. He is great. He makes an initial visit when you are new and then comes about every 6 weeks from March-September. He takes care of all of our ant / bee / bug/ mice…….problems. You will be really pleased with Randy.