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Windstream

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92 User Reviews

3.6

Overall Score

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1-(844) 334-8806

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: August 26th, 2024

Windstream began as a telephone company called Allied Telephone Company in 1943 based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Since then, Windstream has merged with other businesses to expand its service offerings and areas serviced and has become one of the many emerging providers giving access to rural areas. Windstream offers wireless, copper, fiber optic, cable, and broadband internet service.

Windstream offers internet speeds up to 1 Gpbs (1,000 Mbps) and provides unlimited data with no caps.

Customers should also know that Windstream filed for bankruptcy in February 2019.

Windstream provides internet service to residential users and businesses of all sizes. Windstream’s services are available in parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas.

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The Good

  • High-Speed Internet Service
  • Internet Security
  • Bundling
  • Customer Service and Support

High-Speed Internet Service 

Windstream offers high-speed internet service with speeds up to 1 Gbps and no data caps. These speeds are some of the fastest internet speeds in the industry. Here are three Windstream plans:

  • Kinetic 200
  • Kinetic 500
  • Kinetic GIG

The monthly cost of these plans varies. Additional taxes and fees, like an equipment fee or activation fee, may also apply. If you are also looking for TV service or phone service, Windstream offers deals when you bundle these.

The download and upload speeds available may vary depending on the plans in your area. Enter your address and zip code on Windstream's website to view specific information about your options.

Internet Security

Windstream customers can also add an internet service security package to protect their computer and internet against hacking. Windstream offers several security packages with prices ranging between $9.99 and $14.99 per month depending on the level of security a customer wants:

  • Connect Secure — $9.99 per month; internet security, Wi-Fi agent
  • Self Secure — $11.99 per month; Wi-Fi and whole home agent, identity theft protection
  • Total Secure — $14.99 per month; internet security, whole home and Wi-Fi agent, identity theft protection and Protection Plus

These customizable packages ensure that you can get the coverage you want without overspending for services you don't need.

Bundling

Windstream is also a TV provider and offers other communications services. It provides satellite and cable TV service, phone services, cloud services, and security services. Customers who are interested in purchasing another Windstream service in addition to internet can receive discounts.

Customer Service and Support

Windstream provides customers with 24/7 support. The company also provides how-to guides online that are helpful with setting up email, internet access, satellite and Kinetic TV, and phone services. These guides also cover other usage questions and have a live chat available to customers. Customers can receive help with their internet connection, router, modem, and TV service. 

Customer satisfaction is important to Windstream. Customers have access to an online account that they can use to pay bills. Additionally, customers can sign up for Windstream services online.

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The Bad

  • Limited Availability
  • Fees

Limited Availability

Windstream internet access is limited to 18 states. Some areas in these states are not serviced by Windstream broadband. You can check availability on the website by inputting your address. The upload and download speeds available, internet packages, and bundling options may also vary depending on your area.

Fees

Windstream does charge an early termination fee, an installation fee, equipment fees, and an activation fee. Customers have to pay for the equipment they use, like a router and modem. Some of these fees are waived for certain promotions.

Be sure you know whether you are getting a special price for only a certain promotional period and know what the regular price is before you sign up.

Windstream does charge an early termination fee of $20 per month remaining on the contract.

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The Bottom Line

Windstream is one of the best broadband providers to consider when looking for high-speed internet access. It offers a high broadband speed in many locations and has great customer support tools. Windstream is a reliable choice. Customers can also pay more for internet security services and save by bundling Windstream services.

Customers should be aware of promotional rates and offerings. Windstream customers must purchase the internet equipment they use, like a router and a modem. They should also carefully consider early termination, equipment, and activation fees associated with Windstream internet service before signing up.

If you are a consumer or business owner in the area serviced by Windstream, it is an internet service provider worth choosing.

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User Reviews

Star Rating

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1.9

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92 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

12%

4 grade

7%

3 grade

8%

2 grade

4%

1 grade

70%

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Dan Gilmore

Windstream has no real technical or customer support. They throttle your upload speed to about 0.04 mb/second. Technicians never show up at all. I have been waiting for over one month for a technician to show up to fix my ugly slow connection. The customer service people are in India and they are rude and never follow through with reporting customer service requests. They hang up on customers before customers can even tell them what the problem is, and they will lie to you 99% of the time. Windstream only delivers about 4% of the advertised speed. The only way they respond to customer service requests is if you file formal complaints with the FCC and USDoJ. No kidding. No joke. No exaggeration. I literally visited their corporate offices in Littke Rock, Arkansas on a trip to Arkansas to complain and that was an 800 mile drive and they still haven't fixed the issue - they are a monopoly I'm my area of North Carolina. Their lack of delivering on advertised services has literally destroyed my business. I am going to file a $1,000,000 lawsuit against them for real damages.

4 months ago

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Christina Hirsh Dalton, GA

I was hesitant because it had one star reviews everywhere but my spectrum wasn't working at all and they were offering 3mo free +$45/mo after, no contract. So I did it. I have high speed internet, on multiple devices and hardly ever have any issues. When I do have issues bet if I drive down the road I see a Windstream tech working on something. They have good, human, English speaking customer service. I can't complain. I've had them 3 years, after taxes and all I pay $53/mo

4 years ago

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Charles E Mickler

The company provides excellent internet speed and quality at a reasonable cost and provides regular upgrade offers to improve the service as such becomes available. Customer service can be somewhat slow and online service isn't always the best.

6 years ago

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Don Richardson Somerset, KY

Windstream was at one time the only provider in our neighborhood, and they made sure that you were aware of that. So when we got another provider I weighed the options between the 2 and believe me Windstream was not even in the running . So when we made the decision to change I called the number listed, explained that I would like to cancel their service. After listening to the sales pitch to stay I declined, and literally while I was on the phone with them they turned our service off. Great right? Got a total of what we owed and payed it. Then waited 3 weeks to get the return package for the modem. So low and behold Windstream debits another $96.18 from our account saying that this was the final bill? So I contacted Windstream and was promptly told that even though I didn't have service it made no difference to them (Windstream) because I had cancelled my service 2 days into the next billing period. Absolutely one of the most dishonest companies out there. Also after talking with my financial institution I guess this is one of Kinetics income streams. I would not recommend Windstream to anyone, if you need service and they are your only choice try going to satellite.

11 months ago

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AVA MARINO Live Oak, FL

3 stars for the service techs that come out and customer service reps, the internet itself sucks, had dsl and it was ok but went out alot, got fiber now and supposed to have 500 mb and cant get past 30mb, it drops constantly, resets itself alot, pages spin to open, had techs out alot, changed wires, modems, etc., the office is retarded, cant get things straightened out, still dealing with it, when someone new comes along like google fiber or svec fiber, Im switching in a heartbeat!

1 year ago

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Machelle Alamo, GA

Windstream is a good company, I like them we didn't have a choice several years ago but I heard other people complain about the other companies. I also have windstream at work so, I think they are good. I wish is was cheaper.

5 years ago

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Dawn Smith Alachua, FL

They are the only provider in our area. I've had dropped service since September (it's November 28 today). The service will just stop working, and I'll have to reset the router. Six calls for support and it's still an issue. Then, the Friday after Thanksgiving, a line went down. I had already called in a ticket. I got a text saying it was part of an area-wide outage and my ticket would be cancelled. After that, there was no more communications via their text messaging system. I called and got representatives from some outsourced location whom I could barely understand. Each time, they were telling me "It'll be fixed by 12 am (the next day)." Well, that turned out to be complete lies. Friday went by, then Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and most of Tuesday before I finally had a tech come to my home. This was a horrible experience with no communication from their end. I do work from home and the kids need Internet for their college classes. We can't just take days off like it's no big deal. At no point did I feel confident that Windstream would take care of me. I've been a customer for 18 years because I have NO CHOICE. If I did, I'd have left them years ago.

1 year ago

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Donald Warren Atlanta, GA

Their customer service does not include any service. I have called in twice because my service was down. The first time it took them 2 weeks to repair it and the second time they couldn't even get a technician out for 7 days. I called to cancel my service and waited on hold for approximately an hour and a half, then leaving a message for them to call me back No one ever called back. I went on line to attempt canceling but it said that I had to call in in order to cancel service. I attempted to return the modem to their store and was told that they couldn't accept it because my account had not been officially closed. I told them that I haven't been able to reach anyone to cancel it so how am I expected to accomplish that.

1 year ago

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mcac Hoschton, GA

If I could give negative stars I would. This internet is the absolute worst internet we have ever had. It never works, constantly going out, always have to reset it. They have been out several times and “fixed” it which never lasts. You have to wait for weeks for repair person to come out because obviously they are backed up due to their horrible internet. The kinetic chat customer service is extremely rude, they don’t care, and unprofessional. The problem is we live in a city in one of the largest counties in Georgia where they are the monopoly internet. Everyone around us in same county has way better internet options but not the city which is well developed, and no reason why other providers can’t come in to give us options. I think part of the reason they are so rude and don’t care is because they know we have no other choice. It’s 2023 and we have this monopoly for horrible internet where we can’t do anything. This is ridiculous. I am willing to pay more for better internet . We pay $84 per month for internet that barley works and goes out constantly all day and everyday. It’s been like this since we lived here 2016. I am trying to see if and when someone else will become available. If windstream is an option for you DONT use them. They are horrible!

1 year ago Edited August 8, 2023

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Tim GA

We are on our 3rd day of no Internet!!! We are told that it is due to a broke cable at the ‘service center’??? This is typical of windstream service so buyer beware!!! We contacted windstream on day one of the outage and have spent over 5 hours on the phone with their customer ‘no help’ line! We were disconnected at least 4 times after being on hold for over 40 minutes & we deliberately hung up on twice more after that!!! For a company as large as windstream you would think that they could repair a their ‘broke cable’ within a few minutes or possibly one hour tops!?!? Unfortunately the inept idiots running this company value customer dissatisfaction over customer satisfaction! If at all possible avoid windstream like the plaque even if this means paying a higher price with another provider if available.

1 year ago

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Jacob Lester Albemarle, NC

they lost upgrade info and purchase, and the last 2 months i have had a technician out here every week to fix the internet and it gets worse and worse but they are the only option in my area. literally the worst service out here and my connections on games or wifi signal is 2000ms-5000ms like where is that connecting? another country? this service has been awful for years continues to be awful and no matter how much i ask them to make it better they only make it worse. they need to do something or pay up to have people switch off it. my grandmother in WV in the middle of nowhere has better service than i do.

1 year ago

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Rose Carbonara New Hope, PA

Disconnected service in the beginning of 2022 and was to receive a refund of $6,821.60 for my business. Both myself and accounting clerk called no less than 20 times and have spent hours on hold and trying to get this resolved. I have invoices from 2022 and 2023 showing the credit owed.I received a check today in the amount of $5,659.43 (short of what was owed by $1,162.17). I spoke to three customer service representatives telling ;me they made an adjustment to my old bill. This is unacceptable that they now can say that they did not charge me properly prior to my disconnection. This is just an attempt not to pay me in full. I never asked for interest on my money that they have held onto for 14 months! I will be going to the Better Business Bureau!

1 year ago

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Don Earles Excelsior Springs, MO

I had Windstream for a couple years and had problem after problem with the service. Whan another company came to the area I moved to them. I cancelled service on April 19, 2023. I was then charged for a full months service on May 10, 2023. When I called in I was told that I didn't cancel until May 10. When I proved that was a lie, I was then told it was my fault for not cancelling service on the service date. It took me 3.5 hours on the phone and multiple calls to finally get them to admit that they messed up. I now have to wait a week to get a refund of money that never should have been stolen from me. This company is not trustworthy and the customer service is terrible.

1 year ago

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Arthur Live Oak, FL

What a garbage company. It takes 10 minutes of listening to a robot to get to a service rep, and then they are all Foreign with a tenuous grasp of English at best. I got a new line installed on my property, because this is the only service offered in my area, and we have had to get 5 technicians to come out in the first week. They gave us 3 refurbished garbage modems that didn't work, and when they do get it running it cuts out within 24 hrs. I have been on the phone with their dog water customer service for over 12 hours in the past week, and nothing has been resolved. Avoid this service at all costs, and god forbid that it is also you only option.

1 year ago

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Megan Matheny Chicago, IL

I was a loyal customer of Windstream for MULTIPLE years (2.5+) I got my intro deal and then they kept increasing my internet prices. The service was somewhat reliable but I live in rural MN so it was my only option. I never missed a payment on my account. I cancelled my service with them in Sept of 2022 because Verizon internet finally came our way and it was SO much cheaper. When I called to cancel, the rep told me I was all set and no further payment would be needed. Fast forward to the end of Nov 2022, my husband and I get an urgent notice from them saying we have an outstanding balance and we are getting sent to collections. I quickly paid the bill to avoid getting sent to collections but called the next day to understand where this random $10 charge came from. After calling their team 5+ times, we were met with a different response every time, sent to numerous different departments because no one knew what was going on, rude customer service agents and were ultimately told if they reversed my payment they would still send us to collections. ABSOLUTELY horrific experience and will never use them again.

2 years ago

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Terri Dershem Tulsa, OK

The service is VERY VERY BAD. The signal appears to pulse through the phone line and constantly kicks you off. The speeds are extremely slow to the point that the refresh pause happens several times an hour, and there are outages several times a month for most months, sometimes lasting for several days to weeks. When you call customer service, they always have an excuse. If the repair people work on the station by our house or it rains, we know our internet does not work for several days. Windstream is the only option besides satellite. Its hard to work from home when you do not have reliable internet. It should be criminal to charge someone as much as they do and not consistently provide useable service. I Have been promised several times that they would credit my account for the outages that last for days but have yet to see the credit on the account. I would NOT recommend Windstream to anyone!

2 years ago

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Joshua Richmond Lexington, KY

Customer service is very unhelpful. When talking to them over the phone, they seem like they don't know what to do outside of a script. I've had 600 ping with 5mbps download speed (when I should be getting 15mpbs) for the last 3 months and I've been stuck in an endless round-robin with calling tech support, them running tests and rebuilding my connection, then saying that the problem still looks like its there, and then say there's nothing they can do further except schedule a tech to come visit my house. When the technician arrives, they seemingly have no idea why they are there or are given very little information about the situation. I have had 4 routers and 6 technicians all come to my house to fix the situation and STILL haven't been able to. When I ask to speak with a manager or boss of some sort; they say there isn't anyone to talk to but them. I have 7th technician scheduled to come fix this this Wednesday and I have no hope for them to be able to fix it. Easily the worst company I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with.

2 years ago

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Jacob Reichel Meadville, PA

I like nothing about Windstream, absolutely nothing, I've had Windstream my WHOLE life. And throughout my life Windstream has been the biggest headache, but when it's the only one available to you in your area, you don't get a choice. reliability is atrocious, latency and high ping will be a constant annoyance unless you get lucky every once in a while. If you're like me and need it for video games prepare to constantly play single player games. If you're like me and need it for downloading and uploading prepare for long wait times and to hog the whole household's bandwidth. about the only thing that doesn't blatantly suffer is watching YouTube (at 480p) if you have a choice, DO. NOT. CHOOSE. WINDSTREAM. I BEG OF YOU. give them the cold shoulder.

2 years ago

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Je Mart Fairview, MO

When you are the only company in town, you do as you please and lie so you can continue to screw your customers. I don't think the internet has enough room to store all my Windstream complaints. I've had their poor service for years. They spend forever to answer any support calls. There is no hurry to correct problems, usually 3 to 5 days.. However they never forget to send a bill for services they don't provide. At one point I was logging a service issue about twice a week. They put a block in so I couldn't report any more issues until they cleared the previous ticket. This went on for months and they simply didn't clear the recurring ticket. If I ever need to move, I WILL NEVER MOVE TO A LOCATION WITH WINDSTREAM PHONE, INTERNET OR TV. It's simply out of the question.

2 years ago

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Chucky Norrris

Received a cold call from Windstream with their promotional fiber internet service. Let them know I wasn’t really interested but after further discussion, I was offered a lower monthly rate than I’m currently paying guaranteed for 18 months. Scheduled 1st install (live by myself and it was stated somebody 18 or older must be home to let tech in) so I took a vacation day. Tech showed up and determined construction needed to be done at the pole and couldn’t install (this was documented in notes associated with my address). They proceeded to schedule three additional installs and each time couldn’t install due to needed construction at the pole. Four total vacation days lost and they had the audacity to ask for a fifth install date! All the while I’m receiving calls to sign me up for their service. I could barely understand the the person coupled with incessant dogs barking in the background. Good price, maybe, but you get what you pay for. Consumer beware.

2 years ago

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Jak DeKay Atlanta, GA

No internet, won't be fixed until monday. Supposedly. Last time this happened, the internet was out for a week with NO compensation to our bill when it wasn't even OUR fault. Fix your crappy customer service, no wonder you went bankruptn How do you expect people to pay you, when they work solely online and have no way to get online to work?? We cannot pay, if we do not have money because of your shotty service. FIX IT. Everything. Your customer service, the way you handle comping people, the way you repair your connection, your connection in general. You promised us outstanding service and now that you have us trapped with you and only you, you refuse to actually provide a service. Amazing. Absolutely mind boggling way to handle a service.

2 years ago

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Jennifer Johnson Brooksville, KY

1-left the outside door open to under the house. 2-Left a piece of lawn furniture sitting in the yard without putting it back, 3- left a big long wire from pole laying in my yard. 4- took my neighbor's lawn chair off her patio and used it to climb in to cut a wire from her house. 5- the pole they needed to work on was in her yard. Left that wire hanging and laying in her yard also. 6- left the zip ties and wires they cut laying in my neighbor's driveway. 7- They was the worst for outside I have ever dealt with. I had to go behind them and clean up and take care of my neighbors concerns. 8- my stuff still loads slow and I have the 400 speed.

2 years ago

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Donald McElroy Ephrata, PA

I was a loyal customer for more than 20 years, first with D&E Jazzed, then with Windstream, then with Kinetic. I finally made the decision to switch providers. I discontinued all service except online email monitoring (intended to do for a month, to monitor people who had not changed to my new email address). The cost was less than $4 per month. Then, I tried to close my account. Nothing worked. Phone calls went unanswered. Online account access did not allow for account closure. Paying the final bill small amount and writing Please Close Account on the invoice and check did not work. We are now so tired of trying to get this done, that we simply return each new invoice without a payment and will a Please Close Account note written on it. We're now up to $35 and counting. We will NEVER pay another cent to this company.

2 years ago

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Shabby G

Windstream/Kinetic is without a doubt the worst internet service I've ever had the misfortune of having. Being so rural my options are limited. But the lack of customer service, regardless of how many times we call, and the "outages" are hair-pullingly outrageous. The high prices do not warrant such slow and despicable speeds and reoccurring disconnects. Windstream forced us to upgrade our router and ever since we did, the disconnecting has been worse. The representatives I've called have been kind, at least. But it doesn't excuse this awful and terrible service, not even a little bit. If you have the option, jump ship to a better provider.

2 years ago

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Nukesnipe Dallas, TX

We had Windstream for around eight years or so as they were the only ISP in our area. The best plan they offered was absolutely atrocious at only 5 mbps down and 1 up, which translates to at most 625 kb/s down and 125 kb/s up. We could not upgrade from this, and as a result using the internet was dreadfully slow... and this was if it was working as advertised. Outages were frequent, to the point of 2-3 times a week for hours at a time. Even when the internet was working, we were often only getting half capacity, making streaming video or downloads nearly impossible. Furthermore, they did not allow us to modify router settings. I could log into the router and do, for instance, port forwarding, but no settings would stick. Their support was extremely unhelpful, barely spoke English and tended to be very rude. The instant another ISP, Nextlink, became available in our area, we switched and never, ever looked back. Their entire business model revolves around garbage service with no alternatives. If you have ANY alternative in your area, even Comcast, I urge you to avoid Windstream like the plague. I wouldn't use their service if they paid me to.

2 years ago

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Review Source

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Shel Thorne Boyertown, PA

This company is clearly double dipping with EBB funding. I’ve contacted lifeline support and there is an investigation that has started due to their handling of people’s applications. I applied and got approved for EBB back in June, I called windstream my provider and spoke to a customer service rep who told me to download the kinetic app and fill out the windstream EBB application. I filled out that application and was told it could take 3 billing cycles before it was approved. 3 months later I receive and email from a kinetic service rep stating that my EBB application expired and I have to reapply. WELL OF COURSE it expired, they’re taking 3 months to get to your application, causing you to not be able to have your credit applied to your account. How is it our fault this company took 3 months to approve an application? Very ODD they make you wait 3 months, the same time it takes for your EBB application to expire. An abuse of funds claim has been filed with lifeline support against this company so I urge anyone who’s dealing with this FRAUD to call lifeline and file an abuse of funds claim. Then to make matters WORSE, I applied for LIFELINE, being that my EBB application was supposedly “expired” and got approved 09/02/21. I emailed the customer service rep back and gave her my Q code to apply to my account. She told me that I was expired again. HOW!?!? It doesn’t expire until November. This is literally not okay. This company needs to be investigated. People get approved and need this help. I contacted corporate and explained my entire situation, they got back to the woman helping me and told her I’ve signed up with a different provider which is NOT TRUE. I live in the country and there’s no other provider for my area. LIES. They are doing everything in their power to not implement this help for people and it’s disgusting and this is ILLEGAL. We should not be forced to be played with like this. Once we are approved, stop playing games with people’s lives and GIVE THEM THEIR CREDIT. Disgusted with this company putting people already struggling through HELL. Anyone going through this I urge you to reach out to lifeline support and file an abuse of funds claim against this company. The more claims filed they will be forced to investigate this FRAUD. You don’ t hear about any other company putting their customers through this. DISGUSTING

3 years ago

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Phantasm333 Broken Arrow, OK

I live in the middle of the city of Coweta, Oklahoma, yet the absolute fastest internet Windstream offers at my address is 15 Mbps. MegaBITS. Not megaBYTES. So 15 Mbps download, with an even worse upload of 1 Mbps. Not 1.5 Mbps, which is the minimum standard that must be met to be considered broadband speed, but 1 Mbps. Now to be fair, I have DSL. DSL is distance dependent. If I lived closer to the point with which they provide the data stream I would have a much faster connection. Here's the main issue: Windstream has been telling me for the last 3 years they are going to update in my area to 1 Gbps download speed. IT'S BEEN NEARLY 3 YEARS SINCE WINDSTREAM PROMISED ME I WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO FASTER INTERNET AT MY ADDRESS, and they promised me it would be done within 8 months. I am paying $55 per month for 15 Mbps internet, for a total of $105 per month to have Windstream provide me super slow internet and landline phone service. Well, guess what I did yesterday, Windstream: I shut off your service to my address because I found a competitor with far superior, well, everything. (not listing the name to avoid my review being accused of being fake. Their service rocks. I often don't wear white socks.) So, comparing to my now canceled Windstream service, my old service had internet and landline phone at a total of $105 per month. Speed was 15 Mbps download, 1 Mbps upload. My new service is 500 Mbps download, 10 Mbps upload. Yes, 500 is the correct Mbps. I don't need a landline anymore. Here's the kicker: I'm only paying $85 per month for that 500 Mbps, whereas with Windstream I was doing that abysmal 15 Mbps and a phone line for $105 per month and no update to their maximum download speed. Yes, after 12 months that $85 goes up, but only by $10, which means I'll still be paying less than Windstream for a MASSIVE increase in download speed. Windstream promised me faster speeds at lower prices when I first signed up for them. It turned out their competition delivered on that promise. Windstream, you FAILED, and you failed BADLY. I will never trust you again after you promised an upgrade and delivered a bowel movement.

3 years ago

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Jennifer Estopinal Houston, TX

Called on behalf of my elderly mother who lives alone in a rural area and visually & hearing impaired, left w/o phone service since a full week ago. She had her nearest neighbor contact Kinetic By Windstream and was told it may be two weeks before her phone line would be repaired. This lack of prompt service has left my mother in a dangerous situation should she need help. I called KBW today and was told they will put an urgency on the ticket but that should've been done a week ago as the neighbor explained the situation. Was told I will hear from a tech within 3 hours.

3 years ago

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Arden Lincoln, NE

Scammers. They keep asking me for full color scans of my Social Security card and will constantly ask you for your FULL SSN(!!) over an unsecured, recorded phone line. When I asked why they needed my FULL SSN(!!) and what they were doing with it, the rep absolutely went ballistic on me and it took me forever to get her to stop SCREAMING and actually take a look at my problem. Spectrum wouldn't even give me my account number over the phone because they at least consider privacy and security. Also, their tech no-showed with no notice. They never bothered to contact me to say why. I had to chase them down and it took them more than a week to explain what had happened.

3 years ago

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Julie Fisher Chicago, IL

Ordered Windstream DSL 50 Mbps 44 days ago with the self-install option, 10 days later, with no prior notice, installers were out. They called and said we can only get 3 Mbps and the buildings and trees cause too many obstructions. (For DSL?) The company then actually scheduled techs to come out twice, emailed us and we could follow them with a tracking link, which said they had arrived and were working on our 'situation'. They were never here or in the neighborhood. We called the company about the speed difference and they say we should be able to get 10 Mbps but not 50 or 100 as it says on their website for our exact location. (So is it 3, 10, 50, 100?) Now we haven't heard a peep for over 3 weeks.

3 years ago

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Maggie Vincent Manchester, IA

Windstream spends more time in reorganizing through CHAPTER 11 than any other communications company I know. Then, when they go private and off NASDAC, suddenly they feel their services are what everyone should have. WRONG!!! They'll never make it with the attitude of WE'RE GREAT...and not the service, WHICH IS SORELY LACKING!!! They continue to change my CIC from CREDO to Windstream; each time this is done, I file a complaint with the IUB. Until such time as Windstream realizes that CREDO is a valid CIC, with whom I have had my LONG DISTANCE SERVICE FOR 19 YEARS IN NEWTON, IA, they will never get a satisfactory rating from me. It is important for the potential customer base to realize there may be a conflict in how Windstream handles their long distance carrier selection. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, LET ME KNOW; THIS IS AN ONGOING ISSUE SINCE WINDSTREAM TOOK OVER FROM IOWA TELECOM!!!

3 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

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Michael Minckler Allenwood, PA

This service is the worst. I pay extra for high speed I usually get about 3 mbps which is not really high speed (high speed is generally 10 mbps) as I write this my speed is 0.55mbps. That about sums up Windstream and or Kinetic (are both in bankruptcy or just one of them?). If you'd like to chat with David (actually Raji in India) call tech support. He will read to you from the script and have you do a bunch of useless things that you probably have already tried like shutting it down and restarting - then he will tell you that he has to move your problem up the ladder to a higher authority but no one is available. The entire organization is a sham. Please if you have any other choices - utilize them. Unfortunately this company preys on us country folk with no other options.

4 years ago

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Lance Smithville, TN

Set up and billing were good with Windstream. The issue came with trying to disconnect service. It is a hit and miss if you get a rude person on the phone or not. After dealing with this situation today, I would not recommend Windstream

4 years ago

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Adam Richmond, TX

Absolutely awful. Internet was spotty at best, cable was prehistorically awful. Customer service is even worse, don't even try outside of business hours because you will get bounced around from country to country. We had our equipment installed right before we went on a three week vacation, and they sent our first bill while we were out of town, which no company ever does, and it was due before we came back. They would not waive the late fee for us. We were thrilled when Comcast wired our area (ponder that sentence for a minute), and cancelled this service ASAP. I would recommend them only to people you really hate.

4 years ago

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Kyle S Oakwood, TX

The status quo for telecom companies has developed into a industry of profits and customers are worthless because customers don't have a choice. Windstream is no exception. 1) Call for new service, immediate answer from a Salesperson that begins their upselling techniques and false promises and statements to get the sell. 2) Appointment set for installation, technician No Shows. I received 3 text messages confirming the appointment. Received 2 phone calls confirming the appointment. On text message stated technician was on the way, 2 hours later after missed appointment time window and no communication, I called. Wait for it...15 minute hold time to speak to someone. I guess the sale was over. Windstream rep stated that there was an error in the account set up. 3) Was transferred to customer service to correct error. Hold time was 38 minutes. After being on hold, for 38 minutes, they had to set up the account all over again and reschedule a technician to come out. Spent 1 hour and 12 minutes correcting the mistake of the 1 person that set up the account. 4) New appointment was set, however, they call you the day of the appointment to tell you the time window of when someone needs to be at the house. You don't know until that day. Will it be 7 am or 7 pm? Don't know! Just take the entire day off and wait for that appointment time....and then....NO SHOW!!! Customers are garbage. Just give the monopoly your money and shut up! No regulation, no oversight, no compensation.... oh wait... 5) They waived the installation fee because of the No Show by the technician...uh, they waived it during the initial call; Windstreamed waived a fee they had already waived because of their "promotion".

5 years ago

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Jennifer Wilson-Crisp Broken Arrow, OK

We moved a month ago- transferred our service- it took 2 and a half weeks to get our service hooked up since no technician showed on our first 2 scheduled appointments. Although they gave us a $20.00 credit each to.e that really didn't cover our missed pay for taking off work. 2 weeks have gone by since they installed our internet. Unfortunately it only worked for a day. After multiple calls they have again told us a technician would be out to repair it 3 times now and each time nobody shows up. They obviously do not want or need anymore business in our area because we have been told they are having trouble getting technicians out here because we live in a high volume area. This has truly been one of the worst customer relations issues I have ever experienced.

5 years ago

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Amanda Slezak

They are ok. Service wasn't bad. Had issues with the router from time to time but they managed to come out and get it fixed. Kind of hard to get a hold of anyone when they are called.

2 years ago

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Ellen G. Clark Byron, GA

After my earlier review, I finally got my modem except they sent me two! Today is the second time in 10 days that I have called and requested a mailing label to return the old modem plus the extra one they sent me. Today, just like 10 days ago, I was guaranteed I would have label by Friday. It showed that I already called and requested labels but no labels were shipped! Now they are charging me modem rental for the extra one they sent me. What is wrong with this company!!!

1 year ago Edited November 8, 2023

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Julie Justus Monroe, GA

Me and my sister are both on social security! Both of us have continuously asked them to wait until the 3rd of each month to charge our account and they absolutely refuse. The service in our area is horrible. We only get 12 mb of service but pay almost $70 a month. This is unfortunate that this is the only provider we have in our area. The bigger a company gets the less they care about their customers

1 year ago

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Shay Odewale Concord, NC

Couldn't find a zero star. Cancelled my service with them cos I found a better alternative. Sent their equipment back but they kept taking 69dollars out of my acc monthly. When I eventually caught it they said they can't help me and they can't cancel transaction and can't refund cos it's auto pay..and they are legitimate transactions And I shd go dispute with my bank.. They are simply scammers over there

2 years ago

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Thurmond Family GA

They are the worse they lie to you when you change anything on a bill they shut down access to old account then tell you it will be on bill with the new account. Then they report to your credit that you fail to pay final bill when they never sent or contacted you about outstanding balances on your services. If we had another option near us we would use them just to avoid this horrible company.

2 years ago

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Neil Duhon Newark, OH

Windstream is a dishonest company when it comes to customer service. In the past 5 years had the modem replaced 4 times. Why? Because of lousy internet connection. The company keeps saying it is the router. When the service tech comes out to the house states it is the phone lines. Too old and antiquated. Phone lines were laid underground in 1986 back when it was Alltel. Technician documented that phone lines needs to be updated and replaced. Doubtful if Windstream will lay out that type of funding.

2 years ago

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Andrew Atlanta, GA

There are plenty of one-star reviews that accurately describe the absolute disaster that Windstream is as a company. Frequent drops in service, terrible customer service, lazy installs. The best example I can give is that in order to write this review, I had to use my phone and data because my wifi has been turning off every 5 minutes. I have called multiple times and they always say they will fix it but they never do. I wouldn't have this awful service if there were literally any other choice. This review is actually 0/5 stars.

2 years ago

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Tonya Vandeveer Jacksonville, FL

If you have another choice go with the other choice! My internet is always going out on a Thursday or a Friday and they refuse to come and fix it until the following Monday or Tuesday leaving me with out internet for five or six days. If O had other options I would change. It is the same problem every time with the box out side. Looks like they would just replace the whole box.

2 years ago

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yammomatta Clarkesville, GA

Windstream, then Kinetic, is the worst reliability and customer service in the American business community. service are down every week here in North Ga. and you still have to pay the full price, never a refund for missing hours or days for service. They are quick to send you late payment notice and disconnect your service but slow in restoring service when down. They can continue to make money because they are a MONOPOLY. When they have competition they will go out of business that is my prediction.

2 years ago

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Kelly Toler Perryville, AR

Absolutely AWFUL! I rarely get better than 2MBPS and I have to reboot my router several times each and every day to get location based apps to function because one day it thinks I’m in Dallas and the next day it thinks I’m in Ohio or Louisiana or Tennessee but NEVER where I actually am! Little Rock! Price for me is $80 per month and is practically worthless.

2 years ago

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j Fort Worth, TX

I have had windstream for about 6 months. It has been down a number of times. It has been down at present for 17 days I have been given a repair date twice. The first one, they cancelled. They have not shown up for the second appointment yet. They have lousy customer service, lousy pricing and the internet speed, when it is up, is more like dial up.

2 years ago

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Melissa P LaFayette, GA

Windstream is the worst internet company I have ever had . They charge you fees for things that you don’t even know what for because it don’t say on there what the fees are for . The bill went up to $87 a month and don’t know why . It was only $67 a month. The representative hardly speaks English and hangs up on you if you ask to speak to someone you can understand. These people are really stealing from us and we keep letting them . Please Windstream stop stealing from us .

2 years ago

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Rebecca Avery Moultrie, GA

Worst company to do business with. I Had a rep or sales person named Jihad who was so nasty on the phone and argued with me every step of the way. The rep would make smart comments and then ignore me. I was supose to have a manager call me back and they never did. I was told they don't care what the public thinks because you can't beat their prices. What a rude company.

3 years ago

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T B Dayton, OH

Horrible is an understatement. Speeds are terribly slow, prices are ridiculously high, service is very bad, but by far the worst issue is they shut three service off periodically and say there's an outage in your area. The outage is them shutting it off bc they're broke due to inability to manage their company. Funny how after i called the Ohio attorney general on them the outages stopped for a year. Now they're back at it again. This company is extremely corrupt and needs shut down or sold immediately

3 years ago Edited December 20, 2021

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