Netgear Frontier Communications tried to charge me for free 90-day support; Frontier sent bad DSL stream and didn't recognize that Carlsbad California

This is a comedy of errors between both Netgear and Frontier.  Tragic/comedy that took nine days of my life.

My modem seemed to have a problem so I went out and purchased a new Netgear for about $60.  The "genie" is supposed to help you do it yourself.

All was okay until I had to log into the Frontier stream.  All the setup was correct.  Hey, I've been on the internet for years, am no newbie!  Have set up other modems too.  Even replaced an internal modem myself.

A little background.  Frontier has their own proprietary modems, but I've had real problems with those.  Took me four months to get a decent one that wouldn't reboot itself by itself every minute and a half.  Imagine doing anything that way.  I'd call, they'd send another one (always they have to send, they never actually HAVE any available at their "store" in town!).  That one would be the same, rebooting itself constantly.

Finally, the only way I got any action from Frontier is to call the regulatory agency in my state.  Next day a superisor showed up and gave me a business modem.  He explained they have a whole warehouse full of modems that are bad and they don't know which are bad.  Obviously there were letting their customers test them!  Don't remember how many modems I had in serial, but I do know it was FOUR MONTHS before I had decent service.

Now to the present.  When I couldn't get past the login screen, called Frontier to verify my login credentials.  Of course had to hear the song and dance that it's not a Frontier modem so they couldn't help me.  But I said it is YOUR password that's the hangup!  We then went through all kinds of combinations ID/pw.  Nothing worked.  Nearly an hour on that call.

Spent many calls with Netgear.  Bottom line after two or three hours of struggling through foreign accent was that there was a "third party connection" and a technician would clear it off.  But for a charge!  WHAT?  Charging me for 90 days of free service?  I blew up!  As you can imagine!

Finally he said the modem was "infected" and to return it.  All the while he kept telling me he'd get me up and running.

Called Frontier back.  They LAUGHED about that bogus "third party connection".

Took the $60 modem back to Staples, told them what the Netgear guy had said.  They were all out of that version, the only one available was for $200.  Walmart was the only other place in town that even sells them at all and they were all out, had nothing but cable modems which would not work in my case.

I sprang for the $200 modem.  Would you believe, the SAME THING happened, could not log into the Frontier stream.  Very suspicious, my old modem, the $60 modem, and now the $200 modem, all with the SAME problem?  More long calls to Frontier.  Nothing worked.  

I began to be suspicious that the problem was with the stream itself, despite assurances that all was okay.  They tested it with their equipment, from their office to my house.  More than once.  And said it looked fine.

In deperation I advertised on the local Facebook buy/sell groups if anyone has an extra FRONTIER modem.  Got a response, picked it up, plugged it in, attached it.  SAME PROBLEM!  Nnow how could that be?  FOUR modems in a row that all have the same problem?

This time when I called I got better help because it was THEIR modem!  This is NUMBER FOUR in the sequence, and NINE DAYS LATER.  Really, I had been spending nearly all day in calls and doing my own testing.  Of course, I had no ability to check the stream which was said to be just fine.

I asked them, PLEASE check the stream itself.  There is some part of the stream that is missing.  No, we can't do that.  Please, PLEASE, as a last ditch effort.  "Only the field technician can do that.  We'll schedule you....."  FOR A WEEK LATER!  I was screaming by then!  THAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!

Finally got someone, very nice lady with a beautiful voice, who went the extra mile and contacted their Central Office.  I asked -- no, BEGGED them to turn it off, completely, then wait, then restart it.  Just like when your computer has a problem and you reboot and it's fixed.  Why not a stream reboot? 

THAT WORKED!!  All of Netgear's attempt to rip me off and Frontier's dissing the customer, and me, the customer, had the solution!

Another thing, their "store" has no modems!  WHY NOT!!  Since Frontier wants you to have exclusively THEIR modems, they should have a supply in their "store".  I don't know what their "store" is there for, what it has in it, what is done there, but the most basic of services would be to have modems so you can choose what you need rather than accepting "potluck" whatever they send you after some days.  As you are off line meanwhile.

Both Netgear and Frontier need to straighten up and fly right.  NO FEES FOR FREE SERVICE!  Duh!  And they should have thought of the problem with the stream, since THEY are the experienced ones (allegedly), and so should Frontier have thought of it, ESPECIALLY since I brought it up!!!!  No reason for me to wait another week for something so basic!  By the way, many in this town are disgusted with Frontier!  Many reasons.  Their competitors are doing quite well I understand!