- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Sonic.net
Category: Home Services Internet Service Providers Professional Services Internet Service Providers Internet Service Providers [Edit]
2260 Apollo WaySanta Rosa, CA 95407
Serving Santa Rosa and surrounding area
(707) 522-1000
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 6 am - 11 pm
Sat-Sun 7 am - 10 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
143 reviews for Sonic.net
143 reviews in English
-
Review from Kim T.
San Francisco, CA
2/9/2012
A real life person answers the phone!
We are blocks from the AT&T sub-station where they have their equipment and use of AT&T network and copper lines. Thus, we are getting 17Mpbs on upload! All for $15/mo less then AT&T. ADSL modem we needed was $63 after shipping cost.
Customer services is responsive by email or phone. We placed our order 9 days ago and officially switched today. Installation, equipment delivery, and start of service ALL as promised. No need to bargain every 12 months. No more waiting on hold for 20+ mins. No more supporting AT&T. Yes to supporting a local company that keeps their cost low and uniformed.
I feel so free that I am ready to go singing and dancing in the streets! Thank you Sonic! -
Review from Angie R.
Sunnyvale, CA
1/27/2012
I switched to Sonic last October and I am so happy I did. My DSL speed more than doubled and the cost for a land line and DSL service is ten bucks less with Sonic than what I was paying before. With AT&T/Earthlink I was miserable due to terrible phone line quality and continual connection drops online. It was really bad for a long time, the internet connection would go out on a daily basis and sometimes several times a day, plus my connection speed often fell to less than 1.0mbps. The best it ever got was 2.4 but it usually sat at around 2.0 - 2.1. I was at the end of my rope because I do web work and nobody wants to hear my connection is down or it's slow; and talking on the telephone was a total nightmare because of really horrible crackling sounds that happened everytime I picked up the phone.
AT&T said they couldn't do anything because it was the old wiring in my house, and Earthlink said they couldn't do anything for me either, not that they didn't want to, they literally couldn't. They said it was my phone cord and to change it out. I can't express how tired of it I was, it was really bad. Then one day last October I got a postcard in the mail from Sonic saying higher speed and phone service for $50 a month. So I read everything on their website and decided it couldn't be any worse than what I had and I went for it. Three or four days later they gave me an installation date. They said I wouldn't need a new DSL modem the one I had was DSL2 capable. The day they said my service would start, it started. I was up and running by that afternoon at 5 mbps and thrilled senseless. The phone service itself took another two days before it was working, no problem as long as I could get on the net. Once the phone service came up it was crystal clear and I've had no interference, no crackling, no line drops, no internet connection drops, everything has been excellent. Three months later I can say I am very happy with Sonic and would definitely recommend them to anyone else who is tired of slow DSL and crappy telephone line quality.
It's worth mentioning that Sonic is growing like wildfire, so they're understandably busy, but they do have real people to talk to when you call and they don't play games or have support levels. You get right to whoever it is that can help you with your specific question or need and they take care of it right away. They take the time to explain everything and don't treat you like a nobody moron who doesn't deserve respect. Also the land line comes with free long distance which I didn't have before with AT&T, I couldn't call out of state for years, and now I can. It also comes with voicemail, though I haven't tried that yet. The DSL speed is directly related to distance but you can go to their website and get an idea of what speed you'll be able to get based on your address. They don't promise you the moon and then fail to come through, they were honest with me. The guy I spoke to said I could expect probably 6mbps and I got 5. I'll take it. I couldn't be happier. -
Review from Bryce N.
Berkeley, CA
12/11/2011
I've just cut the AT&T rope and am going full on with Sonic.
Flat rate land line phone & network: $40/month. Phones answered by people who like their job: priceless
I started with AT&T, but the Internet part never worked right. Time after time calling AT&T I spoke with people who either did not know, or were not supplied with the right tools to solve the problem. So I switched to Comcast for Internet, which feels a bit like paying tribute to a powerful warlord with the capacity to crush you at any moment. Now I'm dumping both for Sonic's offering. I'll write back to let you know how it goes during week two.
Warning: ask Sonic lots of questions about moving your old ATT number, if that's your plan. Your safest bet is to have Sonic installed on a 2nd line. We did not, and face a 11 day loss of incoming calls. -
Review from Kathryn J.
Sebastopol, CA
2/9/2012
I have been with Sonic for over 10 years now, and although the company has gotten MUCH bigger the customer service and internet service continues to be great. Not many companies left like this out there anymore. When you call you get a local live person on the phone who will transfer you to the right department, then yet another live person and the wait is never long. Another bonus they will provide you with a free local dial up phone number for if you ever travel somewhere where there is no wifi. I hope they continue to grow but keep their values.
-
Review from Lisa L.
San Rafael, CA
Updated - 2/1/2012
Upgrading to 5 stars!
I think our connection problems have been solved- thanks to the persistence of Sonic and no thanks to AT&T, who weren't doing their part to acknowledge and address the noise problems with their lines.
The ordeal was a long one, but Sonic's customer service was top notch and professional, and they were willing to keep on working with ATT to resolve the problems we were having. Thanks!2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
-
10/12/2011
Wow- Sonic has been in touch in response to my post and is anxious to get this issue resolved! Thank… Read more »
-
-
Review from Erin H.
Oakland, CA
1/24/2012
When we moved to Oakland from New York, I think I googled something like "best internet provider in Bay Area" and http://Sonic.net popped right up. Most reviews I found were very positive so I gave them a call and signed up for the Fusion Broadband + Phone for 39.95 - what a great price! And best of all, NO CONTRACT!
Because of problems with my apt and landlord, installation was a huge headache, but http://Sonic.net did all they could to make it go as smoothly as possible. The only mistake they made was not showing up for one of the appointments. I called and they said something like the guy who made the appointment left off a letter in my username or something, so they didn't know who the appointment was for. They seemed genuinely sorry about it though, and sent someone the next day. Everyone I talked to on the phone seemed happy to help with whatever problem I was having and it was never hard getting a hold of someone.
We've had the service about 8 months now and have had zero problems! Internet is always fast and rarely goes down. We have multiple devices on the wireless, a desktop plugged into the modem, and Netflix streaming on the TV all the time and have never had any issues. Phone is great and has all the features you need (voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, etc). They even introduced a new fax feature, giving you a dedicated fax number that emails you a PDF of incoming faxes.
Bottom line, http://Sonic.net is everything we need and they seem to always be working to add new features and improve their current services. Thanks, http://Sonic.net! -
Review from Rob R.
1/21/2012
Listen up downtown Sacramento peeps, http://Sonic.net offers a phone line (unlimited everything) + uncapped/un-metered DSL for $40/month. We're a little further away from the central office and still get about 10mbps. A similar package from ATT would be at least $80. For those outside of downtown Sac, they also offer a good deal on DSL service if you have phone service. We've had them for over a year, and their tech support has always been fast and friendly. Check them out!
-
Review from Steve A.
Mountain View, CA
12/1/2011
Sonic advertised speeds of "up to 20Mbps." When I phoned in my order, I was told that due to the distance from the hub, my speed would be 7Mbps. I was assured this was fast enough to watch video.
When I received the modem and plugged it in, my actual speed was less than 2Mbps. Less than 1/10 of what was advertised. Videos are jumpy. And connectivity is spotty at best with frequent outages.
Despite the misleading advertising and terrible service, Sonic refuses to accept the modem back and give me a refund. I am out $50 bucks for this piece of junk modem plus $15 shipping.
I chose Sonic because I thought I would save a few bucks a month. It's not worth it!! -
Review from Matthew F.
Los Angeles, CA
11/6/2011
These guys are great. First and foremost, it's awesome to be away from AT&T. When you call Sonic, you get to talk to a knowledgeable person, really quickly. There are no hoops to jump through in order to get a good price, like bundling a ton of services you don't really care about. There's not a stream of junk mail killing trees and filling up your mailbox.
But these are the two things I REALLY love about Sonic and think everyone should support. They are running fiber to homes themselves. AT&T won't do this, because it's too expensive. So if you're out of Verizon's FIOS service area, you were out of luck, until Sonic started it's program. Keep it up Sonic!
And secondly, earlier this year when the US government contacted Sonic and tried to get private information on one of its customers without a warrant, instead of just rolling over Sonic fought the government at great expense in court to protect the privacy of its customer. Ultimately they lost, but when the did, they continued to fight in court, this time to make the information on what the government was doing public. It's so rare to see a company stand up for its customers these days, much less when it's so expensive to do so. That's the kind of corporate citizen I want to support. -
Review from Ebonina E.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 11/4/2011
After writing my previous poor review on http://Sonic.net's install practices I received a phone call from a http://Sonic.net representative. He stated they were attempting to work out the kinks between http://Sonic.net and At & t installation process and that was his job. He also stated he would put me on some list that allowed for me to slide into the spot of a customer who cancelled at the last minute who was in my neighborhood.
I spoke with him on the phone regarding the frustration I felt not only the fact that I took a day off from work for nothing and now I would have to take an ADDITIONAL day off work to give the http://Sonic.net guy access to my home. I also was disappointed on how the customer service dealt with my complaint.
As I was put on the list to take someone's spot I was called midday 5 days later to ask if I could get home as they had a cancellation close to my neighborhood and could put me in that spot. Once the http://Sonic.net guy was there he was extremely pleasant and got to work right away!
http://Sonic.net should have some system or person set in place that verifies the day of a potential customer's appointment with At &t. If At &t is NOT able to fulfill the scheduled time, they should alert the client as not everyone can afford to take numerous days off work. They then should AUTOMATICALLY put the customer on the list that allows for them to take the spot of a customer that cancels or reschedules their appointment. I (the customer) should NOT have to come on Yelp and post a negative review in order to be given the proper attention and service I deserve.
Regarding the internet service itself, it's great. I am able to stream Netflix through my TV with no problems at all. I can watch a movie via Netflix on my TV, be on my desktop computer, and have my cell on wifi to play a game with no buffering or slow internet connection. That is great! Which is the only reason I gave them 3 stars...BUT, the lost 1.5 days of work and having to point out http://Sonic.net cons in order for me to get proper service SUCKS!1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
10/14/2011
http://Sonic.net uses At &t to come out to your home to setup your internet connection. … Read more »
-
-
Review from milo a.
Berkeley, CA
10/24/2011
I read the reviews and got a mailer about the Fusion package for faster DSL/phone at a lower price ($39.95 for both), so I checked it out and switched.
YES - DSL is way faster, like 3x and I haven't called to get it tweaked yet. (customer service said a new modem "N" would likely get 10-12 mbps, getting 6 mbps with a "B" modem)
YES - the customer support at Sonic is actually good and helpful, and there's no run around.
So I called ATT to cancel my service and after a good 10 min wait the rep comes on and says, "Hello it's a great day, how may I help you obtain great service today."
The first thought was to yell, "I'M CANCELING YOUR DUMBASS SERVICE, IT IS A GREAT DAY, LIKE W*T*F*!!!" Okay I didn't say that but I sure thought about it.
So to summarize...better service, faster DSL, all local/long distant calls are included, CID, etc...for LESS and no more dumbass ATT. Yeah, it is a great day...no more ATT bullsh*t. -
Review from B P.
Los Angeles, CA
10/13/2011
Thumbs up.
Still too expensive, but great customer service! Super nice, personable folks to help.... not a morass of automatic phone trees, hours of wait time, and then a transfer to a call center in India (i.e. AT&T). -
Review from Patrick M.
Oakland, CA
10/12/2011
Sonic's service is exemplary and a terrific value. Landline service AND exceptional internet speeds for $39.95 a month? I only wish I'd started my service sooner.
When I bought my home in 2008, I transferred my Comcast service. What a disaster. I was "at the end of the line" and what had been decent service in San Francisco became unusable in Oakland. Phone calls would terminate and loading internet pages was an exercise in frustration. As a person who wants landline phone service for safety reasons, i then tried AT&T. I had "decent" service once again, but nothing more. And dealing with AT&T is about as painful of an experience as possible.
I Googled "best internet provider Bay Area" and at the top of the list was http://sonic.net. I went to their website and then called. Because I was porting an old phone number, AT&T had to be involved (cue depressing organ music). AT&T managed to screw it up, no surprise there, but Sonic sent someone to hold the AT&T worker's hand - and I had service. Fast, dependable DSL service (not a single issue in 6 months) and a landline phone that works like it's supposed to.
And they're located in Santa Rosa - local jobs for the Bay Area! -
Review from Nique F.
Palo Alto, CA
12/29/2011
Don't get your hopes up that this company will replace AT&T in your home. They are also incompetent. I requested an install. I waited 3.5 hours. When I called them to check on the status of my visit I was told there was an Outlook scheduling error (sure blame Microsoft for your failures) and no one was coming. They did nothing to make me feel satisfied about losing four hours of my time. A day later I foolishly gave them another chance and offered another day for them to come for an install and they said they had no one available. I get the message you don't need new customers. I cancelled my account tonight. They took my money for the cheap Chinese modem they sold me, but I am glad to be rid of them. AT&T you are still safe. I prefer you to this backwards company.
Comment from Dane J. of Sonic.net 1/4/2012
I'm very sorry that we screwed up and kept you waiting!… More » -
Review from Tommy B.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 9/19/2011
Sonic is my landline telephone company & broadband provider - see complete review below for more details.
Today I had to change my phone number and it was the easiest, quickest thing ever.
This is how it all went down:
1. Call Support @ 10AM.
2. Tech picks up on first ring (no holding!).
3. Tell Tech I want my phone number changed.
4. Tech says "Ok! We'll do it and call you when it's changed!"
5. Wait 5 minutes.
6. Tech calls saying "Your number is now changed!"
7. I shout in glee... cuz they tell me the change was free!
Total of my time sucked up: A little over 5 measly little minutes.
Cost: NONE
WOO HOO!
Try doing THAT with AT&T and not only will you get rammed with a number change fee, you'll be on hold for 10 minutes, and THEN have to wait around for the new number to activate, which can really disrupt one's day in a BIG, BAD way.
And! Sonic just introduced something called FaxLine. While I'm not exactly sure if this is available to all Sonic customers, or just those who subscribe to their Fusion voice service... but FaxLine gives customers their own, personal dedicated phone number (you can pick the number too to keep it local to your calling area) that faxes can be sent to and then delivered to an email address you specify in PDF format. They also offer a free fax send service as well. See their website for all the details.
I am not employee nor have I been compensated by Sonic for this review... which I just have to make clear because their offering of awesome products at unbelievable prices with lots of freebies seems almost too good to be true... but it is all 100% true. (I'm pinching myself right now to make sure I am not dreaming!)1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
1/5/2011
I've been a tremendously satisfied Sonic customer for close to a decade now. Best prices for top… Read more »
-
-
Review from Keit K.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 11/28/2011
fuck sonic they keep charging weird fees. 60$ for a Technician Service Call that tey said would be free. If they dont stop this shit im dropping them
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
2/22/2010
This service sucks. First the promotion was $25 then they raise it to $50 a month. I have to call… Read more »
Comment from Dane J. of Sonic.net 10/4/2010
Keit, You might want to check out our Fusion service, which… More » -
-
Review from Roberta D.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 8/21/2011
Ok so...after several phone calls and a visit form the phone/DSL technical I am now running fast and without spottiness. While it's been a stressful few weeks with some miscommunication and actual bad communication, I have found that http://Sonic.net works VERY hard when there is a problem to resolve it as quickly as possible. I think the challenges they have are that they are expanding quickly and some small issues get dropped, which unfortunately causes them to become large issues.
Since I am all about the customer service, I have to give them high marks on addressing my problems and making sure they were resolved to my satisfaction. How often does the president of a company read reviews and assign someone to take care of the issues?
SO..hopefully this will be my last update. Thanks Sonic!3 Previous Reviews: Show all »
-
8/12/2011
another update..now that I've had the basic service for a couple of weeks, here's my impression.
… Read more »
-
-
Review from Fifty V.
Shangri La Estates, CA
11/14/2011
If you live anywhere between the Bay Area and Sacramento, you won't go wrong with Sonic as an Internet provider. Their support staff are the most patient and competent people in the world, are available 24 hours a day, and they know how to fix things.
-
Review from SE P.
San Francisco, CA
12/15/2011
Sonic clearly overcharged me - for domains I didn't even own/register and double charges on domains I did own. When I pointed it out and asked for a refund, they said "NO" (offering only a credit). The worst part was that it required numerous phone calls to straighten things out - over a period of months. Very frustrating! I've been with Sonic for over 10 years and would have rated higher, but the last few months have been awful (CS / billing department). It is just not worth the hassle.
A decent, honest business gives an immediate refund when the customer correctly points out an obvious overcharge - and offers an apology for their error. -
Review from Raul N.
Daly City, CA
12/8/2011
IT'S CRAPTASTIC!!!, is there a negative star option please? so I signed up with these clowns cause I thought they might be better than the rest. well they where never able to establish a connection in my house after a month and a half of lame excuses I gave up and on top of that they fused to refund the money i paid. dont waste your time and money
-
Review from Mark L.
Berkeley, CA
7/12/2011
* Half the price of AT&T
* 3x the speed of AT&T
* Real, competent people answer the phone... locally, not in India.
It sounds too good to be true, but it is true. -
Review from Joseph A.
San Francisco, CA
7/5/2011
San Francisco resident here about 5000 ft from the http://Sonic.net junction and even at this distance can say that I am very happy with this option for web / phone service.
Currently getting a download speed at least equal to what was available with AT&T. Plus Fusion combines by Phone and DSL service for a fraction of the cost of a similar plan from AT&T that also had a 150gig data cap.
Installation was easy and their techs who are based local are a pleasure to work with.
So lots of pluses here.
http://Sonic.net is a local company unlike AT&T that is based in Dallas.
http://Sonic.net is staffed in Northern California that means jobs, taxes and families that support our economy in the United States.
http://Sonic.net has great tech and admin support.
http://Sonic.net is less expensive than AT&T and you get more with them then the Texas based company that outsources their tech support to India.
I strongly suggest everyone to check out Sonic.Net and if their service area includes your residence that you consider them as a provider. -
Review from Chris B.
Santa Rosa, CA
12/10/2011
Sonic offers decent customer service and generally does a good job. the level of service that ought to be normal and widespread among American companies today (and was such, at one point not too long ago).
However, given how far we've fallen as a culture, with the slop that now passes as "good business practices," Sonic deserves an A+ rating.
If you're going to choses an isp, go with Sonic. WAY WAY WAY better than the incompetent, unethical, highway robbers at ATT, et al.
Sonic's phone and high speed internet for $50 a month is a great deal (17mbs internet!).
Again, in days gone by, Sonic's level of service wouldn't have stood out as anything special. Today, it shines out like a light in a dark room. -
Review from Calvin S.
Los Angeles, CA
9/10/2011
I was a long time customer of AT & T and when I moved into my new home they really showed their true colors. I was trying to get some phone jacks installed and the guy they sub-contracted the work was an utter failure. Not only that, but I repeatedly had to call AT & T to reschedule and/or have him come back due to the poor quality of work and consistently received bad service.
Finally I decided... AT&T sucks balls. I canceled everything I had with them. But, of course I still needed internet. Enter SONIC.NET. Locally owned and operated here in California. In one word... AWESOME.
Their service is above and beyond any I've received. Especially in this day and age with outsourcing of customer support to people who aren't fully knowledgeable with the tech or with me the customer. Or large companies who don't really care about you unless you're lucky and get their one good employee.
You always can reach someone right here in California who knows exactly what they're talking about and you don't have to wait twenty minutes to talk to them. They even have a page on their website that shows you how many people are on hold and how long the wait time is, which has never been above single digits in the times that I have checked.
With money being a little tight these days, I called them and asked them if there was anything they could do with my monthly bill and they lowered it (with a year commitment). But, I've been with them for over five years and have no plans on going anywhere else so another year was no problem.
I have DSL service with them. 3.0 MBps/384 MBps and even though I am very far away from the DSL hub I still manage to get maximum service. (FYI - All companies use the same hub and the further away you are you can suffer some degradation in service. )
So if you're thinking of switching from your present ISP, I highly recommend them. At the very least give them a call and hear what they have to say. -
Review from Dani N.
Emeryville, CA
6/23/2011
Sonic deserves every single bit of a star they have on Yelp. I have had DSL and phone services through Covad and AT&T and SBC and Comcast and probably other ones I haven't even thought of, and Sonic has by far the best, savviest customer service, the best policies, and the best prices.
AT&T is the worst - the most incompetent, rudest, and oh my god just worst company I have ever had to deal with. Recently, we moved, and AT&T failed so thoroughly to turn on the phone line that I finally canceled our service with them entirely in disgust.
(It was magical, really. A cavalcade of ridiculous moves. The last person I talked to tried to send somebody out to check the outside box, which had already been done, and told me that if they found something wrong then it would cost us $55, not to fix but just... because... it was wrong, I guess. I was like, so... if the lines were damaged in a fire two years ago, two years before we moved in, in a building that we're just renting a part of, we would have to pay you $55 for finding out the lines were damaged? Before anything even started to get fixed? But if nothing's wrong, then you checking the lines is free?? Am I in Vegas? Is this some sort of roulette table?)
Sonic, fortunately, has something called Fusion service. What that means is that instead of paying what has recently been $16-$23 a month for just a landline with AT&T - no voicemail, and we don't make any calls on it, so I don't know why the amount varies from month to month! - plus $35 a month to Sonic for DSL, we can pay $40 flat-out for much, much faster DSL and a VOIP landline and never have to call AT&T customer service again.
I would pay at least $60 a month just to never have to call AT&T customer service again. The funny thing is that whenever I switch away from AT&T, I save money. Gave up my broken iPhone for an LG Optimus V and paid $40 a month, instead of over $90, to Virgin Mobile for the same exact service... but I digress.
AT&T is still messing up the phone line, but now I don't have to try to explain that to idiotic, poorly-trained jackasses who are just reading a script at me. Instead, Sonic gets in there and twists their arm for me and then calls me back to say "Okay, they should be at your house to fix the problem either tonight or early tomorrow morning. Watch for them, because they are notorious for not knocking and then claiming they couldn't get in!"
Sonic always makes things work right. And they are always looking for ways to make things work better. Like fiber implementation and micro-trenching. (I don't know what I just said either, but it's on their blog!)
And they're independent, local, and treat their employees well. Not one http://Sonic.net customer service person has ever been forced to say "How can I provide you with excellent customer service today?" to me, or begged and pressured me to say that I was "completely satisfied" with the service they provided.
Sure, their website REALLY SUCKS, but as long as I can get through pretty much instantly on the phone, I'm willing to overlook it! -
Review from Vanessa C.
San Rafael, CA
11/4/2011
We are getting 8+Mbps download speeds at 6,500 feet from the service location. (Starting with that info because I was curious about this type of info before signing up and I couldn't find it).
8+Mbps, consistent connection, full featured landline phone service, ALL for $45/mo including taxes and fees. For $20 extra we can double the speed if necessary. I paid $99 for the modem/wireless combo to minimize conflict between two devices. Otherwise it was fast and easy to get up and running.
Just switched over yesterday. After the phone company came out and provisioned the line, we did self-install without a hitch. My husband got it all up and running in an hour.
I have called http://Sonic.net 3 times between the initial sales call and a couple questions for customer service about getting it all hooked up. Each time the wait time was under 1 minute, then I spoke with a friendly, local, knowledgeable rep. Each time they spoke to me right at my level of understanding, and explained things quickly and easily the first time.
We work from home and use the heck out of our internet service. The first 24 hours has been great. After months and months of Comcast connection dropping several times a day, numerous Comcast service calls and technician visits doing tons of busy work, wasting our time, and then trying to charge us for the visits and for the swapped out equipment etc etc etc.... I cannot wait to make the gleeful phone call to Comcast today and tell them we've gone with a MUCH better company. -
Review from ann c.
San Francisco, CA
7/24/2011
NO call centers half way across the world, NO listening to Wagner's Ring Cycle while you wait to get connected to a human. Responsive, smart, helpful people who completely GET IT that not everyone knows the difference between the line port of a splitter and a dog's dew claw.
I hate computers. I love http://Sonic.net. -
Review from Mookie K.
San Jose, CA
5/30/2011
When AT&T decided to implement bandwidth caps on their DSL service, I decided to leave AT&T. Not because I am a bandwidth hog (usually, my household of four uses around 60GB of data), but because I don't agree with bandwidth caps in this day and age -- especially with us cutting the cord and starting to use streaming services more.
I have a few friends who have http://Sonic.net and it was recommended to me. In the Bay Area we are lucky enough to have a local ISP and have a choice outside of the duopoly of Telco vs. Cable.
The sign-up process for http://Sonic.net Fusion was dead simple. Go to their webpage, pick Fusion and then punch in your phone number. The page will inform you if you're qualified. If you are, it will inform you of how far you are from the CO (Central Office). The farther out you are, the slower your connection will be from the 20Mbps connection offered. The good thing is that usually, your connection will be faster than what AT&T is offering you.
From the point of entering my information, it took 10 days (including one weekend) for http://Sonic.net to switch me over. They ported my landline number and activated my DSL. The day of the switchover, it took about 20 minutes -- the phone and DSL when dead at 11am and came back around 11:20am for me. After that, everything else was uneventful (good thing).
I contacted http://Sonic.net support for two minor things (one to get a Unix shell account and another to tweak my line), both were (again) uneventful (good). The support team is knowledgeable, friendly and efficient -- and they had my questions answered with in two hours (I emailed both times). The support team is fantastic and worked with me on my level of knowledge, not via some script.
If you do get Fusion, after the install, email support and ask them if they can tweak your line and lower the SNR margin down to 6db. For me, this tweak added an extra 1Mbps to my connection and the connection has been rock solid. I am around 8000ft from the CO and am getting a 8Mbps connection. Not bad at all.
Another thing about http://Sonic.net is that their CEO is active on forums and twitter -- and most of the time if you ask him something, he will answer personally! Try to get that kind of executive attention from a big corporation like AT&T or Comcast.
Over the last three weeks, the connection to the internet has been solid -- no downtime, no slowdown. My AT&T DSL never went down either, but during the evening there would be slowdown. Not so with http://Sonic.net, they seem to have enough bandwidth for their users.
Also, I want to mention that we are saving $20/mo with our Fusion connection and phone -- and it comes with extras that didn't come with AT&T like caller-id, domestic long distance, and 2Mbps extra bandwidth. The phone service works as it should and that is good. I like having caller-id without paying extra and the domestic long distance being free is a nice addition -- now there is no need for a VOIP setup like OOMA. Oh, yes the phone service is regular POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) and not VOIP, so you'll get E911 and also have phone service if the power goes out.
I highly recommend http://Sonic.net. Their service is great, their support is wonderful, and their CEO is a real person who responds to customers. You can't go wrong with http://Sonic.net Fusion.Comment from Dane J. of Sonic.net 5/30/2011
Thanks much for the comments, I really appreciate it. We've… More » -
Review from Gregory F.
San Francisco, CA
6/10/2011
This is without a doubt the best company I've gotten service from. The CEO answers your emails personally, the friendly and knowledgeable tech support staff answers the phone 24/7, the prices can't be beat, they don't eavesdrop, they don't throttle, and they aren't trying to figure out how to enslave you and your descendants (I'm looking at you, Comcast and AT&T).
I cannot recommend this company enough.
And they're bring fiber to the Bay Area! The more customers they have in a community, the more likely you are to get fiber! Mmmm, fiber *droool*. -
Review from Anthony B.
Daly City, CA
5/13/2011
Updated: 5/17
Let me start off with a few ratings for the various organizations I worked with.
Provisioning: 1/10
My line was provisioned improperly which caused a disconnect of service for over 4 days. This line was transitioned from a small business line so being without service for 4 days was not great at all. It took several phone calls and escalations in order to get my installation date scheduled... and then I had to escalate as my case in order for them to get a reasonable date scheduled.
Support: 9/10
The support staff has tried to help (coming from a support background myself I realize its not their fault that their operations team royally screwed up) they are just doing what they are told.
Installation Staff: 8/10
The installer who came out on site was knowledgeable and was able to get my wiring in the MPOE fixed in a matter of 15 minutes or so. He suggested we run some speed tests and explained at my distance that I should not expect the full promised 20Mb. (Disappointing but at least it was explained)
Executive Team: 11/10
Dane (CEO of http://Sonic.net) reached out to me after seeing my tweets about my dissatisfaction with the installation. And while he tried to get my installation moved up even sooner he was unable to do so. But the fact that he was involved with a single install restore my faith that this did seem to be a one off case.
Now lets talk about the service itself. I recommend as you go through the signup process you take a very close look at your distance. The test gives you a distance from your location and this is part of the qualification for the service. What this does not tell you is that if you are beyond 2000 feet or you you will not get the 20Mbps that they are advertising.
While this was disappointing the service is still over twice as fast as ATT at ~5000 ft, and the service is less expensive.
I would recommend Sonic to anyone looking to get out from underneath the thumb of ATT and wants more speed. However my install was very rocky and was not a pleasurable experience. So be prepared for a few bumps along this very fast information superhighway.
Anthony -
Review from Clare M.
San Francisco, CA
11/17/2011
These guys are THE BEST.
They offer super speedy DSL for an amazing price, and they don't make you get a phone line.
You get real people on the phone, and reasonable time brackets for appearances by actual technicians who definitely know what they're doing. -
Review from Manda W.
San Francisco, CA
4/11/2011
I switched from AT&T DSL Pro with local calling to Sonic Fusion on Thursday 4/7/2011 and the transition was seamless. My rates for AT&T DSL + local phone shot up to $63 incl taxes from my introductory rate of $43 including taxes. The slowing and inconsistent DSL speed (2.2 Mbps down/0.4 Mbps up on a good day) was another kick in the pants along with their so-so customer support. The last straw was the impending data caps due to start on May 2 for AT&T. I stream most of my TV shows (Hulu and Netflix) so buh-bye AT&T.
After complaining to my brother, he turned me onto http://Sonic.net Fusion. $39.95 per month for DSL speeds up to 20 Mbps with no data cap PLUS a phone line, unlimited long distance US calling, Caller ID, etc. AND I got to keep my phone number! Hot diggity!
I bought the ZTE modem suggested by Sonic. I'll see how that sucker holds up. If not, there are good deals on ADSL2+ modems on Newegg or whatnot.
I live about 10,900 ft from a central office and am now getting very consistent 3.74 Mbps down/0.85 Mbps up speeds with Sonic Fusion (at minimum). I'm extremely pleased with the service so far. -
Review from J D.
San Francisco, CA
9/15/2011
UPDATE:
After some scheduling hiccups, Sonic's tech Gabriel came out to my place and helped get me squared away. Very professional and friendly. Kudos to the Sunday crew (Andy and Gabriel) for responding quickly and finishing the job. Some improvements may be needed on the communication of the install process, but so far I am quite pleased with the speeds I am getting. With my old service (Speakeasy) I paid much more for 1/10 of the speed I am getting now with Sonic. Bumping up to 4 stars.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
New customer, just signed up this week. Here is what they DO NOT tell you on their website or on the phone, so please make sure you are prepared for this. (Can Sonic pay me for this psa?)
Sequence of events:
(1) Call to sign up/Go online to sign up. Great deal.
(2) Read installation info on their website, select Self Install or Technician ($125).
(3) If you choose Self Install AND you chose to get a new phone line with them, you will get a call from Sonic to schedule an ATT rep to come set up the new phone line.
(4) What they DO NOT tell you is this:
- After ATT leaves, it is up to you to connect the new line to your apartment unit in that ugly phone box in the basement of your building.
- If you do not know how to do this, you will need to schedule another tech from Sonic probably 5 days after ATT comes to connect the ATT line to your unit. This is FREE because according to the reps on the phone, it is just a matter of connecting two wires.
- When asked why there are no instructions, it is because there is no way to know what buildings are built like or what the wiring situation is.
- When pressed about their poor communication, all I got was that they are trying to update the website and if there are no more questions they had nothing else they could offer me.
(5) So not a very promising start. Quite frustrating actually. And I felt their reps, while staying professional, also were a little unclear and not interested in helping address a new customer's frustration. I spoke to a Riley and a Michael.
(6) I guess I have no choice but to wait for their two techs on two separate days of being away from work and being a major inconvenience. It would have been helpful to have all the information ahead of time so I could plan for it, or even have the ATT tech do all this work, or combine the tech visits into one single day. -
Review from Girish P.
San Francisco, CA
5/2/2011
An ISP that treats you like an intelligent person rather than telling you to restart your computer is the most amazing thing to me!
Many things impress me.
- Their customer service agents talk at your level. I work in the industry and know what I'm doing, and every time I've talked to the agent they've always given answers that made sense to me.
- They have call wait and number of callers reported on their customer service page along with a graph! Yay for transparency!
- They take the time to answer your questions, even when you just call for their free tech support. They won't try to get you off the phone as quick as they can.
- Their network is also amazing!
Seriously, thank you guys! -
Review from Dana S.
San Francisco, CA
4/27/2011
http://Sonic.net is awesome, Fusion DSL is a great service! They offer good products at a nice price, plus lots of fun extras like a free phone line, fax sending and some basic web hosting!
The interactions I've had with their customer service reps have always been great, they're knowledgeable and friendly people who really know tech, you never get talked down to or put on endless hold. I highly recommend Sonic to anyone who needs internet service. Support your local ISP!Comment from Dane J. of Sonic.net 4/27/2011
Thanks much Dana for the kind comments! We'll keep adding… More » -
Review from Christopher W.
Santa Rosa, CA
6/1/2011
A local, Sonoma county-born ISP, http://Sonic.net has come to dominate the regional market where DSL, hosting, and customer service are concerned. I have referred as many of my clients as possible to them for internet service, and have yet to hear a bad experience. I've used http://Sonic.net's services solidly for six years now, and I can't imagine stopping. Though at rare times the reliance on AT&T's phone lines can cause instability, http://Sonic.net's technicians are more than willing, and able, to go the extra mile in getting any and all connectivity issues resolved on the first call.
In the spirit of public disclosure, I worked for http://Sonic.net for two years, but utilized their service both before and since my employment. I would absolutely recommend their products to any residential or commercial entity looking to increase speeds, decrease costs, and have a fully-featured hosting solution for their website. -
Review from Emilio C.
San Jose, CA
8/22/2011
I recently moved and heard good things about Sonic from coworkers. I looked at the website and it was a great deal for up to 20Mbps of download speed. I checked if the service was available in my area and it indicated "Your location is about 3,195 wire feet from our local serving office", so I thought I would get pretty close to the advertised speed. My top speed was 8Mbps, but that is not the reason of my low rating as it is still a good price for the speed.
After a month of service, they were not able to successfully port over my phone number. While I understand the phone port is handled by another department, all they can say it was declined and the new transition date. I let them move out the transition date three times, but no luck.
On the third transition date, my internet went down. I called support and after an hour of troubleshooting I indicated that today was my phone port transition date. He said it had nothing to do with my internet service (even though it is over the same line) and that my modem was broken. He indicated my modem was not able to get a static IP, so I should go buy a new one. He said if the new modem failed, then he could continue troubleshooting. Really. He indicated that my modem was not able to get a DHCP address, so I asked him (my suggestion and not his) if he can assign me a static IP to confirm that was the problem. The support representative said it was a good idea and he would submit static IP request. He indicated that someone would call me back to give me the static IP address information.
The following week I called to get a status on my phone port and they said another week. I asked about the static IP address and they indicated it had not been submitted and according to the notes, I should go buy a new modem.
I cancelled my service. -
Review from Momoko S.
Oakland, CA
Updated - 2/16/2011
After I wrote the original review, I leaned something about the personality of this company by being contacted and also hearing about it from another customer.
The total lack of human common sense.
I DO NOT want to be contacted by anyone in Sonic. Please leave me alone. I find it very aggravating and stressful to be asked to become a customer of Sonic when I am complaining to this extent.
p.s. All the months I have been in this building, I was never able to use internet via sonic. It turned out that about a month ago the building switched to AT&T, and that was only why wifi started working.1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
2/7/2011
I cannot think of any internet service provider worse than this company. I always thought AT&T was a… Read more »
Comment from Dane J. of Sonic.net 2/17/2011
Your landlord used their own WiFi to attempt to deliver… More » -
-
Review from Loli L.
San Francisco, CA
12/26/2010
If I was a little less secure of my relationship with my dear sweet lumberjack, I could probably be convinced that he would start a love affair with the customer service at Sonic. He loves that he gets to talk to an actual person, that the person on the other line doesn't follow a script, and the person can understand what he's calling about. I love the fact that they make him happy.
My lumberjack took care of setting up service at the new place. This is the kind of task that makes me very unhappy. We were up and running in two days. Two days!! That made me very very happy. -
Review from Peter B.
San Francisco, CA
5/17/2011
Hands down, the best experience I've ever had with an ISP.
From the first conversation I had asking them about service options and pricing, all the way to the final setup of our connection (we got the Fusion DSL), dealing with Sonic has been a pleasure.
After years of dealing with unintelligent, under-informed customer service reps or ISPs that don't seem to give a damn about your business, it's almost difficult to describe the incredible sense of relief and joy I get from doing business with Sonic.
Their people are courteous, articulate, knowledgeable, and each person I spoke with seemed to genuinely *want* to help me have a good experience. With the exception of one delivery time that had to be rescheduled (for which they apologized profusely), everything ran like clockwork, and we were up and running in under a week - which included coordinating with AT&T and another vendor.
I highly recommend Sonic to anyone. If only more businesses were like this the world would be such a better place!
