Terrible Internet Service In The Philippines

Anyone moving to the Philippines from the states that decides to have internet service in their home or business will quickly discover “you’re not in Kansas anymore.” From the Northern tip of Luzon island to the southern end of Mindanao the quality of service is about the same. A big fat zero.

Although living here is and can be fun and interesting as well as low cost; it is frustrating on a daily basis. The best and most kind way that I can describe life here is as a mirror image of life in America and other advanced countries. Most everything you would find at home can also be found or had here in most areas of the country. But that is where the similarity stops cold.
As in a mirror, the image one sees or experiences is completely backwards from reality as we know it. Or like living in a twilight zone of sorts. This analogy also applies to internet service.

While there are many service providers available, both wired and wireless; the poor quality and reliability of service is beyond all belief. I have talked to many expats and get the same opinion from all. But to keep this factual I will reference my experience with our internet provider only.

We live close to Angeles City, a two hour drive north of Manila. We use the largest (wired) internet provider in the area. Comclark. It is also the local cable television company in the area and known as Angeles City Cable Television or (ACCTN). It is this writers understanding that ACCTN also provides cable TV and internet to most hotels and businesses in and around Angeles City. That would make it in my opinion, the largest (wired) internet provider around the entire area.

Even so, we and many other customers of their internet service experience repeated outages on a daily basis. Sometimes lasting for hours at a time. At home we would cut our payment due each month for the hours that their service is not available. Not so here. There is no public utilities commission here and one is required to pay the full bill each month to keep service.

After repeated attempts, I have given up trying to locate the owner or parent company of this provider. All one can do is talk to an office level employee to vent complaints and concerns to. And as is the case in businesses in the Philippines, these employees could not care less. Seems they are completely unaware that it is the customer that is paying their salary and keeping their useless butts employed. And that if enough customers cancel their accounts they will be on the street looking for yet another job.

Further, because no owner or parent company can be located; I would assume the owner might be a foreigner that has made this investment as an ISP and cable TV company and lives elsewhere. If so, that would explain the low quality of service and will cause the company to eventually go out of business due to mismanagement and an uncaring attitude on a monumental scale.

So aside from giving information to any potential expat soon to arrive in the Philippines, my hope also is that someone will read this post that knows or is acquainted with the owner( of COMCLARK/ANGELES CITY CABLE TELEVISION and let them read this before it is too late and they wind up going out of business being unable to provide the service that people are paying for…

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