Two major downsides that make me question being a customer for two years now

We've been relying on mobile internet at home for a long time, but when our kid was about to start a new school year, we realized they needed a decent internet connection to do their homework. Homework often requires access to online info, and we knew we needed something better than mobile internet.

We had to choose between Rostelecom and Dom.ru. There aren't many internet providers in Penza, so we could've gone with MTS or Beeline, but my sister recommended Dom.ru, and she's been using their services for a while with no complaints.

Fast forward two years, and I've gotta say, not everything has been to my liking with their services.

First, let's talk about the good stuff.

1. Internet speed - no complaints here. It did change when I switched to a different tariff, but I didn't notice a difference between 200 Mbps and 300 Mbps. The router does a great job of distributing the internet.

I ended up buying the router from them, which might've been cheaper to buy separately, but I wasn't sure if they'd connect a used router or support it if something went wrong. I paid for the router upfront, but you can also pay in installments.

If you opt for a payment plan, keep in mind that even if you cancel the contract, you'll still have to pay for the router - it's not rented, it's sold.

2. You can submit a request on their website to have your internet disconnected for the summer and avoid paying for it. I'm not entirely sure how many months it's free, but I think it's two, and then you'll have to pay a small fee.

3. The technicians who install the internet and come to fix any issues are great. They're professional, know what they're doing, and I have no complaints.

4. They often have promotions. You can find them in the 'Personal Offers' section.

For example, right now, if you pay for several months upfront, you get a 5% discount (for 3 months), 10% (for 6 months), or 15% (for 12 months).

5. They have a personal account where you can track your payments, follow promotions, change tariffs, and add extra services.

What I don't like about Dom.ru1. Customer support. I get that there are 'experts' behind the scenes following a script, but it feels like you're talking to a robot. The first issue arose just a month after I got internet set up - it just stopped working. I started calling customer support to get a technician out, and that's when things got weird. They'd ask me to check if the cables were in place, and I'd explain that I hadn't touched anything. But they'd just tell me to check the cables again, saying 'try unplugging and replugging them.' This is despite the fact that one of the cables is really hard to remove, and I managed to damage it when I tried.

Long story short, they scheduled a technician to come out, and it turned out the issue was with the cable in my house. To make matters worse, the technician had to fix another cable near the router.

Fast forward a few months, and the same issue arises again. I call customer support, and they start asking me to check the cables again. I explain that it's not the cables, but they just keep repeating the same script. To be honest, I was about to cancel my contract on the spot and was getting pretty worked up on the phone. But the customer support agent quickly escalated the issue and sent a technician out, who again found the problem to be with the cable in my house.

I get that Dom.ru doesn't want to send out technicians unnecessarily, since they have to pay for it. But to make customers jump through hoops and try to troubleshoot complex technical issues on their own is just cruel. Asking someone to unplug and replug cables is one thing, but expecting them to navigate complex settings and troubleshoot issues is just ridiculous.

That being said, I do prefer interacting with Dom.ru's customer support team via the VK chat.

2. Price hikes. This is a major pet peeve of mine, and it's one of the reasons I've considered canceling my contract multiple times.

I signed up for Dom.ru in late August 2021, and the initial price was 600 rubles.

Exactly a year later, they hiked the price up to 720 rubles - a 20% increase. I thought maybe it was because I wasn't using the internet as much during the summer, but I think it's just a ploy to attract customers and then raise prices later.

Needless to say, I wasn't happy about it, and after calling Dom.ru, I switched to a different tariff that cost 650 rubles but offered faster speeds.

But my joy was short-lived, as the tariff was raised again to 715 rubles just six months later - a 10% increase. I wrote a complaint to the support team, and they basically told me that 'everyone wants to get paid.' Not exactly the most reassuring response.

I've been talking to Dom.ru for a while now, and they finally offered me a deal on a tariff for 650 rubles, but with a slower speed. Honestly, I didn't notice a huge difference in speed.

So, in the end, I'm still a Dom.ru customer, and I have to say, I wish they valued their loyal customers more. Instead of offering discounts, they could just not raise the prices as often. Even a 5% increase wouldn't be so bad, but it's like they're waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And with all the competition from Rostelecom and MTS, it's getting harder to stay loyal. I'm not sure how long the 650 ruble tariff will last, but I'm on edge, waiting for the call that says the price is going up again.