Chrissy C.

The pricing on the Four Seasons Nursery site seemed a bit too good to be true but I took the risk anyways because they offered some plants I had trouble finding elsewhere. Nothing shipped within the date ranges the company had indicated, and I've had to email them twice asking for updates, getting no response the first time, then the second time I did get an automated one saying they got my message and would be following up (update: they did follow up four days later). However, within a few days of each of my emails asking when my items would ship, I got an automated shipping confirmation for part of my order. It could be a coincidence but seems a lot like they're only shipping orders when customers indicate they're paying attention and want their stuff. Tracking wasn't provided for me to know when the plants would actually arrive, which is a problem because the weather is getting quite hot and the plants need to be unpacked promptly. The first four plants I received were in mediocre packaging. One TINY shrub (it's going to be about 5 years before that thing is big enough to plant in my yard!) made the trip okay but a few decorative grasses were very dry and I'm not sure if they're going to survive. I'm still waiting for the rest of my order. The only thing Four Seasons did quickly was charge my credit card - and they charged for the full amount a good six weeks before the latest shipment. I don't think it's worth it to use this company and next time will just deal with higher prices or consider alternative plants I can find locally.

I tried the T-Mobile Home Internet "gateway" in hopes of being able to finally break free of the local monopoly cable and internet provider (Worcester residents know who I'm talking about!). T-Mobile has far exceeded my expectations for fast and reliable internet. Based on testing using speedtest.net, the download speeds are consistently exceeding 100 mbps and are at least as good if not better than my now former cable provider. Upload speeds are better. Video calls and streaming TV have been seamless, including multi-person video calls while someone else streamed at the same time. The included gateway device has two outbound ethernet ports, which allows the option of connecting a device without WiFi and/or connecting another router (for me, keeping my existing router made the set-up even more convenient) but you don't need a router as the gateway serves that purpose for you. I did find that the gateway's signal wasn't great at the opposite corner of my house from its optimal placement, but using my existing router solved for that just fine (a repeater would also work). The current offer for a $50 gift card to basically make your first month free was also pretty easy to redeem with an online form - you do have to remember to go and submit for the card after you activate, as it won't be sent to you automatically. Even without that introductory promotion, you can't beat the price and simplicity, and T-Mobile has finally allowed me to truly "cut the cord" while helping me save literally hundreds of dollars a year!

Spectrum's $45/mo TV "deal" actually costs over $82/mo after the $19 broadcast surcharge fee (as of April 2022), $9.99 receiver, $4.99 DVR service, and $3.87 in other taxes and fees. The broadcast surcharge already increased from $15 just the month before. They tried to charge $13/mo for the DVR but had told me it was $5 when I'd signed up, so I had to call and get them to fix it. All those costs are for just one receiver on one TV. Spectrum's streaming app doesn't work on older smart TVs or any Firestick. There was also a $19.99 fee to turn on the TV service. All that not-so-great promotional pricing ends after 12 months and then adds another $40 or so every month! They did not inform me about the $10 receiver charge when I signed up. They also sent me the wrong receiver and I had to go to the store, wait in line, and deal with a rather gruff associate just to get what I needed to complete the set-up. Different associates gave different answers to identical questions, like if the receiver supports picture-in-picture (was told it did, but the new ones actually do not). The receiver and DVR interface are sub-par, especially when navigating between recorded shows and trying to fast-forward. The recordings cut off the last minute of each show unless you set them to run over (and risk causing a conflict with the next scheduled recording). The DVR interface overall has weird navigation issues like when you delete or just want to hop back into the menu - it's bad design, not at all user-friendly. I canceled this service two months after signing up for it and it took around 45 minutes after being on hold to get someone, then being put on hold by that person, being asked a million questions and having to keep saying "I want to cancel the service" seriously over and over again. They tried to give me magical new deals but I frankly do not trust this company or anything that anyone from it promises.