Forum Discussion

chmod777's avatar
chmod777
New Contributor III
4 years ago

Ultimate Classic 300 being "upgraded" to Ultimate with "outdated modem"

Received the below email from Cox and I'm a bit confused by the wording of this email. I'm currently using an SB6183 (16x4) modem. If I upgrade to a DOCSIS 3.1 modem, am I still going to be forced to "upgrade" to the new Ultimate tier with 1/3 the upload speed or will I be able to retain it?

***Begin email from Cox***

We’re making important network upgrades to provide a better internet experience for all of our customers. To do this, we need to move Ultimate Classic 300 plan customers with older modems to the new Ultimate plan on or after Wednesday, March 3, 2021.

Your bill will not increase as a result of this change to your internet service plan.

Ultimate has download speeds of up to 500 mbps, 60% more than Ultimate Classic 300. Ultimate’s lower upload speeds of up to 10 mbps still support the typical needs of most users like video chatting, gaming and uploading large files. However, you need to update your current modem to enjoy the full increase in download speeds.

Good news, we have options to help you.

  1. Update your own device to any Cox-compatible DOCSIS 3.1 modem listed here.
  2. Call to upgrade to a Cox Panoramic Wifi Gateway—at no additional monthly cost for 12 months—which means you’ll have access to:
    • Our Panoramic Wifi Upgrade Commitment that includes:
      • Automatic software updates.
      • An option to swap for our latest equipment every three years.
    • 24/7, real-time security and activity alerts against online threats.
    • Your plan’s top speeds.

Want more upload speed? No problem, call to learn more about equipment and our speed plans.

***End email from Cox***

  • We have not yet received the email.  I am somewhat excited about upgrading to 3.1 however our 3.0 hardware works. Our monthly rate is already high enough. Our current speeds (300+/30+) are fast.  We never received the email notifying us about the changes.  A Cox telephone rep said we can upgrade for free to the 500/10 plan but will charge us 8 bucks per month for the modem/router rental.  Unless forced to do so, I am in no rush to make the change, especially with a rental fee.

    • Bruce's avatar
      Bruce
      Honored Contributor III

      I had to rollback my modem to a previous D3.0 because the one Cox issued me broke. After a few days of use, it's more stable.

      • laffingdukk's avatar
        laffingdukk
        New Contributor

        what did you downgrade from and what modem do you have now?  I have the worst connection and changing to panoramic did not help at all, and I'm connected via ethernet so it is as fast as possible as far as I know.  they pretty much tricked me into the panoramic, saying it costs nothing to upgrade, and then would not give it to me without charging me 12.99 addt'l per month. 

  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III

    Yeah...it doesn't make sense.  Because you have an older modem, Cox will increase your data plan?  If you want to exploit the higher bandwidth of the increased data plan, upgrade your modem?  After the upgrade and new modem, you'll get a lower upload speed?

    I would email Cox at cox.help@cox.com and instruct them to not change anything.  If they won't and you're satisfied with 300 Mbps down, just keep the same modem.  The only thing that'll change is your upload will drop.

    • chmod777's avatar
      chmod777
      New Contributor III

      The only reason I have the plan is for the 30 Mbps upload speed. 300 or 500 download doesn't matter to me much, I just want my upload, and I don't want to pay Gigablast pricing for it. Seems ridiculous they can reduce my upload speed by 1/3 and frame it as an "upgrade" 😞 and I am potentially stuck paying $150 to get a DOCSIS 3.1 modem.

      • Bruce's avatar
        Bruce
        Honored Contributor III

        To tell the truth, it reads more like a sales pitch to rent their awful Panoramic.

        This "upgrade" doesn't make sense.  It really begs the question:  Is Cox getting rid of the Ultimate Classic?  Perhaps Cox is reconfiguring their circuits so only DOCSIS 3.1 can support 30 Mbps upload.

        This is why I'd send an email to ask about the future of the Ultimate Classic 300.  Is Cox getting rid of it?  If not, can DOCSIS 3.0 still support 30 Mbps upload?.

        If you upgrade to a DOCSIS 3.1, your speeds would probably stay the same.

        Do you have telephone service with Cox?

  • socal_customer1's avatar
    socal_customer1
    New Contributor II

    Just got the same email, in Southern California.  I also specifically stayed with this plan for the upload speed.  I'll be calling them too, hoping they can just leave my plan alone.

    One detail that throws me is this: "on or after Wednesday, March 3, 2021."

    After? not before?  Is it a typo or a deliberately non-committal escape hatch?  "We need to change your plan on March 3, or, you know, later than that, some time, eventually..."

    • chmod777's avatar
      chmod777
      New Contributor III

      Please let me know if you have any luck!

      • socal_customer1's avatar
        socal_customer1
        New Contributor II

        I got a very helpful rep on the phone.  Here's what he said:

        Cox is pushing DOCSIS 3.1 for some kind of efficiency/congestion reasons.  So they're encouraging people to get a new modem by March 3, but there's actually no hard cutoff date.

        They will give you their "Panoramic" modem for free for 12 months, but ONLY if you change plans to get off of Ultimate Classic.

        And finally, they are NOT requiring customers to change plans.

        So, I will be leaving my plan alone and will start looking to buy a cheap DOCSIS 3.1 modem.

        One interpretation of this information is that Cox is trying to trick people into giving up their old plans with better upload speeds.  But who I am to say for sure?

  • Joe_G_'s avatar
    Joe_G_
    New Contributor

    I got one of these notices on March 8 and it states I have until March 29th to upgrade my equipment or I will be moved to a plan which has 500 down / 10 up. The ultimate classic I have now has 300 down / 30 up. This is a serious bunch of BS and illegal. Cox surely has the right to require an equipment change. However, the law says they must give 90 days notice. Changing me to a plan that is not equal or greater than what I have now is also not legal. I have a contract. That is what I signed for. The law says I have the right to own my own equipment. I just spent an hour on chat with Cox. They want me to upgrade to the Giga plan for the same amount I'm paying for 12 months that after it goes to $120 a month. BUT if I want the Giga speed I need to upgrade the modem of course. So i will still have to pay $150 for a new modem or lease it for $12 a month.

    But here is the real crazy sh*t.... I was under the impression that my modem would not be compatible with the network after March 28th. However, the Cox rep tells me that if I upgrade to Giga service now, I can continue to use my Docsis 2 modem on the network but I just won't get the 1 gbps down. This is nuts. So basically, it's not a modem compatibility issue. Cox just wants to cut everyone with 30 mpbs upstream at $99 per month. With all the people working from home, the 30 mpbs is crushing the network. So they came up with this BS that you must downgrade your upstream or you must upgrade to a new modem if you want to continue your current plan. They know *** well that people who are out of work right now can't afford to buy a $150 to $250 new modem so they need to take the downgrade or get locked into a new plan with higher monthly rate or pay $5-$12 additional a month to lease a modem from them. They have been trying to get me to upgrade my service package for a year now and I refused. They cant even get me the 300 down / 30 up I'm paying for now so why should I suspect if i upgraded to a faster service I would get what i'm paying for right??      


    Again, forcing an equipment is acceptable and legal. However, 20 days notice is not. The law says the provider must give 90 days notice before forcing an equipment upgrade that will change my current service. Thus, Cox needs to either provide me with a free modem to use for 90 days from the time the service change takes effect, at no charge, or they must continue to provide me with the current 300 down / 30 up I'm receiving now with the same modem for 90 days from the date the noticed me which is March 8th.   

    LOL - I'm still on chat with Cox now as I type this. It is now over 1 1/2 hours with no solution. My options are:

     

    1) Either I agree to take the Giga service upgrade for what I'm paying now then $20 more per month after 12 months AND I can keep my current modem if i don't care about the giga speed down

    2) or I lease a docsis 3.1 modem from them for $5 per month, or

    3) I take the downgrade to 500 down / 10 up and keep my current modem.  It really makes no sense why I can't keep my modem and keep my current plan speeds. Especially, if they can do it, IF I sign a new contract to pay an additional $20 per month after 12 months. This is extortion. Cox knows you have a contract but they don't care. You either pay them more by leasing their equipment or you pay them more to keep the service you have. It can't be any clearer. Luckily I have this whole chat saved. I'm sure there are going to be a lot more people pissed off and this is not going to be the end of this for Cox. I foresee some big fines coming ahead....

    • Joe_G_'s avatar
      Joe_G_
      New Contributor

      UPDATE: I was able to purchase a refurbished Docsis 3.1 giga modem on eBay for $80 with free shipping. To all of you out there getting ripped off paying $12 a month for your modem, grab one off eBay for $80 or a new one on Amazon for $120. Within a year you will have paid it off. $12 a month adds up after the first year.

  • Hi Joe G.,

    The purpose of the Cox Support Forums is to allow customers to discuss technical topics related to Cox services with other customers. If you need help with other account-specific issues, please reach us on Twitter at @CoxHelp, visit us on Facebook, or email us at cox.help@cox.com.

    Thank you,

    Mike J.
    Cox Support Forums Moderator
    • Joe_G_'s avatar
      Joe_G_
      New Contributor

      Hi Mike -  I did not start the post. I simply responded to another customers issue. Next, If you had read my post you would have seen that I spent over 1 1/2 hours on support and I even listed the solutions I was given. So, please read before you comment.

    • Bruce's avatar
      Bruce
      Honored Contributor III

      a DOCSIS 3.1 giga modems sounds technical to me.