Paying Too Much for Internet in Texas?

Who's on the other end of that call

The number printed on your bill reaches the company that sends you the bill. The person at the store is paid on commission, and the comparison site at the top of the search results gets paid for every sign-up. Each one answers your question for whoever is paying them.

No provider pays us a commission, we don't resell service, and our pay doesn't change with what you decide.

Most often the culprit is a promotional rate that ran out a while ago, and nobody mentioned it.

What reaches your address

Most folks have heard of the one or two providers whose mailers show up. Out in the country, on a ranch west of Fort Worth, a farmhouse on the Panhandle or a lake house in the East Texas pines, there may be options you've never been told about, fixed wireless and satellite among them, and almost nobody hears when a new one arrives on their road.

We look it up with you, for your address, including providers that don't advertise. Then you'll know whether switching would save money, or whether your current plan is already the best deal available at your address. If it is, we'll say so.

Worth a try on your own

Give these about ten minutes. Now and then one of them clears it up completely, and you won't need a visit at all.

Hunt through the bill for words like promotional, introductory or 'for the first 12 months.' Can't find them? Compare this month's bill with one from a couple of years back. A promotion that quietly ended and left the price higher is the usual reason.
Look for a line labeled modem lease, equipment rental or gateway fee. It's charged every month you keep the service, and often you could buy the same box outright for about what a year of renting it costs.
Think about what your household actually does online at the same time. Two people each streaming a show plus a phone don't need gigabit, and the top tier does nothing you'll notice if no device in the house can use it.
Do a speed test and hold it up against the speed on your bill. If you're getting well under what you pay for, take that up with your provider first.
Scan for extras nobody uses: a sports package, a second TV box in the spare bedroom, a home phone line on a jack nobody has picked up in years.

What a Local Nerd won't take on

Hardware repair, meaning anything that calls for new parts or a soldering iron. It's better you hear that before you book.

We don't sell internet service, we don't sign you up for anything unless you're in the room, and no provider pays us a commission. You make the decision, and the account remains in your name.
We can't get a provider to build out to your address. If nothing decent reaches your road, you'll hear that from us up front.
No drilling through walls, no wiring inside them, no electrical work. If running a cable through the attic is what the house needs, that part is for an installer.

What you pay

A visit at your house takes $39 to book, and that $39 is subtracted from what the visit costs. The hourly rate depends on how far your address sits, in a straight line, from downtown of the city it falls under: $110 an hour inside 25 miles, $130 an hour from 25 to 50 miles, and $145 an hour from 50 to 75 miles. Nothing is added on top for travel.

A remote session begins with us calling you at the time you chose, and it is $39 for 30 minutes. For help a few times a year, there is Nerd on Call: $14.99 a month, with two remote sessions and one in-person visit included every year.

Payment is by card. Local Nerds can't take cash or checks, so nobody will ask you for either at the door. The FAQ has the rest of the detail.

Want to talk it over first? A Local Nerd will call you at no charge, and you aren't signing up for anything.

Where Local Nerds come to you

A visit can reach as far as 75 miles from downtown of each Texas city with a page below, and every one of those pages lists the towns it reaches. To see what your own address gets, put it in the ZIP checker. Remote sessions don't depend on where you live.

Questions we hear a lot

Does TexNerd sell internet service?

No. We're not a reseller and no provider pays us a commission, so there's no reason for us to push you anywhere. We read the bill with you, find out what reaches your address, and say so if your current service is already the best deal you can get.

Can you get my internet bill down?

Often, yes. The savings usually come from paying rent on equipment you don't need, an intro rate that ended without anyone telling you, a speed tier far past what the house uses, and bundled extras no one watches. We go through it line by line.

How do I find out which providers serve my address?

We look it up together, including providers that don't advertise. In rural Texas, fixed wireless and satellite may be options you haven't heard about, and nobody tends to announce it when a new one arrives.

Will you set up the new service once it's installed?

Yes. Your Local Nerd hooks up the new equipment, gets every device back online, and checks that the security camera, the smart TV and the printer made the switch too, since those get forgotten most.

What does a bill review cost?

It's billed by the hour, and the hourly rate goes by how many miles your address is, in a straight line, from downtown of the city it falls under. The three rates are listed under What you pay. Plan on about an hour.

And if my current deal is already the best one?

Then you'll hear exactly that, and the wondering can stop. Nobody who sells service has any reason to tell you so.

Your internet bill may be higher than it needs to be.