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Surf the Web up to 50 times faster! Always-on connection! Affordable monthly rates! Talk and go online simultaneously on the same phone line! The promises made by DSL providers sound irresistible to Internet users who still plod along at 56 kbps. The problem is, those promises are often a long time in coming.

Just ask Brad Grimes, a former PC World executive editor. When Grimes was setting up his new office as vice president of an editorial consulting firm in Brookline, Massachusetts, he knew that broadband Internet access was essential--and he chose his existing ISP, EarthLink, to provide the service. "I'd heard some bad things about Verizon's [the local phone company's] DSL service, and I'd had good luck with EarthLink as an ISP," says Grimes, "so it seemed like the way to go."

That simple decision set off a comedy of errors that won't seem funny to anyone who's suffered through a similar experience. I've received dozens of letters from disgruntled would-be DSL users, whose complaints range from installation delays to incompetent technicians to abysmal customer support. If there's a theme, it's the lack of communication among the various players on the DSL team.

To see just how bad the repercussions of miscommunication can be, read the rest of Grimes' story. But don't abandon hope--I'll follow up with some tips on how to avoid DSL disaster.

The Calm Before the Storm

Things started out smoothly for Grimes. He received e-mail confirmation from both EarthLink and Covad (the DSL service provider contracted by EarthLink), and Verizon installed the new phone line to his office on schedule. The next step was for Covad to install the DSL modem and software. Thus began Grimes' personal descent into DSL hell.

Twice, Covad representatives failed to show for scheduled appointments. The first time the hapless technician was fruitlessly searching the streets for Grimes' address--unfortunately he was searching on Staten Island, New York, a good 250 miles and three states away.

Grimes thought he'd clarified matters, but incredibly the same mistake happened again--another Covad tech combed the streets of New York for Grimes' Massachusetts address. The two missed appointments delayed the installation by nearly two months.

And things didn't improve much after Covad did show up. The technician couldn't establish a working DSL connection. Finally, Grimes himself completed the installation.

But the DSL demons weren't done yet. Their next curse hit the modem supplied with the EarthLink service. "It just died, right in the middle of an EBay transaction," Grimes laments. Exasperated, Grimes demanded a new modem. EarthLink's response? You'll have to take it up with the modem manufacturer.

"I told [EarthLink] that that wasn't acceptable, and if they wouldn't fix the problem I'd cancel my DSL service contract," Grimes recalls. "After all, when the modem in my Dell PC goes south, Dell doesn't tell me to call the modem manufacturer." EarthLink eventually called Covad, which replaced the modem. Nearly six months after Grimes first ordered DSL, he's finally satisfied with the service.

Are problems like this unique to EarthLink and Covad? Hardly. The letters I receive and the posts at Web sites such as DSLreports.com that rate broadband service reveal plenty of similar gripes about every DSL provider under the sun.

EarthLink declined to comment specifically on Grimes' case. But a company spokesperson says the firm is working to improve the installation process. EarthLink also claims to have one of the highest customer satisfaction rates among broadband service providers, though that may be sort of like being the hippest kid at the Star Trek convention.

Grimes attributes the problems to all the different companies involved. "If I'd ordered from Verizon, I'd have had one company to deal with," he says. "When I got EarthLink, I ended up with EarthLink, Covad, and Verizon. It makes no sense."

Besides, the best customer support in the world won't do you much good unless your service provider is at the top of the DSL food chain--the position typically held by the local phone companies, which own the physical lines for DSL access. In fact, many consumers complain that local phone companies drag their feet when asked to install the wiring for ISPs and other DSL providers, especially if the local phone company itself offers DSL service.

Go to the Source?

It's no surprise then that dedicated DSL companies such as Rhythms, Covad, and Northpoint have disappointed their investors recently. "The downfall of the DSL resellers," says Michael Goodman, senior analyst at the Yankee Group, "is that they're automatically at a competitive disadvantage since they're buying the service from the regional phone companies and attempting to resell what those companies already provide."

So should you go directly to the phone company for a DSL connection? It may depend on where you live. Our files are fat with complaints about the Baby Bells, too. In fact, Verizon DSL customers upset about installation delays recently filed a class action lawsuit against the company. In most cases, if you obtain service from your phone provider, only one company will be involved--but that's no advantage if the company is incompetent or negligent.

It makes sense to check the ratings of your local phone company's service at DSLreports.com. The site provides lists of service providers, extensive ratings and user reviews (updated daily), discussion forums and chat rooms, broadband industry news reports, and tools and tips for technically savvy users.

Cable an Obvious Choice?

A lucky few have a choice between DSL and cable for broadband service (at press time, cable Internet access was available to 46 percent of U.S. homes, compared to DSL's 34 percent). The tales of DSL installation nightmares may make cable seem like the obvious choice.

Among 500 broadband users we surveyed by e-mail for our January story "Warp-Speed Web Access," 91 percent of cable users reported having their service up and running within three weeks of ordering it, compared to just 61 percent of DSL users. And fewer separate players are involved in most cable installations.

But some cable users report frequent fluctuations in their connection speed. Nearly 19 percent of cable users told us they perceive a significant slowdown in their connection at least once a day. Only 10 percent of DSL users reported the same thing.

The good news is that most experts are optimistic about DSL. Says Joe Laszlo, broadband analyst at Jupiter Research, "The big shift in the next year will be toward plug-and-play; self-installation will become the standard. In turn, consumers will eventually see the lines of technology blur: Broadband will become less a matter of deciding between DSL, cable, and satellite, and more a matter of deciding which ISP best meets your needs."

That sounds easier than explaining how to get to Brookline from Staten Island.