I have been a customer of 281 Communications for 1 year and 4 months until this month. My initial review was a very positive 5 star review. Unfortunately, this is no longer my opinion them or the owner Tim. Here is a list of every documented outage in the time I was using 281 December 12, 2023 November 15, 2023 November 11, 2023 October 8, 2023 August 17, 2023 August 7, 2023 May 13, 2023 April 6, 2023 February 7, 2023 January 22, 2023 December 8, 2022 November 24, 2022 November 28, 2022 November 7, 2022 October 25, 2022 October 1, 2022 September 23, 2022 September 20, 2022 September 6, 2022 September 2, 2022 Now, in the beginning they were incredibly helpful and responsive to my reports, which was great. I can take some outages as that's just part of living in the country with internet (that is until Starlink came along). What I cannot take is going days or even weeks without communication and having to use my Verizon hotspot while I have zero communication with my internet provider. Let me be clear, I used text, phone and email to reach 281 multiple times with no response for days or like I said prior, weeks! In the end, I respectfully gave notice and canceled my service without asking for any discount EVER for the poor service. I was told by the owner to disconnect my router by the end of December and to take a picture and send it to him of the router being unplugged (not sure why because they can see when my router was plugged in or not because I paid for them to manage my mesh system). I messed up and misread his email telling me to take a picture and just unplugged it by the 31st of December. Because of this the owner (Tim) charged me for an additional month. He later (after I questioned him) did refund half of it, however refused to refund the rest because I did not take a picture. Again, it was completely disconnected on the 30th of December, and they can see that from their end because I paid extra for them to manage my entire mesh system. I get it, I did not follow his instruction to the "T" however given the history and the fact that I gave notice and then did disconnect my system by the 31st, I can only describe this action as petty. $152 does not really affect me in any way, however bad business irritates me greatly. This is why I felt it necessary to update my review today so that others will see what kind of business this is before making a terrible decision. Starlink is cheaper and way faster with zero glitches or downtime so far. I prefer using a small local business typically, but if you're in the market for internet in the hill country, I would highly recommend NOT using 281 communications. read more

281 Internet is NOT recommended as an Internet ISP. They cannot be reached other than by text. That is a HUGE issue. They are not responsive and you as a customer have no recourse. In addition, I just switched Internet providers for three times the speed costing $30 a month less than 281 Internet. So if you want substandard service for more cost than competitors, read more

281 Communications' rates are crazy high and their service goes out on a regular basis, so I requested information on cancelling my service, but they have ignored my requests. (They also auto renew long-term contracts without notifying customers, so it's well over a year before my contract is up.) Then I requested a copy of my contract so I could review it myself, but they have continued to ignore me. I have had to open a case with the Texas Office of the Attorney General about this issue. A quick Google search (that I wish I had done before contracting with them) reveals that they have a history of being shady when people try to cancel their service. I don't know how this company has lasted this long in our small community, but anyone looking for Internet service needs to be aware of how 281 conducts business so they can look elsewhere. read more

worst ISP I've ever dealt with. Most unprofessional, unethical company I've encountered. Scamalytic rates them a full 100 for high risk ISP. make no mistake, the owner is fully cognizant of his practices and makes no apologies. We went ahead and went with the prior homeowners service provider to support the "small guy". under $2.5M revenue. What a mistake it was. When you call in for help, they don't answer but will text you back. (maybe) if you complain that your service is down they will send you screen shots via text of their computer screen saying "it's fine on our end." I have proof and photos of this. They are accusatory, they are aggressive, and they act like you the customer are the problem. The owner is entitled, and condescending. I've left maybe 3 yelp reviews in my life, I don't like to waste my time but this business deserves every word written and any response from owner Tim will be BS, it will be rude and it will be written to attempt to downplay this complaint. Their installer came on site and had my 72 year old father "sign-up." on the installers phone. there was never a mention of a service agreement. a 3 year agreement. If you scan other reviews you will see the owner claims to have contract free options - yet none were ever offered to my elderly father. Just like the other reviews. They TRAP YOU. We started in March this year, by August I purchased Starlink as I had been unable to get through a work day without issue using 281. I broke down and spent $1k on new equipment because I was so so frustrated. we've had Zero incident since installing Starlink (ourselves ) now the owner of 281 thinks we owe him 80% of the 3 year contract and they will collect their equipment, I've been a client for less than 6 months.. to summarize- 1. they do not disclose contracts/options. you have to ask or that's on you tough guy. Talk about integrity! Wow. 3. they deny their coverage doesn't work when you call or text. They will not admit unless their network is being attacked (I also have receipts of this) 4. they charge you a penalty for cancelling to the tune of thousands if you aren't watching your own back And claim you the consumer are in breach of contract. (Hilarious because my father paid every bill) yet he's in breach for cancelling with a company who can't provide what they are selling. 5. They try their best to sound serious and intimidating. 6. My family pays their bills, we believe in doing the right thing. Sometimes that means holding someone accountable for being a crappy human and speaking your mind. I don't want anyone else falling victim to these tactics. Which they fully believe are clever and within their rights to use. Spare yourself. read more

These guys are crooks. I tried to cancel my service for months. The owner and help ignored my emails, calls and text messages to cancel services. Do not use this company. read more

I wanted to give a heads-up to hopefully keep what happened to me from happening to you. I had 281 Communications Corporation (281internet.com) install service at my home in September 2017. After multiple service calls the service finally worked well. $169.95/month plus $684.14 install fee plus another $70 to run an ethernet cable. Was told the high monthly fee was to pay for the equipment installed over a 3 year contract. After 3 years, in 2020 I requested to lower the monthly since my 3 years contract was done. A new 1 year contract was put in place for $135/month beginning October 10, 2020. Service since then has been mostly good. Here's where things get interesting. On August 25, 2023 I emailed to have service terminated. I was immediately informed that I was under an "Auto-Renew" clause in the contract. Contract stated that to terminate, you had to give 60 days notice or the auto-renewal kicks in. It appears I missed the 60 day cut-off by 14 days. Fast forward, I had to pay $1337.74 in penalties plus finish paying the current contract through October 10, 2023. Auto-renewal clauses have been looked at for years now as a consumer trap. I was not aware that there were companies still doing this to folks (shame on me), but I guess there are always sharks out there waiting. My suggestion to anyone under contract with this company to check for the auto-renewal clause in your contract and if it exists then go ahead and put in for termination of service for the end of your contract (and tell them I sent you). This will put you back in control as the company will not try to force a new contract when they need the income more than not. To add, since 2017 there are other internet services in the area as good or better for half the cost. I picked up Verizon home internet (no contract, 30 days to return gear so you can test things out before deciding to keep or not, $60/month) and it exceeded all testing I did against 281's connection. This service is also mobile, but cell tower dependent. Of course, there is also Starlink (No contract) which works even better for the same cost, and can be taken on the road. It is not dependent on anything but a clear sky to the north. I have no skin in the game except to try to feel better about the $1337.74 penalty I was strapped with from a company I did business with for 6 years to the tune of nearly $13,000. For everyone else out there, DO NOT accept any contract with the slimy auto-renewal clause. It benefits no one except the predator pushing it. Most states (but not Texas) have put consumer protections in place for this type of behavior. read more

We had the same experience as Tom R. $1000+ to get out of the auto-renewal contract that they did not tell us about. Run away from this company unless you plan on being their customer for life. read more

281 Internet is a terrible internet company. The service is awful and they trick you into a contract renewal every year. The connection goes out every time it rains and every time the wind blows, but also just randomly. DO NOT USE THEM! read more

We have been completely ghosted by these guys. I have reached out via text, email, and phone and have had zero response. We disconnected 2 months ago and we are still getting billed monthly. Their online portal doesn't work and they do not respond to any communication. It started well and has ended so poorly. I'm at a loss as to what to do. read more

I do *NOT* like being hounded after asking very basic questions about service availability and pricing. That's your *&^%!! job! - If the customer provides no response, they are not interested... There's no need, at all, to be unprofessional by sending them a text at odd hours of the night, to see if they want your overpriced service... - THEY DON'T! - Be more professional and not such a jackass. - Improve your business and perhaps your reviews will follow suit. read more

I have had this service for years. Customer service has improved tremendously. Problems are always fixed promptly. Service is least expensive in area. They are locally owned and operated. read more

If you can find another service, I recommend you do. Here's why: - Service in unreliable. Unlike the post office, 281.com does not deliver in the rain, snow, sleet, or dark of night. As a matter of fact, a recent outage was blamed on lightning strike and the nearest strike was 45 miles away (according to weather underground). - Not sure they know how to spell Customer Service. I placed 15 calls over the course of five hours because my service had gone down. Call went straight to voice mail and the mail box was full and would not take any messages. Other local options: ZeeCon, Verizon MiFi, ATT HotSpot, probably even Dish Net would be better. read more

At the time I'm writing this review, the only other reviews available on here are 2-4 years ago. Maybe between then and the time I've gotten their service, they could have improved it. I have had maybe one day of bad/no service and that was after a real bad storm passed through. They immediately fixed it and even came out and upgraded their equipment. I haven't had any outages or slowdowns with my service after that storm and prior to that there were storms and they didn't affect my service. The guys that came out were very kind. Prices are the lowest around of any ISP in the area that can still provide service. I would and have recommended it to many people I know. read more

This is one of the worst internet service providers in the area because it is very unreliable and their customer service is terrible. Their towers are constantly going down and they aren't available to answer the phones when there is an issue. Also, they put too many people on each access point which slows down service, instead of adding more access points to accommodate the load. A much better alternative in the Texas Hill Country is either the Verizon mifi hotspot or HughesNet satellite. Both are much faster and more cost effective, and you don't have to wonder "will my internet work today?" - a constant question that many 281.com customers have. My service went out several times a month and they won't refund customers' money when the service doesn't work, nevermind customers pay for it to work 24x7. 281.com won't be in business much longer unless they improve their internet service and their customer service. I only wish I had switched sooner, dealing with this company is nothing but a headache! read more

i bought the service... no tech support line to call for issues.. everytime i visit my lakehouse on buchanan no internet or its off and on I call the contact number and of course.... no one to talk to .. so you have to text and maybe you get a response and not much done except to re boot.. I rebooted the poe antenna and comtrend router several times over and over .. i get one response.. just that my radio is not connected to please reboot.. after rebooting over and over finally working.. dont know why you dont have a call tech support like most companies.. not sure if im going to stay with 281 going to look at my options i heard bee cave is moving into the area.. and I hope so...one suggestion 281 communications get a tech support rep for answering calls... 2nd better customer relations for service .. 3rd some people are not "tech savy" and need support.. its not because they are stupid.. read more

I was trying to get service through 281 because my neighbor across the road from us has them and like them. They were very unresponsive to my calls and e-mails as in they NEVER returned them. I also went to their business address in Marble Falls to get signed up TWICE. Talked to Johan once and he wasn't interested in knowing if they could do it. Said I should go to my neighbor and ask him if we could us his. The next time he wasn't there and the people there were the technicians who did the installs. So they had me leave my name, phone number, and address for Johan. To this date he hasn't responded to my inquiries. When you call them there are three options to leave a message, Melissa in sales (and the guys said she hasn't worked there in a long time), technical support, and billing. I left messages on all three several times and NO CALLS RETURNED. If this is how they treat prospective new clients I would hate to see how they treat their paying customers. Their offices were junk desks, etc. very unprofessional. So maybe I was saved from getting into business with them. The only bad thing is they were our only hope for AFFORDABLE internet in our rural area. Get your act together 281! read more

I only added a star because the site required one. This business started out great - years ago. Now it has the worst service, the worst customer service, and rude technicians. Not much choice out here in Kingsland - but there IS choice and I am beginning my search now! read more

I have been with 281.com for over 11 years. My network has gone down very few times during that time. Typically, it only happens during a bad storm. I would highly recommend this company to anyone in the Highland Lakes area. read more

Worst internet ever!!!! I had them for a couple of years. Customer service is the worst. I agree with 2 other posts about unresponsive. Paid first year in advance. That was a mistake. Then started paying a couple of months at a time. Service was slower than dial up I left. Could not leave messages when down because of mailbox full. Voice mail full as well. When you could leave a message by whatever means you NEVER get a followup. I finally started looking for another ISP and asked 281.com to send my bills monthly. I was afraid if I paid too much I would never get a refund. Oh, and I never heard from them again. No bill, good riddance. Good thing on that. I don't think they are in business anymore. Tried their url and nothing. As other reviewer stated, I only added a star because it was required. read more

I work from home and was forced to work in Cedar Park for a while. Service was great and back to awful. If I get 5 feet away from router I have no bandwidth. Anyone who has office space in corner of a room that has reliable high speed internet please let me know. Need to dump this service but have no choice at this point read more