Choosing an Internet provider

Today we got some good news about our Internet (which we have been trying to have hooked up for a week now). But first, here is the basics that you need to know about Internet in Spain:

There are two internet companies (that I know of) here in Spain: Telefonica (ADSL) and ONO (cable). With Telefonica, you have to get a phone line installed before you can have the Internet. The phone line costs 18€ per month, and the Internet costs an additional 45€ per month. If we split that between the four of us, it is really not that expensive, plus we would have a landline telephone.

With ONO you get twice the speed (6MB vs. 3MB with Telefonica) for the same price. Not to mention that you don't need to install a phone line, so that saves you a little money. Obviously, we decided to go with this option.

The only problem was that when we called ONO, they did not have our address on file, so they told us that we could not have cable internet. So last Monday, we signed a contract with Telefonica and they said they would send a technician to hook up the phone line in the next week. Then we would have to go back to the store to pick up the modem and Wifi router. By today, we still hadn't had any contact with Telefonica, and for some strange reason ONO kept tormenting us with their never-ending flyers shoved under our door showing us exactly what we were missing out on.

Finally tonight we caught the girls who were handing out the ONO flyers. When we demanded (politely of course, and in Spanish!) why they would keep giving us these useless flyers when we couldn't even get their service if we wanted to, they proceeded to come into our kitchen and explain. Apparently they had a different address on file than we had been using, and once we discovered that, we were able to sign up for ONO internet. Luckily, we were able to cancel the installation with Telefonica thanks to the really nice lady that works there!

So we should have cable internet in the next week or so now...