Arcor vs. M-Net

I want to set up a private internet connection in my apartment, and from the research I've done online, I've narrowed it down to Arcor and M-net (I originally wanted to go with Kabel Deutschland, but it is not available where I live).

Does anyone have experience with either of these ISPs, good or bad, or is there another company you would recommend using instead? The package I want costs about the same (25 Euros) for both.

From the date of ordering Arcor takes almost 4 - 6 weeks to get the line for you. But once you get it everything is OK. The delay is not from Arcor, but they in turn depend on T-Com for leasing the phone line. You can change almost all options online and also instead of calling the helpline you can mail them through the online system.

I am with Arcor since 4 yrs and I am fine with it. I also changed cities and the transfer also worked out. Thats the only drawback I see with m-net as I assume it is only in Munich.

Hope it helps

Arcor is about to be bought by Vodafone. Make of that what you will

Arcor has a 24 month minimum contract period. With M-Net you can take a 12(with a initial activation fee of 99.90 EUR) or 24 month contract. As of now M-Net has a special offer with no initial charges for 12 month contracts.

With Alice (www.alice-dsl.de) they have no minimum period and just 4 weeks notice if you want to cancel, and they have no initial charges and they are cheaper per month. I would consider them over both these other options that you have suggested.

Does anyone know if you can get out of your contract if you move out of the country?

I know you can with Arcor, not sure about the others. I have heard the same thing about T-Com, but haven't read it in the contract with me very own eyes.

As far as I know,If you move out of the country you could cancel it for Arcor but not all of them(1&1 I think has some problem)
For me,it takes 2 week before it was got installed(last Friday).Lucky,and everthing goes well now.

I'm with Arcor and it's been a disaster. This company is simply the worst I've dealt with in Germany which goes with out saying means the world. I would avoid arcor at all costs

On this site there are German user ratings for 46 DSL/Cable Internet companies (but all in German - Google translate helps):
http://www.wieistmeineip.de/dsl-anbieter/v...ml?order=rating

From the ones that are regularly discussed (ratings out of 5):

04 M-net: 4.3
12 cablesurf.de: 3.9
22 Kabel Deutschland: 3.3
29 Alice: 2.9
30 Arcor: 2.9
32 T-Com & T-Online: 2.9
33 GMX: 2.7
36 Freenet: 2.4
38 1&1: 2.4

Personally I chose cablesurf.de as it only took 3 to 4 hours to get online (after signing a contract at one of their shops), and has a 3 month minimum contract period with first month free.
Been with them for nearly a year now.
A close friend who chose an Arcor 2000kbit/s connection as she only needs it for basic stuff seems happy with her connection. It was the best offer at the time as she makes lots of calls to the UK (€4 international flat phone rate.)

Hi, I'm trying to figure out which internet service provider to connect with. All I need is a decent/good connection to the internet for my apartment in Schwabing. Freenet just came to my door offering 29euro a month for internet, phone, and a whole lot of other stuff - it was hard to understand as the lady barely spoke english (i.e. hookup fees? buying a modem??). I'm currently purchasing MyFON passes - not very budget-friendly.
Any recommendations on what to choose and how - we're only here for 3 months (June to end of August), and woudl ened to disconnect.
Alice? cablesurf? FreeNet?
Any help very much appreciated.

CableSurf is the best option to get online quickly. If not, Alice. Both these options have no minimum contract period. Freenet/Arcor etc have a 24 month minimum contract period. CableSurf provide the modem for rent for about 2 EUR per month.

@minga: Cablesurf's online website is a bit confusing - would you suggest visiting a store location for english service? How to find out their prices and compare?

I've been with Arcor for phone and net since the start of the year and so far I'm happy. Far better (and cheaper) than Dt. Telekom, but that's not saying much, I guess.

What convinced me to get Arcor was the international flat rate for phone calls, something that wasn't available with any other providers at the time and didn't cost all that much extra. Flat rate for Western Europe, North America, and Australia. Since I work over the border in Switzerland and I call home (Oz) pretty often, this just can't be beat.

I know a few people who've used Alice. They've had nothing but trouble.

For a person who is here for just 3 months, signing a 24 month contract is not advisable.

@Capricorn1
Check the link I provided in my earlier post. It lists their offers.
http://www.cablesurf.de/tarife.php?id=11
Give a call to the number in the webpage. Hopefully there is someone who speaks English. Make sure you have your exact address details so that they can verify if they could provide internet connectivity to your apartment.

If you're only here for 3 months, you should just use dial up or see if you can find someone with a wifi connection that isn't secured. It could take up to 6 weeks just to get connected with DSL. If you can get Cablesurf, that might not be too bad because that'll surely be quicker.

Thanks for all your input - We have tried to ask around for those with wi-fi in our building (all connections are secured) with no avail - one guy forgot his password, and those people we asked, we cannot catch their signal (on the other side of building)...
We'll try the Cablesurf - thanks again fro your help

MNet is the only ISP as far as I know who doesn't have the silly 24-hour disconnect (at least as an option).
Their service is excellent. Prices too.
Several friends of mine switched, all left T-Com. All are much happier.

If you leave the country, you'll bring the Abmeldebescheinigung and state where you move to, case closed. Contract terminated, since legally speaking, the ISP failed to provide service at your new location.

MNet also offers regular phone calls to the US and Canada (no VoIP) for approx. 6 Euro per month.