• Buy Your Own Modem

Buy Your Own Modem

Overview

Buy Your Own Modem has a rating of 4.02 stars from 166 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally satisfied with their purchases. Reviewers satisfied with Buy Your Own Modem most frequently mention good condition, rental fees, and tech support. Buy Your Own Modem ranks 11th among Computer sites.

  • Service
    33
  • Value
    33
  • Shipping
    33
  • Returns
    29
  • Quality
    34

This company responds to reviews on average within 13 hours

Positive reviews (last 12 months): 0%
Positive
0
Neutral
0
Negative
4
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What reviewers want you to know

Positive highlights

  • Placing my order was very easy, and your customer service was top rate.
  • I recently bought Verizon FiOS Quantum Gateway G1100.

Critical highlights

No critical highlights yet

How would you rate Buy Your Own Modem?
Top Positive Review

“What's not to like?”

Lisa G.
11/22/22

I was renting my modem for $10 a month from Optimum which means I've paid over $1200 with tax to use their equipment in the last 10 years. $60 later, I purchased my own and had it up and running in minutes (which was easy to do on line or with tech support). What took me so long to switch?! And in case you were wondering, no change noted in my services- things are running seamlessly.

Top Critical Review

“Ownyourmodem complete rip off!”

S M.
1/20/24

"New" modem worked less than 2 months, would not let me return! It's useless and I'm out my money! Do not do business with this company!

Reviews (166)

Rating

Timeframe

Other

Reviews that mention popular keywords

customer service (9) verizon fios (6) cable company (4) return label (3)
Thumbnail of user lisag2824
1 review
0 helpful votes
November 22nd, 2022
Verified purchase

I was renting my modem for $10 a month from Optimum which means I've paid over $1200 with tax to use their equipment in the last 10 years.

$60 later, I purchased my own and had it up and running in minutes (which was easy to do on line or with tech support). What took me so long to switch?!

And in case you were wondering, no change noted in my services- things are running seamlessly.

Tip for consumers:
Good products.

Products used:
ARRIS TM1602A DOCSIS 3 TELEPHONEY (EMTA) MODEM (Optimum/Cablevision, WOW + more)

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Value
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Thumbnail of user sm1003
1 review
0 helpful votes
January 20th, 2024

"New" modem worked less than 2 months, would not let me return! It's useless and I'm out my money! Do not do business with this company!

Tip for consumers:
Do not order from this company!

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Value
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Thumbnail of user traceyr65
1 review
5 helpful votes
December 13th, 2018

Item arrived right on time... just what I needed! Verizon tech told me he 'may have trouble' using this product... but he did not! Worked perfectly! Highly recommend purchasing this over paying the $12/month that Verizon wants you to pay!

Thumbnail of user joed1463
1 review
0 helpful votes
March 27th, 2023
Verified purchase

Buying the modem will save you big bucks in five years. The new one works better than my old one and the purchase will pay for itself in 12 months

Tip for consumers:
good company

Products used:
century link

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Value
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Thumbnail of user angelab178
11 reviews
9 helpful votes
February 20th, 2024

Won't bore y'all with the details of my horrible experience with buyyourownmodem.com. This website is a scam. Read the entire details of their return policy before placing an order. As others have said, yes I've lost my money to this scam website. My order #*******. Sad they are allowed to continue scam the consumer!

Tip for consumers:
Advice others to avoid this website.

Products used:
None

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Value
Shipping
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Thumbnail of user rayw129
1 review
3 helpful votes
May 23rd, 2019

My modem arrived in good condition and on time. Easy to hook up, works great, much more affordable than monthly leasing. Recommended that my daughter buy her modem here.

Thumbnail of user leslier401
1 review
0 helpful votes
June 6th, 2021
Verified purchase

Very pleased with this purchase. The website provided clear and distinct product descriptions which helped me choose this particular modem. Very fast shipping. The modem arrived clean and thoughtfully well-packaged to prevent damage in transit, with all parts included as described. The modem is working great, no issues whatsoever.

Thumbnail of user cozzettac
1 review
0 helpful votes
October 3rd, 2022

This place is not as great as you would think. I ordered a modem and it never got to me. Because of an incorrect address on my part it ended up going back to them. It was never opened yet they refunded me only 2/3 of my money. So a $70 modem ended up costing me about $30. Not worth it for me because I still had to go somewhere else to purchase one. Plus, the person who "chatted" with me online was constantly rude. Can't get anyone on the phone.

Tip for consumers:
Don’t use buyyourmodem.com unless you want to lose your money.

Products used:
Modem

Thumbnail of user enriquem138
1 review
0 helpful votes
November 20th, 2022

Quick response, patience, clearly explained what I needed, considered the fastest, most efficient, most cost-effective way to deal with my computer issues. I will gladly recommend them to anyone who will listen. I will definitely be a repeat customer.

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Thumbnail of user michaell5854
1 review
0 helpful votes
May 27th, 2023

They are selling used or stolen modems.
Customer Service would not accept a return.
Xfinity would not allow you to connect the modem because they recognize the serial number as one of theirs.
$80.00 down the drain.
They should be prosecuted for this criminal activity.

Thumbnail of user jaeb29
1 review
0 helpful votes
March 15th, 2022

My place is big and Verizon put an extender to boost the wifi signal. I got internet connection issues for a while. Maybe because the number of connected devices increase and the size of the house. Since the router was from a few years back, I was thinking about upgrading it. Then I saw this router at a very reasonable price. This is the best deciRead more about review stating great product so farsion. The setup is very easy, the speed increased significantly and the coverage is never so good before. Great Product!

Thumbnail of user dorcasm14
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
October 12th, 2023

This company sells damaged, used and obselelete equipment. I asked for cancellation 3 hours after the order was placed because I hadn't even received cony if an order being placed. Then I was immediately sent a confirmation and an email stating thatthe order couldn't be cancelled because it had been shipped and that I did provide a order number. How could I when I hadn't received one? And the order shipped within 3 hours with standard shipping which takes 4-10 days? Yeah right! Then sent a modem/ router with cables which I paid an upcharge for and I received a phone cable for a land line. The modem isn't even equipped to use a phone cable. After sending several emails l, I received a rude, unprofessional and long response as to why I was wrong. I asked for a return and refund as I wanted this in the beginning but was given excuse after excuse in demeaning manner. They will it refund your money, they will take 40-50 percent due to made up charges. This is o e of the worst companies ever. All of the fake 5 star reviews wre are probably from them. All of the negative complaints have a theme of the same thing.

Products used:
None

Thumbnail of user customers68
Customer S. – Buy Your Own Modem Rep

We are very sorry to hear you had an issue that all stemmed from ordering and then wanting to cancel an order which is something we can't prevent. We can't really win here as we try to ship our orders out as quickly as possible as most claim they can't get it fast enough but you are mad that we shipped it to fast before being able to get it cancelled for you in time as it looks like we show tracking was provided the same day you made the order which most can appreciate it, but not you for wanting your order cancelled faster for you. Now for the lies...We don't sell damaged equipment as the shipping costs would be pretty expensive nor do we sell obsolete equipment as a matter of fact the Item you ordered is on the "recommended modems" list for CenturyLink as we speak and they only list 4 of the 30ish as "recommended". Next, we don't charge an "upcharge" for cords as that is a ridiculous lie as they are included and we list specifically each and every cord that would be included of which a phone cord was listed and since you are ordering a phone cord and the phone has phone ports we are a little shocked why you would try and lie about the modem "not even being equipped to use a phone cord as we know you wish you order was cancelled in time but have a little integrity. Next, you didn't receive a "rude" response but rather a picture of the items description page showing you were it specifically stated all cords that would be included and again you are not complaining about not receiving a cord, but rather an extra cord that you didn't think was relevant? Lastly, we don't take 40-50% of your refund and are not even sure where you pulled that number out of as if an item comes back in working condition then you would be assessed a 20% restocking fee to help cover our costs since we are not at fault for the return. Bottom line is Mr. Dorcas lacks some serious integrity based on his comments and has a HUGE ego of which we simply shipped his order out same day and he is upset that we didn't see his request for cancellation in time and decided he would attack and publicly lie and insult our company as opposed to just taking responsibility that sometime once you place an order it may be shipped faster than it can be cancelled to which we make no apologies for. We take great pride in how we strive to manage our business and a great record to prove it as we are a Pro Seller on Walmart, Power Seller on Ebay, have a less than 1% issue rating on Amazon, all to go along with our THOUSANDS OF POSITIVE REVIEWS on our website as unfortunately if you do enough transactions you are going to have a Mr. Dorcas to deal with and there is nothing you can do about it as such people exist in society.

Thumbnail of user jacksons30
1 review
8 helpful votes
December 27th, 2017

Exactly like the one from Comcast, except I own this! After saving $10 per month for 12 months, itll pay for itself and forward will put that $10 in my pocket! How can you beat a deal like that? Very happy!

Quality
Thumbnail of user paulr2369
1 review
0 helpful votes
October 19th, 2022

The Actiontec T3280 works well but, you must contact Windstream/ Kinetic tech support to get the provisioning set properly even if you are replacing the T3280 supplied by Windstream. I had to go through level 2 tech support because level 1 doesn't know how to do the provisioning properly. Until this is done properly you will have no internet conneRead more about review stating Works Just Like the One Supplied by Windstreamction even though the DSL1 and DSL2 LEDs are solid green.

Tip for consumers:
Good company.

Products used:
Actiontec T3280 WiFi 6 Bonded VDSL Wireless AC Gateway Router (Windstream)

Service
Value
Shipping
Quality
Thumbnail of user maxwellr17
1 review
6 helpful votes
March 14th, 2020

Bought an item from these guys, which turned out not to work for my service. It took 3 weeks to arrive (forcing me to purchase another item from Amazon to ensure I didn't lose my appointment with technician). When I reached out to customer service (via email, you can't even speak with anyone on the phone) for a return label, I was told I needed to pay for shipping myself (in a very rude way). After another three weeks or so, I had to reach out again for my refund. I received an email from them that they had refunded me the entire cost of the modem. But what was actually refunded was about 66% of the total cost. AVOID AT ALL *******@buyourownmodem - You have lost a customer and I will ensure you do not get any business from anyone around me. Companies like yours does not deserve to be in business.

Thumbnail of user customers68
Customer S. – Buy Your Own Modem Rep

Very sorry to hear that you are not being honest as it upon further research it looks like you selected our free shipping and passed on our expedited shipping of which the item was delivered with our free shipping time frame of 4-10 days. Also, per our return policy that was provided and accepted by you at time of checkout you were told this would be the shipping time and were also told that returns could take up to 30 days to be processed and so nothing happened that wasn't told to you before you completed checkout. The item was returned in fully functional condition and so per our return policy you were assessed a restocking fee and were never told at any time that you received a full refund so again that is very dishonest that you try and add such false info as everything was handled just as we said it would per our return policy. In reality we don't have this problem very often thank goodness and in fact have THOUSANDS OF POSITIVE REVIEWS on our website, over 95% positive feeback on Amazon, and are a Top rated seller on Ebay with years of taking care of our customers as you can't just "Fake" reviews on these sites but I understand how you would need to say that in order to make it look like you are not the 4% of people who just flat out didn't read what you were buying and then went on a witch hunt after the fact when you found out this was the case.
We certainly try and our best to serve our customers the best we can as is proven by our track record on multiple sites but unfortunatley we can't prevent customers who don't read before they buy and just make assumptions and unfortunatley we are bound to have a few and it makes it tough try and help but the review sites such as this provide a great environment for such to vent instead of take responsibility.

Thumbnail of user not136
1 review
2 helpful votes
June 16th, 2021

I purchased a modem from buyyourownmodem.com and then discovered it would not work with my internet provider. They were happy to accept my return which I appreciated however 1. I was responsible for return shipping which I did using USPS for $21.90. Then they charged me a restocking fee of $38.59. The purchase price for the modem was $127.96. So after subtracting the return shipping and the restocking fee total of $60.49, I essentially got a refund of $67.47. Of course everything is spelled out in their terms and conditions but I get stuck because the product did not work with ISP.

Thumbnail of user harryr196
1 review
0 helpful votes
October 26th, 2021

. The status of order #******* is now Shipped
Order Details
Order Total: $137.96 USD
Date Placed: 28th Sep 2021
CenturyLink ZyXEL C3000Z Wireless A/C Router Modem Combo (CenturyLink, TDS)

The unit arrived and I installed it per CenturyLink instructions. Everything worked except the phone plugged into the modem, Contacted seller and was told if the modem worked then CenturyLink needed to test the line. To make a long story short CenturyLink informed me something with the router was incorrect. The seller maintained the Catch 22 situation. What I did was move the main cordless phone base into another room and used the room phone jack. Now I had phone access in the office with a cordless phone and the modem provided internet access. If you don't mind buying a router with phone and internet access and not get the phone access as expected this is a good system. I would share the thread but the following is part of the email messages, "…the content of this email is confidential and intended for the recipient specified in message only. It is strictly forbidden to share any part of this message with any third party, without a written consent of the sender…". In addition, their customer service does not use phone contact.

Thumbnail of user johnw3597
1 review
2 helpful votes
January 16th, 2021
Verified purchase

This company will not refund you money for your return. I have yet to receive my money for my product and the company will not respond. This is a scam! Stay away from this cheap site!

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Value
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Thumbnail of user jennifers3423
1 review
0 helpful votes
October 16th, 2021

Bought a modem from them and it can not be activated because it is registered on another users account. We've spent several hours trying all the recommendations. Customer support is rude and accusatory and saying the item must be "defective" before a return is issue.

Tip for consumers:
Don't use it. They sell used modems that can't be activated because they are already registered to someone else.

Products used:
ARRIS SVG2482AC DOCSIS 3 DUAL BAND A/C WIRELESS GATEWAY TELEPHONY MODEM(Comcast/Xfinity)

Service
Value
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Thumbnail of user aliasgarb
1 review
0 helpful votes
April 18th, 2021
Verified purchase

When I received my MODEM: ARRIS TG1682G (XB3) DOCSIS 3, the MAC address was already being used by another person. The seller cannot resell used Modem with active MAC addresses. Please check the MAC address before you buy.

In general - DO NOT buy from "Buy Your Own Modem"- stick to eBay or Amazon as per the service providers.

Tip for consumers:
If you are returning, they will charge you a restocking fee and they will also deduct the shipping charges that you paid.

Thumbnail of user customers68
Customer S. – Buy Your Own Modem Rep

It is pretty serious for you to come out and publicly play mob, cop, judge, and jury as there was certainly nothing illegal about what you received but we are very sorry to hear that you had problems with Comcast and they they claimed it was "already registered" as they have actually been previously fined by the FCC for equipment registration violations and as a previous Comcast employee we know that that is not a valid reason for them to refuse to activate it for you. In fact, this issue is very rare luckily, but when it does occur many customers are able to get it quickly resolved by working with a different dept at Comcast or just buy doing a simple self activation correctly. We are sorry you kind of ate up what they fed you as there isn't much we can do about that and unfortunately obviously there is a conflict of interest but we wish you would have followed the instructions we sent you to get it resolved with the right dept as opposed to being combative and wanting to make threats and attach us as this is where these kind of people end up. Regardless you were told to return in accordance with our return policy so you were in no way stuck with the item as we still had your back but again some people have the extra time to just be combative and have no intention in resolving the issue. A We have over 99.6% on Amazon and Ebay as a TOP RATED SELLER and have over 3000 POSITIVE REVIEWS on our website so if providing a 1 year warranty for our customers so they know we will stand behind our products and can have confidence in purchasing from us. The other 1% unfortunately end up here.

Thumbnail of user bryant365
1 review
0 helpful votes
October 22nd, 2022

Good product and arrived quick. The T3200 modem was an upgrade to our older Windstream modem. This one seems to be working faster with no downtime.

Tip for consumers:
This is a really good site and they have variety of products as per my requirements.

Products used:
Windstream Actiontec T3200 Bonded VDSL2 Wireless AC Gateway Router

Service
Value
Shipping
Quality
Thumbnail of user tammyd143
1 review
2 helpful votes
June 30th, 2019

Warning... Please do not purchase a reburbished model from BuyYourOwnModem.com. They sell modems that are registered to other customers, which cannot be authorized or used by Optimum customers. Waste of $ and time. This company does not have a customer service telephone #. I tried to resolve my buyer issues with multiple e-mails with no resolution. Seller refused to refund return shipping for selling me inauthenticated modem.

Thumbnail of user customers68
Customer S. – Buy Your Own Modem Rep

We are sorry to hear that you had problems with your provider as we have installed TENS OF THOUSANDS OF UNITS on the Optimum network and after reviewing your order the item you received does not even have an Optimum part number on it for the one rep you worked with to make such claim and so it isn't possible or this to be "pre-registered" to them and unfortunately this is a game some reps will play at cable companies in order to try and get you to rent their modem while they collect a commission in the process for getting you to rent. Per our purchase terms we do state that the buyer is responsible for return shipping and offered to cover yours if you could just get a simple work order or document from Optimum validating such a claim but of course since the part number wasn't theirs they wouldn't dare put such in writing and so we never received anything from you or them so we could follow through with our offer. We would have strongly encouraged you to work with a supervisor to get the matter resolved for file an FCC complaint if needed or we would have been happy to call them for you if you had provided a number of contact but unfortunately we never received such. You have already been issued a full refund for the trouble that Optimum caused you and we became the victim by eating the shipping and labor costs on our end but unfortunately did require you to return the item to qualify for such refund as we are sorry you were not happy about that. We have been in business almost 8 years now and have strived to accomplish over 96% positive feedback on Amazon and Ebay as a power seller to go along with over 3000+ positive reviews on our websites so I would say we aren't perfect but most of our customers have been quite happy with our service. We are again sorry it didn't work out and that you had an issue with your provider and wish we had more control over their business practices that caused you to need to return your item for a full refund which has already been issued.

Thumbnail of user mariop198
1 review
0 helpful votes
September 16th, 2021

Be Skeptical of the Positive reviews here.
My Review would look a lot like the review below by John N. Very Similar situation. I purchased a modem listed as compatible with my carrier. Modem did not work on my carriers system. I emailed Buyyourownmodem.com and let them know it wasn't working. They responded and said I should try the power supply from the modem I ended up renting from the provider as they found they had several bad power supplies causing issues. That was not the problem and I requested a return shipping label to return the modem and exchange for another. No response for days then I get an email to follow the instructions on the website. Cost me $13.50 at the post office to ship it because they refused to send me a return label. I then waited around 18 days and requested an update (No Response). Then I checked Tracking and they had had the modem for 10 days at this point and had not shipped a replacement. So I sent another email telling them to refund me. 4 days later I received a partial refund. I then contacted My Credit Card Company and was issued a credit for the difference. I am still out paying rent for a modem for 2 months plus the shipping to return. By the time I get a modem from somewhere else I will have paid for 2 modems. Do not Trust these people. If you do purchase from them and you have an issue, do expect it to cost you not them. They use the customer to save money. Customer becomes the tester of the equipment. They don't pay for shipping or the return. The amount they save not testing the modems outweighs the original shipping cost of the problematic modems.

Tip for consumers:
Do not purchase directly from them. Purchase from someone else or them if you have to but on Ebay, Amazon, Walmart, Etc.. You will be much better off if you have any issues as they all have buyer protection programs.

Products used:
Modem

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user customers68
Customer S. – Buy Your Own Modem Rep

Very sorry to hear that you ordered the wrong model for your provider as unfortunately such returns can be preventable by checking with your provider before purchase. Given the documented correspondence we have with you it turn out you lack the integrity to mention that you purchased a T3200M that we list to work with TDS right in the title instead of the Windstream T3200 version that we offer whom you confirmed is your provider so we are not sure why in the world you did that or how you missed it but unfortunately you did and yes it ended up costing you fees in the end. In fact, we don't even list your provider as a compatible model for their service for this very reason because the firmware on the units we sell is different then the ones your providers uses as rental units so we tried to help you but not listing your provider but you purchased it anyways. You will also see online on Amazon and Ebay the same story that it won't work with your provider and so with a little due diligence or by simply asking us regarding the model the we would have been happy to assist you. Instead you order a modem we don't list to work with your provider, then leave us a 1 star review when against our recommendation you buy it anyways and sure enough it doesn't work? We are sorry that you don't agree with the restocking fee that was assessed as again we did ship you the exact model you ordered but unfortunately you purchased an item that is not compatible for your service. This despite even being presented with a notice stating that before you can complete checkout please confirm that you have read the items description page word for word as you can't complete checkout from us without acknowledging or accepting such terms so that we can prevent these preventable misunderstanding from happening. In reality we don't have this problem very often thank goodness and in fact have THOUSANDS OF POSITIVE REVIEWS on our website, over 95% positive feedback on Amazon, and are a Top rated seller on Ebay with years of taking care of our customers as you can't just "Fake" reviews on these sites but I understand how you would need to say that in order to make it look like you are not the 4% of people who just flat out didn't read what you were buying and then went on a witch hunt after the fact when you found out this was the case. What's funny is you even tell people to purchase from us "if they have to" but to do it on Ebay or Amazon or another site which again confirms that it wasn't us that was the problem but you just ordered the wrong thing and had to pay to send it back and pay a restocking fee for doing so, PERIOD! I mean we even list a Windstream T3200 and your provider is Windstream but somehow you manage to purchase the T3200M which we list for TDS? How in the world do you do that?
We certainly try and our best to serve our customers the best we can as is proven by our track record on multiple sites but unfortunately we can't prevent customers who don't read before they buy and just make assumptions and unfortunatley we are bound to have a few and it makes it tough try and help but the review sites such as this provide a great environment for such to vent instead of take responsibility.

Thumbnail of user manuelv76
2 reviews
2 helpful votes
October 12th, 2020

They sent me a modem with an underpowered power adapter that belonged to another device. I don't care about the source of the power adapter as much as I do the loss in amperage to the device. The modem also came with a paper pleading with me to attempt settling disputes with them before writing a negative review, which I did. However, they just replied with a generic reply referring to the fine print, basically stating they can send me whatever they want. I replied, and have not received a response. Well, I tried... Now I'm going to buy my own power adapter. Next time I'll stick to trusty eBay or Amazon.

Thumbnail of user rikos2
1 review
0 helpful votes
April 13th, 2022

We were renting a modem for $10 per month from Verizon. We found out that we could buy the Same modem from Don't Lease Your Modem for $117. It arrived 2 days later and it installed by just swapping it out and works perfectly. I wish I would have known about this years ago...

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Buyyourownmodem is your one stop shop when it comes to quality modems with free shipping, low prices, and extended warranties on modems from top brands.

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Thumbnail of user customers68
Customer S.
Typically responds within 13 hours

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