Need a new ISP -- can no longer recommend Earthlink. Ideas?

[Eloriel]

(I REALLY wanted to post this in GD, because it IS political, but I figured it would be moved.)

Well, I called for technical support at Earthlink (which used to be Mindspring, started right here in Atlanta a lot of years ago), and for maybe the 2nd time in the over 10 years I've been a customer, the wait time was said to be "less than 20 minutes."

That was bad enough, but I thought, Okay, I'll wait.

The person who answered called himself "Josh" near as I could tell, but with a very strong accent. I couldn't help myself, I blurted out, "Where are you, India?" He said yes.

I've got a new phone, had it on Speaker and tried to take it off but accidentally disconnected. (LOL -- it's been THAT kind of day.)

And immediately thought to myself: and Why the hell do I want to support a company that outsources its tech jobs? Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey. I've had it with them. Somehow my email address has been hijacked by some spammer, and Earthlink can't seem to do anything about it. I am getting over a hundred spams, mail dilevery failures, and spam block messages a day. So I'd already considering changing my email address (after all these years!!), but these outsourced tech jobs are the last damn straw. I've had it.

Soooooo, we don't have DSL out here in the country, nor broadband (how does that work anyway?), any real good suggestions for a dial-up ISP? I've probably been paying too much to Earthlink anyway.

God, I'm mad. I've put up with decreasing quantity of customer service, this spam shit problem (and I've been collecting my email on-line for months and months, and have NEVER used Outlook so neither of those is the problem), and now OUTSOURCING. Aaaaarggh. (GAWD it's been a bad day.)

[shraby]

1. Get yourself a local one

you'll find them in the phonebook. The cost is about the same or cheaper and you can yell at them upfront and personal.

[cheezus]

20. in a lot of rural areas the local telephone coop has dialup

around here it's $14/mo

[spinbaby]

28. And then they get eaten up by Earthlink

We used to have Stargate in Pittsburgh. They were great until they got eaten by Earthlink.

[Susang]

2. I left Earthlink earlier this year for the exact same reason

My situation was a little worse than what you describe, as it involved extreme incompetence as well as job outsourcing. I would have never expected it of that company. I guess you can never tell.

[Eloriel]

4. Yeah, Mindspring started out as a real "conscious" company

VERY high standards, morals (from outside looking in), etc. The employees I talked to at tech service LOVED the company. Eventually, they merged with Earthlink. Downhill ever since, tho most of it hasn't been that visible because they do well at keeping the joint running, service-wise.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

41. i was one of the first

Mindspringer's ... man I loved those guys... but now I wouldn't touch EarthLink with a ten foot pole. This company had me actually excited about the prospects for growth in the internet; Charles Brewer truly had a vision of easy internet access and good support...oh well...how the mighty have been outsourced.

theProdigal

[2Design]

3. I am using People Pc from office max but who knows what

their politics are ...but it is 10.95 a month and I like it. They kick you off after 4 hours, but if you sign off and back on before that you are fine...

Just sometimes I can get a fast line and come up with 28.8 or 30 or 9 instead of 40 and above.... But I come back 10 minutes later and it is fine.

[allalone]

10. peoplepc

I'm using them too. they have a lot of local #s and are pretty reliable. I hated Earthlink and they also plant spyware.

[BlueHandDuo]

37. Here's the link for PeoplePC

http://www.peoplepc.com/go/bzz

I was surprised how much you get for that low price. I thought it was going to be a bare-bones dialup account, but you actually get Web space, Usenet newsgroups, and additional e-mail addresses, just like with the big guys.

[RodneyCK2]

5. Sorry to hear about your ISP troubles. Here are a couple of..

things for you.

1. http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=777AA740-9E67-4B81-9AB9-371773A573C4

2. This site allows you to query your area and find ISPs, even smaller ones (usually cheaper).
http://www.thelist.com/

Good luck.

[RodneyCK2]

6. One more ...

Try this, lots of reviews on ISPs.
http://www.isprank.com/

[Eloriel]

8. Oh, thank you

Just what I was looking for (and didn't know it) -- both reviews and a "look up" feature for my local area. Fabulous.

Now, here's a tip in return. For up to an hour after you post a message on DU, you can click the little "edit" link at the bottom right hand corner of your message and edit your post. But perhaps you already knew that, and you just wanted to bump my thread.

Thanks again!!

[Eloriel]

9. Hah!! LOOK AT THIS --

from one of your links: http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=777AA740-9E67-4B81-9AB9-371773A573C4

Another 1,300 call center layoffs as EarthLink outsources

About 1,300 people are to lose their jobs as EarthLink Inc closes four of its five remaining customer support call centers in four US cities, and scales back operations at the remaining one, the company said yesterday.

---

Makes me furious all over again.

[yellowdog]

7. I have had PeoplePC

for 5 years and have been very satisfied with it. I have a V92 modem and usually hook up at 45 or 46k. Not bad for a dial-up. I paid for a year in advance and got it for $9.95 a month.

[Spider Jerusalem]

11. Well...

re: broadband, DSL IS broadband, as is cable. You might actually be able to get broadband, since both Bellsouth and Comcast have been adding a lot of infrastructure of late. If you're at all interested in seeing if it's available, go to http://www.broadbandreports.com and you can check availability of service in your area.

But, if all you want is dialup, there are probably a couple of dozen choices in the sub-$10/month range. One I'm pretty sure of is called "Joi Internet" (I think...saw a billboard on the downtown connector), and they advertise $6.95/month (again, I think, you'd have to check). Not sure how customer service is, but for less than ten bucks a month, how much can you really complain?

[warrior1]

12. I have a good one

www.lanset.com

Less than 9 buck's a month, unlimited time.

[Eloriel]

13. I'd love to have DSL or cable

I did some checking at that link and I don't think it'll work. I live too far from a switching station or whatever they're called, and I'm not sure about cable companies. But I'll do some more research tomorrow.

I'm thinking I'll just get one of those AOL accounts to tide me over. (Aaargh, that's not much better, but I'm just SO livid, and besides doesn't AOL usually have a big ole free for x months promotion running?)

[Eloriel]

14. AOL temporary fix -- free 1099 hours for 50 days (22 hrs./day)

I do NOT recommend AOL as a substitute -- absolutely not. They're a Repuglican company and pretty horrible, actually.

HOWEVER, I just might use the 50 days to do the research I need to replace Earthlink. Seems fair to me, no?


Link for anyone interested: http://www.aol.com/

[Spider Jerusalem]

18. Yes, AOL sucks like an Electrolux set on "high".

I had AOL, upon a time (back in the days when they still charged by the hour)...gave it up back in 1997 and got myself a real ISP. Haven't really missed it.

If it turns out you have a choice when it comes to broadband, I recommend DSL over cable. Bellsouth's DSL is more stable than Comcast's service, at least in Georgia, and you can get 3 megabits down/384K up. You should call Bellsouth (or talk to a CSR online at http://www.fastaccess.com ) and see if there's a remote terminal within wire distance of you or if there will be one...even if there's not know, there amy be soon, since Ballsouth is expanding their coverage to remain competitive with Comcast in the broadband market (and Comcast has added service in a lot of semi-rural areas in the past 6 months).

[mockmonkey]

19. AOL

And when you cancel AOL you will be talking to someone from India who will be very persistent. My b/f did the free AOL thing and he had such a hard time getting them to cancel. He wasn't rude to them and in fact told the person that they were trained very well, although they were hard to understand. I'm using Family Video internet. I don't don't if they are in your area.
http://www.familyvideo.com/

[hunter]

35. AOL sucks, even as a "temporary fix."

Don't install AOL software on your computer. You will regret it.

Quitting AOL is not easy --you will spend a long time on hold, or talking with people who have no power to "unsubscribe" you, and AOL software often does not "uninstall" cleanly.

Those AOL CD's are dangerous.

[hyphenate]

15. Since you can't get cable or DSL

Have you considered satellite PC? I don't know if there is a separate website, but try http://www.directv.com to see if they have a link to their satellite connection. I don't know how much it is, but it certainly can't be any worse than cable or DSL.

[kiahzero]

21. Go with Starband - they don't support Murdoch

We had Starband for a while... latency was bad, but so long as you're not an online gamer or do a lot with protocols like FTP or SSH, it doesn't matter. Download speeds could be ridiculous when you got a good server.

[Spirochete]

16. I just quit Infinity Internet

I've been using them for about 7 years, and haven't had a problem with them. I'm only quitting them because I changed my DSL service, and the new service already includes an ISP. I believe they are available in Georgia, too. I think they run $19.95 for unlim dial-up.

[StrongbadTehAwesome]

17. Well, that just sealed it for me.

I've been sitting here pricing/comparing dial-up ISP's for my grandfather, and with eerily coincidental timing, I spotted your thread. My choices were down to Earthlink and PeoplePC (mostly because he lives in a pretty remote area with few local access numbers). Now Earthlink's out of the running for good.

I've kinda become the computer "go-to" person for my family, and my uncle has used PeoplePC for about eight months with no problems, so it seems a fairly solid recommendation. No idea about their politics, though a brief net search doesn't reveal anything heinous about their business practices.

[Eloriel]

23. Be sure to TELL them they lost your business and why

You might even point them to this thread (and/or the companion thread in GD: Earthlink outsources another 1300 jobs -- and loses me as customer http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2264201 ). :evilgrin:

They're definitely going to hear from me when I cancel.

Let's start a movement, shall we?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

22. I've been happy with Redjellyfish...

http://www.redjellyfish.com

Internet access for the eco-conscious...

[RodneyCK2]

26. Thanks GoddessOfGuinness, a green-friendly ISP.

Who Knew? LOL... Their DSL covers my area. I may just switch, thanks.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

39. My pleasure!

:hi:

[faithnotgreed]

36. yee - i just switched to them today! i had forgotten all about them

i have a mac and they walked me right through how to sign up (you have to call the toll free # to set up if you have a mac)

they were great - easy as pie to setup and no more earthlink!
cant wait to call them to tell them why i dont want to deal with them anymore

[GoddessOfGuinness]

38. Their customer service is great...

I've rarely had to wait for assistance, and they've always been courteous and efficient. Enjoy!

[bookfreak]

24. I'm on the ISP search myself

I had AOL years ago and got sick of them...to expensive plus they had a bunch of features I never used so why pay all the extra money? So I switched to Surfbest, which is only $12.50 a month. No problem for a long time but then I started having problems where I'd not be able to get online for a day here and there, then sometimes a day a week or even two whole days a week. That left me really cheesed so I decided to shop for another provider.

I got a disc in the mail for a free 2-month trial with Compuserve, which is only $14.95 a month. After just a few days with them I decided to can them since my web-pages loaded at least twice as slow as before (and my computer is slow enough already). I was ready to bang my head against a wall things were loading so slowly...arrrgh! Of course when I called to cancel the account Andrew (who had a very thick Indian accent) tried to convince me to stay by pointing out that I could get all my favorite sports statistics and information blah blah blah. I told him how much I hate sports and that was the end of that.

So I'm giving Netzero high speed a test run. It's only been about four hours but so far so good. Pages do load faster (though the 'high speed' speed varies) and it is still much cheaper than most other ISPs...$14.95 a month.

[yellowdawgdem]

25. fastq.com is a good one

http://fastq.com/resindex.php

Did I read that correctly- that you are in Atlanta, GA?
Fastq is based in AZ, but they have national dial up/dsl, and my impression is that they are Sprint-based, which is good. Working Assets is also Sprint-based, which means reliable, and fairly conscious. I also had aol for awhile, then got tired of the software, it seemed to pop up all over the place on my computer, and caused glitches. So I decided to get an isp that did not require any software to set up. I can just use a browser, like ie, or mozilla, whatever. Fastq is very reliable, and the few times the system goes down, I can call tech support and get the same people, and they are helpful. That's a really big thing. I have a dial up for approx 97 bucks/6 months, and it's cheaper by the year. With aol, they are very friendly, but I never stopped receiving letters and promotional offers once I changed. They sent letters that said, like, please come back and join our family again,and they would reserve my screen name in case I changed my mind.
But if you live in Atlanta (did I hear that correctly?) there are probably some great local isp's that you could find by asking at a local college, or just asking everybody that you run into. That redjellyfish one sounds really interesting though, doesn't it?

[Eloriel]

29. Well, if I were IN Atlanta, I'd have DSL

I used live in the Atlanta suburbs, but now I'm in exurbia -- 1-1/2 miles from Atlanta. MOST of the time that's WONDERFUL (and I don't miss the city at all!). But times like this, living in the boondocks is a pain, and has a cost. But it's about the only cost (IMO) of living out here in God's country.

Even so, there've been some very attractive suggestions on the thread -- for which I thank one and all.

[KamaAina]

43. That'd be 1-1/2 *hours* from Atlanta, right?

but now I'm in exurbia -- 1-1/2 miles from Atlanta.

1-1/2 miles from Atlanta wouldn't even get you to Decatur, for Koresh' sake!

P.S. Dump Earthlink ASAP.

[yellowdawgdem]

47. Well I guess so

http://georgia.findanisp.com/

Well, I did not realize that, because I'd thought you lived in southern California. I remember some old threads that seemed to imply such. Anyhow, my brain must be rotting away from too much ol surfing. I wonder, are you anywhere near the Chattahoochee River? No isp's there that I know of , but it sure is a name to remember.
Anyway, yes that'd be easier if you were in Atlanta, but I bet you will be able to find something that you like. Sounds like you really would like the high speed in alot of ways. Well you will hafta let us all know what you decide on. We will be interested in hearing, because of the research involved. :hi:

[RodneyCK2]

27. Also, if you have problems with SPAM in your emails...

Download (for free) and use Mozilla's Thunderbird email client. It is comparable to Outlook 2003 (pricey) and better than Outlook Express. I love it. The best feature is the SPAM guard. It trains itself, so after about 2 weeks of using the client, it knows exactly which emails are good and which are SPAM.

It also has free Extensions you can download, add-ons, that give Thunderbird more features.

I also use Mozilla's Firebird Web Browser, which is free. Much better and safer (no ActiveX which is a big hacker/virus catcher) than Internet Explorer, and VERY VERY FAST. I was amazed at how fast the pages load. I even did a comparison to IE. With the click of a button, you can import your IE favorites, cookies, etc into Firefox. It looks and feels much the same as IE, so if you are use to IE's interface, then it will be a smooth transition. How is that for a pitch? LOL

Mozilla Thunderbird..
http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/

Mozilla Firefox...
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

[Eloriel]

30. The ONE thing I want to know about Thunderbird

is whether or not you can change the title of incoming emails. Eudora lets you do that. That's the main reason I wouldn't use Outlook (aside from its notorious lack of security). The link didn't say, that I could see during a quick scan.

Thanks for the links.

Edit: I should explain, for those who don't know, Eudora lets you edit the subject of what appears in your email box (so you can save emails with more intelligent/appropriate subjects than some people use), but not in the headers.

[RodneyCK2]

34. Eudora also lets you edit received emails, which is probably..

what you are referring to in your post. I think this is a feature only found in Eudora. Doing a quick scan of Thunderbird's extensions, the only reference to editing the subject was a tool that lets you categorize, not edit.

That aside, I would still encourage you to switch if you can live without this feature. Plus, someone can write an extension to do so, they just haven't yet.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

31. Honestly, SBC Yahoo isn't too bad...

But I highly suggest upgrading to DSL or Cable Modem. The extra $$ is worth it.
Duckie

[Eloriel]

32. I would if I could. It has to be availble in your area, you know? n/t

[jukes]

40. went through the same situ

in bartow county several years ago. they finally got the hookups for DSL. i think you'd be better off w/bellsouth (hate 'em/wdnt date 'em) than aol. aol limits your searching capacity & access to "approved " subjects.

i'll continue w/earthlink because i hate bellsouth, but the mozilla browser/email clients wd better serve your spamming problem then changing ISPs. much more secure in terms of spyware, also.

[RodneyCK2]

33. I have SBC DSL....

it is fast but to get a good deal, you have to locked in with a year's contract (around $26 a month). You can pay monthly, like I do currently, at $50 a month.

I am thinking about dropping them since I don't want to be locked in for a year. $50 a month is a huge hit. I wish there were other options, dsl I mean.

[KamaAina]

42. Don't forget, Earthlink is tied in with Scientology

http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/03.19.98/scientology-9811.html

(Earthlink founder Sky) Dayton is a vocal follower of the Church of Scientology who in the early days surrounded himself with upper management and private financiers who were also Scientologists. His personal Web page is punctuated with a quote from Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard: "Communication is the solvent for all things."

As the company has grown, EarthLink executives have tried to distance the company from its Scientology roots, and for good reason. Unlike other religions, Scientology has earned a reputation for dragging ISPs into court for alleged copyright violations committed by private subscribers, something which electronic-privacy advocates believe could erode free discourse on the Net.

Following the debate are some noted Scientology critics, who have posted Web pages providing evidence of the connection. San Diego resident Deirdre Saoirse is behind EarthLink.net and Scientology: The Links, which contains email text from an EarthLink employee who described the company as "scn-owned" and traces the Scientology organizations that once registered their Web pages through EarthLink. According to InterNic, most of those have switched their affiliations from earthlink.net to scientology.net.

I say: Dump 'em!

[jukes]

44. KamaAina

i was unaware of that connection. TX++ for the information.

[arwalden]

45. I Hear Many Positive Things About DirectWAY Satellite Access

Maybe you should look into it.

-- Allen :hi: :hi:

[bikebloke]

46. An aid for search and compare...

www.findanisp.com

I use Toast.net out of Toledo, Ohio. Tech support is out of their office there.