EarthLink to change FON policy? April 6, 2006
After today's official announcement of Google & EarthLink having been selected by the City of San Francisco to build up a municipal (free) WiFi network, the question remains open whether or not EarthLink's policy towards WiFi sharing changes. As reported yesterday (see below), EarthLink's terms and conditions leave end-users in limbo. While EarthLink doesn't explicitly disallow sharing we feel it would be helpful to get their official position.
Meanwhile Engadget reports that users in San Francisco will be able to use a 300 kbps WiFi connection free of charge (ad-financed) or 1 mbps without ads. Leaves not much room for Aliens or Bills at the current pricing model as the residential user probably wouldn't want to spend $60 per month and visitors might just opt for the free model (if this is possible). But I bet Martin Varsavsky has some sort of solution for this dilemma as well as it is in Google's best interest to support FON.
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Let fon keep its pricing model of 50% for the bill, 25% each for fon and isp, but let the bill choose a more competative fee that is more appropriate for his area.
exactly this will not happen!
EARTHLINK CANNOT EVEN MANAGE ITS OWN BUSINESS!!!
SEE BELOW MY TRANSCRIPT WITH SERVICE WHEN MY VoIP DIED. TWO MONTH EARLIER I HAD A SIMILAR INTERACTION WITH THE SALES DEPARTMENT AS AN ABLE, WILLING AND READY CUSTOMER. THEY COULD NOT FIGURE OUT THEIR PRODUCTS.
I WISH THE COMPANY THE BEST FOR 2007
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December 27, 2006
Dear Mr Betty -
I hope you and your family enjoy the holiday season. I have been a loyal customer of Earthlink for some years now. I appreciated it as an independent, reliable, secure ISP. More recently, I decided to upgrade from the dial-up service to True Voice and ADSL, grow with the company… but then I was deeply disappointed.
Below is my transcript with the service department this morning. But it is not only the service department that is in disarray. When I called to upgrade my service, the sales department did not know what products are available when they got a phone call from a ready, able, and willing customer ready to throw money at them.
I hope that Earthlink finds a way to recover its strength in 2007, and not sell out to any of the big ones. It looks like a tough position to be in, but I hope you prevail.
All the best,
John Doe
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Welcome to Earthlink LiveChat. Your chat session will begin shortly.
Not at home and you want to read your email? With EarthLink Web Mail you can check your email from any computer with an internet connection!
Please wait for a site operator to respond. While you are waiting, please feel free to begin typing your issue in the box below. Try to be as descriptive as possible. Once an operator responds, click SEND to transmit what you have typed.
Not at home and you want to read your email? With Earthlink Web Mail you can check your email from any computer with an Internet connection!
‘Jade’ says: Thank you for contacting EarthLink LiveChat, how may I help you today?
myemail@earthlink.net: hello there
myemail@earthlink.net: may i please speak with a supervisor?
Jade: Hello, please let me know the issue to best fix the issue.
myemail@earthlink.net: by letting me speak with a supervisor
myemail@earthlink.net: still there?
Jade: Please wait a moment while I transfer you to my supervisor.
Please wait while I transfer the chat to ‘Robert R’.
‘Robert R’ says: Thank you for contacting EarthLink LiveChat, how may I help you today?
myemail@earthlink.net: i have been with earthlink for some years, but with the adsl for about 2 months
myemail@earthlink.net: the first month it did not work at all
myemail@earthlink.net: i spent many hours on the chat line
myemail@earthlink.net: tickets were opened and closed and nothing done
myemail@earthlink.net: yesterday i lost my adsl and my truevoice again
myemail@earthlink.net: i went on the chat line late last night
myemail@earthlink.net: reported it all
Robert R: Please hold on while I work on the issue.
myemail@earthlink.net: I was promised that within 15 minutes i will get an email with the ticket number and the transcript of the chat
myemail@earthlink.net: i got nothing
myemail@earthlink.net: I cannot afford to spend hours and be disconnected from phone and internet connection for days and weeks
myemail@earthlink.net: can you please let me know if a ticket was opened yetsterday or not, and if it was open, why i got no email
myemail@earthlink.net: if it was not opened - why not
myemail@earthlink.net: [if it was opened and closed, that is what they did all last month,m why they opened and closed it
myemail@earthlink.net: and when xxxx is a techs going to call me that they are going to come check the phone line?
myemail@earthlink.net: SO BASICALLY TODAY I AM SPENDING AN HOUR OR SO, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY THE HOUR OR SO I SPENT YESTERDAY AMOUNTED TO NOTHING…
myemail@earthlink.net: IT ALL LOOKS MORE AND MORE LIKE FUTILITY
Robert R: I’m sorry for delay. I’m still working on the issue.
Robert R: Let me know the security word on your account for verification purposes, the hint being Father’s Middle Name.
myemail@earthlink.net: WHAT THE XXX IS THAT??? I NEVER GAVE MY FATHER’S MIDDLE NAME AS A HINT FOR MY SECURITY WORD…. YOU ARE PROBABLY ON THE WRONG ACCOUNT….
myemail@earthlink.net: THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS
myemail@earthlink.net: MY PHONE NUMBER THAT IS DEAD IS 310 286 9567
Robert R: I’m sorry it is Mother’s Median Name.
myemail@earthlink.net: mymmn
myemail@earthlink.net: AND PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME FOR PASSWORD, LIKE ANOTHER GUY AT THIS CHAT LINE DID
Robert R: I’ll not be asking for password. I was able to verify the account.
myemail@earthlink.net: FOR NO REASON AT ALL…. TOTAL BREACH OF SECURITY
myemail@earthlink.net: DID YOU FIND THE RECORD OF MY CHAT FROM LAST NIGHT? IT WAS ABOUT 2 AM MY TIME, OR ABOUT 9 HOURS AGO
Robert R: I see that the issue is already escalated with ticket number 968374.
myemail@earthlink.net: DO YOU FIND RECORD WHY I GOT NO EMAIL?
Robert R: Due to some internal technical difficulties we were not able to send emails to customer.
Robert R: I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused.
myemail@earthlink.net: I was also promised that a tech will call and schedule to come and check the line
myemail@earthlink.net: it is anywhere scheduled?
myemail@earthlink.net: I am left without phone and without intenet connection
Robert R: No it is not because it will take 24-72 hours to get the issue updated.
myemail@earthlink.net: you mean that they will not even schedule it in 1-2 days? so when is it likely that the tech will be able to actually come?
Robert R: They can schedule depending on the issue at server end, however we do not have that information with us.
myemail@earthlink.net: what is server end if i may ask?
Robert R: And for that you need to give a call to 866 374 5881.
myemail@earthlink.net: in general, if a customer phone line is dead, what is considered at earthlink reasonable response time?
Robert R: By Server End I mean the issue at EarthLink’s End or Local Vendor’s End.
myemail@earthlink.net: that phone line is useless, been there done that last month… they leave you on hold for half an hour or an hour with horrible musac
myemail@earthlink.net: then the phone is disconnected…
myemail@earthlink.net: nice way to burn your time
myemail@earthlink.net: the best outcome of that phone line is when they tell you - NOW YOU ARE GOING TO BE TAKEN CARE OF BY LEVEL 3 ENGINEERS
myemail@earthlink.net: then nothing happens for several days
myemail@earthlink.net: then when I call again - the ticket was closed by somebody.
myemail@earthlink.net: i really have no inclination of going through this again this month
Robert R: It is a new number that is exclusively for Phone Issues.
myemail@earthlink.net: can you please tell me what is considered by earthlink a reasonable time to fix such a problem when my phone line is dead and my internet connection is dead
Robert R: It is 24-72 hours that is taken to know that exact issue and to be worked upon.
myemail@earthlink.net: I am asking how long is considered reasonable to fix it… YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS SUGGESTING 24-72 HOURS, YOU SAID EARLIER THAT NOBODY WILL EVEN SCHEDULE IT IN THAT TIME…
myemail@earthlink.net: SO WHAT IS A REASONABLE TIME TO FIX MY PHONE LINE?
myemail@earthlink.net: AND MY INTERNET CONNECTION?
myemail@earthlink.net: A DAY, A WEEK, A MONTH, A YEAR
myemail@earthlink.net: SOME ESTIMATE OF REASONABLE TIME TO FIX THE PROBLEM IS A REASONABLE REQUEST FROM A CUSTOMER. THAT WAY I WILL NOT BOTHER YOU OR ANYBODY ELSE. JUST WAIT AND SEE…
myemail@earthlink.net: STILL THERE?
myemail@earthlink.net: I SOMEHOW EXPECTED THAT A SUPERVISOR WOULD KNOW SOME BASIC INFORMATION LIKE THIS
myemail@earthlink.net: STILL THERE??????
Robert R: You need to wait for 24-72 hours to get the update on the information.
Robert R: Whatever information is available to the Representatives are available to the Supervisor.
myemail@earthlink.net: CAN YOU PLEASE ANSWER MY QUESTION? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IS CONSIDERED BY EARTHLINK SERVICE CENTER REASONABLE TIME TO FIX A PROBLEM LIKE MINE?
myemail@earthlink.net: I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS BASIC INFORMATION THAT I AM ENTITLED TO AS A CUSTOMER
Robert R: I’m sorry we do not have exact time frame of getting the issue resolved. Depending on the complexity of the issue it may take more or less time.
myemail@earthlink.net: I NEVER ASKED YOU FOR AN EXACT TIME
myemail@earthlink.net: I ASKED FOR AN ESTIMATE - A DAY, A WEEK, A MONTH, A YEAR?
Robert R: That information I’ve already provided
myemail@earthlink.net: DO YOU HAVE ANY STANDARDS IN THE SERVICE CENTER? FOR EXAMPLE - WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM TIME THAT I MAY HAVE TO WAIT? A DAY, A WEEK