Thinking
of going with a “FREE” ISP ? …….
…You
may want to think again!
Here is some information on free
ISP’s and why many people are dropping them as fast as they sign up!
There are 2 sayings that are very
appropriate when talking about so-called FREE ISP’s
-
“there’s
no such thing as a free lunch”
-
“you
get what you pay for"
Do
you like ADVERTISEMENTS?
Free Internet Services generally
bombard you with advertisements. Most people can live with one or two ads,
but 20 ads in a 45-minute session is not uncommon.
If they don’t keep popping up ads, they force you to leave an
advertising bar on your screen whenever you are on the Internet.
That’s bad enough, but they’re
not done yet!
Your email is another way for them
to pump ads at you. In
fact, some free ISP’s send advertisements with EVERY email you send.
A
RIGHT to PRIVACY?
Sorry… you gave up that right.
When you sign up for many
free ISP’s, you are regularly required to fill out questionnaire forms.
In exchange for NetZero providing the NetZero
Services without charge, you agree to provide NetZero with accurate and
complete information it may request, from time to time, through
questionnaires, surveys and registration forms. (http://www.netzero.com/home/serv_terms.html)
A sample of the type of questions
that may be asked include:
What is your level of
education?
What kind of car do you drive?
What credit cards do you carry?
What kind of pets do you have?
What is the primary language spoken in your household?
Granted,
these may not seem to be too intrusive, but remember, they can ask
anything they want and you have already agreed to answer truthfully!
Your answers to these questions
are then shared with other companies.
By TARGETING your habits and personal information, the “Free
ISP” you this way, The more info they have on you, the more products
they can try to sell you and your family.
This is how they make up for their
supposed "free service”.
But they’re not done yet, with
many “free” ISP’s, you also agree that the ISP’s corporate
partners (the advertisers paying for your Internet Access) can send you
junk mail and solicit you by telephone.
I don’t know about you, but I get enough calls during dinner… I
certainly don’t want any more!
Is
BIG BROTHER watching?
With a free ISP -
you better believe it!!
As if the questions up front
aren’t intrusive enough, you also agree that the “free” ISP can
track your activity and your whereabouts on the web.
Below is an excerpt from one of
the FREE ISP’s “TERMS AND
CONDITIONS PAGE”
Collection and Use of Personal Information. NetZero will collect, store, compile and utilize information
about you and your use of the NetZero Services including, without
limitation, information regarding the Web sites you visit.
In addition, NetZero will collect, store, compile and utilize
information that you provide in response to NetZero questionnaires,
surveys and registration forms. NetZero
may provide certain information and data about you (including information
about your computer system and platform) to third parties including
advertisers, clients, marketing organizations and others that NetZero may
select. (http://www.netzero.com/company/legal.html)
Take a moment and read that
again…. “COLLECT, STORE,
COMPILE and UTILIZE information regarding the sites you visit”!!!!
Do you REALLY want someone
tracking you like that?
Some
more to think about?
Is
there a local telephone number? Many
of the so-called free ISP’s only have local numbers in the major
cities… the rural areas end up having to get CIRCLE DIALING or pay long
distance charges… often this amount exceeds what the normal ISP’s
charge… $19.95 per month.
Will
there be a lot of busy signals? As
more people join the free services, it can quickly become overburdened and
busy signals become more frequent. And
you really can’t complain to anyone since you’re not paying for
anything!
Tech
support? Many times,
there is no “live” FREE tech support.
You must go to the company’s website and figure it out for
yourself. If you want to talk
to an actual person, you better get your credit card ready!
Another saying just came to mind
that might be appropriate,
“if
it sounds too good to be true… it probably is”.
SAMnet…
Global Access – Local Service… Fair Price!
Please call (413) 596-2050 for complete information on all
of our account features.
We offer small business and corporate access accounts in
addition to custom Web Page creation. |
