#PeopleLink Woes
9 messages in this thread
I've had trouble signing up with PeopleLink, and I thought I'd share my woes
with you all. First time, I signed up via the modem line, and waited about 10
days to receive their package in the mail – no results. I called the Customer
Service, and they had apparently lost the order, so I signed up again (to a
real live human being this time). I waited another two weeks, all to no avail.
I called them up today, and after scratching around for half an hour, the
service rep told me that my previous order was pitched. In asking why, she told
me that because of my unusual name, they assumed that it was a prank call.
What is this? Do all foreigners have the same problem?
All in all, by the time I get their package (a week from now, I was promised),
I would have waited over a month, just to sign up. I sure hope their service
is worth all this hastle.
Has anyone else had problems with PeopleLink? If so, I'd like to know about it
so that I can cancel the order.
When it comes to customer service, CompuServe is still the best!
Nobuya Higashiyama
Nobuya, I'm not going to comment on PeopleLink – being a sysop here I obviously
have a prejudiced opinion. However, I must say that to throw away someone's
application because the name seems unusual is outrageous!
Anyway, we're glad you're here on CIS.
Marlene
Nobuya,
I have never had any problems with PeopleLink and it's well worth having in
your bag of services. Especially if you access it from abroad. Then you get it
at $2.70/hour vs. the $12.50 here at CIS. In addition to that you of course
have to pay your local PT&T its steep charges for connecting you to the
services abroad.
Regards, J0RGEN
I think this is going to be a long one — here goes…
Yes, Plink is $2.70 an hour if you call in from Chicago or PC Pursuit.
However, since June 20th they've instituted a ridiculous Data Transfer
Charge. You are charged extra per every 5K that you download. 80%
(or more) of the network users are there for 1 reason — the libraries.
Plink'srate structure seems to require a degree in Math to figure out, but
I'll try to explain.
Assuming 2400 baud and a through-put of 864000 bytes per hour, 1 hour of
downloading will cost you:
Rate DTC
With PC Pursuit or local dialing : $ 2.70 + $6.75 + cost of PC Pursuit ($30)
Without PC Pursuit : $ 4.50 + $15.19 = $19.69
Prime Time : $ 9.95 + $30.37 = $40.32
Canadian DataPac users really get taken. Plink, in effect, has said
to them, we don't want your business.
DataPac, non-prime, 2400 baud : $14.95 + $30.37 = $45.32
If you doubt this, here is their own chart …
LOCAL/PCP Rates – (300/1200/2400 Baud)
24 hours/day : $2.70 per hour
NON-PRIME Rates – (300/1200/2400 Baud)
: $4.50 per hour
PRIME Rates –
300/1200 baud : $7.95 per hour
2400 baud : $9.95 per hour
Nodes listed with an asterisk in
the Telenet phone listings have a
$3.00/hr surcharge during prime time.
*DATA TRANSFER CHARGES
PRIME : $.18 per 5 KB (or any part thereof)
NON-PRIME : $.09 per 5 KB "
LOCAL/PCP : $.04 per 5 KB "
*Data Transfer Charges apply to all Xmodem Downloads. Xmodem
Uploads remain free in public clubs.
This is an approximate 10% reduction in connect rates across the
board (with a 60% reduction in 2400 baud rates!!).
Canadian Datapac connections will be reduced to $12.95/$13.95/$14.95
per hour for 300/1200/2400 baud respectively. Data Transfer Charges
for Datapac users will be $.18 per 5 KB.
<continued in next message>
It was interesting reading your analysis of People Link pricing. In real-world
terms, my per-hour, bottom-line rate has gone up a whopping 42% with the new
"reduced" rates. Before the new downloading surcharges it was a simple 8.96
per hour (+$10.00 a month for "frequent plinking" which turns out to have been
a foolish expense.) Now I am averaging ~12.75 per hour (hmmm, sounds
familiar.)
Now that I am a card-carrying WHAPer and Plink is the same cost as CIS (but
their software is inferior) guess where I'll be checking for downloads and
messages.
<continuation>
So, you play Russian Roulette with pricing. Also, remember, IF you use PC
Pursuit you must account for the cost of that ($30 for 30 hours) into the
figures. The break even point (compared to CIS) doesn't happen until you've
downloaded for 10 hours.
What about the the shareware author's view of this? File transfers are being
'taxed' over and above standard connect rates. How is the shareware author
compensated as his material is surcharged? This is similiar to the ProComm vrs
Software to Go court case recently won by the ProComm folks.
European access to CIS (at _much_ cheaper pricing than now available) is
scheduled to go into effect this fall.
I'm a customer who no longer even knows how to get in. And IMHO, they have
about as bad a menu system as I've ever seen.
Ron
Dear ( ), i had no probs with Peoplelink.
Nobuya,
When they send you your first BILL, throw it away – and tell them you
thought it was a "prank bill".
Seriously, any organization that is that fouled up just signing up
members is bound to really mess things up later. Maybe they are too busy
counting the extra cash their new policy will bring in – 4 Cents per 5
kilobytes of download.
Lloyd