ISP rate question...

Joyce,
For a couple of my early renewals, I was able to talk DSLExtreme down to a lower rate. ; Not quite the rate that the new folks pay for their first year, but definitely better than what they first offered me.  At the time, the 2nd year was going to cost about $50 per month!!  Glad that things have come down. ; I think $23 is a very fair rate, but if you can talk them into something even lower, so much the better.

Linda

On Tue, May 13, 2008 at 8:57 AM, Joyce Simmons < on-eagleswingsdslextreme.com">on-eagleswingsdslextreme.com> wrote:

I have been with DSLExtreme for a year. I have had great service. The cost up front was $14.95 prepaid for a year. My year is up and of course the fees are going to be $23. a month now...

 

If I downgrade from 1.5 to 768 I can get it for $18.95 prepaid for the year....

I hate to keep switching ISP providers but want to be wise here.

 

Is downgrading that much going to make a difference? Is $23 a month a comparably fair price?

Joyce

Joyce,
For a couple of my early renewals, I was able to talk DSLExtreme down to a lower rate. ; Not quite the rate that the new folks pay for their first year, but definitely better than what they first offered me.  At the time, the 2nd year was going to cost about $50 per month!!&nbsp; Glad that things have come down. ; I think $23 is a very fair rate, but if you can talk them into something even lower, so much the better.

Linda

On Tue, May 13, 2008 at 8:57 AM, Joyce Simmons < on-eagleswingsdslextreme.com">on-eagleswingsdslextreme.com> wrote:

I have been with DSLExtreme for a year. I have had great service. The cost up front was $14.95 prepaid for a year. My year is up and of course the fees are going to be $23. a month now...

 

If I downgrade from 1.5 to 768 I can get it for $18.95 prepaid for the year....

I hate to keep switching ISP providers but want to be wise here.

 

Is downgrading that much going to make a difference? Is $23 a month a comparably fair price?

Joyce

---

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.23.11/1422 - Release Date: 5/8/2008 5:24 PM

Joyce, it depends on what you are doing. If you download a few pages to view on the web, and they are not large, you may not notice it. but, if you deal with video, over the web, or similar heavy duty usage, you will be annoyed with the 768. for a buck a week extra, I would go with Linda's idea.

I just negotiated a discount with Earthlink, so I am getting 1500 Kb/s for $19.95. Fro thee years I had been getting it for only $15. As you say, all good things, etc. They have learned they must make a few bucks, and they do share it with the local phone company. It is AT & T, and their deals cost more--even their specials.

Re your spam, be aware that there are two basic types: Spam that comes from known addresses or domains. "Known spam" filters easily remove these. Typically they are "medium" settings, but you need to check. The other type of spam is more serious. They hijack computers, and Send from them, so that the Send addresses constantly change. They get by many filters. To combat them, filters on the more powerful settings use "heuristic" programs, which analyze the content of emails, and remove those with sufficient spam characteristics. Naturally, that cannot work perfectly. Occasionally they filter out something you wish to receive, and sometimes the usual spam gets through. So, now and then, scan the contents of the filter. You can look over 100's of them in seconds, as you can recognize them in the list.

Karl's idea of sending your email through Gmail is an idea with which I enthusiastically concur. I do from the other direction, but it works the same. The difference is that, since I use Gmail as my main address, if I switch ISP's, I need only change my forwarding address at Gmail,and it will be forwarded to the email address of my new ISP. Of course, I have not had to do that, since I have been connected to "The Real Internet" (as Earthlink calls it) for 10 years.

Bottom line: You cannot prevent all spam, unless you use a "White List." That can be a pain, as correspondents who use alternate addresses will not get through the filter. But, you can prevent most spam, by following the suggestions you received today.&nbsp;

One other point: If you have your email address on emails Forwarded to many people, or on web sites, spammers will pick it up. Ask Forwarders to delete the email addresses, for your privacy.

~~Robert

Joyce Simmons wrote:

melandjoyce" type="cite">

I have been with DSLExtreme for a year. I have had great service. The cost up front was $14.95 prepaid for a year. My year is up and of course the fees are going to be $23. a month now...

 

If I downgrade from 1.5 to 768 I can get it for $18.95 prepaid for the year....

I hate to keep switching ISP providers but want to be wise here.

 

Is downgrading that much going to make a difference? Is $23 a month a comparably fair price?

Joyce

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG. 
Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.16/1430 - Release Date: 5/13/2008 7:31 AM
  

One more thing.....are you all  doing away with the AVG or ?

Just got a notice that after the 31st it will go bye bye if I don't upgrade!!

Joyce

Joyce, it depends on what you are doing. If you download a few pages to view on the web, and they are not large, you may not notice it. but, if you deal with video, over the web, or similar heavy duty usage, you will be annoyed with the 768. for a buck a week extra, I would go with Linda's idea.

I just negotiated a discount with Earthlink, so I am getting 1500 Kb/s for $19.95. Fro thee years I had been getting it for only $15. As you say, all good things, etc. They have learned they must make a few bucks, and they do share it with the local phone company. It is AT & T, and their deals cost more--even their specials.

Re your spam, be aware that there are two basic types: Spam that comes from known addresses or domains. "Known spam" filters easily remove these. Typically they are "medium" settings, but you need to check. The other type of spam is more serious. They hijack computers, and Send from them, so that the Send addresses constantly change. They get by many filters. To combat them, filters on the more powerful settings use "heuristic" programs, which analyze the content of emails, and remove those with sufficient spam characteristics. Naturally, that cannot work perfectly. Occasionally they filter out something you wish to receive, and sometimes the usual spam gets through. So, now and then, scan the contents of the filter. You can look over 100's of them in seconds, as you can recognize them in the list.

Karl's idea of sending your email through Gmail is an idea with which I enthusiastically concur. I do from the other direction, but it works the same. The difference is that, since I use Gmail as my main address, if I switch ISP's, I need only change my forwarding address at Gmail,and it will be forwarded to the email address of my new ISP. Of course, I have not had to do that, since I have been connected to "The Real Internet" (as Earthlink calls it) for 10 years.

Bottom line: You cannot prevent all spam, unless you use a "White List." That can be a pain, as correspondents who use alternate addresses will not get through the filter. But, you can prevent most spam, by following the suggestions you received today.&nbsp;

One other point: If you have your email address on emails Forwarded to many people, or on web sites, spammers will pick it up. Ask Forwarders to delete the email addresses, for your privacy.

~~Robert

Joyce Simmons wrote:

melandjoyce" type="cite">

I have been with DSLExtreme for a year. I have had great service. The cost up front was $14.95 prepaid for a year. My year is up and of course the fees are going to be $23. a month now...

 

If I downgrade from 1.5 to 768 I can get it for $18.95 prepaid for the year....

I hate to keep switching ISP providers but want to be wise here.

 

Is downgrading that much going to make a difference? Is $23 a month a comparably fair price?

Joyce

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG. 
Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.16/1430 - Release Date: 5/13/2008 7:31 AM
  

---

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG.
Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.16/1430 - Release Date: 5/13/2008 7:31 AM

I heard some time back that at the end of your cheap year you could downgrade to dial-up, keeping your same DSLExtreme email address and after a short period of time, sign up again at $14.95 as a "new" dsl user. ; Don't know if that's true. ; Or worth your trouble.

Matt

"Robert A. Gismondi" wrote:

Joyce, it depends on what you are doing. If you download a few pages to view on the web, and they are not large, you may not notice it. but, if you deal with video, over the web, or similar heavy duty usage, you will be annoyed with the 768. for a buck a week extra, I would go with Linda's idea.

I just negotiated a discount with Earthlink, so I am getting 1500 Kb/s for $19.95. Fro thee years I had been getting it for only $15. As you say, all good things, etc. They have learned they must make a few bucks, and they do share it with the local phone company. It is AT & T, and their deals cost more--even their specials.

Re your spam, be aware that there are two basic types: Spam that comes from known addresses or domains. "Known spam" filters easily remove these. Typically they are "medium" settings, but you need to check. The other type of spam is more serious. They hijack computers, and Send from them, so that the Send addresses constantly change. They get by many filters. To combat them, filters on the more powerful settings use "heuristic" programs, which analyze the content of emails, and remove those with sufficient spam characteristics. Naturally, that cannot work perfectly. Occasionally they filter out something you wish to receive, and sometimes the usual spam gets through. So, now and then, scan the contents of the filter. You can look over 100's of them in seconds, as you can recognize them in the list.

Karl's idea of sending your email through Gmail is an idea with which I enthusiastically concur. I do from the other direction, but it works the same. The difference is that, since I use Gmail as my main address, if I switch ISP's, I need only change my forwarding address at Gmail,and it will be forwarded to the email address of my new ISP. Of course, I have not had to do that, since I have been connected to "The Real Internet" (as Earthlink calls it) for 10 years.

Bottom line: You cannot prevent all spam, unless you use a "White List." That can be a pain, as correspondents who use alternate addresses will not get through the filter. But, you can prevent most spam, by following the suggestions you received today.

One other point: If you have your email address on emails Forwarded to many people, or on web sites, spammers will pick it up. Ask Forwarders to delete the email addresses, for your privacy.

~~Robert

Joyce Simmons wrote:

melandjoyce" type="cite">I have been with DSLExtreme for a year. I have had great service. The cost up front was $14.95 prepaid for a year. My year is up and of course the fees are going to be $23. a month now...&nbsp;If I downgrade from 1.5 to 768 I can get it for $18.95 prepaid for the year....I hate to keep switching ISP providers but want to be wise here.&nbsp;Is downgrading that much going to make a difference? Is $23 a month a comparably fair price?

Joyce

Definitely not worth the trouble.... sigh...

 

Joyce

I heard some time back that at the end of your cheap year you could downgrade to dial-up, keeping your same DSLExtreme email address and after a short period of time, sign up again at $14.95 as a "new" dsl user. ; Don't know if that's true. ; Or worth your trouble.

Matt

"Robert A. Gismondi" wrote:

Joyce, it depends on what you are doing. If you download a few pages to view on the web, and they are not large, you may not notice it. but, if you deal with video, over the web, or similar heavy duty usage, you will be annoyed with the 768. for a buck a week extra, I would go with Linda's idea.

I just negotiated a discount with Earthlink, so I am getting 1500 Kb/s for $19.95. Fro thee years I had been getting it for only $15. As you say, all good things, etc. They have learned they must make a few bucks, and they do share it with the local phone company. It is AT & T, and their deals cost more--even their specials.

Re your spam, be aware that there are two basic types: Spam that comes from known addresses or domains. "Known spam" filters easily remove these. Typically they are "medium" settings, but you need to check. The other type of spam is more serious. They hijack computers, and Send from them, so that the Send addresses constantly change. They get by many filters. To combat them, filters on the more powerful settings use "heuristic" programs, which analyze the content of emails, and remove those with sufficient spam characteristics. Naturally, that cannot work perfectly. Occasionally they filter out something you wish to receive, and sometimes the usual spam gets through. So, now and then, scan the contents of the filter. You can look over 100's of them in seconds, as you can recognize them in the list.

Karl's idea of sending your email through Gmail is an idea with which I enthusiastically concur. I do from the other direction, but it works the same. The difference is that, since I use Gmail as my main address, if I switch ISP's, I need only change my forwarding address at Gmail,and it will be forwarded to the email address of my new ISP. Of course, I have not had to do that, since I have been connected to "The Real Internet" (as Earthlink calls it) for 10 years.

Bottom line: You cannot prevent all spam, unless you use a "White List." That can be a pain, as correspondents who use alternate addresses will not get through the filter. But, you can prevent most spam, by following the suggestions you received today.

One other point: If you have your email address on emails Forwarded to many people, or on web sites, spammers will pick it up. Ask Forwarders to delete the email addresses, for your privacy.

~~Robert

Joyce Simmons wrote:

melandjoyce" type="cite">I have been with DSLExtreme for a year. I have had great service. The cost up front was $14.95 prepaid for a year. My year is up and of course the fees are going to be $23. a month now...&nbsp;If I downgrade from 1.5 to 768 I can get it for $18.95 prepaid for the year....I hate to keep switching ISP providers but want to be wise here.&nbsp;Is downgrading that much going to make a difference? Is $23 a month a comparably fair price?

Joyce

---

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.23.11/1422 - Release Date: 5/8/2008 5:24 PM