Internet Service Providers - Everyone's Internet poor service & false advertising

Everyone's Internet = Poor Service & False Advertising

Dial-up Internet Access, General

From: S. Holub Email User

Date: Saturday, June 10, 2000 01:54 PM

After hearing the radio commercials, which were on at every commercial break, on my local radio (in Los Angeles) about how great Everyone's Internet (aka: EV1) was my room mate and I decided to drop our completely reliable (but pricey) ISP and go with EV1. Their adverts spouted "Internet Service for just 10 bucks" and "Great Service Guarenteed". However, problems arose from day one: my room mate's chosen email was entereted incorectly into the computer by their customer service dept. He was unable to sign on to their services for the first week because of this. Only after about 5 calls to customer service did they figure out that's what was wrong. Then they told him that they "couldn't change what was in the computer already" that he would be forced to use the mispelled email. It was only after asking for a higher up employee that this was taken care of. Meanwhile, I got my disk in the mail and attempted to sign on. No luck. For the first TWO WEEKS, I was unable to get on more the 3 times because they were having problems with their servers in CA (this was announced on their tech support line). Finally, into the 3rd week, I was able to sign on, but it was a very shakey connection. In the fourth week, I was unable to receive any email. Multiple calls to tech support were of no help. NO tech support employee could help me or tell me what was wrong. In addition, they kept telling me to call back. EV1 does not provide an 800 (toll free) number for their tech support. So when my phone calls to tech support was nearing the price of the actual "service" I started to get upset. I called sales and, only after complaining to about 7 employees, was I able to get someone to credit me for one month's internet service (In an entire month, I was able to sign on about 7 times - and each time was disconnected from the EV1 server within 10 min.). Month 2: instead of going through the hassle of once again notifying the 300 some odd people in my address book of a new email, I decided to give EV1 one more chance. I was finally receiving email again (even their web-based email was unaccessable for over two weeks), but I always crossed my fingers when I signed on in hopes that it would keep working. Well, it did not. I had repeated problems with receiving email. I was losing money and jobs because I could not get my email (I am self employeed and receive 75% of my work through email). I refused to call the non toll free tech support again, so I called customer service/sales (which was an 800 number). Expalining my situation to each employee I was transferred to, I got the same level of indifference. I was told I must call tech support and that no one could help me or transfer me otherwise. So enough was enough ... I had literally wasted every cent spent on the horrible "service". Even cancelling was an ordeal. On my fifth attempt of calling, I finally got someone on that could cancel my account (I was repeatedly told "there's no one in that department right now, you have to call back"). So I cancelled the acount, got a confirmation number and was done with it. I composed a letter detailing every instance of horrible service, tech support, internet connection (or lack of), etc. and sent it to their head office. Needless to say, I never received anything back. I lost someone in the rang of $1500 worth of work while my ISP wasn't working or I wasn't getting my email. Not only that, but their "Internet for just ten bucks" isn't - it's $10.80. Only $.80, what's the big deal? Well, I call "ten bucks", $10.00, not $10.80. The last kicker came in May, after I had cancelled. I had gotten a statement from my bank telling me I was overdrawn. After looking into it, I discovered that EV1 had CONTINUED to charge my Visa Debit card AFTER I CANCELLED my account! I was absolutely furious. I called EV1's sales department and asked to speak to whom ever was in charge. I explained the situation and the woman on the other end actually said there was nothing she could do, that it's the computer that charges the accounts!! Friends, save yourself a giant headache and do not go anywhere near Everyone's Internet. They "provided" the WORST service I have ever seen in an ISP (and I have been with 10 so far). I was shocked at their lack of support and the miniscule "up time" their servers in CA got. Their email is: Email User and Email User (I wouldn't recommend emailing support as I had done that 5 times and heard back once - and that was two weeks after the problem arose!)