Subject: A User's View of Compuserve - What's Wrong To: All Compuserve Users From: Richard Frisch or at Channel 1 BBS or at Channel 1 BBS Date: April 19, 1992 =========================================================================== This message was prompted by a newsletter named "ZiffNet Threads," which I recently received in the mail. The newsletter stated that ZiffNet (what I think of as the larger version of PC Magnet) would start charging users/subscribers $2.50 a month ($30.00) per year effective May 1, 1992. They gave a phone number to call for more information (800-635-6225), which I did. Compuserve answered. After finding out that this charge is for real, I told Compuserve that I was "expletive deleted" unhappy. The customer service representative told me that she would not continue the conversation if I continued to use "four" letter words. I told her that the objectionable word had seven letters, but refrained from using any more of these objectionable words so that Compuserve could hear what I had to say and not use this nonsense as an excuse for dismissing my message. The service representative said that the new fee was an issue that I should take up with Ziff. I see no distinction here between Cserve and Ziff. I look at ZiffNet as another forum on Cserve. More importantly Ziff doesn't plan on billing me separately. Cserve will be charging this add-on. So this is a Cserve issue to me. How Ziff and Cserve do business between themselves is of no direct concern to me. They can split revenues in whatever way they want, but I object to Cserve "passing the buck" to Ziff. After talking to a Supervisor at Compuserve and threatening to pull my account, she offered me a $35.00 credit to offset my complaint and to keep my account. I took it. But I told Cserve that this was the straw that broke this camel's back and that it was time for the user community to respond to the way in which Cserve does business. Hence, I am distributing this memo to the general computer using community in an effort to rally the user forces and start a movement to get some real responsiveness from Cserve. Following is a short list of what I think is wrong at Compuserve and my ideas for improvements/fixes. If you wish to add your "two cents" please send it to me at my Cserve address listed at the top (It is ironic that they may profit from this complaint.) 1. 9600 Baud line charges should be the same as 2400 baud. There is no real reason in this day and age to charge users more because they communicate at 9600 baud. This is a Cserve rip-off. 2. Cserve offers low volume users a PRODIGY type flat fee, but they give the shaft to higher volume users. Even AT&T has plans for high volume users today. Why don't we get discounts with volume usage? Cserve is gouging its best customers and providing its least profitable customers with a budget plan. Smart marketing guys! 3. The Cserve network response time degrades during peak usage, and we users pay for this by incurring higher usage times because their system is inadequate. We wouldn't accept this from AT&T, why should we accept this from Cserve? 4. Cserve has an inadequate amount of 9600 baud lines, so many users of 9600 baud modems are forced to either use long distance to access Cserve or dial in at 2400 baud. Another example of Cserve doing their best to satisfy its customers. 5. Ever wonder why you get no billing from Cserve other than a one line charge on your credit card statement, because it saves them money. I suspect it also helps them that we users have a very difficult time auditing their billing. Sure you can go on line, at your telephone expense, as well as some Cserve expense until you get in the billing area. I want detailed bills sent to me with each charge. This is standard in every other business. Even the phone company provides me with a listing of all my usage. This should be required. Maybe there ought to be a law? Well, that's it for me, for now. The ball is in your court. I am hopeful that you will be get back to me and let me know your thoughts, and more importantly that many of you will get back to Cserve and let them know that you are fed up and want improvements and soon.