ISP for a Grandmother

[wangel]

What is a good ISP for a dial up grandmother?

My grandmother just got my old computer and wants to jump on the Email bandwagon. She is in a retirement home and it would have to be dial up. The ISP does not necessarily have to offer Internet. We tried the FREE Juno, but with all the ads it became difficult for her to keep closing all the windows and trying to distinguish what is an ad and what isn't. Does anyone know of a cheap email ISP for just email that would work with something like Outlook with NO ads? What is everyone elses Grandmothers using?

[gjimene2]

can you spare $6.95 a month? Then get with Joi.

http://********joi.net/

Unlimited Internet only $6.95 a month.


or for 9.95 you get their 5x faster dial up.

Surf 5 Times Faster

[gjimene2]

by the way. You can just use yor DUN to dial up to Joi, you don't have to use their software :) a big plus in my book.

[Izdaari]

It isn't that cheap, except that I think they offer a limited use option, but Earthlink fits the bill otherwise. They're reliable, ad-free, and you don't have to use their software. However I would strongly advise using Windows DUN instead of their software, since it does suffer from spyware and bloat.

[gjimene2]

Joi gives you unlimited and add free, plus 5 emails,,, just check the site dude. :)

[Bovon]

For the freebie... I would still go with Juno and put up with the closing of the adds (2 each time Juno is accessed) It does take an older person a little time to understand the ins and outs, but we (yep... I said we!!) do learn. If you live in the same city, and can go be with her a few times, and gently lead her along when she gets befuddled and anxious...she will get there, and feel good about herself that she had accomplished something she thought she couldn't do.

Now...if she has put Juno down, and says no way... then you are hamstrung to find something simple and cheap for her...neither of which will be easy.

[leprechaun_40]

My Dad uses Juno and seems to have little trouble with it. Just once in a while he can't get on because it's busy or something.

I wish that some of the larger ISP's would offer older folks on limited income free or greatly reduced service. This would be a great community service and help those that want to use the net but can't afford the expense of a monthly bill.

[krazefinn]

695online.com also good service, based se us but ever expanding. One of few isp's with truly viable business plan at competetive cost- 3 tiers of service, basic unlimited svc only 6.95 monthly, billed quarterly.

They also give a free month to any referer.

If she uses it, let me know and i will email her the program. So I can get another free month!

PM me, or email my public account, I'll let you know it if interested.

No disconnects, 24 second connects, rarely down (except twice when they built larger building, ever growing. Can't wait for their broadband- believe they will offer adsl.

[rangeral]

leprechaun I have to agree with you on that, I think it would be the rite thing to do, not that many have a computer so it shouldn't hurt there pockets plus give something back for all the profits they've made over the years or don't they have relatives that can't afford it so they don't realize what a help it would be.

Besides it wouldn't be on long since seniors tend to take alot of naps, my father is eighty and he falls asleep when I show him a movie.

[Bovon]

My ISP has dial-up as well as high speed cable connects. I get adds every month with my statement to upgrade to the fast cable service and forget the ancient dial-up service...only $40 something/month, and the first 2 months are half priced.

I called those turkeys a couple of months back and asked them why couldn't they 1) offer senior citizens a break on the cost...like maybe sell someone over 65 dial-up for half price...or 2) the high speed cable connects at half price. I had to get put thru to one of the managers before I finally got somebody that could answer me. This cat told me that they could not do that because a large percentage of homes have g-ma, g-pa or old aunt maude living with them, and they would put it in their name but everybody would use it. Ok, says I... I live by myself...no younger folks around. He said they could not set a preference. That ended that.

Not only am I (like so many other retirees) having problems sustaining the bills on a fixed income...my income has gone way down. I had a good well thought out 401K plan with over 100K in it to rollover into an IRA when I retired. Today, i get just about 1/2 of of the income off of that IRA than I did in 1990..this economy stinks, and that is killing a lot of older people.

So, that is why the ISPs will never sell service to a home with a senior citizen...they are afraid some grandchild will use it someday.

[gjimene2]

I agree with you Bovon, that's what they are afraid of.

.

[rangeral]

How about sending a rep to the house or apt of a sen. citizen maybe once a week among his other duties to examine each household that applies, make no decision there and report findings at the job for consideration. Obviously a small apt would be easy to tell how many lived there.

And even if they all could afford it they would still have to strengthen the signal to handle the load so what would be the difference anyway. How many households are sharing the bandwidth with a router and 3 machines which is becoming commonplace?

Sounds more like there trying to weasel out of it or don't want to make an effort to help theres, mine and yours folks.

[gjimene2]

them sending out representatives would be costly to them.

I say if they live in an apartment, that the owner share out a cable connection :p between all of them, it would be like dial up a pop.

[rangeral]

Not really, you always have workers that do errands in large places like gophers etc. plus these types of business' have enough vehicles in there insured pool sitting in the lot doing nothing. In one day you could hit 8 apts easily one day/wk. I did it with installs and fixing the machine to get it to work else I didn't get paid which is alot more to do than just examining an apt.

Plus the pr you'd get for doing this would bring in more biz. Like what MS does buying schools computers to enrich their knowledge

"in our small way were trying to help the seniors of our community because we care too."

Sounds like a good promo, eh. :)

[stix_kua]

Maybe Juno/Netzero works well in some areas but here in the greatest city in the world, it has been **** for all that I know have used it.

I'm talking about the pay versions..

[leprechaun_40]

I think that if the senior lives on their own, that would be sufficient. If they live with someone, then maybe the younger someone can afford internet. But the senior living on their own probably can't and that's the ones the ISP's should help out. It wouldn't cost them much bandwidth, my dad isn't on that much, or money. Not many older folks have or use computers (though this number may grow as some of us age). They just want to weasel out of it, thinking only of the $$$ instead of the great service done for the people. Greedy SOB's if you ask me.

I have 5 machines networked, they don't charge anymore than they would for one. So what would a bit of bandwidth cost them for one senior who probably won't be on alot cost?? I know that it won't be just one, but still, it wouldn't be a large percentage of the customer base.

[frnkzks]

$6.95 seems too cheap. What's the catch? Do they kick you offline every so often? Or do they sell your name to other companies?

[Bovon]

Originally posted by frnkzks
$6.95 seems too cheap. What's the catch? Do they kick you offline every so often? Or do they sell your name to other companies? Pretty much both of those. They usually advertise the 5 to 8 bucks a month to get somebody interested, then when you get ready to sign up, there is the clause that says something like 10 to 20 hours a month. Still, its a good way to go if somebody just wants email service. The ISPs servers they hire usually are not up to speed, and they do not communicate with the modems we use too good, which gives us poor connects and poor downloads. I took a short term deal with Netzero a couple of years ago when it was free for 60 days...I had the worst connections you could imagine, and there is no (or durn little) help techs for the cheaper ISPs. When I finally did manage to get thru to a tech..he had the ba*** to tell me I had a problem with my machine, and needed to reformat and start over. When I told him I had two other ISPs with absolutely no problems getting 50,666 connects..and that they were the ones that had a problem...he hung up on me.

They used to...and probably still do, sell your email pop address to the marketing guys. After doing the 60 day deal with Netzero, I began getting some from everywhere...but just on the Netzero account...does that tell you anything?..

I still have Juno, and I do use the free online part once in awhile. I get spam from the markerters even tho I have never actually sent out an email from this new Juno account..nor have I advertised that email address anywhere...so, if I am getting spam..where did it come from?...Juno of course.

[TJHighlndr]

Originally posted by wangel
What is a good ISP for a dial up grandmother?

My grandmother just got my old computer and wants to jump on the Email bandwagon. She is in a retirement home and it would have to be dial up. The ISP does not necessarily have to offer Internet. We tried the FREE Juno, but with all the ads it became difficult for her to keep closing all the windows and trying to distinguish what is an ad and what isn't. Does anyone know of a cheap email ISP for just email that would work with something like Outlook with NO ads? What is everyone elses Grandmothers using?

This may be herasy (using Netscape as a browser :p ) but here's what I have done in the past (i.e. before RoadRunner :D )

First, download and use Juno/Netzero software and take advantage of their free 20 Hrs/month offer (or whatever it is now)

Then download and install Netscape Navigator 4.8x (post your complaints later) Anyways, make sure it is the default browser. Then create 2 Netscape profiles, with one as the default and the other with her e-mail settings.

As a result of the two Netscape profiles, a menu will appear asking for the user to select their name and then "launch". All you need to do then is hit the exit key and then either use I.E. or relaunch Netscape and select the profile with her e-mail.

Therefore, the banner window stays up but no more pop-ups when it loads

:r

[krazefinn]

Fast connects at reliable 50k, no disconnects/ads at all. No restrictions on usage hours-unless on highest tier/on 24-7.

No catch to the 695online.com. PM me, will email you proggie to test-they bill quarterly to save costs, and do offer 2 more expensive services that include bigger mailbox,top w/webpage added.

No catch, have used them >1 yr, wouldn't mind getting a few more free m0nths- I HATE NETSORROW and some of the high priced, bill-happy, disconnecting, busy similar lo priced services.

Remember worldspy? They were free, adfree for a while, with just a small banner, the cost is very lo once infrastructure is there.

PM me-mebbe they have svc in your area too. I have never been as satisfied (and tried ALL the common and not so popular isp's, and was unhappy paying them up to 24.95 q month.