Re:

[BlueIce]

Thanks for the report Bear



I was looking into getting them too











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[pat]

Hey Bear,

Thanks for that info. I was looking at the direct pc web site this am. They still show the one way as an option.

That DSL sounds like a new take on the old "bait and switch".

Pat





 

[n/a]

My friend JMister had some problems with DirectPC this last week. He's had his DirectPC satellite system -- the older version that requires a phone line and an ISP to connect -- about two months. They terminated their ISP service without warning.



They claimed they sent out an e-mail about it, but in fact he found out only after he couldn't connect last Friday and called them. After a couple hours with customer service "discussing" the situation Friday night and Saturday (outside regular office hours over a holiday weekend, when no one could tell him anything and passed him around), all he could find out was that they no longer have an ISP service in his area because they're moving away from the older hardware to the two-way system which doesn't require an ISP.



They finally transferred him to sales so he could get a hardware upgrade to the  two-way format. The saleswoman told him they don't sell the upgrade kits anymore and hung up on him.  



So he still has the one-way hardware. Though he's now using Earthlink for an ISP and still loves the download speed the satellite hardware provides, he no longer cares much for the company that sold it to him.



In checking into all this for him, I found that DirectPC has pulled their sales and support pages for the older systems from their web site. Apparently with the introduction of their newer two-way satellite systems, DirectPC doesn't feel the need to support the older technology at all -- though it's still being sold in some outlets. Heck of a way to run a business.



By the way, DirectTV is now pushing their DSL service. When I ran my phone number through their "Check Availability" feature, it came back telling me yes, my phone line is ADSL ready, yeehaw, go ahead to the Sales page and sign up. This despite the fact that I'm 7 miles from the central office for my exchange, the phone company uses voice signal boosters which distort DSL-- in fact the phone company has yet to install DSL equipment here in the first place! In other words, their availability checker is flat-out wrong.



The kicker is in the fine print of their Service Agreement.

quote:1.6 Inside Wiring and Installation.

In some cases, new Service from DIRECTV Broadband will require work on your inside wiring or a diagnostic visit to your premises by a technician. You acknowledge that the inability of an installation technician to access your location or other operational impediments may preclude or delay delivery of the Service. You acknowledge that the use of an installation technician may incur an hourly charge or flat fee if a technician is required to resolve problems with your inside wiring to complete the Service delivery. If you request inside wiring work which is required for your Service, you will incur a charge of               $149.99 which you agree that DIRECTV Broadband may charge to your credit card.



1.7 Circuit Speed.

Available circuit speed at a location cannot be determined until a technician physically checks your line and distance from the Telco central office. Once the Service is established, the speed of your connection may vary depending on factors beyond DIRECTV Broadband's control including but not limited to the condition and gauge of the wiring serving your neighborhood, the sites you seek to access, general congestion of the Internet and the processing power of your computer. You agree that DIRECTV Broadband shall have no liability for such fluctuations in circuit speed beyond DIRECTV Broadband's reasonable control.

Now the way I read all this is it would be very easy for someone who doesn't even have DSL available to be told they do by the online availability checker, sign up for the service, wait the five to six weeks required for delivery of the hardware, install it themselves (in which case of course it won't work), have a 'technician' sent out by DirectPC at a further non-refundable cost to diagnose the problem, end up having to cancel the contract and be out the $24.99 shipping and handling, a couple of months of credit card interest, AND the charge for the service call.



And even if you do have DSL and everything is hunky-dory, there's no guarantee DirectTV will be supporting this technology in a few months.



Read the fine print, folks. Don't rely on an online tool when you can make a phone call yourself and find out what you need to know. And beware of companies who pull the support plug for their older hardware even while it's still on the market.







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