I timed how long it took PeoplePC to disconnect me on random days, and noticed that it ranged from 3 to 4 hours for any local number I dialed into. It’s inconvenient to be disconnected like that, so I thought PeoplePC was disconnecting me because I wasn’t using their software. I downloaded their software to see if I was being disconnected simply because of that reason. Their software was simply a dialer that dialed into PeoplePC and showed the PeoplePC member homepage after a connection was established. The software kept running in the taskbar while allowing users to access the internet. However, even when I had connected using their software, a very happy “disconnect warning” box popped up on the screen after about 3 hours, advising me that the internet connection would be dropped in 10 minutes, and I could reconnect again immediately if I wished. The box also told me that this was the limitation of their basic plan, and that I could get their advanced plan to avoid this forever.
Somehow, PeoplePC didn’t appear to be offering the “unlimited access” that it claimed to. I used to have AOL and other dialup ISP’s long time ago and they didn’t disconnect users even after being connected for 12 hours or so. Searching through the PeoplePC help pages, I found the following section which talks about being disconnected automatically:
From the PeoplePC Help site
If you are losing your connection after one to four hours, what you are encountering is the service limitations we have that are based on standardized home computer usage. PeoplePC’s ISP service is designed for private, home use. We do not support business use because we are not configured to provide 24-hour continuous modem service. Typically PeoplePC users will connect to the Internet for about one hour. If your are staying online for as long as three or four hours, you are utilizing our service more heavily than 95% of our customers. Unlimited Internet service means that you have the option to connect to our service at any time. It does not mean that you will be able to stay connected for an unlimited period. Even DSL, cable-modem, and T-1 Internet connections experience service interruptions at unpredictable times. It is the very nature of the electro-communication medium that the connection is not a permanent, static connection.
The reference to broadband connections having service interruptions didn’t make sense, as those interruptions are accidental and rare, whereas PeoplePC had a different connection technology [dialup] and was disconnecting on purpose simply because majority of the users were online for no more than an hour. Also, it is not the very nature of electro-communication medium that the connection be temporary after every hour, contrary to what PeoplePC is trying to imply in the last sentence of the above quote. The point of the entire paragraph itself is nullified because when you use the PeoplePC software to connect to the internet, the pop-up box that tells the user about the connection being dropped in 10 minutes also tells the user that if they purchase a higher PeoplePC plan, they will not be subject to such an annoyance. Sorry, I meant “limitation.”
For many people, staying online means accessing different email accounts and services. Using a dialup as a connection, that sometimes takes more than an an hour. PeoplePC does not mention the fact about disconnection during the sign-up process, nor does it mention it in their terms of service or the contract agreement you agree to abide by. Thus, for many people, if not most, PeoplePC is not cheap unless you get their premium plan, and you won’t know about it unless you get disconnected all of a sudden. Or unless you read about it here just now or somewhere else online.
Thus, with or without the PeoplePC software, you’ll get disconnected from the internet after a while if you get their basic plan, even though PeoplePC claims they offer “unlimited access.” And even though PeoplePC states on their site that this disconnection is because of “the very nature of electro-communication medium“, their own PeoplePC software implies otherwise by telling users to pay more for a higher price in order to get a connection that will not be dropped after a while.
What do you think about this? Have you ever experienced something similar?
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