About four years ago, I upgraded my internet connection from Earthlink DSL (768 Kbps) to Comcast Cable (6.0 Mbps) . Since then, every month or two, I receive mail from Earthlink asking me to come back.
While I appreciate that Earthlink might not know what kind of service I switched to, I still have to ask why they spend money trying to get me back. Unless they think that I switched to dial-up, how can they even try to compete for my business?
Yesterday’s mailer offered Earthlink DSL service for $14.95/mo for the first six months, then the cost would go up to $39.95/mo. The DSL speed offered was 1.5 Mbps (via compression) and there is a 12 month commitment, with an early termination fee of $149.95.
Earthlink does offer a Freestanding DSL plan (for folks without a land line), but it is not available in my area. As I do not currently have a land line phone, I would need to have one installed to get DSL. This would up the cost of my DSL connection by about $35.00/mo.
Other DSL service in my area includes Verizon DSL and they have a package that includes 768 Kbps DSL and local phone service. The DSL is $14.95/mo (2-year commitment) and the local phone is $22.00/mo. As an added bonus, the monthly DSL charge stays at $14.95 forever.
As a customer, if I am more concerned with price than speed, Verizon DSL wins and if I am more concerned with speed than price, Comcast Cable wins. I do not see a market here for Earthlink DSL, so why do they still send me mail?
