Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!bionet!agate!ucbvax!hplabs!hpda!hpcuhb!hpindda!hardin
From: hardin@hpindda.HP.COM (John Hardin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: CompuServe, Free Services, $1.50 charge
Message-ID: <40970013@hpindda.HP.COM>
Date: 1 May 89 18:11:33 GMT
References: <96@aicchi.UUCP>
Organization: HP Information Networks, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 31

joeloda@aicchi.UUCP (Joe Loda) writes:

>    Anyone out there have any comments on the new $1.50 service charge
>imposed by CompuServe on their subscribers.  It seemed to me to be a
>fixed charge to cover all the "free" services they are now offering.
>Since this smacks of a monthly minimum to me (according to their feedback
>represenative), charged even if you don't log in during the billing period,
>I cancelled my account.
>
>Comments?
----------

I don't like the monthly charge, but I'm keeping my CIS account.
Usenet access is great, but I have it only though my company.  Should I 
ever leave my current employer, I may loose my access to usenet.  I've
listened to people on CIS trying to find out how to get access, their
tie having been severed when they left school.  Access is available
commercially in some areas, but not all.  Since I've read flames from
usenet users complaining about the very idea of letting in the unwashed
masses :-) it seems home access is not all that welcome here.

Also, CIS is centralized, which means answers come a lot faster there
than here when you're in a pinch.  People on CIS are more courteous
(read "fewer flames") on the whole, probably because they are paying
for their complaining.  CIS forums are all moderated (as far as I know,
anyway) which means there are a group of sysops available in each forum
to answer questions.

John Hardin
hardin@hpda
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