----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, July 06, 2003 2:11 PM
Subject: Re: [smartBridges] Could not
regain association
Are you really expecting people to spend more for
a commodity, just because they have more to spend? I would
not.
Instead of charging for the availability of
bandwidth, charge for what they USE.
I'm going to charge $30 a month for a home.
Be it 1 machine or 5, I don't care, because I'll only give them 1 gig of
transfer for that, and charge them $5 a gig for each additional.
OR, they can subscribe at $60 a month, and get 7 gigs of transfer and $3 a gig
additional.
If you're determined to keep them limited by the
machine, use PPPOE, with no route to the internet on the network. Insist
on installing on your own, and monitor what MAC logs in.
Still, this reminds me of the Steve Stroh posting about Speakeasy helping the
end user share internet connections by offering billing and hotspot management
service. Do you want to whip your customers into following
YOUR model, or is it that you intend to make your customer an integral part of
your business? Over the years, in the industry I came from, we
followed "the customer is always right" when it came to providing service and
tailoring our services to the customer's wants.
The question is this, do you wish to have an
adversarial relationship to the customer? The telcos are good at
that, and so is the cable co. Don't make thier mistakes.
NEOFAST.NET
North
East
Oregon
FAST
Net
mark(at)neofast.net
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, July 06, 2003 9:15
AM
Subject: RE: [smartBridges] Could not
regain association
Chris...You and I are in the same boat. I, too, charge for
small networks over single computers. $39.95 for one computer and
$69.95 for 2-6 computers (residential prices) with 1 Gig and 2 Gig transfers
per months, respectively.
To
tell you the absolute truth....I am freaking disgusted by my clients
"cheapness". <-- its a word. Our homes range from $400k to
$550k...so these people have money.
When I put an add on their doorstep, they call me up in almost tears
(of joy)....saying..."FINALLY...FINALLY....HIGH-SPEED INTERNET WHERE
WE LIVE...I WILL PAY ANYTHING." My service is unthrottled 1.5 Meg
up and down. So...my prices are WAY lower than what I could be
charging. But...it is all part of my business plan. I want to be
around for the long haul. Not just rape them for a few months...then
DSL or cable modem access moves in and they all switch
over.
So...back to my "cheap customers"...anyway....once it comes down to
the actual selection of the service plan (39.95 or 69.95), they all turn
into freaking cheapos. URGGGHHHH...I hate it. They will say
stuff like, "Well, Yes... I have 5 computers in my home...but can I just pay
$39.95 if I just use one at a time?" Or...my favorite straight up lie,
"I only need the $39.95 account because we will only use this one computer
for Internet." You know DAMN WELL that they are going to spoof that
MAC into their router and be smiling like they made one over on
me.
I
am seriously thinking of installing VPN clients on each "PAID" computer that
will only allow THAT computer Internet access. But even then...I bet
there is some easy way around it. For example, using Windows XP "Share
Internet Connection" option.
Anyone have a way to stop this?!??!?!
Sully
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