🚀 go-pugleaf

charles@mindspring.com (Charles Brewer) wrote:

>gmd@netrail.net (G.M. Durrence) wrote:

>>I am still waiting for someone to tell me what Mindspring offers that
>>is worth $13 a month more.

>>Gene

>Having engaged Gene in a discussion or two before, I am quite sure
>that I could not convince him that the world is round, or even roughly
>spherical.  

>But, he is missing a point here.  The other plan that he is talking
>about is not simply cheaper than MindSpring.  MindSpring has two price
>plans.  Two-thirds of our customers are on the Standard Plan, paying
>$15 per month.  The other third are on our flat rate plan, paying $35
>per month.  If we were to have only a single price plan of $22 per
>month with anything less than totally unlimited useage, a very, very
>large percentage of our customers would find that a change for the
>worse, not a change for the better.  I know.  I have asked lots of
>them, very specifically, in the context of researching some price
>changes here.  Many  of the standard plan customers would be livid at
>having their monthly bill go up by $7 per month.  Many of the flat
>rate plan customers would be livid at having any restriction on
>unlimited use, especially one where hours over some limit are charged
>at $2 per hour!

>We do have some new prices coming up very soon, so keep an eye out if
>you are interested.

>As to what besides price makes MindSpring a good value, I think the
>most important factors are a network that really works, support that
>really supports, a starter kit that lets even novices get set up with
>little or no hassle and a great set of licensed applications, and in
>general doing business with a company that is a pleasant to do
>business with.  Other items include Clarinet news groups, space for
>your own web pages, and special deals like our one with Security First
>Network Bank (who will pay $60 towards MindSpring access for any of
>our customers who open an account there).  We are not perfect, of
>course, but we've managed to please most of our customers quite well.
>Except Gene, I'm afraid :(

>Best Regards,

>Charles Brewer 
>(MindSpring founder)














Charles, I am glad to see that you have a new rate plan coming out
soon.   Just before Christmas when I and several other people pointed
out in good faith that you needed to revise your rate schedule in
light of the competition, you refused to even discuss it.  If you had
said then that you would look into the situation I might still be with
Mindspring.

You may not remember it but when you were starting up Mindspring you
asked us beta testers for recommendations on how to price the service.
The prices you adopted then were almost ver-batim what I recommended.
I think you valued my opinion at that time and am sorry that you don't
now.  I think the prices were appropriate at that time but conditions
have changed considerably since that time.  Companies in fast changing
industries  that do not adjust to those changing conditions won't be
around long.  You ignored some good advice that was being offered and
refused to even discuss changes in prices.  I suppose that AT&T got
your attention when your valued customers could not.

Gene