|
Did
you know that most of these less expensive ISP's either do not offer
technical support or they charge you for each technical support
call that you make? That means that even if they caused the problem
with your connection, they will charge you anywhere from $1.95 per
minute to $14.95 per call for calling them to solve a problem that
they may have caused?
Other negative characteristics
include:
- Intrusive profiling - in order to subscribe,
you need to give out very detailed, personal
information. How much money you
make, how many kids you have, etc. This
information is sold to advertisers to
pay for equipment and services.
- Obtrusive banner ads - you must have
these ads visible to stay connected.
- Slower browsing - your modem is constantly
downloading new ads.
- Here today, gone tomorrow - the
'Free ISP' business model doesn't work. Do
you need more proof? Here is a list of just some of the free
or less expensive ISP's that have recently gone out of business:
- BlueLight
- XO
- McCleod USA
- Gratis1
- Freei
- FreeDSL
- 1stUp
- Weblink
- Spinway
& ZipLink
- AltaVista
It's
easy! Simply Click
here to sign up online or click
here to locate a local number to call our offices, and a friendly
Member Services representative will walk you through the signup.
Back
to top.
To join Visionet
using our software, your computer should meet the
following system requirements:
•
Windows 95/98/NT/ME/2000/XP *
• CD-ROM
Drive *
• 16 MB RAM
•
30 MB Disk Space
* Please note that if you do not have a CD-ROM drive, or if you
are using a Macintosh or another version of Windows, you can still
join Visionet. Just call
Member Services at (919) 644-6456 or click
here for a local number in your area.
back
to top
| Main
Voice: |
(919)
644-6456 or click her for a local number |
| Fax:
|
(919)
724-4439 |
| Postal
Mail: |
Visionet
Online Services
P.O. Box 1030
Hillsborough, NC 27278 |
| E-Mail |
See the
Contact page for information |
Back
to top
There
are no additional setup fees when you sign up for a dial-up account
with Visionet Online Services.
However, some services like ISDN and web hosting may require a small
set-up fee.
Back
to top.
Yes,
you can use your Macintosh to connect to Visionet. Please call (919)
644-6456 for details.
Back
to top.
We
have put together an easy referral program for our customers to
take part in.
Just visit our referral
page for all the details.
Back
to top.
Visionet
offers free email
and phone
technical support to all of our customers.
Please visit our support site
to find answers to many of your questions, or contact us using our
online contact form
Back to top.
No
special software is required; just a few settings on your PC will
need to be changed.
Everything required to use Visionet should be on your computer.
After signing up online, PC users can simply download our dialer
software and the necessary settings will be taken care of for
you. Visionet uses a standard Dial Up Networking connection.
If you’ve already signed up,
click here for instructions to manually setup your computer
or download our dialer
software. If you prefer, click
here for a local technical support number to call us and we
can assist you. Finally, for the no-brainer approach, just
request a configuration CD by calling
or by email and
we can snail mail it to you. If you need help setting up your
internet connection, please call
our office and we can help you personally. Once you have
set up your connection to Visionet, just open Internet Explorer
or Netscape and your ready to surf the Internet. If you are a Mac
user, no problem, just call
us.
Back
to top.
Once
you sign up with Visionet, and get your email address, simply visit
our secure web mail site
http://webmail.visionet.net. Once you log in, you can
send and receive email, set up your own address book, filters and
other features. This site allows you to check your Visionet
email from any PC in the world with Internet access!
If you prefer Outlook Express, Netscape Messenger Mail, simply visit
our support pages for
setup instructions.
Back
to top.
Each
Visionet email comes with a 10-megabyte capacity.
Additional space can be purchased. Please call
or email us for
a price quote.
Back
to top.
Yes,
IMAP offers a more
powerful and effective way of accessing and organizing your email.
Please call
or email us for
details.
Back
to top.
The
Internet industry recognizes a difference between “UNLIMITED” and
DEDICATED access.
The problem is that the consumer doesn't always understand the difference.
Some people expect unlimited to mean no time limits, but that is
what DEDICATED access is (dedicated access typically costs over
$100 per month and represents a 24/7 connection). Visionet
customers may not leave their dial-up accounts connected for more
than 8 hours at a time. This constitutes "nailing-up an account".
Your dial-up account is intended for unlimited personal use: meaning,
(and our definition is final) that you may have your connection
up as long as you are personally in front of your computer.
Back
to top.
For
your convenience, Visionet will draft your credit card (Visa, Master
Card, American Express or Discover) automatically on the 9th date
of the month, for that month's service. We also allow users to pay
quarterly, semi-annually or annual. A 10% discount is given
to annual payments. Paper bills are possible, if absolutely needed,
and are mailed to customers that request to pay by check or money
order. Your account will be assessed a $1.42 per month invoice fee
and payment is due by the 10th day of the month. A $5.00 late fee
will be applied to payments received after the 10th of the month.
Back
to top.
Yes,
Internet access is viewed as a utility just like cable television.
We are providing the capability to get to the Internet, whether
or not you turn on your computer.
Back
to top.
Billing
for Internet access is monthly and starts the 1st day of the month
to the last.
Your first month of service will be pro-rated from your signup date,
to the last day of the month.
Back
to top
We
do accept payment by check or money order, but you'd have to wait
until we get the check in order to be activated. You may also
use check debit cards, Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover
to pay for your account. Paper
bills are possible and are mailed to customers that request to pay
by check or money order. These accounts will be assessed a $1.42
per month invoice fee and payment is due by the 10th day of the
month. A $5.00 late fee will be applied to payments not received
by the 10th of the month. Simply print out the registration
form and include it with your payment. We will contact you once
payment has been received.
Back
to top.
How
long will the signup process take?
Sign
Up Online!
Fill out the secure sign
up form, download our dialer
software and you should be on the Internet as soon as your account
is activated.
Back
to top.
You
may terminate your account at any time and for any reason by providing
notice of intent to cancel by postal mail or fax, to
Visionet Online Services, PO Box 1030 Hillsborough, NC 27278, Fax:
919 724 4439.
We must have your request in writing, signed by the person
whose name is listed on the account, before the service can be cancelled.
Payment for any outstanding balance will be expected at this time,
monthly service will not be pro-rated. Please notify us of your
request to cancel prior to the last day of the current month in
which you wish to cancel. Otherwise you will be charged for an additional
full month of service. Your member account and all information will
be deleted the last day of the current month.
Back
to top.
No,
But you can subscribe directly to a News Group Service and have
access to thousands of news groups through your Visionet account.
For more information, see our What
is a Newsgroup page
Back
to top.
Visionet
currently has local
access in over 250 North Carolina cities.
Please check our list of
dial up numbers to locate a local number in your area.
Visionet
cannot represent or guarantee that any dial-up number is local to
you.
If you have any doubt, please contact you local telephone company.
Back
to top.
Included
in your service is access to over 250 North Carolina cities with
local access numbers.
Please check our list of
dial up numbers to locate a number in the North Carolina city
in which you are traveling. Visionet
cannot represent or guarantee that any dial-up number is local to
you. If you have any doubt, please contact you local telephone
company. If traveling outside of North Carolina, you may still use
Visionet service, but may incur long distance charges while connected.
Back
to top.
All
of the Visionet modems are digital "56k" v90 modems.
The speed at which you connect to the Internet is determined by
a number of factors, which include the type and speed of your modem,
the quality of the phone lines in your area, and the amount of traffic
on the Internet.
Back
to top.
Visionet is compatible with all mainstream operating
systems.
We recommend and can offer technical support on Windows XP and Vista,
and Apple Mac OS 8 or greater as well as most Unix-like systems
running a PPP session. We also support Multlink-PPP for users needing
more than one line simultaneously.
Back
to top.
Yes.ISDN
is available in both 64k and 128k speeds to all of our dial up numbers.
Back
to top.
Yes.
Please call our sales office at (919) 644-6456 for a price quote.
Back
to top.
Visionet
does not sell advertising, which would create pop up ads or banner
ads while you are online. The only advertising or pop-ups
you may experience are those generated by individual web sites that
you choose to visit. These sites are not associated with Visionet.
Our Accelerator Plus (Web page acceleration) feature -also- includes
a Pop-Up blocker for over 40,000 know Pop Up sites.
Back
to top.
Visionet
will never sell or provide customer information to third
party organizations.
Please read our Privacy
policy for complete details.
Back
to top.
Once you have established
a connection with Visionet, you can then open up your web browser
(Internet Explorer or Netscape), email program (Outlook Express)
or your favorite chat program. You are free to use any internet
software, we do not require any special software to use our service.
Back
to top.
One number does not
reflect just one line (modem) available for dialing
in. We have many lines available in each of our
dial-up locations. Although busy signals can occur at
times, we do our best to prevent them by adding
additional lines when needed.
Back
to top.
Visionet does have
a 10 minute idle disconnect feature. This means after 10 minutes
of inactivity (not surfing the web or getting email) your connection
may be disconnected. This is beneficial for folks that finish
working on the Internet and forget to disconnect. If you experience
constant disconnects, you may have problems with your modem or phone
line. Please contact
our technical support so we can help you determine the cause of
the disconnects.
Back
to top.
You
may view our
Acceptable Use Policy on our web site. Just
click here.
Back
to top.
|
