Fast, cheap, and they reply to email ! (AlphaPhe.Net)

Member Name: phoenixbbs

Product:	AlphaPhe.Net
Date:	11/06/02 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast, Cheap, Reliable

Disadvantages: Slightly more expensive by credit card, Limited information in the FAQs on their website

I changed over to AlphaPhe after getting very annoyed about BTinternet`s refusal to give me a proper working account (I had been forced onto the 004 dialup - more on this under btinternet.com).

I have been using them since 21/5/02 quite heavily, and can honestly say they are about the best ISP overall that I have had the pleasure of using since I started on the net back in about 1994 !

They are consistently fast, emails to tech support or customer service are responded to promptly, and they do not try to stop users of "alternative" operating systems (amiga / linux / mac) from using them, they positively ENCOURAGE them by showing you how to set them up !

Their homepage is simple, but is the only ISP I have ever known with the honesty to admit what their user to modem ratio is, and their current network usage in realtime - and it`s DAMN GOOD compared to most ! (4.7:1 user to modem most of the time)

There are a couple of "minor" hiccups that I have encountered, such as their FAQs are not as accessible or as thorough as they could be (they don`t list the ports for their multiplayer game servers for instance despite saying they have them).

The only other hiccups I can say I have experienced is 3(?) problems where their authentication process fails, usually for no more than 10-15 minutes at a time, so new callers will not be able to log in. Hell, compared to BTinternet, that is GREAT - on BTi I was often unable to connect for ~20+ minutes every time it (frequently) disconnected.

Apart from a 2 spurious disconnections (possibly line noise), I have never encountered a regular cutoff period like BTi (unless you get a lot of points, see below, THERE IS NO CUTOFF PERIOD.

There *is* a mechanism to stop people staying online 24/7 - they have a penalty points system with points deducted for <5 hours use per day, but any more and you will gradually accumulate "penalty points" - hit 20 a
nd you will be offline for the day. Leaving the connection on for a solid 24hrs will gain you 5 points.

Some people have shown dismay at the cost increase if you pay by credit card (unlimited is £11.99 a month, but £13.50 by credit card), but it is still cheaper than BTi, and far far more reliable.

Highly recommended.

Summary: