July 21st, 2001 (12:00am) - Sega has just announced its plan of switching their customers off to earthlink. Here is a copy of the letter i recieved from sega.
"Dear SegaNet Member,
As a current SegaNet member, you can play online console and PC games on SegaNet and access all the great content and activities you’ve come to enjoy on www.sega.net and www.sega.com. Now, gamers can access the SegaNet network without being required to subscribe to the SegaNet ISP service. SegaNet is now open to all!
However, SegaNet will no longer serve as an ISP and will not provide dialup Internet access. We want to dedicate our efforts to expanding our online gaming network, supporting online games, and building the best online gaming community.
We’ve hooked you up with a great ISP, EarthLink, to provide all your Internet access needs.
OUR PREFERRED ISP PARTNER
Because of our commitment to you, we have worked hard to ensure that you will not experience any difficulties during this transition. We have selected EarthLink as our preferred ISP partner, and have negotiated a special arrangement to transition your ISP service from our system to EarthLink’s system with no downtime for your account.
>>>IMPORTANT - Please do not contact EarthLink at this time, as they will have no information about your personal account. You may contact EarthLink once you receive your welcome packet.
LOWER MONTHLY FEE
Additionally, your monthly fee will now be $19.95/month.
BENEFITS OF EARTHLINK SERVICE
Here are some of the many reasons we have selected EarthLink as our preferred ISP:
EarthLink offers stellar services at competitive prices.
Customer support is provided 24/7 via a toll-free number.
EarthLink is a national provider with over 5,000 local access points (POPs) across the county. This will enable you to access your account as you travel across the country.
EarthLink will provide you with a full set-up kit for your personal computer, including EarthLink’s proprietary software and Internet Explorer, at no cost to you.
EarthLink’s service wins the lion’s share of industry awards each year. Recently CNET, Inter@ctive Week, MacHome Journal, Mobile Computing, PC World, and Smart Computing have all rated EarthLink’s services the best available.
In internal tests, EarthLink was found to provide the highest quality and most consistent SegaNet gameplay experience.
Please Note: EarthLink and MindSpring have recently merged, and some of the materials you receive may use the MindSpring name.
A SMOOTH TRANSITION
Unless you notify us otherwise by August 3, 2001, EarthLink will automatically set up an EarthLink Unlimited account ($19.95/month plan, which includes three mailboxes), using your current billing information. The transfer of your account will take place shortly after the above date, and you will receive a welcome packet in the mail including EarthLink’s award winning software, a welcome letter, and your new EarthLink e-mail address.
Usernames will be automatically assigned, so for example, if your SegaNet e-mail address is jsmith@sega.net, your new address may be jsmith@mindspring.com. If "jsmith" is taken, you may be "jsmith1" or "jsmith2," etc. The Dreamcast console supports up to 14 characters for e-mail addresses. You are free to change your e-mail address or your password at any time.
NOTE: You won’t have to worry about people having the wrong e-mail address - your SegaNet e-mail will be automatically forwarded your new EarthLink mailbox for a minimum of thirty days while you make arrangements to notify your family, friends, and associates of your new address.
If you do not want to transition your account to EarthLink, please click here: http://www.sega.net/seganet/help/optout.jhtml. You must fill out the online form by August 3, 2001.
SEGANET 18 MONTH & 12 MONTH PLANS
If you committed to an 18 month plan or 12 month plan with SegaNet, your time commitment will be dismissed. Your new EarthLink account will be a month-to-month account, and you can cancel at any time without penalty. You can still keep the bonus check or store credit that was given to you when signing up for either of these special SegaNet plans.
COMPLIMENTARY AND TRIAL ACCOUNTS
Complimentary or trial SegaNet accounts will need to select an EarthLink monthly access plan. We will no longer be able to offer any complimentary accounts.
EARTHLINK SERVICE PLANS
Your SegaNet account will automatically convert to EarthLink’s Unlimited service plan. If you choose, you may switch to another plan immediately after the transition is complete by calling EarthLink customer service.
EarthLink Service Plans The Works Unlimited Standard Light
Monthly Cost $26.95 $19.95 $14.95 $6.95
Mailboxes 5 3 1 1
Access/month Unlimited unlimited 20 hours 5 hours
Extra Hours n/a n/a $1/hr $2/hr
Web space 10MB 5MB 5MB 5MB
Bandwidth 450MB 225MB 225MB 225MB
Extra Web space $4.95/ea. $4.95/ea. $4.95/ea. $4.95/ea.
Extra Mailboxes $5.00/ea $5.00/ea $5.00/ea $5.00/ea
All plans allow International Roaming Access at 10¢ per minute.
We recommend you review our full FAQ (frequently asked questions) on this transition at: http://www.sega.net/seganet/help/transitionfaqs.jhtml
AFTER THE TRANSITION
EarthLink will respond to all transition inquiries. For technical or other assistance after you receive your account materials from EarthLink, call 1-800-719-4660, 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week. Select "option 1" for Technical Support, and "option 2" for Customer Service.
We at SegaNet appreciate your support during this transition. We sincerely regret that we will no longer be able to provide ISP service to our members. We believe you deserve the best, and we’re confident that EarthLink is the best choice for our online gaming community.
Remember - you are still a member of the SegaNet community, and you can still enjoy a superior online gaming experience on our network.
See you online,
SegaNet"
SOURCE: Sega
