I have been with Earthlink since before they were Earthlink (Mindspring owned them previously) and I have never had any majorly major problems with them.
The connection is a little sluggish at peak times as can be expected with dial-up services. I rarely am cut off while surfing and if I am, it is easily fixed by switching to another of their many access numbers. Some of them more stable than others.
Here are my main concerns with the company:
Customer service/Tech support via the phone, E-mail, and the quick access messenger has always taken far too long. Once you get someone on the line with you they are friendly, and very efficiant with fixing all the problems Ive conjured up, but Ive had to wait as long as and hour and a half on hold. And believe me... they only play 2 songs over and over again... so I was able to sing both of them with near perfection (and probably still can) by the time I was talking with someone.
About once every other month I will get an invalid password message that is always explained to me as just a system glitch and ’’should be cleared up within a few minutes’’. But when Im fall asleep waiting on hold to talk to someone about it, the last thing I want to do is ’’give it a few minutes’’
They also change their access numbers fairly frequently, and unless you check your Earthlink provided E-mail account (as I always fail to do) then you miss their warnings about the number switches and end up waiting on hold for an hour and a half for the new numbers in your area. Its a hassle and I hate it.
They have also recently raised their prices for basic dial-up offering no new incentives to stay. I got a great deal when I signed up... 3 free months, a free laser printer, and a scanner, but now Im paying for it.
Earthlink is so easy to use, and the people are so friendly that I almost can’t switch providers but if their tech support time isnt reduced somehow, I may be forced to do so.
I would recommend their faster services such as cable or DSL, but if you are looking for a basic ISP try something a little less pricey like https://joiinternet.com