UNITED ONLINE A BEST BUY DISCOUNT PROVIDER SIGNS DEAL WITH ELECTRONICS' RETAILER.Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer WESTLAKE VILLAGE - United Online Inc. will soon stock the shelves of Best Buy with its discount dial-up software after the two companies signed a three-year distribution pact. The move could woo Internet users Internet user n → internauta m/f Internet user Internet n → internaute m/f away from the more expensive providers as United Online's basic dial-up service retails for $9.95 a month and a higher-speed version costs $14.95 a month. United Online's Juno and NetZero brands are expected to hit Best Buy Stores this fall, the companies said Wednesday. Analysts say the deal bodes well for United Online as the Westlake Village company attempts to garner more attention. But other providers sold at Best Buy may not welcome the competition as their services cost up to $14 more than United Online's. ``For those people who don't want to go the broadband broadband Term describing the radiation from a source that produces a broad, continuous spectrum of frequencies (contrasted with a laser, which produces a single frequency or very narrow range of frequencies). route, they are going to the cheaper dial-up alternatives,'' said David Mantell, analyst with Loop Capital Markets in Chicago. ``And among those who are price-sensitive, I think they would probably go with the United Online alternative.'' Internet users have already proved their affinity for United Online, which recently reported total pay subscribers increased by 142,000 to 2.55 million in the fourth quarter. Though United Online's competitive pricing may be an easy selling point selling point n. An aspect of a product or service that is stressed in advertising or marketing. Noun 1. selling point - a characteristic of something that is up for sale that makes it attractive to potential customers , the cost of Internet access See how to access the Internet. doesn't always win consumers' allegiance allegiance, in political terms, the tie that binds an individual to another individual or institution. The term usually refers to a person's legal obligation of obedience to a government in return for the protection of that government, although it may have reference . ``Price is only part of the picture,'' said Steve Kirkeby, senior director of telecommunications Communicating information, including data, text, pictures, voice and video over long distance. See communications. research at J.D. Power and Associates. ``Performance and reliability is the No. 1 criterion.'' AT&T Worldnet currently ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction among dial-up Internet service, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a recent J.D. Power and Associates survey. Kirkeby said the performance of AT&T's service far outweighed the cost of the product. ``Obviously, if you're just looking at the cost of a product, Juno and NetZero lead the world,'' Kirkeby said. AOL's dial-up service costs $23.90 a month, while Earthlink retails for $21.95 a month. Kirkeby said it's hard to contest spending more when NetZero and Juno cost significantly less than these products. ``United just isn't as well-known as these other products,'' he said. United Online officials would not discuss the terms of the deal, while Best Buy representatives said they are still ironing out specifics. ``We're in the planning stages of the deal right now, ... but it's all about offering our customers choice, and by carrying a lower-priced service it should enable people to take advantage of the Internet's benefits,'' said Mollie mollie or molly, New World fish of the genus Mollienesia, in the same family as the guppy (see killifish). Mollies are found from the E and central United States to Argentina. Juelich, a spokeswoman for Richfield, Minn.-based Best Buy. Evan Pondel, (818) 713-3662 evan.pondel(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): chart Chart: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SOURCE: JD Power and Associates |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion