A unique service was launched in the UK this
week called FreeCheck, which
lets people connect to the Internet but only answers if there is
e-mail waiting to be collected.
Founder Mike Brown says the service has been established in order
to help save people money. Normally, calls to the Internet in the
UK cost a minimum of 5p (just over 8 cents), even when the user connects for
just a few seconds to check if any e-mail has arrived.
“With our service if you don’t have new e-mail you don’t get charged,”
said Brown.
To register with FreeCheck, users simply dial 0845 200 1248 and
click on the Register Now button from the FreeCheck Home page.
There is no need to change from an existing ISP, nor are there
any monthly costs or registration fee. Users pay local call
rates only when there is e-mail waiting for them to collect.
Saving a few pennies may not sound like a big deal, but
FreeCheck points out that a lot of people have a habit of
checking for email frequently — and the cost can
be around 10 or 20 per cent of the total cost of using
the Internet.
Anyone who wants to use the service from the office as well
as from home needs to register twice, giving FreeCheck the
same email details for both telephone lines — home and office.
As many readers will quickly note: the introduction of
FreeCheck means that users who do not want Web access
have no need of any other Internet service provider. In
this sense, FreeCheck is an “e-mail-only” ISP.
