Zu Selects XMission & Squarespace
I’m not sure I can think of too many things that are more annoying than having to call a telecommunication, utilities, or Internet service provider (ISP). A computer answers and asks you questions and then tells you what number to push to direct your call. After being on hold for ten minutes and being told seven or so times that your business is important and to please hold by a recorded actor, you’re already feeling a little irritated and you haven’t even talked to anyone yet. The scripted conversations, being told repeatedly that the representative understands what your saying and how they promise your issue will be resolved, constantly being put on hold, communication errors, etc… Point being, it is a horrible experience. I hate companies that do business this way and would prefer to not give them a penny. Talking to family and friends and a little research I decided to give XMission a call. They seemed like a company that I wanted to give my money to.
When I ended up calling Utah based XMission to inquire about their services and a real human answered the phone, I was slightly taken back but really pleased. They didn’t ask how they could direct my call or ask me to hold but simply, “What can I help you with?” No script or fake bullshit attitude, just real down to earth people helping you out. In short, I chose XMission because of the genuine and personal vibe when dealing with them and their pursuit for Internet privacy, something rare if not impossible to find with other ISPs. Also, they are not afraid to give snooping local, state, and federal entities, without search warrants, the middle finger when they request information… kind of cool, right?
I became pretty stoked when I got news that Zu was going to switch to XMission. My thoughts were that Zu and XMission are two peas in a pod. Two Utah based companies going against the grain in the industries that they do business in while keeping a real, positive and personal attitude. Do yourself a favor and check out XMission; tell your friends, like them on Facebook, or sign up.
Squarespace is another company worth acknowledging that Zu recently switched to for webhosting. Squarespace is a New York based firm with a team that is concentrated on taking care of their customers and giving them the tools they need to make intuitive and aesthetically pleasing website. Check this out - http://betabeat.com/2012/11/squarespace-diesel-peer1-wall-street-hurricane-sandy-data-center/. They hauled fuel up 17 flights of stairs for three day to keep their generators running during Hurricane Sandy so their customer’s websites wouldn’t go down!
As a society, we need to be more cognizant of who we want to do business with. Consider judging companies on their character and quality and not necessarily just how cheap and cool looking products are. What individuals spend their money on needs to be acknowledged as a socioeconomic decision and not just an economic decision. At Zu, we really are committed in supporting companies that are similar, in regards to business practices, like XMission and Squarespace and do try contributing back to society by wisely choosing the businesses that we do business with and support.