I've used VPNs for about 4 years now, and my opinions on what makes the best VPN service have changed over that period of time. When I first signed up for a VPN service I needed to unblock Facebook in China. I though that cheaper was better, and I signed up for the cheapest VPN service I could. Boy, was I wrong. Then I though that server switching and unlimited bandwidth were the best qualities a VPN service could have. After all, why should I be restricted? I've come to realize however that what makes the best VPN service is customer service.

Over these four years I've run into more than just a few troubles with my VPN service. Sometimes, China would updated their firewall and my VPN would no longer connect. Sometimes, I would get a free trial of a VPN service, download their software, and have software conflicts and need to reinstall. Sometimes I'd lose my password, or the VPN wouldn't connect for no apparent reason. Whatever happened, I had to contact support. I don't understand the fine details of technology, and don't feel comfortable troubleshooting these types of things. Even with Google and all the tech forums that can be found on the internet, my head starts to spin after about an hour, and it's just easier to contact support.

But not all VPN service providers support teams are helpful. First off, some take more than a day or two to respond to your emails. IF you exchange three emails back and forth, it could be a week before your get your problem resolved.

And not surprisingly a lot of tech support is outsourced. As an English speaker it can be very frustrating to get broken English emails explaining how to fix my VPN connection. Not only do I have to interpret the tech language jargon, but I also have to interpret the bad English. This just adds more frustration to the situation.

Worst of all, some support members have a bad attitude. Personally, I think this is culture related. As someone who's traveled a lot I've noticed that some cultures are more direct than others. I find it hard to believe that someone from customer support can actually respond with emails that say, "Sorry, but it's not our fault" and end the email there. Maybe Americans are sensitive that way, but as a paying customer, if it's my fault, I would expect to hear something like

"I'm sorry, but we're having trouble finding the source of the problem on our end. There may be a number of solutions you can try to get things moving. Have you tried 'solution A'? This seems to be the most common source of the problems you're experiencing. If this doesn't work, you may want to try 'solution B'. Please provide us with information 'C', 'D', and 'E' so we can help fix this issue as soon as possible"

Now THAT'S great customer service.

And you just don't see that with a lot of services. Live support sends you to ticket support. Ticket support sends you to general info. Then the general info staff is on vacation.

What?

Yes, more than once I've had it come back that a WHOLE team was on vacation for a month which is why they didn't respond to my emails. This is obviously a lie, but I digress.

The point is that great customer service makes for a user friendly VPN experience. When you read up on VPN provider reviews, be sure to see what their customer service rating is.