I switched to windscribe last month because the proton CEO starting spewing politcal BS, and I wanted port forwarding that wasn't locked behind a shitty GUI.

As far as I was concerned setup was super easy, the VPN speeds were great, and port forwarding worked really nicely. The whole price for a fixed server and port forward, + unlimited data was a bit much (at $95/year) but for the ease of use and speeds I was getting, I was happy to stick with them.

My setup is a always-on server with a 1gbps connection, where yes, I fucking seed my shit, all of it. I have about 30TB of linux ISOs and counting, and it's rare that my combined upload speed is less than 1MBps, ever.

Which lead me to getting banned from windscribe with no notice or warning in the middle of last week. This lead to me having to spend tracker points to avoid HnR, and i'm also unable to grab any new ISOs until I find a new VPN provider that won't ban me for actually using the service full time.

I did shoot them an email (after talking' with their AI bot first), and they were actually helpful enough. The offered to restore support, so long as I promised to not torrent with them again (which, I honestly did promise not to. I'm not sticking with a VPN service that can't handle me actually using it for what it's advertised for) and they did unban the account. Whole email chain took about three days to get resolved.

My sticking point is that they still have instructions on setting up torrents on their own website, and that they specifically allow for unlimited data (with the plan i paid for) so long as it's just one user. I did not break those rules. After clarifying that in the support email, they still said that I was using too much data (despite the unlimited data advertisement) and that torrenting was not allowed on their service.

TL:DR: Windscribe bans you if you use a lot of data, and support says torrents aren't allowed, despite their website advertising such. Proof in the attached images.

If y'all have any other suggestions for a VPN that allow port forwarding i'd really appreciate it.

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[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 42 points 4 days ago

Their own website says they allow p2p so I would see what your options are for getting a refund. If you purchased with a credit card, file a chargeback and include the documentation.

[–] PotatoesFall@discuss.tchncs.de 278 points 5 days ago (2 children)

The CEO of Windscribe is an Elon stan so you didn't switch to a more left-leaning provider than Proton.

[–] Tonuka@feddit.org 74 points 5 days ago

Holy shit, you're not lying. The literal first Post on his Twitter

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 36 points 5 days ago

I suspect most CEOs are, The vast majority just have enough common sense not to ruin their relations with the 99 percenters.

[–] qwerty@discuss.tchncs.de 51 points 4 days ago (8 children)

What's concerning to me is, how do they know what you use their services for if supposedly they don't keep any logs. https://windscribe.com/privacy/ https://windscribe.com/features/no-identifying-logs/

[–] groet@feddit.org 18 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

There is a big difference between "not keeping logs" and "dont have a way to check what you are doing right now".

No logs just means they can't check what you did last week but they can always check the traffic you are producing in that moment. If they see traffic from a torrent protocol they know you are torrenting.

Edit: they do claim they do "No Monitoring" so yeah by their own words they should not be able to tell you are torrenting.

No Monitoring

We don’t monitor your activity and have no way of seeing what sites you are visiting. We do store when you last used Windscribe as well as the total amount of data used in a 30 day period (to enforce free account limitations and to prevent abuse).

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[–] CountVon@sh.itjust.works 116 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (8 children)

I'd recommend AirVPN. Here's why I'd recommend them, in their own words:

No traffic limit. No time limit.

No maximum speed limit, it depends only on the server load

Every protocol is welcome, including p2p. Forwarded ports and DDNS to optimize your software.

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[–] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 39 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Ha!

My ISP sends me emails saying (paraphrased) “we’re only forwarding this email because we have to. We don’t track your data and your IP logs are wiped every 30 days. Your best option is not to respond because then they would know who you are.”

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[–] DaGeek247@fedia.io 87 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Wasn't sure if this was the right place, but I figured someone should know about this. For what it's worth, I would actually recommend windscribe if you don't plan on doing torrents all the time, or you have sub 1gbps internet. Just sucks that I hit their "unlimited" internet limits on my home connection.

They have a page on their site about chargebacks. They're confidant they'll win them, but they still ban because it costs them money. I've done one anyways; as far as my reading of their tos goes, I was in the right. Might as well make this experience cost both of us money, instead of just them.

Their guide for using torrents with their service; https://windscribe.com/knowledge-base/articles/using-windscribe-with-torrent-clients/

Their FAQ on bandwidth and chargebacks: https://windscribe.com/knowledge-base/articles/why-did-my-account-get-disabled/

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[–] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 55 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Windscribe encrypts your browsing activity, blocks ads, and unblocks entertainment content

so that was a lie

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[–] primemagnus@lemmy.ca 40 points 5 days ago (9 children)

“It’s not allowed… especially in the amounts you do it” LMAO. It’s against the rules but we let him murder some people, just so long as it doesn’t get out of hand 🤪

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[–] StinkySocialist@lemmy.ml 41 points 5 days ago (10 children)

I thought this was your Internet service provider. This is a VPN service? Holy shit what's the point of a VPN with rules like this. Fuck em. I use proton and am looking to switch because the CEO is a right-winger but they don't pull this shit.

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[–] HappyTimeHarry@lemm.ee 59 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (5 children)

It sounds like they banned you for excessive usage. They allow at least 1tb a month because ive used that amount regularly with them.

It is a bit misleading for them to be calling it "unlimited" tho

[–] Bezier@suppo.fi 107 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It is a bit misleading

If it's limited, it isn't unlimited. That looks like a lie to me, and not "a bit misleading".

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[–] Draconic_NEO@lemmy.dbzer0.com 80 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (4 children)

It's not "a bit misleading" for them to call it unlimited and then ban people for using too much data, it's extremely misleading, almost bordering on scammy. If I were OP I would've done a chargeback and switched VPNs instead of begging them for an unban. They deserve it for lying and trying to deceive customers. Vote with your wallet (and chargebacks) if you want companies to stop doing shitty shady like this.

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[–] fubbernuckin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 53 points 5 days ago (4 children)

I don't think this is misleading. Misleading is when you use technically true facts to draw someone towards an incorrect conclusion. Calling a plan unlimited then having a limit is more like fraudulent if you ask me.

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[–] gamer@lemm.ee 9 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (11 children)

Since y'all probably know more about VPNs than me, is Mullvad any good? I bought them to use for torrents, though haven't tried seeding anything yet. I assume they're good with that?

Also, anyone know if they're run by MAGA creeps?

[–] uawarebrah@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago

They’re the best hands down.

[–] nul9o9@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 4 days ago

They are who I use, never heard of anything fishy with them.

The fact that you can pay by mailing in cash is pretty cool.

[–] viking@infosec.pub 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Mullvad are Swedish and the most privacy respecting out there, so that's an excellent choice.

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[–] Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca 38 points 5 days ago (8 children)

Meh, switch to usenet. Download as much as you want, at max bandwidth 100% of the time, with 0 need for a vpn and no obligation to re-seed content for months on end.

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[–] COASTER1921@lemmy.ml 8 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

It's definitely a bandwidth usage thing, given their reputation for being informal in communications they could have been a lot nicer about that.

It's really disappointing to see this from them, they were one the best priced VPNs out there claiming to respect privacy. Their support was also super helpful with my questions about their datacenter static IPs.

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