AOL

kingfish · April 18th, 2003, 07:39 AM

Who else uses it?

The 14th Colony · May 5th, 2003, 12:12 PM

I used to use AOL, and did not like it. I thought the browser layout was lacking, and I got booted constantly. Then for 3 years I had Compuserve, which is owned by AOL and run the same way. The features are similar but more attractive on the screen, and the layout was similar yet nicer. But no matter how you slice it, Compuserve is AOL, and I had a very bad experience with them. I had a 3 year subscription to Compuserve and I cancelled it right before it ended after paying for the final month, telling them that I did not want to continue the service because I had not liked it, kept paying it only because I had a 3 year deal based on a computer purchase rebate deal, but for the last year I had been using AT&T Broadband for my ISP and I only checked my CS email and message forums once in a while. They offered me a free month to keep the service but I reminded them that I wasn't interested. I didn't want it.

So guess what, they withdrew the next month's service fee from my checking account (the prior deal I had with them during the contract period) anyway without my authorization, and my account was overdrawn. So, unknowing about the 21.95 taken without authorization, my usage for a 2 dollar bag of nuts and a dollar soda and some other small things earned me 30 dollar bank charges that piled up so high that when I deposited more money into the account (still not knowing about the charges that were taken out) that money was swallowed up by bank charges and when I finally realized what had happened, I was 400 in the hole. I discussed it with the bank, and complained to Compuserve about it. They told me they had given me a free month, and I said, #1 I didn't want the free month, and #2, if it was free why was 21.95 taken from my account anyway? They apologized but refused to reimburse me the 420 in bank fees. I ordered them to cease taking any more money from my account, and reminded them that I had cancelled the service at the end of January. So guess what they did in March? They deducted 2 more 21.95 fees from my account, for Febuary and March!

Last week, from the office of the bank manager, I called CS and confronted them again. The guy told me that I had used the Compuserve ISP after I claimed I had cancelled, and I told him, So freaking what? I opened a couple of world news message boards run by CS to see what was new, and people all around the world without AOL or CS accounts regularly brows those forums just like I tried to do! But I didn't post any messages or use any other features, and I used AT&T to log on like I always do...I didn't use AOL at all to get on the internet.

Anyway, the bank reversed and returned the 3 service fees to me and credited me 2 bank charges, and I am waiting and hoping that they will return the rest after they determine that I had indeed cancelled and that I didn't know the money was taken out when I used my check card those times. But that is my experience with AOL/Compuserve, my story about how I was taken advantage of by people who do not want to admit they are wrong and take responcibility for their immoral and unethical, and possibly illegal actions against me. So yes, I was once an AOL user, but never again. And from what I have heard, my situation is not at all uncommon with them.

Fingers · May 5th, 2003, 03:14 PM

I have it but also use an alternate isp.

My main email addy is linked to that of anothjer isp - I find the aol interface clunky and inefficient....

Fingers

BST · May 8th, 2003, 06:37 PM

I also use broadband/cable access. It's great!

If it's available in your area, kingfish, you really should consider broadband access. If you have gone the route of having a 2nd line, by the time you add its cost to the cost for the isp, you're about $10-15 away from the price of broadband/cable. (a lot depends who your local telco is -- BellSouth, Verizon, or an independent and what prices they can get away with charging).

The other thing you have to watch out for, with dial-up, is if your primary dial-up number is busy, AOL (or any other ISP) can switch you to an alternate dial-up number and these may be 'toll' calls. If so, you'd pay long distance charges for dialing up, sometimes without even knowing it (until you get your phone bill)!!

I believe you can designate the alternate dial-up numbers, just need to make sure they are all LOCAL numbers.

DSL may also be an option but, it can bog down at times, too, like regular dial-up. It depends on the amount of traffic on the network at a given time. (They're still going across the same copper wire that carries the phone signals).

Flamingo Girl · May 8th, 2003, 07:36 PM

I haven't had as bad an experiance as 14th, but I've used AOL in the past and really disliked it. I was on for 4 hours and got booted 6 times, this was typical, and I really don't like the browser at all.

However, I do use AIM, and haven't experianced near the problems a lot of people do.

I used AT&T for quite awhile, I really liked it, and only switched to PeoplePC because I got 4 years free included with this computer. As it turns out, I like PeoplePC a lot too. I'll have to think about whether or not I want to switch back at the end of the 4 years.

kingfish · July 1st, 2003, 09:22 AM

I am thinking of getting rid of them and switching to MSN 8.5. Any thoughts on the subject? Does anyone else here use it?

Dawg · July 1st, 2003, 10:20 AM

kingfish wrote:

Quote:

I am thinking of getting rid of them and switching to MSN 8.5. Any thoughts on the subject? Does anyone else here use it?

My mother used MSN (I don't know if it was 8.5, but she used it). She doesn't anymore, didn't like it, gave her more trouble than it was worth, she said.

Me, I'm on comcast broadband. A little more money but well worth it in my opinion. If you've got cable, check into it (you might even get a discount if your area is a comcast franchise).

I am
Dawg

Flamingo Girl · July 1st, 2003, 10:22 AM

I had a free trial of it, and I didn't like the browser, but otherwise it was ok.

conconcv66 · July 1st, 2003, 01:57 PM

I don't call it ao hell for nothing. I have earthlink high speed cable. its cool. and if you join now the first 6 mos are half price $24.95. thats the price of ao hell. give it a shot.

thomas7g · July 1st, 2003, 03:56 PM

I believe that AOL and MSN 8 are lacking access to newsgroups. I'm not sure though.

kingfish · July 27th, 2003, 08:07 AM

I was listening to my local news station on the radio and heard that AOL has lost about 800,000 members.

BST · July 27th, 2003, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by kingfish

I was listening to my local news station on the radio and heard that AOL has lost about 800,000 members.

This is much like what is happening to the Long Distance telephone companies like AT&T, MCI, Sprint, etc. They're losing customers / marketshare due to the emergence of new technologies - cell phones, e-mail, IM, etc. Even with the entry of the local companies like Verizon, Bellsouth, SBC, into the long distance market, the total number of phone lines in use, is declining.

AOL can survive in this changing market, they've just got to adapt to the changes. When people leave dial-up, it's usually to upgrade to DSL or cable/broadband. If AOL or any other dial-up ISP isn't ready for this, they'll be left in the dust.

OT: As I mentioned in an above reply, I've got cable internet access. I've also got (of course) cable tv as well as "digital phone" service. Just 1 coaxial cable to the house then, the "splitters take over"! It really works well, the only drawback with the phone service is that the technical folks haven't yet worked out how to provide the voltage to the line like the traditional "twisted pair" copper wire. We have to keep a battery pack (supplied by Comcast) plugged in so that the phone will work in the event of a power or cable outage.

I've also read some accounts where there is talk about sending phone signals over the electric lines. I don't know how far along this is but, delivering phone service in this method as well as via cable is truly what the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was all about. (What has happened since 1996, for the most part, is that long distance companies buy the service "wholesale" from the local companies and then, "resell" it to the residential customer).

amberstar · July 27th, 2003, 06:24 PM

I was a user of Aol and disliked it very much. Constant pop ups, slow log on, and Getting knocked off too much. It was a head ache.
This wasn't done to me, but several of my friends have been double billed from Aol and even billed after the termination of the service!
I have Zoom (cable), and it is GREAT! I love it. It is fast, Pop ups are kept in the background. You dont even see them until you log off. It is even inexpensive.
I would reccomend a cable hook up to anyone who uses the web.
Amberstar

thomas7g · July 27th, 2003, 08:34 PM

Cable is the way to go! Fast and speedy! Always on. Very few downtime problems. basically it goes on and stays on (unless you are like me with an old rust prone switcher which just got replaced. Woohoo!)

I use IE for browsing trusted sites. But for places where I expect popups I use Mozilla. That kills popups!

kingfish · July 28th, 2003, 10:26 AM

I called them up to find out about internet access. They have no access number(LAN) so you are charged roaming charges unless you get DSL. Between the DSL and phone bill it is a whopping $80.00.