Not to mention how damn hard it was to remove their proprietary Software off Windows 98 machines… Fortunately AOL went smalltime in Australia. Nobody could put up with their crap. Though we have Telstra to deal with here that have some similar AOL traits (although they are slightly better IMO)

They survive because people hate change. My Mom’s neighbors are like that. Cheapskates about everything else but they won’t stop using AOL. Plus their company email is tied to it.

My mom avoided the mess and got a local provider. cheaper, and she can use Google or whatever else she wants for the extras.

Those free disks they keep mailing to me make great targets. You know when you miss the bulls-eye because the disk explodes into a bazillion pieces when you hit it. I am eagerly waiting for the bio-degradable AOL disks so I don’t have to clean up the mess 🙂

That cracks me up!

I reloaded my partents PC (it took 3 times to kill my AOL account when I finally did about 2 years ago) and had to load the new AOL. I opened there mail to make sure they could view it and all and low and behold a DAM adverstisement.

I said to myself how arrogant are they (AOL) to place advertisement on a PAYING customers E-mail.

Then I read this article.

I think it is time the existing AOL customers axe their subscriptions and put (sink) this Beast to the bottom of the sea, once and for all……

I find that I am getting very excellent service from AOL. They offer email and other content, and I can use a search box on their page to find this other content. Also, I can “chat” with people through their chat utility.

Sure, you can get all of those from AOL while getting their dial-up service at what ever price they choose. You can also pay a hooker for “service” and get half a dozen VDs at no additional cost, but that doesn’t make it right or even worth it.

First off, they are over-charging for every single one of their paid services. Next, they are providing services that you can get for free elsewhere (with better results too). Then you have to wonder why you are paying them for service when they are directly responsible for most of the “unwanted services” like SPAM and slow connection and other undesirables.

Does that sound like something you want to be overpaying for? I’ve got news for you, most things you see on TV or in Magazines these days needs to be heavily questioned for it’s validity. I’ve seen ads for web hosting that offers “great services” but you’ll pay $50+ per month for those services that you could get at 500 other places for $15 per month or less. In essense, you are paying directly into their advertising budget so they can hook other suckers.

The sad thing is that I have friends and family that fell into the AOL trap. I’ve gotten my mom out of their clutches but the others didn’t listen to me when I tried to warn them.

I have been an AOL subscriber off and on for many years, primarily for my daughter’s benefit (who doesn’t live with me) as her area does not yet have any broadband alternative. Having an AOL account also means my mom can use it on the rare occassions when she feels adventurous and wants to check something out online. When they boosted the rate (again!) last month, I called and gave them holy hell, and they gave me the $17.95/month annual rate, billed monthly. I’m paying a lower rate than I was before the latest rate hike, and my daughter can keep her email and contacts she has built up. It’s less of a hassle, but just as soon as bradband is available, it’s history!

One of the reasons AOL remains in so many homes: computer users who do not feel comfortable using their computers and the internet with anything else.

A close relative of mine is a “forever” AOL user. He goes into Myocardial infarction (to the point of being a heart-attacked-Luddite with a hammer) if he tries to use other tools for mail or browsing. I (lovingly) tried to teach him to use tools like Firefox and Thunderbird, but he complained loudly and felt utterly sideways about them.

He doesn’t like the crowded main screen of using AOL, but he accepts it as a mark of his comfort zone. There are literally millions of people who don’t fathom the concept of an IP connection and its effect on their “internets.” To them, AOL is a tangible and comfortable place to interact with IP services.

I was an AOL’er for years, at first due to being an internet newbie, then because I got AOL free for being a chatroom host and instructor. Once broadband came along, I got AOL for free and kept it only for that reason. A year ago they did away with the chat host/community leaders, etc, but gave us a free year for our “service time”. My year isn’t up, but so that I didn’t forget and get converted to paying status, I cancelled it.

For AOL’ers out there that want to keep their AOL email address – you now can keep AOL email addresses whenyou leave the service, free of charge. No need to pay their exorbitant rates just for an email address any longer.

I do miss the chats, as I had a large group of friends that led chats (graphics and music communities) that I like to get together with, but most of them have cancelled as well now, so no reason to stay…uninstalling AOL from my machine was a joy…

Who in their right mind still uses this service? This service is designed for people who are to stupid to explore the internet on their own. And ofcourse you have to pay for being dumb. All the services they offer are free elsewhere. I left AOL in 97 thank God. The broadband service they provide is usually from someone else (3rdParty) with their virus software. you should bypass the Bull and go straight to the broadband provider and save money and hassle.

“They offer email and other content, and I can use a search box on their page to find this other content. Also, I can “chat” with people through their chat utility.”

Errr,Yahoo does the same.

So does Google.

Google even has the ability for you to choose your own news groupings under the search box.

And their e mail and chat service is free.

I never used AOL. Always used local ISP’s.

The only time I ever had to use AOL was at a friend’s house..I found it unweildy, cumbersome,irritating and slow..Oh,and did I mention irritating?

Anyway,as others have said,there are plenty of choices out there,most free and all better than AOL.

Couldn’t believe it till I saw it – seems AOL thinks it needs to help people with PC security. I guess they think their experience with web newbies could translate to people who know what they’re doing?? Free? My spider sense is tingling.

On download.com no less.

http://www.download.com/AOL-Active-Security-Monitor/3000-2094_4-10545847.html?tag=lst-0-1

I used AOL for a few years, back in the 3.1 days. But then switched to cable as soon as it came into the area. Anyone would could have guessed that this was going to happen. AOL is the birthplace of Major Spam and advertisements.

Now they are adding to the chaos!

Go figure.

To all of you who still use this service, ROFLMAO. have a good one.

All in all, I’d rate my AOL experience a 5 out of 10. I did a lot of traveling in the mid 1990s, and my local ISP had something like 12 local access phone numbers. I didn’t want to pay per-minute toll charges just for the priviledge of saying I wasn’t an AOL user! 🙂 So for me at least, it made more economic sense to be an AOL user — at least until around 1998. All in all, it was a basically decent service. I’m not sure it was horrific, but it certainly wasn’t amazing either. But yeah, I agree with many who have pointed out the flaws in AOL’s business decisions.

“I find that I am getting very excellent service from AOL. They offer email and other content, and I can use a search box on their page to find this other content. Also, I can “chat” with people through their chat utility.”

Wow… u r a n00b. I hope you were kidding! Their E-mail sucks (gmail is better) a search box on THEIR page, hey ever herd of this realy cool site called google.com! and you can “chat” with people useir their crappy chat utility, OMG! NO WEII, im getting AOL now cuz I can CHAT! Google chat is much better although I use Xfire.

I think what half of the noise in this thread doesn’t get is that unlike most corporations (internet or otherwise), aol is not evil.

Like any other company with a history of bad business decisions that it has to hunker down and still support, it’s near impossible to notice that aol’s direction is towards being seen as a player in the free web products market place and less in the access services. Access is dead, long live the ideal that more and more brick and morder business _will_ get that the web should be free and that you’re not going to get consumer loyalty without making innovative and usable products.

so, aol=underdog, this can’t be bad to keep yelling at them, it might help.

Wind chimes! Oh, and if you have a pole mounted birdfeeder, you could try using a few as a squirrel deterrent.

I kinda miss the days of the AOL floppy diskettes, as they at least could be reformatted. But the CD media does inspire more creaztivity. Collect the whole set!

There have been ads in aol for like two years now… how is this a recent story?

Now the price for 9 ‘Optimized’ is $9.95. It does seem to take over one’s PC but I’ve noted a page download speed increase in my low RAM puter.

I wonder what they are updating every time I close out of AOL? Will it eventually fill the HD?

Seems a lot of files for what?

Is there anything good at all to be said for ‘dial’ AOL now at $9.95? Is MSN or EL better?

Best wishes for what works best for anyone!

Russ

Aolers are dumb as hell. They are the reason why phone techs have heart attacks. They are so unbelievably stupid most cant even find the start button in windows..

I do tech support for a major isp. And I know everytime when I get an A Ho eler on the phone because they dont even know what a modem is. Or have the ability to count to 5.

Yes. I hope aol dies then maybe most of you dumba___s who have computers will get off my phone. As It is now.

I hate to imagine that Aolers are Breeding and farting out one mutant after another. If Aol dies out that will be good thing Because I swear Im going to need therapy if I have to keep explaining every tiny little step to the aolers (the moron crowd) every time they call me expect to have me help them fix their computer. Its not my fault that aol pos software messed up your poc computer. Heres a tip. Dont install aol…Or what people in the tech field call THE AOL VIRUS….

Death to AOL!

@anon

Don’t be a fool. Nobody here wan’ts everything for free. Of course paying for an internet service provider is going to cost money. Let me explain something to you. It does not cost anywhere 59.99 a month for high speed internet in any currency I know. It also does not cost 599.99 for a satelite dish. Get your numbers straight. Why would you even bring a satelite into the picture? Satelite internet is very poor also. However that’s not what I’m talking about.

I have had a personal experiance with AOL, and used it when I was 12. I slowly began to discover the real truth of AOL. I stoipped usign it and switch to Walmart Connect after I learned I could not connect to my favorite game online with AOL. AOL was infact the problem because when I switch the game was perfectly fine for me, with no other changes had been made to my system. Yes I will repeat this, the ISP I changed to was infact Walmart Connect. I dialup provider, yes Walmart as in the Walmart store “always low prices, always”.
And yes I am saying that Walmart connect is a better ISP than AOL.
—————-|READ BELOW IS THE TRUTH ABOUT AOL|—————-

(Reading this paragraph is optional as it is more about me, and my creditability. You don’t have to read it, but please read the paragraph after this one and everything after it)
Well before I explain my knowledge of AOL, which most of has been explained, I will explain myself. Now I am not am not stupid when it comes to computers, and I don’t like AOL for just no reasons. How can you tell if I know enough about computers? Well about myself, I am a gamer. I have been using the computer for a while, ever since I discovered the game C&C Red Alert. On my 15th birthday I went to the emergency room. Days later I was diagnosed with cancer, I am adding this information only because it will explain to you why I stopped going to school. I was told I was going to die so I wanted to stay home with my mother. Well for 2 years now I have had no school and no home schooling. In that time I literaly have spent in my bedroom on the compter. Truthfuly I never got out and was almost always on the PC, gaining experiance.
Anyway now that you know about me it’s time for you to learn a little more about AOL.

***
Well AOL is a big company, many of us may wonder shy it hasn’t gone bankrupt well thats simple. We all know that AOL has so many customers. This is kind of like wondering why Internet explorer has had always over 91% in browser share in the U.S. Well we all know PC’s are much more comman than any other system and Windows is the most common operating system. Well on every Windows system comes preinstalled and free is Internet Exploror. We also know that so many people use AOL. Well there was a time when AOL used IE as the browser in their software. If they don’t still as of today, that answers the question of why IE always ruled the browser share. Well AOL basicaly has their steong marketing strategy. Now if you really want to know why AOL has so many members.
1.) AOL preinstalled on the computer.
2.) AOL discs in the mail.(Additionaly free hours & apealing packaging)
3.) AOL T.V ads advertising “A better internet” and in the past that their “Number one”.(Additionaly they advertise their speed and sacurity. Which some of is false advertising which I will explain below)

Now AOL basically targets computer newbies, and unfailrly they suck them in. Well now I will explain how AOL is falsely advertising. Now they advertise you can surf faster with AOL. Well here are the lies. AOL claims that with any connection type that you get enhanced speeds. Well here is the parcial lie. They do not speed up your internet connection, they only do a few things to make pages load faster. I will explain that later on. Here is something very untruthful about them. They claim that you save money by going with AOL for broadband. Well when they actualy tell you the cost of the broadband connection without AOL for broadband they do infact lie about the cost. Now I am not saying they make up this lie all the time or with every provider but this is a common lie by AOL and/or their reps. I have see in from experiance. My aunt had AOL for a while, I had told her to ditch dialup because it’s really bad. I should have warned her about AOL as much. I thought she would get rid of AOL when really she got AOL for broadband, the rep told her she would save money and that the broadband provider she had chosen would charge $39.95 a month without AOL for broadband. Well that price is very off and the person who provides her DSL has the best prices of ONLY $14.95 a month!!!! Well AOL scammer her. AOL security another false ad. The anti virus does not protect your computer, the “Spyware Zapper” does little to nothing, my experiance with other AOL security is mild but what I hear from many other resources is that they only work for when browing AOL and the anti-spyware is as sucky as the 10 second “spyware zapper” itself.

Now I will give you some other information, these things I know more about and are by the way are even worse.

AOL & software. AOL has so much to install on your computer when you use it only for one thing. If you go to add and remove programs you will definatly notice 4 or more thins with AOL in the name. If you have AOL on your computer and open your task manager you will see so many things with AOL in it’s name. AOL installs things you shouldn’t. It is a memory and disk space hog. It also even installs the second worst tech product of all time onto your computer. Real Player! )More here(
As it has been said AOL is very difficult to get rid of but if you want me to skip to the worst astributes about AOL is that they are con artists. They have a VERY VERY VERY bad track records when it comes to cons, scams, and more.
Example there is a scam that ALL AOL reps practice. We all know when an AOL member tries to quit they will sit heir and try to get you to stay, and by the way are unfortunatly very succesful. When you call the cancel they will do two things or maybe more, they will sit there and read of their sheet and name all of the “great” features and benifits you get with being a member and using AOL, they almost never take no for an answer. They will also try to offer you free minutes to get you to stay, well here is the con part. If you accept those minutes instead of canceling the rep will give you a date. They will say you can call up to this dat to cancel to you don’t get charged. Well if you do call on the date they give you, you WILL be charged! The date they say you can call by so you DONT get charged is actually the first day of the new billing cycle. So if they say you can call up to the 29th to cancel so you don’t get billed you are being played. You need to call the day before the day they actually give you, best to call TWO days ahead. Now that may not seem like a big deal or you don’t think all the reps do it well it is a big deal because after that happens. If you call to complain about this bill you can NEVER get your money back. And yes all the reps do practice this scam. If you tried to get your money back after you had gotten charged there is “nothing” they can do to give you your money back. “It’s not their fault you missed the day to call”. When really you called to cancel, got tricked into keeping their service and was told to call by THAT day just so you WONT get charged. This is not their biggest scam but it’s been practice so much it’s the most common one. We all know the reps read of their sheets like robots and are not actually trained so all the reps will say the same thing and whoever calls that day is screwd. Well I will not explain all the scams of AOL but I will direct you to 2 places.
First check out what wikipedia has to say about AOL here. Read the ‘Billing Disputes’ part and ‘Cancelation’ part on that page.
Now for something very intresting, informatal, and even FUN to read!
Read this, you have to at least check out the page. You will learn more about AOLs scams and methods of deceit here than anyplace else. check it out click here. Check some of them out, and maybe even bookmark/favorite it for views later. If you read enough of them, you will discover that almost every scam method you find has occured more than once.

Well as you see this is very long and I am trying to avoid this. Let me just say though, if you really really hate AOL then join me. Not now, but later on. I am working on a website basically based on computer and online decisions, alot of it will be on AOL facts and why people should pick a better ISP, there will be a communication area. probably a forum, chatroom, and possibly irc server to join. they will all be there for planning on how to take down aol, by law basically is the idea but all ideas are welcome. There will also be an AOL flame board on the forum of course and a knowlede place so people can subit their own aol bad experiances and information that has been left out from the site, like major cons and even minor. This site will be great and i will be promoting it in every way created. this also includes email messages. there will be a specific message i will rapid send to @aol emails, this message will be about why they should stop using aol and how theres better options ect ect. the email will be informative to, so some clips off the sites will be sent via email. also the email for @anything else. it will ask if your an aol hater and want to visit the site and learn more about the infamous company and ask to join to help bring them down. these emails will BOTH be sent in recquest to forward it like a chain letter. it will ask if even if they are not intrested to please forward it to everybody they know because alot of people will be intrested. These emails I will change over time, I know because I know the 1st emails will probably explain how the site and community has just born and ask to join them anyway to help it grow and come back when it’s active. ect……

so don’t worry, the giant will fall. and hard!