AOL

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

This is a rant...I'm so mad at AOL, I can't hardly see straight. I've used them as my ISP since I got my first computer almost 20 years ago. I've always dreaded having to call India and speak to one of their barely-English-speaking CSRs. Last night I was on the phone with a guy for over an hour as he tried to fix my problem. When he was unsucessful, he just hung up on me. I've had this happen several times before.

My problem? They decided I had too large a backlog of undeleted old emails so they locked me out. They could have saved us both a lot of grief if they'd just told me to delete a bunch.

I've washed my hands of them, although at great inconvenience.

Rant over.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

tansy · ‎01-02-2011

Yikes. What a pain that's going to be to change out your email addy to family, friends and businesses. Maybe you can call back and speak to a supervisor?

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

Gadzooks! I'd be mad too. Seems like, if there were a limit, they would send out some kind of auto-email when you were getting close to that limit - in the very least. To just lock you out without notice doesn't seem right to me, at all.

Don't even get me started on the 'they hung up on me when they couldn't fix my problem' part. That's pretty effed up.

CelticCrafter · ‎03-09-2010

I didn't think anyone paid for AOL anymore.

That's the only way you get customer service.

missy1 · ‎03-10-2010

You have to pay 4.99/month to talk to them. I cancelled. Been a member since the dinosaur age. I still have their mail, just not paid.

Mz iMac · ‎07-26-2014

@CelticCrafter wrote:
I didn't think anyone paid for AOL anymore.

Actually it is. I was shocked to read the OP is still paying for something that is FREE!!!! Then I read this OLD article which states in part:

"AOL has just 4 million subscribers. But here is the kicker—those people are still paying."

"AOL.com, of course, is free. It used to be a pay service, but has been free for years. You can access the AOL.com, read all of its content, and check your aol.com e-mail without paying a dime. If you already pay for an account, however, AOL will continue to bill you. And evidently, that makes AOL a LOT of money."

"'[M]any of [AOL's subscribers] are older people who have cable or DSL service but don't realize that they need not pay an additional twenty-five dollars a month to get online and check their e-mail. "The dirty little secret," a former AOL executive says, "is that seventy-five per cent of the people who subscribe to AOL's dial-up service don't need it"

FULL STORY

OP IS GETTING RIPPED OFF!!!!!!

"Never argue with a fool. Onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."

momtochloe · ‎11-03-2013

@Mz iMac wrote:
@CelticCrafter wrote:
I didn't think anyone paid for AOL anymore.

Actually it is. I was shocked to read the OP is still paying for something that is FREE!!!! Then I read this OLD article which states in part:
"AOL has just 4 million subscribers. But here is the kicker—those people are still paying."

"AOL.com, of course, is free. It used to be a pay service, but has been free for years. You can access the AOL.com, read all of its content, and check your aol.com e-mail without paying a dime. If you already pay for an account, however, AOL will continue to bill you. And evidently, that makes AOL a LOT of money."

"'[M]any of [AOL's subscribers] are older people who have cable or DSL service but don't realize that they need not pay an additional twenty-five dollars a month to get online and check their e-mail. "The dirty little secret," a former AOL executive says, "is that seventy-five per cent of the people who subscribe to AOL's dial-up service don't need it"

FULL STORY

OP IS GETTING RIPPED OFF!!!!!!

They made it extremely difficult to switch to their free service and made it equally as confusing. I think they actually got sued in the UK for fraud. I am not surprised to hear there are still people paying for something that is free.

Beth-QVC · ‎06-14-2015

Moved:

This post has been removed by QVC because it is inappropriate

AliJoi5 · ‎03-10-2010

@Kachina624 I must tell you, I feel your pain. How frustrating! So sorry for your aggravation, but I'm glad the issue is resolved.

I had a similar problem with Paypal last year. When they first started offering their speed check out, it kept turning on without my changing my settings. And when it's on, it uses Paypal credit by default. I kept turning it off in my settings because I didn't want to use the line of credit. I wanted to use my cc. This happened over and over. I'd turn it off; it would turn back on without notification during checkout. So I kept accruing these charges on the line of credit. argh! I called several times to have them resolve the issue, but I kept getting foreign reps, and it was clear they had no idea how to handle the situation. They were reading off of a manual and searching keywords, but there must not have been a protocol for this particular issue at that time, and they clearly didn't understand my dilemma. Of course, after a half hour of back and forth, I would be disconnected and have to start all over again. I don't want it to sound like I'm coming down on these folks for their language skills. Hey, they can speak English better that I can speak Hindi! lol It's not their fault... just trying to make a living. What ticked me off was that Paypal was outsourcing their CS because they're greedy. Anyway, I eventually spoke with a manager here in the US who told me that Paypal kept turning that feature on because they want you to use the line of credit. Naturally, it benefits them if you do. Nice huh?! She fixed the problem and it never happened again. I have noticed lately though that whenever I call, the rep is domestic. Must have been lots of complaints!!

Anyway, back to you! I just had to piggyback on your rant.

moto · ‎03-09-2010

Note that the original comment was this is her ISP (Internet Service Provider). That service is not free - it is how she connects her computer to the internet. The AOL email service is free, however, and you can keep the email address even when you discontinue the ISP service. I kept mine and have it auto forwarded to my gmail address.

Pro-tip, try to use an email that is not connected to your internet service provider. That way you can change providers and not have the hassel of trying to decide what to do about changing email addresses.