Why pay for the internet when you can access it for free?

AOL once was a great and reliable service to have. It made surfing the internet simple and understandable for internet newbies.

BILLING
When I first joined AOL, it was a pretty nice place to visit. It only had several thousand members and they tended to be polite and considerate. Because I was one of the first PCAO members (back in March of 1991) I was granted a special lifetime 20% discount off AOL. Guess what folks! AOL billing has informed me that because I switched from BYOA to dialup last month for a month, I lose the 20% lifetime discount guaranteed to me! They claim that I changed my billing plan so have lost the 20% discount of that *special* promotion. Speaking on several occasions by telephone with a billing supervisor, the gentleman said they have NO records in AOL history where a lifetime discount was offered. (AOL Charter Membership) Furthermore, he claimed that if I could show him proof he *might* give me the discount.

My favorite features that initially caught my eye, was the access to chat and interact with people around the world. This was a great concept, but now has become worthless. AOL later came to offer AIM (AOL Instant Messenger), which allowed anyone to download this option for FREE. Many canceled their AOL service since they now could use Instant Messenger without having to pay for the entire AOL service.

As AOL/Time Warner’s stock prices dwindle, many are losing faith in the once booming company. Is this it for AOL? What is next? Who knows for sure. All i know is their days are numbered!

I am extremely disappointed with how the service is functioning. Quite frequently websites are completely unable to load and e-mail cannot be accessed. Also, the entire system randomly shuts off at least a couple times a day! Not to mention the connection is still very slow even after I had a cable connection installed!

My friend even had trouble trying to cancel the service! (I think they do this on purpose to try to keep you sucked in longer hehe) It took him forever to even find the correct number to call, since many he dialed were computer operators!(got to hate those! don’t you miss human operators? I do! =) ) Anyways, when he finally got to talk to someone they talked to him for about an half hour extra to try to get him to stay with the service!! What a joke!

Here is Email an AOL billing rep Mac sent me when I e-mailed AOL with my *displeasure*. (any text effects were added by me, but the contents of the email were not changed) I thought AOL never asked for personal information online. After all, they can look up screen name information easily, as far as I am aware. So, yet another roadblock put in place by AOL.

Correspondence:
Subj:     Re: Charter Member Benefits
Date:     00-12-18 03:05:19 EST
From:     billprob@aol.net
Reply-to:     billprob@aol.net
To:     whitchick545@aol.co
m

Dear whitchick545,

We at America Online would like to thank you for spending the time to write. My name is Mac and I will be assisting you with your recent letter.

While it is true that America Online does state we will never request your information online, we do have a verification process we need to follow when accessing account information. If you contact us regarding specific billing issues, then you must provide your information. America Online will never request your full credit card or checking account number or expiration date to assist you with your account.

For the above reason, we are unable to assist you at this time without the proper verification of your account. Please remember that for account security, our consultants can only discuss billing information with the designated billing contact of the America Online account writing from a designated master screen name.

You will need to provide all of your current account information when writing back. This includes your full name, address, and the last four numbers of your current payment method. Also, include your original question or request in your e-mail or choose the ’’FORWARD’’ option, so that we can assist you promptly.

Please choose the ’’FORWARD’’ option, so that we can assist you promptly.

Thank you for taking the time to contact us and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to help you. You may receive a survey regarding how my service was and I would appreciate you filling this out to let me know how I did.

Please feel free to write with any other questions you have or you can call us directly at 1-888-265-8003. Thank you for Using America Online. I apologize if you have experienced any inconvenience or frustration.

Sincerely,

Mac
Billing Consultant
America Online

This is sad to see AOL falter, but the service has become none other than superfluous .

Purchase Price (INR):

23.95/month