When I was travelling last summer I needed some portable internet service, since I have DSL at home, and my service does not provide me with a dial-up alternative. So, rather than pay for a month of MSN at the cheapest level, as I had done before, I installed a free trial of AOL. Kids: don't do this! In addition to the fact that it has interfered with my broadband connection at home, slowing it down, it is about as easy to get rid of as any other virus. There is no visible way to quit, and an e-mail from me to customer service was ignored. If it were not for T_Smith's help, I would soon be a paying (but not using) AOL member! In a fit of extra foolishness, however, when I signed up for the trial membership, I used my existing AIM nick, and now it's gone.
Actually, it's not gone. It's a cute little trap AOL has laid for me: if I log back in again at any point, it reactivates my membership and I start being charged! And, of course, there's no way that I can find of removing a username from the AIM start-up window, so in order to keep from accidentally signing on through force of habit, I uninstalled AIM and reinstalled it, clearing the slate.
I can't decide if AOL is a virus or a cult.
Or a social disease.
No offense, Nate. Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
Is that actually a capital 'i' this time?
Posted by Megachirops (Member # 4325) on :
Yep!
Posted by JonnyNotSoBravo (Member # 5715) on :
AOHell is disgusting. It's there to lure the computer illiterate. Computer elitists everywhere clear their nostrils in the AOHell's general direction. There is a reason AOL is being dropped from Time Warner's corporate name...
Posted by Megachirops (Member # 4325) on :
This former computer science minor and programmer is not entirely sure how to take that. Posted by Megachirops (Member # 4325) on :
(Although I do agree with the general sentiment regarding AOL.)
Posted by just_me (Member # 3302) on :
I feel your pain..
A couple of years ago I moved and since it was going to take a few weeks to get my cable-modem set up I used the AOL free trial. I called and cancelled it, saying I didn't need it anymore since I god cable modem. After about an hour of saying "no I really DO want to cancel it", "no I don't want to pay $20/month just to use your stupid 'broadband portal' interface to do what I can do for free with any web browser" and "don't you get it, I just used your free trial to fill the gap between services... I'd never actually PAY for dial-up let alone your crappy service" I finally was able to 'cancel' my acount.
Then came the phone calls. Every week for a year AOL called me to see what they could do to 'win me back'. Every time I explained that they never had me in the first place, and then I take every opportunity I can to bash them, but they kept calling. And every time they reminded me that if I changed my mind I could just log in and my membership would be reactivated. (I never tested this, but I was using the new 'no credit-card required' demo so I'm curious how they'd charge me...
Why can't they just take 'NO' for an answer and leave me alone??
so I guess that's a long-winded way of saying "I agree: AOL sucks!"
-me
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
This kind of reminds me of Wayne trying to break up with Stacy.
"Look Wayne, I bought you a gun rack!"
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
::smirks::
No offense taken, dude.
Icarus, a few things that you may want to know about.
1) You can still use your AOL screen name on AIM, just so long as you don't sign in to AOL with it. Or so I've been told. It could just be another trap with some very tastey bait. I suggest calling 1-888-346-3704 (saying to the recording you are a member (it won't sign you up, but if you say you aren't a member, you'll be taken to the registration dept)) before taking my word on it. But then again, if you call us, you risk being ensnared again. Beware.
2) After about a year, your account becomes baron, thus getting rid of your screen name. I'm pretty sure you don't really care about that. If you do happen to be able to sign on to AIM (note, AIM, not AOL) with your screen name, after about a year it will be deleted and you can register that on AIM yourself.
In other words, I guess I'll be seeing you with your new screen name on AIM, then.
Edited to inlcude:
If you want them to stop calling you, sending you disc, etc. etc. tell them to take you off the contact/mailing list. I've done this plenty of times. Anyone at AOL can do this. But some of them don't know about it. So, if needed, give them a verbal smack upside the head and ask for a supervisor. They will ask why. They will try to avoid getting a supervisor. Who cares, be a jerk and be aggressive.
[ October 18, 2003, 10:17 PM: Message edited by: T_Smith ]
Posted by Megachirops (Member # 4325) on :
*chuckle* Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
What happens when his name makes Earl?
Icarus, I'm at a friend's house and they are watching a show called The District about a police team tracking down a pedo on the internet called Icarus.
Someone took your name! Villains at AOL are conspiring against you!
[ October 18, 2003, 10:16 PM: Message edited by: katharina ]
Posted by Megachirops (Member # 4325) on :
quote:Icarus, I'm at a friend's house and they are watching a show called The District about a police team tracking down a pedo on the internet called Icarus.
Are you freaking serious?!
I don't know how I feel about that . . . I mean, it's a work of fiction, and it's not like I own the name Icarus, but man does that suck!
Saturday, October 18, 10PM ET/PT "The Kindness of Strangers"
When Noland's niece, Amy, comes to stay with him and his family for a few weeks they soon discover that she is involved in an on-line relationship with a boy named Icarus. However, Noland learns that the boy is actually a man who they suspect may be a convicted pedophile. Now, when Amy disappears, Mannion's team must delve into the world of on-line chat rooms in order to find her before its too late.
OK, this really disturbs me a lot.
Posted by Jexxster (Member # 5293) on :
Yuck. When we were moving I did the same. And the hoops I had to jump through to cancel were ridiculous.
Of course, when I tried to cancel they gave me the stall tactic, offered me another 2 free months to make up my mind. One of my biggest complaints was the hassle of going through their crap just to be able to open up IE and use it. Their response "You can set it up to do just that". So when I asked why I would want to pay for their "extra" services if I thought they were crap and never wanted to use them, well, they didn't have a response for that one. My suggestion, stay far, far away. In fact, just out of spite I really wish people would stop using AIM as I can't start it up without seeing it for the virus that anything AOL truly is.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*is smugly happy she used the free month from Earthlink instead*
*realizes she's never actually tried to quit Earthlink, and is much less smug*
Posted by slacker (Member # 2559) on :
You know, a really fun way to close out your account on AOL is to find a fun way to REALLY violate their TOS.
Something along the lines of
- Spamming the l33t w4r3z chatrooms - Finding that person you really don't like and telling them what you think of them - Send an email to your new account, then use the new account to complain about your aol account.
I doubt AOHell is still bouncing around out there, but if so, it's bound to have ways to get yourself cancelled..
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
Beware in doing that. I have talked to a good many people with outstanding balances.
I talked to someone that once had a 500+ outstanding balance on her account.
....AND THEY WILL GET YOU....
[/propaganda]
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
Whoa, whoa, WHOA.
People put Jose on their Buddy Lists?
Posted by Megachirops (Member # 4325) on :
I know, having friends must seem like a completely alien experience to you, but the rest of us do have them!
Posted by Igor Saxon (Member # 5150) on :
'Baron'!
Things are looking up, thir! Thall I order that the family cretht be put on all the thilver, thir?
Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
For what it's worth, I killed AOL about 6 months ago. I called their customer service department, and them completely removed AOL and all AOL related stuff from my computer. I was very sad to not get to visit HC, but thrilled to get rid of AOL.
Then someone told me about AIM. I installed it on the computer, and logged in using my old username. Guess what? I've never been charged by AOL for using it. As long as you don't try to check your e-mail at aol.com, or try to get on the internet using AOL, you don't get charged.
This has been my experience, YMMV.
Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
I haven't read the all thread so sorry if it has been said, but for those who are fed up with AOL but still need AIM, there is Trillian which covers a lot of instant messanger, AIM too. To download : http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/downloads/
[ October 21, 2003, 05:02 AM: Message edited by: Anna ]
Posted by Liquor and Fireworks (Member # 5785) on :
I read a couple places that msn yahoo are going to make their messengers incompatible with third-party programs such as trillian. I'm not sure if AOL will do the same.
[ October 21, 2003, 05:15 AM: Message edited by: Liquor and Fireworks ]
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
I think AOL finally gave up on trying to keep trillina out, at least for a while. They had been doing it about once a wekk, to be fixed the next day every time by the trillian folks.
![[Wall Bash]](graemlins/wallbash.gif)
In a fit of extra foolishness, however, when I signed up for the trial membership, I used my existing AIM nick, and now it's gone.![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Angst]](graemlins/angst.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Mad]](mad.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)