Stacey
|
Is it ever worth going back to AOL?I'm really tempted by their laptop offer. I'm with Pipex atm and they are utterly abysmal so am looking to get out of my contract with them. I pay £9.99 a month for 2gb  I'd be paying £20 a month for unlimited with AOL but it's AOL. I vowed I'd never go back. Do they still take total charge of your computer?
|
tahir
|
AOL? No way
|
Rob R
|
Re: Is it ever worth going back to AOL? | Stacey wrote: | | Do they still take total charge of your computer? |
So everyone keeps telling me.  I still don't actually know what that involves though.
|
Chez
|
Avoid them. Like. The. Plague. It's like getting out of an abusive relationship, or leaving British Gas - one can get together the strength to leave once, but if you go back, that's it. Forever.
|
cab
|
Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever. It just isn't worth the hassle for when you inevitably phone them to cancel (do you really want to cancel your subscription? Stay with us. Go on. Go on. Go on...)
|
Stacey
|
Hmmm - having just read some reviews I don't think it's worth a laptop 
|
cab
|
Could be worse. Could be Virgin.
|
Rob R
|
Re: Is it ever worth going back to AOL? | Rob R wrote: | | Stacey wrote: | | Do they still take total charge of your computer? |
So everyone keeps telling me. I still don't actually know what that involves though. |
Fell free to tell me. Anyone?
|
Chez
|
Re: Is it ever worth going back to AOL? | Rob R wrote: | | Rob R wrote: | | Stacey wrote: | | Do they still take total charge of your computer? |
So everyone keeps telling me. I still don't actually know what that involves though. |
Fell free to tell me. Anyone? |
As far as I remember from attempting to do tech support for Arvo's mother, they replace all internet software on the machine with their own customised, locked, non-tweakable rubbish. eg, they lock you out of things like your address book so that you can't copy it across to a different email programme. When she finally managed to extract herself, she had to copy 200 email addresses across manually.
I've blocked the rest out, it was too traumatic. But there was stuff like not being able to set your own home page.
*shudder*
Can I have a whisky now?
|
Rob R
|
How come I've never experienced any of it? How long before it starts to kick in? 
|
Chez
|
| Rob R wrote: | | How come I've never experienced any of it? How long before it starts to kick in? |
You're WITH AOL? I think, it depends what you want to do with your computer and what you're used to . I would hate it - but I like to twiddle.
|
Rob R
|
I'll assume I don't do anything it affects then
|
IanNW
|
I'm currently with AOL and it is truely a pain in the arse, I used to use NTL but moved to an area where NTL is not available.
Contract with them runs out shortly and i will be changing to another provider.
Problems
1. They are invasive
2. Difficult to set up a network using AOL you have to get a different router and programs which they provide at a fee.
3. You can never get rid of the stuff properly from the HD once it is installed.
4. Customer service is appaling.
Whats Skys service like as i can get Free 8MB BB with them?
|
Brownbear
|
|
JB
|
So opinion is divided then?
|
vegplot
|
AOL - Don't go there.
|
Rob R
|
| Brownbear wrote: | |
I deleted it at Christmas & had to reinstall it on a dial up connection because I'd chucked the disk away. 
Re: what cab about them not wanting you to leave, that's true, I tried it once & they upgraded the package at the same price- must have another go & see if the price comes down some more.
I guess I don't know better.
|
Chez
|
| Rob R wrote: | | I guess I don't know better. |
If it does what you want, then that's all that matters. They do p*** me off though, because I think they border on restrictive trading practices, just by making it so hard to leave.
|
Stacey
|
Re: Is it ever worth going back to AOL? | Chez wrote: | | eg, they lock you out of things like your address book so that you can't copy it across to a different email programme. |
I'd forgotten about that 
That's clinched it tbh.
|
lettucewoman
|
| cab wrote: | | Could be worse. Could be Virgin. |
Sooooooooooooo true!!! 
|
jema
|
virgin is net neutral, they might be a rubbish provider (through I'm on virgin and happy) but all they do is give you a net connection.
AOL (arseholes online) was and probably still is a different beast. AOL messes with your PC your internet connection and probably tries to reencode your personal DNA for good measure 
|
Jonnyboy
|
Aol does nothing of the sort. I've set up several AOl broadband accounts for mates and for myself. Although you need to use their software for the router config, once you have it's just like any other broadband connection. I'm running firefox with a google homepage on a laptop with no aol software on it I pick my e-mail up via a weblink and through their free a0l service so it's independant of any contract.
I chose them because they were the best value at the time. I should really cancel it and move to a better deal now that times have changed, so I expect to have to eat my words.
However, there appears to be a well hidden way of doing it via e-mail.....
|
vegplot
|
Can you send out business mail (i.e. email from your own domain) via AOL? Unless they've changed you could only send out mail with an AOL address.
|
Jonnyboy
|
Dunno, never tried
|
Rob R
|
| vegplot wrote: | | Can you send out business mail (i.e. email from your own domain) via AOL? Unless they've changed you could only send out mail with an AOL address. |
I check & send out all my mail AOL & rosewoodfarms.co.uk via Thunderbird, though I hardly ever use the AOL one.
|
cab
|
| jema wrote: | | virgin is net neutral, they might be a rubbish provider (through I'm on virgin and happy) but all they do is give you a net connection. |
And trespass in your garden, digging holes without your permission and in so doing put a spade through your broadband line, blame you for it when you complain about the damage, and try to weasel out of the damage they've done by trespassing again, trampling your plants down, and then saying 'we knocked but you weren't in' as if that excuses trespass and criminal damage.
Most disreputable service provider I have ever encountered.
|
jema
|
| Jonnyboy wrote: | Aol does nothing of the sort. I've set up several AOl broadband accounts for mates and for myself. Although you need to use their software for the router config, once you have it's just like any other broadband connection. I'm running firefox with a google homepage on a laptop with no aol software on it I pick my e-mail up via a weblink and through their free a0l service so it's independant of any contract.
I chose them because they were the best value at the time. I should really cancel it and move to a better deal now that times have changed, so I expect to have to eat my words.
However, there appears to be a well hidden way of doing it via e-mail..... |
One would have to ask why you need special software for router config! So they have not entirely changed their spots.
It will take them a long time to get over the intrusive rep though, as they certainly were like I said for a long time.
|
vegplot
|
AOL wanted to change Internet protocols at one point and applied a great deal of pressure with their once very large userbase. They made Microsoft look like a lamb by comparison.
|
alison
|
| vegplot wrote: | | Can you send out business mail (i.e. email from your own domain) via AOL? Unless they've changed you could only send out mail with an AOL address. |
I do all the time.
I don't even have an aol box open at all.
|
