"Had a recent problem and contacted AOL as i lost connection through my router. Tech help in India was a joke. After 3 days i was still only able to connect via my old modem. Gave them all zeros on a 'how did we do' email when i did get back on line with the router. The only good help i had was from an irish chap called Mark who was great and i could understand what he was saying. I was back online with my router in 10 minutes with his help The morral here is keep dialling 'til you get an irish techy!"
"I also had a price reduction when I called earlier this year and was told i would stay on AOl Gold.Low and behold I find am now on Silver. Am going to call and get a MAC code, totally hacked off with them, Trouble is who is better????????"
Almost anyone else is better. I recommend Be. I've not done the numbers but it is likely that you could get a better deal if you get them both (broadband and a laptop) separately.
AOL customers, tell us about your AOL experiences here. Has anyone opted for the free laptop deal?
I have two problems with AOL:
1. I have never got above 2MB download from AOL, despite being assured that I can get around 6.5 MB on an "Up to 8MB" line subscrition. I have followed strings of HelpDesk emails resetting, reloading, rebooting all sorts of files, routers, etc. and spent a fortune on helpdesk calls. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can uprate?
AOL have previously upgraded me without any intervention on my part from early slow broadband to 1 MB then to 2MB, but seem unable to give me a path to the promised land of 6+ MB.
2. I buy McAfee protection on my AOL Broadband service and find it incredibly effective and assuring. However, on renewing my subscrition a month or two ago I had to download a new version at AOL's insistence.
Now I firstly have AOL telling me it doesn't see Firewall or Antivirus cover when I get the AOL logon screen on the machine which I used to renew my McAfee cover! Secondly, I cannot stop AOL & McAfee both constantly sending popups to my two other networked PCs telling me to 'Verify' my McAfee cover. If I do try to Verify or to download McAfee to either of the two other PCs, as I happily did in the past, I get told, eventually, that I am already covered by my AOL subscription! AOL & McAfee 'Help' do not seem to understand what my problem is, with (surprise, surprise!), AOL trying to get me to take out two more subscriptions when the existing subscrition is on the AOL Broadband service, not on any one PC.
Even though I'm retired and have been able to make numerous efforts to cut through these illogicalities I've given up for now, but if anyone can help me make another attempt with hopes of reolution I'd be most grateful.
We have had AOL since about 1995-ish here in the UK. We are mac-based, and so far have found no need of anti-virus software and the firewall built into the modem seems robust enough for our purposes. WE have a mixed network at home of 6pcs and 4 macs, but the macs are the primary internet vehicles. We were on Broadband Platinum, until I did a speedckech and complained hat we were only getting a download speed of 1.2M instead of the claimed 8 available. AOL investigated, and said that the line quality was not good enough, then booted BT into upgrading the line. WE now get 7.2 most of the time, with the occasional dip at between 6-8pm. Faults with AOL - resent them keep sending me e-mals about upgrading to Broadband, and feel they should keep us as long-tem customers, informaed about new developments, and cheaper packages when they're launched. AOL Talk seems good value, but the mobile option does little to reduce call costs to mobiles. Customer service seems good, but some features are not available on the MAC OS so some admin things we have to do on a PC. Not recommended for a mac-only network or user. The bottom line is that we would recommend them, and are pretty happy overall. For us, AOL works.
I signed up to AOL in 2006. It first wouldn't work and i phoned them up and all they told me was "unplug the phones, plug in the router at the main socket" etc. In the end, I had to get a friend to come and actually change the settings in the internet options on my computer which took only 10 seconds. Then 3 days later, the internet failed. I phoned them up and used their internet support. They told me to do the same things again and again. After 2 weeks, I finally got them to come and get someone to check my line. It was then that they ( and I ) found out it was their problem at the exchange or something. A month later, I got a bill of 8.50 GBP or something for calling their indian number, and I was without internet for half a month.
Later I complained about the speed. I was supposed to be getting 8mbps, but i got something like 1. I phoned them again and they told me to do a speed test. I got 500-600 kbps (notice the small b for bit, not byte). They said "so here you go" and I thought "impossible". Then I realised that it was in kbps, not KBper second - ie. it amounted to about 150KB/s. Ridiculous! So then I wanted to change ISP, but they said "I can give you 9.99/month (instead of 14.99) for 6 months if you stay with us". I though okay, so I stayed. Unexpectedly, they had signed me up to a 18month contract, which I found out when I contacted them in june 08. They said they had sent me an email, but, as some people might realise, emails from AOL email accounts occasionally disappears, and I am sure I never received it. So now I am stuck with AOL until next year (09), paying 14.99 per month, with no extras. I have sworn to myself that even if they offer me new laptops or whatever, i will join someone like BE or tiscali.
Final note: Their phone (and internet) support from India is absolutely xxxx. So is their AOL program that you need for help and to check your details. Even if you uninstall it, their still tons of extra debris left on my computer.
************************************************ Doesn't work anymore************************************************************* To people who want instant help with AOL without installing AOL, the site is: http://eunadprod01-lux.ops.aol.com/ ************************************************ Doesn't work anymore*************************************************************
Last year, AOL offered free McAfee firewall. After I installed it on my XPsp2, I got 3 BSoD in one day within a week. I now still keep it, but never use it.
AOL: support is bad speed is bad value is bad programs are bad I wonder if there's any goodness left in AOL anymore...
AOL is amazing at getting new customers, but bad and keeping its current ones.
AOL Broadband
Posted - 27/05/2008 : 16:30:59
