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AOL to Raise Dialup Prices
United Bimmer writes "America Online has announced that it's going to raise the price on dialup users in an attempt to encourage them to upgrade to broadband. The new rates will near $26 a month, already drastically higher than the market norm for dialup access. This will bring the dialup prices to almost the exact same per month as broadband depending on your plan. However through this, they do still offer an unadvertised lower price for those who can't get or don't want broadband can request lower-priced plans, including an unadvertised offering of about $18 with a one-year commitment."
1. Give crappy dial-up service
2. Give crappy broadband service
3. Increase the price of your crappy dial-up service
4. Profit!!!! Or go out of business.
Another failed attempt to fill in step 3.
Tluin natha Linux xxizzuss uriu olt bwael mon'tun.
Raising the dialup rates for people by such a huge margin is absolutely asinine, honestly. Then think about the $18/month they would charge for people who cannot get broadband internet is at least 50% a month more expensive than other dial-up providers.
Who in their right mind would even consider paying for AOL dial-up?!
This will certainly chase away many of their current customers. I am unable to get DSL or Cable and Sattelite is way too expensive. If dialup prices are raised by AOL, I'm sure that many will switch to a less expensive ISP.
As if the AOL customer service was reason enough to avoid it, now they add a whole new insult. Cell phone like plan gouging and hidden pricing with contractual commitments. Of course, on the upside, this will make people switch to a new provider via economic pressure. You have to love natural selection in progress.
Wouldn't it be great if other companies did this?
Golf courses could make the hole smaller to encourage more people to buy Tiger Woods video games.
McDonalds could increase the amount of ice in drinks to make people buy bigger drinks.
Motion Picture creators could degrade the quality of videos to make people move to a new format.
Nike could make their shoes less comfortable and then sell replacement linings.
Is this funny or insightful?
It's probably both.
I don't get it.
Ever heard of AOL-Time Warner? One of the biggest cable companies in the US.
A good case for my point would be Dish Network. As they've started updating their systems for HD, they have given current users free updates for satellite dishes. Without this option, the users could easily re-evaluate their options and check out DirecTV. When Dish finally has a complete HD solution to all their customers, they could very well up the cost of their service and customers would have to accept the fact that they can't afford the initial cost of a new satellite service. Dish Network understands that you have to upgrade some options for free or you lose a permanent revenue source.
Thats just criminal. AOL is no longer the premiere Content Provider. They will Join Qlink in the near future. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QLink
Time Warner is now bundling AOL service with its High Speed service (to raise subscription rate for stock holders?) Everyone knows that you can get dial up as low as $9/month. Not to sound like a broken record, but BroadBand users tend to stear away from AOL - Cutting their own throat.
-- I Dont Deserve A Sig I Have Bad Karma
they were always one of the more expensive dialup companies too and it hasn't hurt them any. People who want someone to hold their hand through the whole experience usually don't mind paying more for less.
I would bet that this is part of a larger plan, so people would be more willing to buy and download from the Net movies, music, games, etc. It is not just a push for high speed access, since TimeWarner has fingers into all kinds of media and entertainment .
All kidding aside, AOL completly relies on the fact that their customer doesn't know a thing about how computers or the internet actualy work. Just look at their commercials: (talking about their spyblocker or some such) "Because with high speed internet, the intruders come at you faster!" I don't even know where to begin with that statement. But the AOL users just nod knowingly and install more bloatware.
If forums teach us anything, it is that logic and critical thinking should be required courses in the public schools.
- Alienating users who simply can't afford broadband
- Alienating users located in places where broadband just can't reach them
But then again, considering that CompUSA employees have loads of trouble getting people to sign up for AOL, that goes far to say just how inferior AOL is and how people using it deserve to pay for their stupidity. Looks like AOL is asking for an even smaller subscription base (or maybe even a death wish)...AOL offers its own broadband service, and they have for years now. They also offer a whole bunch of multimedia, streaming concerts, music, and access to a lot of news/financial resources that typically you'd have to pay for. I don't use AOL, but I can see why some people stick with it. You get a lot for your money, but you also get a bad rep. Most people on slashdot, though, speak ignorantly of what AOL has to offer. They really have not a clue, and its no better than when a company makes false claims against linux.
Regards,
Steve
A company is going to deliberately overcharge their customers in an attempt to get them to stop using the product.
Read that again.
Perhaps people will begin to understand why:
1. Retail stores deliberately mistreat their customers by having one cashier and 57 "loss prevention" employees.
2. Disney fires 4000 people between nine-figure movie releases, then fires their entire animation division
3. General Motors fires 30,000 people because "nobody is buying cars" We hear the news on the radio in a traffic jam that can be seen from orbit.
4. Half of working-age adults are not employed in full-time permanent jobs.
5. Half of the population is functionally illiterate.
Go back and read about the company that is deliberately overpricing their product to make customers leave.
Go ahead.
Business isn't willing to pay for products, innovation and careers, so we get brands, mortgage commercials and layoffs.
My mother and father-in-law both use AOL. Neither of them can stand open Internet connectivity because it is different, transparent, and doesn't have the lovely ultra-over-crowded Welcome screen. This is not derision, it is a factual observation.
When my father-in-law moved, he purchased DSL through the local phone company. He loves the speed. We tried to wean him off AOL, but have been unsuccessful. Quoth he, "Web mail is terrible, and Thunderbird is horrible!" [read:it doesn't have my familiar-of-7-years filing cabinet, and I have to actually start an application after he's "started" the internet.] "I don't 'see' the Internet!" [read: He feels warm and comfortable with the AOL main window as the portal, and using all these 'loose' applications gives him no warm fuzzies.]
It isn't that he's not smart (he's got multiple Dr. degrees), it isn't that he doesn't understand... it is how he feels that matters. This is the nut of the AOL user base.
None of my tech-enabled friends uses (or would consider) AOL - I think AOL has become a cultural ubiquity.
A Passionate Independent Musician
That's exactly the idea. AOL wants out of the dial-up business.
"Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
how about they lower the goddamn cable price instead? that would be far more successful in getting people to switch. fucking aol-time warner. FUCK!
if i'm not immortal, what's the point of living?
...te?
Do you have any examples of where the lack of distinction between "less" and "fewer" creates ambiguity?
http://outcampaign.org/