Slashdot Mirror
AOL Users Will Need to Pay $2 a Month For Phone Support
destinyland writes "8.7 million AOL subscribers face a new 20% fee increase next month — unless they agree to never call AOL's technical support lines. They'll have to use AOL chat for support or the online help "portal" unless their issue is a failed connection — and they're being enrolled in the program by default unless they opt out. Ominously, AOL used the exact same wording as when they quietly changed their terms of service to allow them to sell subscribers' home phone numbers to telemarketers. 'Your continued subscription to the AOL service constitutes your acceptance of this change.'"
Wow. I'm surprised AOL still has that many customers.
Come on guys, let's get grandma off AOL.
as they descend in AOHell; desperate grabs at revenue are being made. It was tough to cancel before; no you can't do it on weekends or holidays.
After creating eternal September they are sliding to obscurity.
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
"Your continued subscription to the AOL service constitutes your proof that you are a fool and deserve to be parted from your money."
There, fixed it.
Oh no... it's the future.
My grandmother decided to leave AOL. AOL however, would not leave her. She kept getting billed, and could not disconnect for MONTHS after the fact. I never did find out what the end result was, but (in the past) it was normal for AOL to 'not' disconnect your service when you asked them to...
Will calling them to cancel your service constitute technical support? If so, this plan is ingenious!
Rumor has it that the once free IM service is now going to a $.10 per sent or received IM message.
Nostalga is okay but in this case who gives a flying fuck? AOL is irrelevant. They are a internet portal and dialup provider. I'm with the posts that say "hey i didn't know AOL still had users!" but I take it a step further in that I don't want to know either. Back when they had a huge market share they were relevant and their pricing practices deserved scrutiny, even if 99.9% of slashdotters thought it's service was foul. Now they have to compete for the scraps of dialup users who don't want to upgrade to broadband, and that market is neither vibrant nor growing. We don't post pricing practices of Juno or netzero, do we?
C'mon it can't be that slow a news day can it?
"All great wisdom is contained in .signature files"
What's astonishing to me is the number of AOL users I encounter who continue to use AOL even after switching to broadband, not because they like AOL's features, but because they think that's the only way to the internet.
"You mean I don't have to use AOL to browse the intarwebs? I don't understand!"
"Tell me doctor, with all of your defenses, are there any provisions for an attack by killer bees?"
'Your continued subscription to the AOL service constitutes your acceptance of this change.'"
You mean the continued subscription because AOL has a retention pool designed to endlessly throw offers and incentives (including months of free service, if necessary) to keep their customers?
I've known people who have had to report their Credit Card as lost to get out of paying for AOL.
Those who believe the Internet is private,
find their privates are on the Internet.
Most of them tried to cancel but AOL wouldn't let them.
Years ago I got the impression that AOL was walking around carrying a pair of hand guns pointing at their own feet. At random intervals, they pull one of the triggers and shoot themselves in the foot. Once in a while, they pull both at once. AFAIC, this new policy is just AOL running true to form and shooting themselves in the feet.
Good, inexpensive web hosting
One of those evil ones which, according to AOL Time Warner executives is the biggest contributing factor towards the twin evils of child abuse and terrorism.
Think it was called "Napster".
they can afford a vacation home, but can't afford internet for it?
Additionally, if it's in another country, and that country is in western europe or the pacific rim, they could probably get broadband there for half the current price of AOL.
Either way, they're paying a "tax" for that level of stupidity.
VLC FOR MAC IS DYING! IF YOU DEVELOP, PLEASE SAVE IT!!
You aren't kidding about grandmas.
In addition, it seems to me that AOL is tricking people into accepting this $2 increase. Let me explain:
My wife's grandma uses AOL and she told me that she got an e-mail that said that her bill will go up by $2 every month unless you click this link and answer some account security questions. I immediately thought this was a fake e-mail to get grandmas account information. I looked at the e-mail and it looks just like the false bank emails that I receive all the time. However, I called AOL and it ended being a true e-mail.
We have been trained to ignore e-mails with wording like this, how many old people do you think will just delete this e-mail and end up getting charged an extra $2?
Write on the back of your next payment to AOL
By cashing this Cheque AOL agrees it is their fault I am downloading Music/Video's and accepts full responsibility of my actions on the internet.
It would be quite humorous to see what they would do. or if they caught it at all.
Who needs WiFi when we can have Packet Over Sheep! http://datacomm.org/PoS-InternetDraft.txt
AOL: Now with 100% more terrible customer service! (Because you have to PAY for it now)
Sure does!
The working poor aren't the way they are because of too little money. But rather, because of too much consumerism. When I look back 20 years ago, the poor kids didn't have Nike. The poor kids didn't have Polo. The poor kids didn't have SHIT. Parents put priorities first.
Now today. Every kid has fancy sneakers, cell phones, laptop computers, new cars for graduation... And bankrupt parents.
It's not the kids I'm worried about. It's the parents. What will the world be like when the parents of todays spoiled, money sucking kids, get spit out at 65 without a dime to their name - and greedy children with little desire to help them out?