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AOL Users Will Need to Pay $2 a Month For Phone Support

Posted by timothy on from the dear-mom-and-pop-send-money dept.

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.'"

10 of 202 comments (clear)

  1. 8.7 million? by stinerman · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wow. I'm surprised AOL still has that many customers.

    Come on guys, let's get grandma off AOL.

    1. Re:8.7 million? by plasmacutter · · Score: 5, Funny

      This surprises you after so many voted a potted plant back into the presidency after such obvious failure in 2004?

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      VLC FOR MAC IS DYING! IF YOU DEVELOP, PLEASE SAVE IT!!
    2. Re:8.7 million? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      This surprises you after so many voted a potted plant back into the presidency after such obvious failure in 2004?

      Speaking as a potted plant, I find that remark deeply offensive to our species.

  2. Correction by Tx · · Score: 5, Funny

    "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.

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    Oh no... it's the future.
  3. Keep getting billed by Bomarc · · Score: 5, Informative

    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...

    1. Re:Keep getting billed by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Informative

      The best thing to do is to call your credit card company and inform them that AOL is still continuing to bill you after you've already quit their service, and that you want to block any further attempts by AOL to bill your credit card. Unfortunately, for the money you've already paid, you're probably going to have to see a lawyer, and it just isn't worth it, despite the fact that fraudulent billing is actually a pretty serious offense.

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      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  4. You thought it was bad before... by RockMFR · · Score: 5, Funny

    Will calling them to cancel your service constitute technical support? If so, this plan is ingenious!

  5. Instant Messenger by quibbs0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Rumor has it that the once free IM service is now going to a $.10 per sent or received IM message.

  6. Re:Wow, 8.7 million still by tilandal · · Score: 5, Funny

    Most of them tried to cancel but AOL wouldn't let them.

  7. AOL "scam" e-mails by Phairdon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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?