Nearly 60% of Web surfers plan to quit AOL

Reuters via digitalMASS.com ^ | 5/21/02

[GeneD]

NEW YORK

[Dog Gone]

It depends entirely on what is available in your area. It's possible AOL is your only choice for broadband, but most major phone companies offer it, your local cable TV operator probably offers it (although that could be Time Warner), and even your local phone company might. In larger cities, you have many independent regional ISPs. Prodigy offers DSL in most of the country.

Just ask around, or check your yellow pages!

[FlyVet]

Yep, I dropped them a few months ago. I have no use for their bells and whistles, and their high cost. Found one called Hawk Communications that runs 99% as good as AOL, for less than 10 bucks a month. AOL tended to eat up the RAM reserves quite fast, no more problems with that either.

[RedWhiteBlue]

I use a cable connection with Earthlink as my isp. (The cable equipment actually belongs to the local cable company, but my bill and e-mail addresses are all earthlink). The total monthly bill, including taxes, is about $44. In my area, AOL dial up plus a dedicated phone line would run about $55 - $60 per month, and that is for crappy dialup. Earthlink provides unlimited e-mail addresses, 80 megs of personal web space (compared to 2 or 3 megs on aol), and you can access e-mail through any browser anywhere you can find internet access.

I just ran a speedtest at http://bandwidthplace.com/speedtest, and my download speads was over 3.4 megabits/second (compared to about 24 kb/sec at aol). That's 140 times faster. I love it.

[Charlotte Corday]

Don't forget that AOL censors the Web like crazy, too. They are already blocking firearms and ammo dealers. I can very easily imagine a scenario where they would censor conservative and libertarian sites to curry favor with a left-wing government.

[Vinnie]

. Tell me an equal or better service that I can access both from home and from my computer at work, and I'll switch

If you are determined to stay with dialup, try Earthlink. I had Mindspring, now Earthlink, and was very happy with them. BUT, they didn't offer broadband so I went with cable modem.

If I ever went back to dialup, Earthlink would be my first choice.

One thing to keep in mind. If you have a dedicated phone line for the computer, broadband is not more expensive. You can dump the dedicated line and that will pay the difference for broadband.

[DreamWeaver]

When I called to cancel, they offered me a free month. I told them again that I had no need of their services, so they offered two free months. I finally said 'fine'. I wonder if they'll offer me more free time when I go to cancel again.

I too was offered the same, when I requested to cancel, but finally I said enough of this game and I refused the free months offer. I'm not sorry I quit AOL one bit.

[Vinnie]

I used to have AOL. I was with them when they offered unlimited service for a flat rate, 20.00 I think, their service went to he##. constantly getting cut off, IF I could connect. Finally I had enough. I called and cancelled. That was in the middle of my month mind you. Well, they started sending me dunn letters, threatening me, etc. I was pi$$ed. I had failed to get the name and 'cancellation number' when I had cancelled.
I swore I'd watch the time channel on TV before I'd go back with AOL.

Just this past weekend I was at a relative's house. They have AOL and we were trying to connect. Their service has not improved. After 15b min. and 4 phone numbers we finally connected.

AOL is the worst ISP I have ever tried. I would give up computers before I used them again.

NOTE: anyone cancelling AOL. GET THE NAME OF THE PERSON YOU ARE TALKING TO AND CANCELLATION NUMBER AND WRITE IT DOWN.

[RetiredArmy]

But, but, their sales pitch says it is #1 and everyone loves it, but, but someone is lying here!

[BullDog108]

One thing to keep in mind. If you have a dedicated phone line for the computer, broadband is not more expensive. You can dump the dedicated line and that will pay the difference for broadband.

That is correct for the DSL flavors of broadband. Cable broadband is extra. With cable, dump your landline and use your cellfone.

[Vinnie]

That is correct for the DSL flavors of broadband. Cable broadband is extra

??? I had a dedicated line, $15.
When I went to cable, I dumped the line. That was a $15 savings. I was paying $25 for Mindspring dialup plus $15 for the phone line.

I got cable for $40. It was a wash. Cable has increased to $45, but $5 for broadband is well worth it.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

NOTE: anyone cancelling AOL. GET THE NAME OF THE PERSON YOU ARE TALKING TO AND CANCELLATION NUMBER AND WRITE IT DOWN.

Excellent advice. As my father would put it, these AOL folks are slicker than whale snot. I feel like an idiot for ever giving them my credit card number. Fortunately I ordered a new credit card recently. Clean slate, I hope.

[suijuris]

AOL just creeps me out. Call it a gut feeling. I don't like being so aggressively targeted. It's like the politician whose smile is a little TOO bright, or the used car salesman whose pitch is TOO rehearsed. You just get the sense that they're playing you until they get what they want from you.

Since they are based down around McClean VA near Spook Central your gut feel may be well founded. Seems to me Spook Central would need a major access point to sift the internet for whatever.

Never trusted AOL after they cut me off the day before WACO. There timing was just too curious. I am very conservative but not a radical, however it seems they did not like my opinons so they booted me.

First said I was agitaitng others on a chat line; which I was not. Then tried to say I was using profanity; which I was not. Finally just said we don't like your opinions, even though had never threatened anyone; advocated anything anti govt. etc. All I was doing was discussing constitutionality of certain Fed Gov laws; rules; regulations and backing my assertions with references for proof etc.

Screw em!

[PJ-Comix]

The company has also acknowledged that it needs to clarify its high-speed strategy but has downplayed the urgency after getting into high-speed services, noting that the mass market is unlikely to embrace broadband overnight.

All the "mass market" is doing now is waiting for broadband to drop in price down to about the level of the slower speed services and then they will jump on it like hungry rabbits. I am waiting for Broadband to come within about $10 of what I am currently paying and then I will make the switch. I expect this to happen before the end of the year.

[PJ-Comix]

Why anyone would stick with AOL when highspeed internet service is available at a comparable cost is mind-boggling.

How cheap? I heard it is still about $40 per month. I am waiting for it to drop to under $30 per month (including free installation) and then I will make the switch.

[PJ-Comix]

I knew AOL was doomed when it used the term "Synergy" when it merged with Time-Warner. Everytime I hear a company use the term "Synergy," I very quickly read later about how it is facing bankruptcy. Two things in life you should never do: If you are with a company, never ever use the term "Synergy" in describing it and if you have a son, never name him "Lance" if you want him to be normal.

[PJ-Comix]

Unbelievable to me that this company that supposedly knows something about the Internet would even say this in public.

Another example of "synergy" of the brain.

[jackbill]

Couldn't happen to nicer folks.

I tried AOL twice, with their "free X hours" and found it to be too damned loaded with garbage. I went back to my local ISP. Now I'm on cable Internet and I'm hoping to see AOL/Time Warner go to one of the chapters - 11 or 13.

[PJ-Comix]

I use a cable connection with Earthlink as my isp.

Hmmm.... I'm with Earthlink (not by choice but only because CyberGate got gobbled up by them). However, I am waiting for them to lower their cable or other broadband connection to about $25 per month. I think if more folks WAIT for the price to drop, then it will drop. Supply and demand. So I'm waiting.

[PJ-Comix]

Now I'm on cable Internet and I'm hoping to see AOL/Time Warner go to one of the chapters - 11 or 13.

Ahhh...Synergy. There is NO escaping the Synergy curse.

[Kaslin]

I used to have Mindspring also before my cable company offered Internet connection. Mindspring offered DSL, but not in our area