I was responding to another thread here on the boards when it happened again: "RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR…GOOD-BYE!"
…AOL disconnected me. This happens so often that it’s become a fucking joke. When we’ve contacted AOL about their shitty product, all we’re told is that we should upgrade to their premium service (read: pay a shitload more money).
All we’re asking is simple, consistent service…no bells or whistles or any of that other crap they’re offering. But we have to pay more for basic “quality.”
I realize that this is a luxury…it’s not like getting ripped-off for utility fees or food or anything. Still, it pisses me off that, in order to receive merely acceptable service, it has to cost extra. “We’ve made improvements, so it’ll cost you more…” Does it cost AOL extra to provide this “new” technology? Does someone have to come out to your home and hook-up new hardware?
I fucking hope that some AOL executive and his family require emergency room care and they’re offered leeches and tourniqents. "Ohh, you want up-to-date, state-of-the-art care? It’ll cost you big time, asshole.
…not much of a rant, I know, but I need hurry before I’m disconnected again…
Poohpah,
This is too wild, I was in the middle of posting back to you, logged in on AOL, and I got dumped. I’m now logged in on Bluelight (totally free, but you get to eat a lot of K-mart adds.)
I hadn’t had a dumping problem with AOL for a long time. They apparently upgraded their service in my area because it used to suck royal. Logging on was usually a bunch of busy signals and when you were on you got dumped constantly. Complaints were made and over time service improved, but nothing changed with my subscription. What the hell were they trying to sell you anyway. Something above and beyond the standard $21.95 per month ? I never got a sales pitch out of them when I was bitching, just promises to make it better, which they sorta did.
My current bitch with them isn’t about connection, but their (ok, this is cool, we’re in the pit) low life, pig feltching, father fucking software. I have yet to get a good answer on why it illegal opps out all the time. It happens mostly on this site and one other site I visit. I’ve tried the recommended remedies and no help. It’s just as bad as connection dumping.
I know we’re both gonna get flamed for admiting we use this shit service, and maybe someday we’ll wise up, but for now I feel your pain.
Still seems pretty ironic I had to log in on another service to bitch about them, I hadn’t been dumped in months. Is big brother watching ? Rotten bastages anyway, I hope their doomed to fall under the regs of the PUCO.
I’ll agree with Caliban, dump AOL. Pay 20-40 a month and get a different ISP, better yet, upgrade to cable or DSL which are far faster services then normal dial-up. Ask God of All Lynn.
I have never used aol, but I have heard so much bad about them I am wondering why anyone does? I agree with those who say find a local ISP. Mine only costs $17.95 a month for unlimited online time and rarely (like once in the last two years) goes down. The few times I have had to call them for help I’ve gotten right through without being put on hold–day or night.
The most fucked up thing about AOL is its tendency to TAKE OVER YOUR COMPUTER like an alien force.
Listen, Fuckwads, I don’t want your updates (which happen every time I log off your piece of shit) to freeze up my computer for several minutes. Give me (at least) the option to download OR NOT even more fucked up pieces of your shit.
Try Verio, they have dialup service available throughout the U.S. and are pretty reliable. They also have a lot of other services available if you ever want to move up from a dialup connection.
Keep in mind that if you decide to pitch AOL, a wise choice IMHO, your going to have a bitch of a time getting it completely off your system.
From what I’ve heard, there are something like forty some odd settings that AOL goes into and changes around, almost irrevocably altering the system.
I’ve heard, from the same people, that a clean re-install of the OS is often the best, and only, option to getting a stable platform back again.
Oh, and remember, when you eventually delete AOL from you system, and you’ve answered YES to every ‘Do you really want to uninstall?’ etc. question? AOL will put a short-cut on your desktop asking you if you’d like to, “Give AOL Another Try?”
This is odd. Uninstalling AOL removes everything that AOL has done to the system, including registry and internet changes. The only time AOL takes over the system is when you tell it you want it to (i.e. Do you want this application to be your default web application?). As far as the disconnects go, try turning down your FIFO buffers and changing flow control from Hardware to Software (xon/xoff). You must have gotten an oddball for a tech, because we usually NEVER pitch upgrading to incoming tech calls. That’s just not ethical. Oh, and also try turning down HW accelleration, this helps a lot too without any noticable changes to your computer performance. Preferably on “basic”.
I know a lot of people don’t like AOL. And I know all the reasons why. Usually most of them are resolvable though, and we’re really not THAT bad of a service. 25 million families can’t be wrong.
I had the same problem mojo jojo had last night. I saw this thread, then I was kicked off. I tried to log back on, it kicked me off as soon as I got to the SD main page. I logged in under another name. No go. AOL knew it was me, stuck a hot rod up my ass, and then kicked me off again. I seriously tried to get back online 8 times last night using 3 different screen names. Couldn’t happen. Got kicked off every time.
And of course there’s my bitch about how AOL 6.0 took over AIM and ICQ. What right does AOL have to open up programs I never asked them to open? I wrote to customer service and they told me how to stop it from opening up AIM They also told me that the reason ICQ opens up is because of a special deal AOL made with them but…get this…they can’t (read: won’t) tell me how to disable it because they’re not ICQ. If I want to find out, I have to write ICQ myself and ask them.
BULLSHIT! AOL made a deal with ICQ that hurts me, then when I complain refuses to do anything about it? FUCK YOU AOL! The ONLY reason I stick around with you is because I can leech screen names off the people who actually pay you money: my parents and grandparents. If I had to pay $20 for the same service I can get for free anywhere else you can be damned sure you’d be $20 poorer.
How many more times do i have to click NO THANKS beore you get a fucking clue and stop hassling me about stupid-ass aoltv. you have mistaken me for someone who gives a shit. No I WILL NOT buy the $59.95 digital camera!! NO i Do not Want the point and speak software!! I do not care what wondrous program you are offering today!. Fuck aoltv, fuck You, you 25 cent crack whores! ! . No I DO NOT want to buy Christmas gifts online with you sonsabitches. No I Do not need a credit card , And even if i did i MOST CERTAINLY WILL NOT let you con me into signing up.KIss my ASS!
I Am going to reprogram your aoltv with a clue-by-four if you do not stop bothering me, you can laugh, but you have been warned and you may now go suck on a dirty litterbox!
To turn off ALL ADVERTISEMENTS, every single one of them, go to keyword: Marketing Preferences and you can turn everything off from there. Pop-ups, emails, phone calls, everything.
I shudder to think of the morons we have working here…
ICQ does NOT open because “we have a special deal with them”. The 6.0 CD includes ICQ on its software so that you have the OPTION to install it. It doesn’t install itself. If you don’t like ICQ starting up whenever you go online, then remove it from your start-up options. Start -> run -> msconfig -> startup -> uncheck whatever ICQ program is in there. I know there’s some setting within ICQ that will also disable this feature, I just don’t remember how. It’s been a long time. Or, you can uninstall it. control panels -> add remove programs. You can also go to Internet options in your control panel and set it to “never dial a connection” so that AOL only opens when you specifically request it.
And as far as the disconnects go - here’s how to fix those if you have a software driven modem.
Start -> settings -> control panel -> modems.
There it’ll list you’re modem. It should be highlighted already. If it’s not, click on it ONCE to highlight. Do not double click. Then click on properties.
From properties click on Connection
From connection click on Port Settings.
From Port Settings uncheck “Use FIFO Buffers”.
Click on Okay, then click on Advanced.
Change flow control from Hardware -> Software (xon/xoff)
Click on okay, then okay, then close.
Double click on “System” from your control panel. Click on the performance tab. Click on the graphics button. Turn “Hardware Acceleration” from “full” to one notch above none, or the second notch. It should read “Basic Accelerator Function, use this setting…” Click on okay then click on close. It’ll ask you to restart your computer. From here on out you will NOT GET DISCONNECTED. If this doesn’t work, give us a call. That’s what we’re here for. 1-888-347-3604. Hell, you can even ask for me. My extension is 70276.
We are on a dsl, in house network. Wifes puter has AOL totally shut down regular. The whole things goes ‘poof’ Has to relaunch aol. ¿¿ Very seldom happens to my puter.
She is 166 hz, 64 ram, 10 gig Win 98 II
I am 400+hz,128 ram, 37 gig Win 98 II
Every once in a while it will happen to us both at the same time, I figurer it is our dsl provider. When we are both on aol and it just happens to her - what happens most of the time, then ¿
Any ideas? Would the accleration be a part in this case?
You sound like you have a pretty good handle on this service. I’d like to ask a favor if I may. If I were to give you the details of my next Illegal opp error, would you be able to tell me what is up with it ? It always seems to be an error in the urlmon.dll file but I havent wrote down the asociated addresses. It isn’t hard to recreate this error.
Whatdayathink buddy ? Huh ? Huh ?
Thanks.
My previous post was partly based on articles I’ve read over here and horror stories I’ve personally heard from friends.
From a reader quoted in the link above and not copyrighted
Personally, I believe your 25 million figure is more representative of an aggressive and often predatory marketing scheme rather than a representation of the quality of service you provide. I’d be more interesting in learning that number, over your total number of users. Because from what I’ve read and heard, the majority of users seem to despise AOL, rather than embrace it.
If I’m wrong, feel free to point me in the right direction.
Well, aol has a lot of things in an easy format for newbies to use. If 25 million were all dissatisfied, I would rather think that aol wold not make it even with ‘predatory’ tactics. :::: sheesh ::::: VHS - Beta; Win - Lunix; Democracy - Democratic Republic; You got a better mouse trap? You just want it your way, well, Burger Prince is right down the street ! I used to want aol for a lot of things, read places that were only on aol, like the SDMB, jeez, get a clue. If a guy is fixing others computers and can’t get rid of aol, or does not carry his own Hard Drive with the necessary cables and with all the major OS’ on it, then IMO, he is silly. I got a box without aol on it. So what, alot of my friends, family are on aol, I could just use AIM for IM’s but when travling, aol still has the most numbers in the central part of the USA and like Micky D’s, I know what I’m getting. I prefer consistant to great only once in a while.
