# AOL's CD mailing campsigns. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 21, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826 "2010-02-21T01:07:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/21 "2010-02-22T00:42:43Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > IIRC, you had to return a prepaid slip of paper to request them, usually found in a PC magazine. At least, that’s the way it was in the UK. Was AOL even around when [these](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compaq_Portable) were introduced (1983)? That’s what I’m talking about. Kinda cute, really. Yellow characters on a black screen, IIRC. Maybe orange. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/22 "2010-02-22T02:22:06Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > By “floppy disks” you mean the little ones encased in plastic, right? Not those big ol’ suckers that were truly floppy. The 3.5" disks were still called floppy disks, because the actual disk – inside of the encased plastic – was still the same “floppy” material as the older 5.25" and 7" disks. It’s perfectly legitimate to call a 3.5" disk a “floppy disk.” Kind of brings relevance to why we still call “hard drives” “hard drives,” doesn’t it? (Or “hard disk,” as you prefer.) ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/23 "2010-02-22T03:00:07Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > The 3.5" disks were still called floppy disks, because the actual disk – inside of the encased plastic – was still the same “floppy” material as the older 5.25" and 7" disks. It’s perfectly legitimate to call a 3.5" disk a “floppy disk.” > > Kind of brings relevance to why we still call “hard drives” “hard drives,” doesn’t it? (Or “hard disk,” as you prefer.) That’s okay with me. I was simply inquiring, remembering that old Compaq. I thought it was 8". 😕 ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/24 "2010-02-22T05:09:57Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > Not just the 90s, but into the 2000s. (And before all of this, the predecessor company of AOL, Quantum Computer Services, deluged Commodore users with QuantumLink diskettes, PC users with PC Link, and Apple II users with AppleLink.) > > AOL actually did put out sign-up discs that contained games or other entertainment, so it’s not just that kids were confused by flashy packaging-- you can see some at [the AOL Virtual Museum](http://surf.to/aolcds) scattered across the various versions on display. Spider-Man, Chex and Cap’n Crunch themed games, an EA Sports title or two, some Harry Potter and X-Files tie-ins. I also recall a few discs not on that site that contained bundles of crappy Flash-type games similar to those “10,000 Games!” shovelware compilations you see in stores. > > Most of the game discs offered to install AOL along with the game, and it’s quite probable that a few impatient kids (and probably more adults) didn’t read the install screen and simply clicked through. One of the crappy game comps I was sent actually required AOL software installation/upgrade to install the games, though. As mentioned by other posters, though, one wasn’t signed up to AOL until they went through the process of submitting credit card or checking account information. Actually most, if not all, of the game disks included AOL, not the other way around. I used to work there and I remember one escalated call (when I handled those things) where a guy called up really pissed because the Chex Quest AOL disk screwed up his computer. I had no freaking idea of what he was talking about. After a bit I figured out that he got a CD in a box of Chex cereal that had games on it. It included AOL. During my lunch I went an bought a box of Chex cereal. I brought it back to work and installed the games (It had an option to install AOL if you chose that). I installed just the games and it promptly thrashed the Win 95 box I installed the games on. Side note, the install disk came without a sleeve, you had to wipe the cereal bits off of it. We escalated it up and Chex ended up paying the customers for the problem. As far as signing up goes, you had to put in a CC and agree to the terms of service. There was no way it would automagically sign you up. Slee ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/25 "2010-02-22T15:13:32Z")
I had the inverse happen; my son got a baseball game CD out of a cereal box, and the first thing it always did was to try to get us to sign up for AOL when it started. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/26 "2010-02-22T15:19:49Z")
I remember seeing lots of AOL CDs that promised ‘Free software!’ - which prompted me to insert them. The free software was just their own browser and dialler, etc, but the packaging was designed in such a way as to imply it would be something useful in its own right. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/27 "2010-02-22T15:20:42Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > That’s what I’m talking about. Kinda cute, really. Yellow characters on a black screen, IIRC. Maybe orange. I just use floppy discs to refer to both the 3.25 and 5.5 inch discs. By the time I got to wondering why the former was called floppy by so many people, the latter were already mostly gone and the name had stuck. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/28 "2010-02-23T00:57:52Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > As far as signing up goes, you had to put in a CC and agree to the terms of service. There was no way it would automagically sign you up. > > Slee How about their software resubscribing you when you turn your computer back on after you unsubscribe? They do still have your cc info. Could it automagically sign you _back_ up. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/29 "2010-02-25T20:27:11Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > How about their software resubscribing you when you turn your computer back on after you unsubscribe? They do still have your cc info. Could it automagically sign you _back_ up. I guess it’s possible. I never took a call from any members claiming that happened to them in ~2 years of working for AOL customer service, though, so I’m inclined to say that wasn’t in their bag of dirty tricks. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/30 "2010-02-25T20:52:44Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > Back in the day, the 80s or 90s I think, AOL ran a campaign where they’d mail out tons of unsolicited CDs Yes, I remember AOL sending out tons of CDs and, earlier, 3.5" floppies. Plus, many computers came with the AOL software (and/or that of its competitors, like CompuServe or MSN) pre-installed. Which makes sense, because how else are people going to get the software to get online? > [@](#): > > which if loaded into your computer would automatically sign you up for their service. How _could_ they “automatically sign you up” without your cooperation? Wouldn’t you have to give them a name, credit-card number, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/31 "2010-02-25T21:01:42Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > I just use floppy discs to refer to both the 3.25 and 5.5 inch discs. By the time I got to wondering why the former was called floppy by so many people, the latter were already mostly gone and the name had stuck. According to my memory, the 8-inch variety were called floppy disks, then when the 5.25 inch ones came out they were called “mini-floppies.” Later the 3.25 inch ones were micro-floppies, but that name didn’t seem to catch on, people would just call them floppies and specify 3.5 inch if necessary. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/32 "2010-02-26T02:13:45Z")
> [@SCSimmons](#): > > I guess it’s possible. I never took a call from any members claiming that happened to them in ~2 years of working for AOL customer service, though, so I’m inclined to say that wasn’t in their bag of dirty tricks. I’ve clarified that with my daughter. They just dragged they feet in unsubscribing you, and offered you multiple chances to change your mind, they pretended that they thought you accidentally unsuscribed. It’ been some time. Several years. Their feet! ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/33 "2010-02-26T02:17:02Z")
> [@sweetie pea](#): > > I used to use them for craft and home decor projects. This invariably horrified relatives who assumed I was using music cd’s to make Christmas wreaths. Are you me??? We’ve done _exactly_ this… 12 of them and a hot glue gun make a really lovely shiny wreath! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/34 "2010-02-26T04:27:22Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > I’ve clarified that with my daughter. They just dragged they feet in unsubscribing you, and offered you multiple chances to change your mind, they pretended that they thought you accidentally unsuscribed. It’ been some time. Several years. > Their feet! Or to describe it more uncharitably: They’d conveniently lose record of the phone call you made to cancel the service, charge you the next month, resulting in an overdraft, you wind up having to go to the bank to fix this, toil to get a refund, finally get it, but have to close down your account so that you know for sure AOL won’t charge it again and make more hassle. And then, even though you call to straighten it out, they still try to charge the account, and the bank calls you to figure out what happened. (At least the bank remembered that we’d went through this before after reminding them.) Yeah, I hate AOL. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/35 "2010-02-28T18:01:07Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > I’ve clarified that with my daughter. They just dragged they feet in unsubscribing you, and offered you multiple chances to change your mind, they pretended that they thought you accidentally unsuscribed. It’ been some time. Several years. > Their feet! The words we most dreaded to hear working for AOL customer service: “I’m calling to cancel my account.” 'Cause that meant it was time to drag out the cancellation script book–the only real script book we had–with the list of canned questions to ask the member, and the associated canned responses to every conceivable answer. It reminded me of one of those ‘choose your own adventure’ books, except that it was a lot harder to get to a successful happy ending. ---
**Author:** ![HotSmoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d9b06d/32.png) [@HotSmoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HotSmoke)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/36 "2010-02-28T20:36:30Z")
I have been an AOL member for fifteen years(yes,I know.I am an idiot) and for years they bombarded me with AOL CDs,even though I was a member. I kept em in case I needed them for something.I have a funny story about AOL: Fast forward to 2009 and I needed to buy a new computer. My old one took a dump the day before WIndows 7 was released,so I waited a day to buy a system with 7 on it. I bought it,fell in immediate love with it and took it home to set it up. It had AOL 9 on it but I know not to use preinstalled AOL progs so I trashed and got my AOL 9 CD to use instead. It ook me about an hour of weeping frustration to realize that this CD was not compatible with Windows 7.Huh? I called AOL(yes,it was quite the fun day for me…talked with “Kevin” who is probably really Mujibur from Bangalore but I digress) and was told that AOL 9 is not compatible with Windows 7 and they would mail me an AOL 9.1 CD. Were they not aware of Windows 7 being released? I made a huge stink about it and got 3 free monthes. I think I ruined “Kevin’s” day. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826/37 "2010-03-01T15:30:35Z")
> [@SCSimmons](#): > > The words we most dreaded to hear working for AOL customer service: “I’m calling to cancel my account.” 'Cause that meant it was time to drag out the cancellation script book–the only real script book we had–with the list of canned questions to ask the member, and the associated canned responses to every conceivable answer. It reminded me of one of those ‘choose your own adventure’ books, except that it was a lot harder to get to a successful happy ending. Here’s the [classic recording](http://consumerist.com/2006/06/the-best-thing-we-have-ever-posted-reader-tries-to-cancel-aol.html) of a guy trying to cancel his AOL account, and having the CSR give him endless crap, including asking to speak to his Dad (the guy was 32), and telling him cancelling was “the worst thing he could do”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aols-cd-mailing-campsigns/529826.md?page=1)