Ahh…feels good to have cut those apron strings.
In 1997, when I bought my first computer, the whole online experience was overwhelming to me. I didn’t know my RAM from my CDROM, my modem from my mail. So, AOL was a great choice (at the time)–I learned the basics of online crap, started IMing, etc. It was a good training ground.
Then it started to crash. All. The. Time. Then the busy signals. Then the shitty browser. Then the spam–the tons and TONS of spam. Then the various encounters with AOL Techs. I stayed with them through it all. This summer, DeathLlama and I vowed to shed the newbie skin and lose the company we didn’t like anyway. And ta-dah! I just canceled. I feel all grown up now.
The conversation was amusing. (But I had to sit through about 3-4 minutes of being on hold after selecting “Cancel” from the phone tree, the whole time being barraged by various AOL commercials) A run-down of how it went:
**Cheery AOL GUY: ** What made you decide to cancel?
Me: The browser is terrible, I can’t configure the email to be prescanned by antivirus software, and kicking up the price to $14.95/mo (for provide your own access) was the last straw. It isn’t worth it. It’s been five years; it’s just time.
CAG: So you were using it mostly for mail.
**M: ** Yes. And now I have a different service for that as well that Norton AV can scan.
CAG: Well, I can give you three free months of AOL.
M: No. The price then just goes back to $15 a month. [and the browser STILL sucks]
CAG: Well, it might offset the other company…
M: The other company gives us 50megs of web space as opposed to AOL’s two.
CAG: I see we just billed your account yesterday. If you want, I could refund that billing and start your 3 free months then. You could enjoy AOL until the end of October, when you could contact us with your final decision…
M: No, I’d just like to cancel my account.
CAG (somewhat resigned, not so cheery anymore): Okay. Here’s your cancellation confirmation number. Should you change your mind, you could blah blah blah.
Oof! Stubborn protocol they’ve got there.
But ahhhh…I am AOL-free!