aol - aaaaarggggghhhhh

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Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 11:36 am

I have always been supportive of aol (heaven knows why ?) but yesterday was priceless.

Apparently they are switching servers to improve connectivity and I accepted the download as it warned that I would lose my connection if I didn't. So guess what ? - I lost my connection, or more accurately it put me in a loop of telling me to download files, then restart the pc. Then it repeated the sequence - fun huh ?

I rang the helpline in some place in the world that they have managed to find people with an IQ smaller thatn 1, though it takes literally hours to gain an audience with their hand picked idiots. Suggestions that include going on to the internet (without a connection - how ?) and get a disc from somewhere to try. That didn't work anyway so it saved me wasting my time with that.

The stupidest tech person I know - me, managed to solve it. I saw the error files and saw that it was unable to find an installer. I then did a search for that installer, which wasn't where it was looking for it and when I clicked the exe file it miraculously put everything right.

This was after I had done numerous reinstallations. This probably won't help anyone else with the same problem, as they won't be able to get on the internet to see it. Anyway I had to have a vent, and a bit of self congratulations on managing to get on the internet in spite of aol.

I must go and destroy something now. Twisted Evil

*** BANNED *** Joined: 02 Jan 2006 Posts: 2021

Quote:

This probably won't help anyone else with the same problem

Probably not mate due to the fact that you're the only person left in the civilised world still using AOL Laughing

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:08 pm

Bomb: Sadly my parents still use it.... so I suppose I am going to get a call......

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:23 pm

I think they're doing it selectively, a part at a time, so your parents may be lucky and at the end of the queue.

I'm going to have to upgrade myself from ultimate tech idiot now. I wonder what grand title their tech support have ?

I can imagine their selection procedure. What's your name ? - Congratulations - the job's yours.

Trophy Videos · Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:24 pm

I tried for years to get my aunt off of AOL, to no avail. Thank heavens, she doesn't use a computer anymore. I'm sure you are not the only AOL customer who suffered their incompetance. Gomer. This one might even make the "papers." It's nice that you are so brainy, and fixed it yourself.

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:26 pm

Gomer: If you want to work in computer tech support for AOL you will have to degrade you English speaking skills first...

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:30 pm

I tried AOL about 8 years ago.... never again. Rolling Eyes

Glad you got it sorted.

Elite Baiter Joined: 02 Jul 2006 Posts: 1702

I knew a woman who worked for aol tech support, i used to fix her computer all the time for her. (absolutely true, this was before aol outsourced it)

The advert for aol tech support can be found via google - it has some great lines in it:

"Absolutely no experience required"
"Anyone can work our simple to follow guides"

She knew absolutely nothing about computers, but she did know how to look through an index page of a servicing manual and put people on hold

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:56 pm

I remember having a free trial with them back in the mid 90's. I soon found someone better. Mind you as bad ISP's go, anyone remember Compuserve?

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 1:13 pm

AOL I am so glad i got rid of them, for a laugh have a look at this link, it refers to a man trying to cancel his AOL account.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaaAYVUWP0I

Trophy Videos · Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 2:34 pm

Rodus wrote:

Mind you as bad ISP's go, anyone remember Compuserve?

Yeah, I used them through my company years ago, before there were even web browsers, and my modem was 2400 baud. What a nightmare.

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:17 pm

When I first had a pc of my own, I had signed up with NTL - they provide the phone line. The usual procedure is they install the line and then send you the bloody disk. In the meantime I installed the 'free trial' AOL disk. When the NTL disk arrived, AOL were notified and ditched.

Anyway, a few months later we had a letter addressed to my baby daughter billing her three months internet use. I replied. Eventually, they were threatening to take my little girl to court. Thankfully, they saw sense and dropped the action.

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:49 pm

I never could understand why people fell for this AOL scam. They send out these 1045 free hour/3 month trial disks in the hopes that you forget to cancel it on time and they slap you with some $25 fee. If you do remember to cancel, they usually try to convince to hold on to it for two more months. When you pay the fee, they try to charge you again even though you canceled it.

Then I discovered Juno, ten free hours per month and the first month was free for new accounts. I was twelve at the time so I was satisfied.

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:53 pm

^^A lot of ISP's used to do that 10-12 years ago. Don't forget that (at least in the UK) even dialup cost a lot.

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 5:24 pm

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Ah yes, tis be true. Well in any case, thank god for Verizon FiOs.

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 6:05 pm

Am I the ONLY person in the whole wide world that has absolutely no problem with AOL ? "Yet"

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:36 pm

Puq:

Yes! My dad tried to delete his cookies using the option in AOL to do so, and IO.SYS ended up getting deleted!

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 12:43 am

aol are having major problems at the moment. It appears to be all over the forums. The involvement of CW doean't inspire much confidence.

Quote:

Carphone Warehouse now own AOL UK, they were losing �4.5M per month following this acquisition and have recently upgraded their broadband solution via a chinese broadband provider called Huawei who have little footprint in the UK. Paying peanuts? They are in the process of upgrading their solution/servers/infrastructure and this has screwed up the service delivery to end users like me and you. Spend time speaking to AOL support is a total waste of time.

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 5:05 am

Jeeze Gomer,
Nobody should be using AOL anymore. Really, A high gain antenna and random WIFI is more reliable.

Have you looked into a bundled package with your phone or cable company?

The last time I subscribed to AOL is was called Qlink and was a BBS at 300 or 1200 BAUD. And no, I really don't miss those days.

Seriously you should check into whatever bundled packages there are available. I dropped land lines years ago and now just use VOIP or cell phones.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

Puq wrote:

Am I the ONLY person in the whole wide world that has absolutely no problem with AOL ?

I've long suspected that Puq is really Steve Case.

Baiting Guru Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 3193

The Man wrote:

IO.SYS ended up getting deleted!

For the non-cognoscenti, that is like saying I emptied the ashtray in my car and all four wheels disappeared.

Fortunately I have never had to deal with AOL; I have always shied away from it. The software clings to your PC like a bad viral infection. The best way to remove it is to reformat.

If AOL did fire the support guy in the interview, it must be even worse to work for them than to be their customer. He was clearly doing his job the way he had been told to and was required to.

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:57 am

Errrr.... I'm on AOL.

And I have never had a problem with them and the only time I've had to phone tech support (faulty router) the guy I contacted was prompt and efficient.