I remember hearing a comedian say yrs. ago that nobody reads the National Inquirer, and yet they sell millions of copies each week. If anybody mentions an article fr.the NI, they always say, "I saw a copy at the salon" or "I was visiting my aunt and looked at her copy". Everybody hates on AOL, incl. me, quite often, but here it is 2009 and they are still around, albeit not the force they were 10 yrs. ago.
I have had a real love-hate relationship w. the company since joining about 8 yrs. ago. I could go on and on re. the good and bad of it, but will just provide a couple of pos. and neg. comments: I kinda liked how they flooded the stores w. free CD's for several yrs., so that wherever you shopped, you could always get a free CD, if the kids/dog/cat/ferret chewed up the one you got the wk. before. A few mos. ago, I needed to reinstall AOL on our old, dial-up use computer (yes, we now have high-speed access, and are working to update/upgrade our old puter to get it HSA usable), and after vainly looking for an old CD fr. them for a couple of wks., finally got them to send me one (prob. had to blow the dust off it at the warehouse). Agree w. others that the techs are limited (likely more by AOL policy than their individual expertise) to a few stale, middle-of-the-road, one-size-fits-all fixes, that sometimes do harm instead of good. If I were still paying $26/mo. for their service, I would have gone elsewhere, but at $11.99, I find their bells and whistles (esp. the incl. McAfee), and sub-to-semi-standard dial-up support (an ongoing complaint is they only seem to want to help w. very new puters) worth that much. The single biggest thing that impressed me re. AOL is that, several yrs. ago, they went after a major spammer and legally seized his assets, worth millions, and then held a sweepstakes drawing and gave the money to the winning AOL subscriber. one of their few class moves, IMHO, but very classy, in a day when most big corps. are grabbing for every buck, and keeping it. Will prob. keep using their service, and griping about it, for the foreseeable future. :-)

Aol is the slowest internet provider out there that my house has had. That's why we now have AT&T, which is great.

They know how to trick people in getting money- they give complicated plans and say that it costs less while it in reality it costs more. Sure, they don't have DSL everywhere, but they make you pay for two plans. Service is OK, but these interruptions when you use their software are so annoying! I had enough with them and I will terminate my account soon.

Disconnect time and time again, and when I tried to repair the problem through their PC check up, It would not allow me to click to fix, even though it had a connection problem issue, what a scewed up internet service.

Getting rid of a common cold is easier than canceling AOHELL.

Horrible service. I used one of those "free trials" and I didnt even have it for a week and they billed me, which caused my credit card to go over the limit. When I spoke to a AOL rep I was told that I wouldnt get charged but they charged me anyway.

HORRIBLE ....Screwed up time after time - customer service was worse than that and just as you think it's at it's worse ....try to cancel the service - NEVER AGAIN !!!!!!

In plain words AOL custumer service sucks!! I tried to cancel my service and they always flip it around and cut me off or "acidently hang up on me" I hate it....Im trying to cancel my serice...does anybody know an easy way???

Today I am LIBERATED!! I have finally given up on AOL. As of next week, I will be gone AOL, and you can kiss my @$$!! I started with AOL in 97, and each version has gotten worse. Now, with AOL 9.0 using up almost 200 megs of ram, I get slower page loads and down loads than ever! Further, if you miss a payment, your antivirus shuts off!! Plus, AOL 9.0 freezes up after a few minutes and I have to reboot before it will run again. However IE just keeps on running through my AOL connection even when the AOL software has frozen! When my AOL software freezes up, it won't even open my mail, but, I can use IE, got to AOL.com and read my mail through IE. This means non-subscribers using free AOL mail get better service from AOL than subscribers!! Oh, and just try using AOL tech support for some advice that is so idiotic it would be funny if my AOL software was working. It is like they have had the same list of five fixes since AOL 1: 1) delete your aol adapter and reboot, 2) delete your temp file, 3) defrag your computer, 4) (If you have wasted all the time needed for the first 3 and haven't given up, reinstall your AOL software, and 5) If none of this works, it someone else's fault, call all your other software vendors even though they work fine with IE. The AOL techs are the joke of the industry.

i hate when i see all those free CDs in the store. I work in TS and you would be surprised how many people actually think that AOL is safer than any of the other ISPs. I feel kind of bad for those that work for AOL. Im pretty sure that they get stressed out listening to us, only to go home someplace in India to procreate.

Really Sucks Terrible Internet service

If they would spend as much on improving their email "spam blockers" as they do on burning useless CDs as freebies for signing customers up (which I've been known to use as clay pigeons), they'd be OK. I work at a Membership-based organization where we send monthly newsletters via email to all 4000 Members.....the ones on AOL have to be set up differently because of their blocking programs. We actually advise our AOL Members to get a free service like Hotmail or Yahoo to receive our emails. Nothing but headaches for our Members on AOL, from getting our emails to using our Internet Explorer-based website. My parents are on AOL and swear by it--they're in their 70s. Nuff said.

anything else is better than AOL, even if it's dial-up or swiping a wireless connection off your neighbor. talk about crappy, there was a virus on the computer every other day, i was kicked off while reading my email, downloading a file, you name it. too much spam, i sware they sell your Email addresses, they install so much Bloatware on your PC it isnt funny, and any other "extra" they want you to use they jack the price up another 10.00, they also sent me collection letters to 600.00 worth of software i never bought nor ever would have the need to think of buying... take it from me AOL Sucks. and they still send me CDs wanting me to come back...

I've had better customer service at McDonald's.

AOL's ads should say Have your family member's brains sucked from their heads, Let your credit card numbers be stolen, Set your computer up to be hacked, spammed, and hijacked, Allow your children to be harrassed and molested by every pedophile with a computer...All for one outrageously over priced amount billed directly to you every month! And don't even think about leaving! We'll make it almost impossible for you to reach a live human on our customer service line so you can never cancel! Save the internet, educate the masses against AOLame!

People,dont waste your time with slow American Online.Get Verizon Online DSL because fast and more reliable than AOL.

I would love for nothing more than the total destruction of AOL. I have so many reasons to hate this company.

I'd give AOL a minus -5 if it was one of the choices. All those free features that AOL claim they provide aren't really free. Why do you think they charge so much. Trust me when I say you can find unlimited dial up for under $10 that include all the perks that AOL have. In fact, the best unlimited dial-up ISP I ever used charged only cost $6.00/mth (month to month payment plan, NOT annual upfront payments). If hi-speed coverage is in your area, spend a few more bucks that AOL charges, you won't regret it!!!!

Overpriced and unreliable. Too many unnecesary extras which hike up the price.

**** Pros **** It tells you what to do. It provides you lots of information. **** Cons **** It tells you what to do. It provides you way more info than you want. They keep bugging me to come back. Various other annoying things. ********** Conclusion ********** For computer-illiterate people, AOL is good. But for those of us who use our comps for something more than checking email once a month, AOL is the devil.

I like and agree with great89's answer. Aol is not the best. I got booted off many times, and what a pain it was to get back on line. At first I thought it was my computer, but then I heard others say that the same thing happened to them many times. So it's nice to know that it's not my PC, but it's Aol.

AOL is overpriced and the customer service is really pushy. I am much happier with a reliable low-cost Internet provider than with AOL.

Unless you have dial-up, you are wasting your money with AOL... why would you pay to use the internet when all you need is a cable or DSL modem? AOL is for morons who don't think

Do you like that annoying dial tone the modem uses when it's connecting? If so, then AOL is for you. You'll be surfing the web, doing your thing and all the sudden it kicks you off. Or if you're away from the computer for more than 10 mins., it'll kick you off. I really don't understand why AOL is so popular. The service cost almost as much as my cable service and it is the worst ISP I had ever used. The one pro to this ISP is that it's user friendly. Any idiot with an IQ above roadkill could use this. I guess that's why it's so popular afterall.

aol america online is a real interesting internet provider please agre its da-bomb AOL UK is the U leading interactive internet provider and of AOL Europes leading Internet, online and e-mail provider.

i had aol for a couple of years they sux. you might as well call them america off line because you get cut off every 5 minutes.

Long ago America Online was once the best ISP out there, but these days they seem to be taking their title as #1 a little bit too far. When I first got AOL, I expected the greatness they were bragging about through the commercials and constant number of discs sent through the mail. Well, I enjoyed some features and the extra free months, but later I discovered many problems that started coming. The bill started increasing from the original price given after our free time ended, my connection got knocked every once in a while due to an incoming call, and later on new features were being added after Goodbye. AOL better get their act together, if that's possible under the same roof as Time Warner. As for now, I'm exploring the Internet with a cheaper, yet simple ISP.

i have had AOL for about a year know and i hate it! the custumer service is stupid and mean. i have the old 6.0 version because they said i cant upgrade and i still have to pay 30 dollars! for a slow internet service. i allways get cut off every 5 minutes. i hate AOL. i am swiching to DSL.

I agree with kwhyman, the devil of providers. It actually controls your computer. Even if you think you delete or remove it, it's still there, it alters explorer. When you try to cancel the service the customer service people get down right nasty with you. Do yourself a favor and stay away from AOL. Don't even go on their website, when you do they download files on your computer.

AOL is the devil. Pricey, unstable, bloated codebase, way too invasive, no way to uninstall it without nuking your drive and reloading fresh. Upside: free trial discs make good targets and frisbees. :)

Or as I like to call them A******* On Line. I know only a few people who like AOL.

The worst and most predatory customer service entity ever devised. For six horrible months back in 1999, I suffered with AOL's unreliable access, numerous disconnects in the rare event I got through. Intelligence-insulting browser, e-mail, and user groups (all useless to me), endless pop-ups, unfettered spam, and predatory marketing tactics (Do you want the AOL oven mitt? No! Are you sure you don't want the oven AOL mitt? Yes! [He clicked yes, send him an oven mitt, bill his mastercard $39.50]). Of course, I had the dubious honor of paying the highest monthly cost for a dial-up ISP (which they still hold the title of). Once you get fed up with AOL, trying to terminate service is a labyrinthine and tortuous process. You must make at least 20 phone calls to terminate. Each will beg and offer you all kinds of freebies (why don't they do that when you don't complain). This is an obvious ploy to wear you down. AOL is the evil empire.

It was the biased news & fake polls that finally got me fed up with AOL! Every week it's like 80% of people think Kerry sucks. Hello, it's more like 80% of the rich conservative AOL patrons hate Kerry. There's a What America Thinks Section on AOL's newspage that always displays anti-third world country and pro-war comments. Besides the bias, it's way too expensive and only your fellow rich idiot continues to pay for this. Whenever I try to view MSN or ABC's newspage I get disconnected. Talk about control!

Horrible I can not understand why so much people use this.

It really makes me mad how they just debit the money out of your checking account!!! And it varies month by month even though it isn't supposed to!!!! They think they can just take what they want because they have your account number well so long Aol!! I hope you get a class lawsuit for the inconsistant fees you charge!!!

I've been an AOL subscriber for over 8 years and have become disenchanted and fed up! The service used to be really good but in the last few years has become slower and slower with more and more pop-culture garbage. I had a problem with my account and had to call customer service twice this morning. I had to be on hold for over 15 minutes each time and endure endless commercials for different products. After talking to the semi-English speaking service rep in some God-forsaken third world country I finally got the problem resolved. He then tried to sell me some more products and services and directed me to some phone solicitation company. I hung up in disgust. I'm going to look for a new provider.

500 years from now they will look for reasons why the U.S. self-destructed and ate its young. They will find archives of AOL and understand. This group is the epitome of stupid and useless text/graphics. If the internet ever dies, it will be due to AOL taking up too much electricity to run its servers just to open the doors. If you made pasta and added everything in your basement it would taste like AOL looks!

I have had AOL for over five years. I had always been satisfied with the service until recently when I started getting double billed for my ONE account. I have spent months calling and writing, trying to get my money refunded with absolutely no luck. Though the customer service representatives apologize profusely for the error and promise me a refund -- I receive nothing. I have called to cancel the service numerous times and they always offer me another free month of service and promise to personally find a supervisor to resolve my billing/refund issue but it gets me nowhere. I have heard many stories similar to mine about over-billing/refund issues that are not being resolved by AOL. Though I am sure it is possible with any ISP, just to avoid the hassle, stay away from AOL.

Too many people whine about AOL. It really isn't as bad as all the rumors. In general, I think all the ISP's are kinda below average in customer service and screwing up. They are all basically the same. You will get the same bad reports from every ISP there is, it isn't just AOL. And the MAJORITY of the time, it is the USER, not AOL that is being stupid......it isn't their fault that you might possibly be internet and computer illiterate....

Why would anyone settle for this overprivced, slow, advertising riddled garbage? There are far better choices that cost far less.

come on, everyone with any computer knowledge at all knows AOL is crap. I got rid of AOL because I kept getting a busy signal. Now I understand that there's a high volume of users at night, that's fine. But when I called in to say hey, I'm getting busy signals at 4 in the morning, can you please see about getting us another number and they said sorry no, you'll just have to get another ISP but you can still pay us to keep your email address they lost me. Plus America's favorite ISP?? Now, if I live in a town where AOL is the only option, does that make it my favorite? If there's only one gas station in town can that gas station say Springfield's favorite gas station? It's not my favorite, it's just the only choice sometimes.

poor quality!

This company is so desperate these days since they are losing millions of customers who are moving to DSL and Cable modem which all have their own web pages. They are literally losing millions of dollars and will probably be out of business in a few years unless they really keep up or surpass the competition. This outdated ridiculous online service is probably the worst in web access speed, incredibly slow downloads, horrible customer service, very pushy (one individual got mad because I turned down his special offer and transferred me to a machine before I could say anything.) They may never keep up with competition because of such poor quality service that people won't go back to them even if they did come up with something innovative. Very very bad. Stay away.

bang-your-head-on-the-tesk-tacular. had it for fifteen days then cancelled it, ceremoniously burned the CD, the paper work, everything. and it burned well. Now i use the discs that come in the mail for target practice.

Over-rated, overpriced, crashes on me all the time. I am in a rural area and our phonelines are unable to support the latest versions (8.0 or later) with the better features, but I still have to pay the inflated price for a program that crashes all the time. Rude technical support or none at all when they tell you to call back later! arrggghh!

AOL are a bunch of robbin arse bandits!! I pay good money just to get disconected every 5 minutes and when i do get on its slow!! It always crashes!! arse bandits

Watch your credit card or checking account carefully! They will continue to bill after cancelling and double up on charges. Very difficult (impossible) to get your money back.

I thought AOL was pretty cool back when I didn't know a thing about , computers or the internet. The positive side, any retard with an IQ over 75 can figure out how to use it. The negitive side, bad connection, AOL is always updating and bassically tries to take control of your computer, customer support is a joke, they know jack about computers. The last year I had AOL, I would have some problems with their program and have to call customer support(imgine that) and I simply could not get anyone who spoke clear english to me, so I would hang up and keep calling back, and I could never get anyone that spoke to where I could understand. If you want a good internet provider, go with Juno it's cheap and better than AOL, if you want something really good go with Cable or DSL.

AOL is the biggest waste of memory in the history of computing, this client driven ISP is only for small children and the elderly, but I must give them props for not wanting to loose customers, Ive been with another ISP for six years but after trying AOL for one month three years ago they wont let me leave, Ive had three years of Free service because they keep begging me to stay Luckily my other ISP has a more stable connection. AOL needs two forms of service, the Client driven one they have now for novices and morons and a standard DUN for people who are smart enough to turn the computer on without assistance.

There is a lot of talk here about the frequency of disconnects. This is very puzzling to me. I have had AOL since 1994, and can honestly say that I have probably been disconnected about 10 times since then. Part of the time I was using a different ISP and other times I was using AOL as the ISP, so I can't place all of the blame on AOL. As far as slow response time, I can't say that I have ever experienced a 'wait' so long that I felt the need to complain about it. I've had 3 PC's since then, the first being rather slow and sluggish regardless of whether I was online or not, the second being a bit faster, and my currenty PC is very fast ! Interstingly, I have lived in both large cities and remote areas, and noticed no difference in the service, connection or response of AOL. I'm not sure if people who live in large cities or more rural areas have the problems that everyone else has mentioned, but for me, AOL has served me well.