Miata Mailing List: November 1997, Message #113
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From: 	"campbell" <campbell@pc02a.augustanet.de>

Subject: Re: AOL NET MAIL vs Others

Date: 	Sun, 2 Nov 1997 09:15:54 +0000



I have an AOL account as well.  I will tell you AOL is 

a very underhanded organization.  Living overseas,

we used a local AOL Node to access the service.

I guess that number was intended only for GERMAN

based AOL account holders, so AOL added a $3 

an hour surcharge on the node WITHOUT notifying

us.  A month after they started this practice a 

small window popped up when I logged on mentioning

that the method I was using to access the service

"might" incur further surcharges.  I immediately logged

off and connected thru my local ISP.



Long story short I was $200 in the hole at that pont on 

the service charges.  When I tried to get AOL to make 

it right they refused.  We had a long running battle

and they were going to refer me to a collection agency 

and list me as a bad credit risk... then my Lawyer got 

involved and finally got the thing stopped.



Additionally, AOL was going to provide to commercial 

companies their Email user lists.  I believe they intended

to charge for this "service".  A large amount of howling

sent AOL scurrying for cover and giving weak excuses

about how the commercial companies they had intended

on giving the lists to would be 

"providing a unique range of consumer services

for members of AOL at a reduced cost!"



Bottom line, I still have an AOL account, but you gotta

watch AOL like a Hawk.  They will do some really bogus

things, and the screw up billing in a heart beat.



SOUP in Augsburg Germany

with Donna and that Damned MOOSE in the rearview mirror

92B Red  "Da MOOSE"

Team Moose  



----------

> From: Soren Svensson <Soren.Svensson@ibm.net>

> To: Multiple recipients of list <miata@realbig.com>

> Subject: Re: AOL NET MAIL vs Others

> Date: Saturday, November 01, 1997 11:25 PM

> 

> >alot of us like AOL because of the chat rooms.  there is nothing else

that

> >comes close - and yes, i've tried IRC.

> 

> 

> Yeah, but you can only chat with other AOL'ers!

> 

> 

> >also, if you travel around alot to out of the way places, their phone

> network

> >is convenient (if that is, you don't get a busy signal).

> 

> They are not the only ones, ibm.net have almost 1100 numbers across the

> world last time I checked (almost 600 in US I think).

> 

> Regards

> Soren, red '91 with nitrous

> 

>