Thinking of using/getting AOL temporarily-opinions?

[myohoprincess]

Hi alll,

I am experiencing a temporary "situation" moneywise and am thinking of using one of those AOL discs with the "free" number of hours on it.
I have never had AOL on my computer (OS X 10.3.9 Panther), I am wondering what you experts think.  Is it okay for the short term?

[kelly]

Hi. Never used it. Might work ok. But there must be alternatives.  

Cancel AOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmpDSBAh6RY

[RobW]

I've not used it since my OS 7.5 days. (Let's just say it was more than a month ago. ) But I do know that Tacit and I believe Pendragon use it--and I can't see either of them sticking with it if there were major issues. The problem that Kelly mentions is certainly one to be concerned about if you're going in knowing that you're a temporary user. I'm not sure if, after the bad publicity that they've gotten it cleaned up.

[myohoprincess]

Yeah, that's pretty scary.  Kelly I don't know of any free ISP providers

[pendragon]

I am one of those who is quite happy with his AOL account. No SPAM (well, about 4 a day), it just works, all the time, everywhere.

Nicely integrates with Mail, iChat, Address Book, and Safari via AOL's Service Assistant (5 star rating on VersionTracker)

A Universal version is in Beta. That too is getting a good rating (4.8 stars vs the 3.1 for the current version).

Like all email clients, it has its shortfalls.

BTW I: AOL is now free, as in nada, zip, zilch (as long as you are not on dial up).

BTW II: AOL Radio (200+ XM stations) is also free.

[Epaminondas]

myohoprincess


AOL does not have the best rep in the world.

It might be best to stay away.


Lotsa inexpensive dial-up providers out there if you take a look through your local yellow pages under "Internet."

I spent an hour or two one morning on the telephone comparing the costs of six or eight such providers listed in our local yellow pages.

One big consideration was how long I was put on hold prior to even speaking to a customer representative.  The 1-800 numbers had me on hold the longest - typically five minutes to forever (I eventually hung up).  The local mom-and-pop providers were quick to answer  - real people answering the telephone - and were not expensive.

Just make sure that you are not signing a contract involving cancellation penalty fees.


Alternatives to paying for Internet service include using the machines available at your local library or any college libraries in the area.

Or - if you have a notebook -  access via the free wireless hotspots that are out there.


Lotsa ways to skin a cat.


Regards,

Epaminondas

[myohoprincess]

Pendragon I am on dial-up so what does that mean?

[myohoprincess]

Yeah, I currently have one of the mom and pops and I LOVE them.  It's that money situation I spoke of.  The mom and pop I currently have are not expensive, but they aren't free which is the price I need right now.  

[kelly]

With Dial Up you can't get AOL for free permanently.

Makes no difference in your case.

[pendragon]

myohoprincess,

I'm not sure, but I think it means AOL is not free. But as it has been so long since I used dial up, I do not know what your costs would be.

To keep costs down, you can use one of the free email clients like Yahoo.

Perhaps others who have used these types accounts can provide better counsel re their strengths and weaknesses.

[Paddy]

Harv, she still has to be able to get ON the internet - and if she wants to do so from home, then there are no long-term free options that I'm aware of. Cheap, yes. Good, yes. But not free.

I don't know how much you're paying right now, so not sure what would seem cheap. My in-laws have a hotdial.net account (which I frequently borrow while traveling) that is only $9.95/mo and has proven extremely reliable. Big plus - it has literally thousands of access numbers across the US and Canada. Never had an issue with it.

Another, cheaper, option - no idea of quality, but does seem to have plenty of access numbers:

http://www.550access.com/

$5.50 a month is cheap, though as with all these inexpensive services, you will find some out there moaning about customer service issues. (And don't get me started on Comcast, who are NOT cheap!)

[dboh]

QUOTE(myohoprincess @ Mar 9 2007, 12:38 PM) [snapback]121404[/snapback]

Pendragon I am on dial-up so what does that mean?

It means you'll pay for it. I've got AOL and dial-up (with unlimited hours) for $25.90 per month. I've also had zero problems with connecting. The few problems I had with AOL X when I upgraded to 10.3.9 were quickly resolved by dealing with their Mac tech support. Hardly any waiting time on hold for that.

[Xairbusdriver]

That $5.50 a month sounds great for just connecting. Not sure what AOL would provide that anyone really needs. You certainly don't need their 'browser' and it's ad covered 'home page'. Nor actually any software they might include. You've already got Mail and Safari for email and web surfing, you can even FTP from the Desktop. Nor will you have any of the problems many AOL users experience with them limiting you to one image per email. I'd only suggest that you check on any limitations the the $5.50 deal enforces, could be a limit on how long/often you can connect or maximum bits up/downloaded.

Why not also check with that 'mom & pop' provider and explain your predicament? There are advantages to having local people to work with. You might even become a salesperson for them! Paid with discounted service!