AOL messes up!!

[Gymbomom]

This is my latest conversation with AOL live. It sounds better and at least a little bit fairer to let us know in advance that they made a mistake.

kbarnett15: I have signed up for the $4.95 price pln to take affect on 6/27
MHI Glenn: I understand you want us to confirm your unlimited cable connection with your cable provider.
kbarnett15: I wanted to confirm that it is UNLIMITED usuage using my broadband connection
kbarnett15: and ONLY 3 dial up hours
kbarnett15: with a $2.50 charge per hour for DIAL UP
kbarnett15: as I have unlimited usage with my cable connection
MHI Glenn: As I review your account information, you do have a pending price plan change to the $4.95 unlimited usage via another ISP with 3 hours of dial-up usage. However..
MHI Glenn: I would like to inform you that this is a special plan and it is just limited a very limited time. You will be placed back again to your old plan eventually.
MHI Glenn: Yes, that is correct, you do have unlimited usage. kbarnett15: okay, a friend was billed $2.50 an hour (she DID NOT use dial up) on this plan and I was concerned
MHI Glenn: We are aware of that issue and that is now being corrected.
kbarnett15: When I signed up for the plan it did not mention the limited time frame
kbarnett15: how do i know how limited?
MHI Glenn: Yes, it does not but you will be informed via email before you will be switched to the regular plan.
kbarnett15: all right, thank you very much

 

[JoannaOhio]

This is my latest conversation with AOL live. It sounds better and at least a little bit fairer to let us know in advance that they made a mistake.

kbarnett15: I have signed up for the $4.95 price pln to take affect on 6/27
MHI Glenn: I understand you want us to confirm your unlimited cable connection with your cable provider.
kbarnett15: I wanted to confirm that it is UNLIMITED usuage using my broadband connection
kbarnett15: and ONLY 3 dial up hours
kbarnett15: with a $2.50 charge per hour for DIAL UP
kbarnett15: as I have unlimited usage with my cable connection
MHI Glenn: As I review your account information, you do have a pending price plan change to the $4.95 unlimited usage via another ISP with 3 hours of dial-up usage. However..
MHI Glenn: I would like to inform you that this is a special plan and it is just limited a very limited time. You will be placed back again to your old plan eventually.
MHI Glenn: Yes, that is correct, you do have unlimited usage.
kbarnett15: okay, a friend was billed $2.50 an hour (she DID NOT use dial up) on this plan and I was concerned
MHI Glenn: We are aware of that issue and that is now being corrected.
kbarnett15: When I signed up for the plan it did not mention the limited time frame
kbarnett15: how do i know how limited?
MHI Glenn: Yes, it does not but you will be informed via email before you will be switched to the regular plan.
kbarnett15: all right, thank you very much

Here's the sentence that I'm especially happy to see:

As I review your account information, you do have a pending price plan change to the $4.95 unlimited usage via another ISP with 3 hours of dial-up usage.

My primary ISP is a dial-up, rather than the cable or broadband connection that is quoted in their BYOA plans. I presumed this wording is due to the fact that most people who have another ISP do have cable or broadband. Not many of us left who use a dial-up ISP for our primary connections, with AOL as a BYOA add on, but I've used this successfully for several years on the $9.95 AOL pricing plan.

Thanks for posting this. It will be interesting to see what they come up with about this being a limited time offer, before they notify us that we'll be switched back to our previous plans. At least I'll save $5/month until they do - (and maybe they'll just "forget" and leave it at $4.95/month indefinitely).

 

[CLynnJones]

Is anyone else having trouble accessing the mail from other dsl connection?

 

[Donna]

i tried aol.com and regular aol sign on and i'm getting thru ok.
I did check out the wording on the 4.95 plan today;is it just me, or has it changed to be more clear about how the plan works. It sounds like it specifies usage, regardless of how you get there.

 

[CLynnJones]

Really Donna? I haven't checked it out yet. I just switched to the $4.95 plan. Does it say that you will be charged after whatever hours no matter how you're connected?

 

[JoannaOhio]

i tried aol.com and regular aol sign on and i'm getting thru ok. I did check out the wording on the 4.95 plan today;is it just me, or has it changed to be more clear about how the plan works. It sounds like it specifies usage, regardless of how you get there.

I just checked it, and the wording is exactly the same as it has been.

 

[seashoreCM]

I think it works this way. If you sign up for the $4.95 plan, if you dial someone else's (Juno, MSN, Prodigy, etc.) number (or use someone else's high speed line such as Verizon DSL or the high speed internet at work) to use aol dot com, it is 4.95 for unlimited usage. If you dial AOL's number or use AOL broadband, you get billed for usage over three hours.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[JoannaOhio]

I think it works this way. If you sign up for the $4.95 plan, if you dial someone else's (Juno, MSN, Prodigy, etc.) number (or use someone else's high speed line such as Verizon DSL or the high speed internet at work) to use aol dot com, it is 4.95 for unlimited usage. If you dial AOL's number or use AOL broadband, you get billed for usage over three hours.

Good explanation, seashoreCM. However, you don't just have to go to aol.com to get the unlimited usage. I have AOL installed on my computer, and once I log on through Juno, I open up AOL. I just make sure that the choice of connecting with "ISP/LAN Connection" is showing - rather than "Home". I've been doing it that way for several years @ $9.95/month, and I'm expecting the $4.95 plan to work the same way.

 

[drakethib]

AOL mess up?

Nah, that couldn't happen.


Ever try to cancel a membership?

Geeze, like pulling teeth.

 

[tinkerbell13]

I switched over on the 17th and so far my billing statement looks good for us.
Hopefully we will not have a problem.

 

[2angelsinheaven]

I called after I noticed my online bill was up to around $75 or so after a few days (I leave the computer on 24/7). Well I was told there was no such plan, etc, etc... I read word for word the statement and even offered to email it to the rep. Who told me to hang on and that if I stayed on this plan I would be charged $2.50 per hour no matter how I used AOL. I was pretty upset as I was going to CX AOL but when I saw this plan I stayed. I will be CXing before my renewal date, they should honor this rate because it's a false advertisment, can we say kinda like Bait/switch!!!

 

[JoannaOhio]

I called after I noticed my online bill was up to around $75 or so after a few days (I leave the computer on 24/7). Well I was told there was no such plan, etc, etc... I read word for word the statement and even offered to email it to the rep. Who told me to hang on and that if I stayed on this plan I would be charged $2.50 per hour no matter how I used AOL. I was pretty upset as I was going to CX AOL but when I saw this plan I stayed. I will be CXing before my renewal date, they should honor this rate because it's a false advertisment, can we say kinda like Bait/switch!!!

Did you speak to someone in the Cancellation Department? That's where most people seem to have been successful at getting the lower rate.

 

[MScott1851]

We switched, and our bill we paid on 6/18 was $4.95, and this month's current billing summary says $4.95 as well. We never use dialup, ever. At work, home, and at our parents houses, they all have DSL or cable internet.

The billing summary says "Broadband BYOA for $4.95." Two months ago it said "Broadband BYOA for 14.95."


It was definitely a good move for us...we have had no trouble at all. Sorry you guys are having problems with it!

 

[Gymbomom]

I am hoping we won't have problems as well........
Our switch date is 6/27...
Crossing fingers!!!

 

[Traveliz]

My change date was the 17th and all is and has been well - we got home from FL on the 19th and the computer was on for the first three hours we were back -and pretty much has been on non stop since...billing summary all ok - great to save this money!

Liz