Leaving AOL

Discussion in 'The Lounge - Off Topic' started by Sparky, Feb 25, 2008.

  1. Sparky
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

    10,721
    549
    364
    Ok, Ive had an AOL line for about 3 years. I have had no problems with it whatsoever, no downtime or a slow connection speed.

    This all changed on January 26th when I was migrated to Opal Telecom. That day my router started sending email alerts to my AOL account however I had not been able to get this to work previously due to AOLs lockdown on SMTP traffic.

    I thought this was weird so I did a speed check on my line and it turned out I was now being routed through Opal Telecom. I didn’t think much of it at time but since that day my broadband connection has been s**t!!

    DNS timeouts, LDAP failures, flashing ADSL lights, authenticated but not getting an IP address.. ...I’ve had it all.

    I can’t get onto some websites, such as youtube, since last Thursday and to cap it all I can’t get onto AOL webmail. I can if I am not on an AOL line though. WTF?!?!

    I phoned AOL tonight and waited for 35 mins to get my MAC code and I explained that my connection has been poor since the 26th and the helpdesk chap confirmed that was when my account was migrated over to the “new network”.

    I know a few people are on AOL here so I would advise them to run a speed check on their lines. If you do it at speedtest.net it should come back as AOL or Opal Telecom. If you have been migrated then you may experience downtime at certain times. For example I had no broadband on Sunday night a couple of weeks ago.

    I was going to have a quick check there to see what my speed is but this is another site I can’t get on to just now. If I manually change my DNS servers I can get the URL to resolve but it *still* wont load so it looks like a routing issue as well as a dodgy DNS server.

    If you Google AOL and Opal Telecom together you get a few links to sites with people complaining about the same issue.

    Looks like I will be joining the “AOL sucks!!!” club now!! :biggrin
     
    Certifications: MSc MCSE MCSA:M MCSA:S MCITP:EA MCTS(x5) MS-900 AZ-900 Security+ Network+ A+
    WIP: Microsoft Certs
  2. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

    8,878
    181
    256
    Welcome to the club Sparky 8)
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  3. onoski

    onoski Terabyte Poster

    3,120
    51
    154
    My experience with AOL since the days of 56kbps modem was not great eventually left for pipex and now with Be Online.

    It's a shame though that AOL has a big brand warner bros name but service in terms of isp is very poor. I'd literally not sign up with AOL even if it's free but I'd rather run and yes literally run:)

    On a serious note though you should shop around and leave AOL without even thinking about it.
     
    Certifications: MCSE: 2003, MCSA: 2003 Messaging, MCP, HNC BIT, ITIL Fdn V3, SDI Fdn, VCP 4 & VCP 5
    WIP: MCTS:70-236, PowerShell
  4. Sparky
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

    10,721
    549
    364
    Just waiting for the MAC code so its time to move.

    Pipex have complety lost it as well, used to sell their lines to our customers who needed home broadband connections but the customer service was poor so we migrated all the lines. 8)
     
    Certifications: MSc MCSE MCSA:M MCSA:S MCITP:EA MCTS(x5) MS-900 AZ-900 Security+ Network+ A+
    WIP: Microsoft Certs
  5. GiddyG

    GiddyG Terabyte Poster Gold Member

    2,471
    42
    140
    Sparky,

    I have had exactly the same problem with speeds and downtime... mine has kept dropping off, slowing right down to the point where I was tearing my hair out. Guess what? I appear to go through Opal too... :rolleyes:

    I phoned AOL and told them I wasn't happy, but they didn't appear to be interested. So, I asked for the MAC, cancelled my DD and I leave them on 29th Feb.

    Their loss, not mine... :D
     
  6. GiddyG

    GiddyG Terabyte Poster Gold Member

    2,471
    42
    140
    I think you may find that Pipex have been taken over... can't remember who by though... :oops:
     
  7. Sparky
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

    10,721
    549
    364
    A few of my mates are on AOL and are having the same problem; they phone me for the tech support though!

    I’m surprised such a big ISP can make such a balls up, after a quick google it looks like many AOL customers are suffering poor connection speeds.

    When I asked for the MAC code the helpdesk chap offered a free upgrade to 8MB. I said “mate, if I can’t even get a connection does it matter how fast it is?” He then said I would get the MAC code within 5 days. :biggrin
     
    Certifications: MSc MCSE MCSA:M MCSA:S MCITP:EA MCTS(x5) MS-900 AZ-900 Security+ Network+ A+
    WIP: Microsoft Certs
  8. greenbrucelee
    Highly Decorated Member Award

    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

    14,292
    265
    329
    I am with AOL I havent had any problems yet, but I will be cancelling anyhow when my subscription comes to an end.

    I just hope they don't want the box back that the router etc came in because it went out in the trash.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, Security+, 70-270
    WIP: 70-620 or 70-680?
  9. Sparky
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

    10,721
    549
    364
    After the first year (I think) you can then cancel, also after that period you own the router. Might want to check the small print though, it may be 18 months.
     
    Certifications: MSc MCSE MCSA:M MCSA:S MCITP:EA MCTS(x5) MS-900 AZ-900 Security+ Network+ A+
    WIP: Microsoft Certs
  10. greenbrucelee
    Highly Decorated Member Award

    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

    14,292
    265
    329
    its 18 months as far as I am aware, I still don't get that shitty browser software that installs its bollocks, and thats what I said in the online survey I completed not so long a go.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, Security+, 70-270
    WIP: 70-620 or 70-680?
  11. Sparky
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

    10,721
    549
    364
    Yeah, I just put the username and password into my router. No need for the AOL software.

    The reason I picked AOL was because of the stability of the connection, when I lived at home we used AOL and it never went down once. If it did then I wasn’t using the internet at the time. :biggrin

    I would run the speed check on your line just to see who you are connecting through just now.
     
    Certifications: MSc MCSE MCSA:M MCSA:S MCITP:EA MCTS(x5) MS-900 AZ-900 Security+ Network+ A+
    WIP: Microsoft Certs
  12. greenbrucelee
    Highly Decorated Member Award

    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

    14,292
    265
    329
    It says its AOL still but I will keep an eye on it. I have never had any problems but all I want is an ISP who lets me go on the net not some crappy browser n stuff.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, Security+, 70-270
    WIP: 70-620 or 70-680?
  13. Paul_o

    Paul_o Nibble Poster

    86
    0
    11
    pipex were taken over by tiscali. originally i was with freedom to surf, they were taken over by pipex and so now unfortunately i am with tiscali. looking at moving to adsl24.
     
    Certifications: C&G Advanced diploma in network support
  14. BosonMichael
    Honorary Member Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

    19,183
    500
    414
    Another AOL user has seen the light! :thumbleft

    As soon as you have disconnected AOL's service, we will send you your "techie card" that you would have had to have handed in upon activation of your AOL account... no REAL tech should have AOL! :tongue heeheehee!
     
    Certifications: CISSP, MCSE+I, MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, MCDST, MCDBA, MCTS, OCP, CCNP, CCDP, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CNE, SCSA, Security+, Linux+, Server+, Network+, A+
    WIP: Just about everything!
  15. greenbrucelee
    Highly Decorated Member Award

    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

    14,292
    265
    329
    I have seen it too mate, I am just waiting for the subscription to end so I have no penalties. :biggrin
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, Security+, 70-270
    WIP: 70-620 or 70-680?
  16. Raffaz

    Raffaz Kebab Lover Gold Member

    2,976
    56
    184
    Ive been having DNS issues aswell over the last week. Just ran a check and im with opal aswell, my speeds are fine though. Who are ya thinking of switching to spark?
     
    Certifications: A+, MCP, MCDST, AutoCAD
    WIP: Rennovating my house
  17. michael78

    michael78 Terabyte Poster

    2,085
    29
    141
    I had a bad experience with AOL and in the end I'm glad the migration to them didn't go ahead. I rang up and joined them and the person on the otherend was new and took my details about 3 times and sent me a laptop when I asked for a PS3. He told me he couldn't stop the order and I had to ring another number. They messed my MAC code up 3 times as well and missed activation dates. In the end I rang to complain and was told I had to ring this number and then they would say I had to ring that number. Cancelling was a nightmare as I gave up and again passed from department to department between AOL and Carphone warehouse. Kept on the phone for 30 minutes at a time, hung up on a few times by idiots on the phone and after I cancelled I was sent the PS3 weeks later. I refused to ring them and kept it sealed until they came for it and instead I got a snotty letter saying they were going to get a debt collection agency to get the value back in the end I sent them an email telling them to stick their threats up their backside (I'm giving you the clean version). In the end they collected it.

    Moral of the storey don't touch anything that the carphonewarehouse is involved in as they are a bunch of cowboys. I've had problems with TalkTalk (or in the case wait wait in a queue only to be cut off and messed around). I even had problems with my mobile through CPWH. I once had a scream at a manager in the shopping centre cause of TalkTalk and had to threaten legal action on them as well.
     
    Certifications: A+ | Network+ | Security+ | MCP | MCDST | MCTS: Hyper-V | MCTS: AD | MCTS: Exchange 2007 | MCTS: Windows 7 | MCSA: 2003 | ITIL Foundation v3 | CCA: Xenapp 5.0 | MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Administrator on Windows 7 | MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Support Technician on Windows 7
    WIP: Online SAN Overview, VCP in December 2011
  18. Sparky
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

    10,721
    549
    364
    You might want to change your DNS servers to see if that helps. That fixed the DNS issues for me but I couldnt get to sites anyway so it didnt matter that the DNS was working correctly.

    Thinking about https://www.bethere.co.uk/ next but cant get on the site.

    Just out of interest can anyone else access the site just now? Dunno if its an AOL problem or not.

    Things have improved though, I can access more sites just now and I can get my AOL email, no sign of the MAC code yet though.

    Edit: just changed my DNS server again and I can get on the site.
     
    Certifications: MSc MCSE MCSA:M MCSA:S MCITP:EA MCTS(x5) MS-900 AZ-900 Security+ Network+ A+
    WIP: Microsoft Certs
  19. BrotherBill

    BrotherBill Byte Poster

    228
    24
    15
    No luck here either Sparky.

    I have an AOL account, but I don't often use it. Have you tried just using your browser without going through AOL?
     
  20. Sparky
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

    10,721
    549
    364
    Havent used the AOL software in years mate. Just changed my DNS server to 194.72.6.57 and now I can access the site. 8)
     
    Certifications: MSc MCSE MCSA:M MCSA:S MCITP:EA MCTS(x5) MS-900 AZ-900 Security+ Network+ A+
    WIP: Microsoft Certs

Share This Page

Loading...
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.