ISP's , got a gripe or Question about your ISP

[ßOxClev吐]

ISP's (internet service providers) , dont ya just love to hate them !!

Discuss anything from service status to latest deals , or just have a good old moan (and yes, if u are reading this AOL that means u).

tc


Box

[Ťoñy4iñ1]

Have we got something in common (apart from our brains and good looks)?

I avoided answering another thread on the grounds that it might upset someone. If I answer this thread, at the moment, day 8 of an AOL/BT Broadband "fiasco", I might have a libel suit against me!

By the way, I stood my ground with AOL and said that as the fault was not due to me or my actions that I was annoyed I had to pay for the time spent on-line! They arranged for a Freephone access permission straight away.

Stand your ground - you pay for the ISP's Service...they might give in to you!

[ßOxClev吐]

i had no idea that you had recently had AOL ( AO'HELL) probs m8.

But , for the record , AOL sux big time , and if my posting stops one person signing upto them its well worth it.

Heres some reasons why.....

Technical Helpdesk , a contradiction in terms , unless u are asking them something that appears on a standard / frequently asked question list forget it. I had two 'out of the ordinary' major probs with AOL , both of which i sorted myself , a quick search on Google was all that was required. I guess AOL technical help would have searched on Google too , but they probably got moofed

The AOL software that you have to download is like a disease , it spreads itself throughout your harddrive , and very often not even reformating completly removes all of it.

The price, at £32.99 per month its sooooooo dear. Why did u subscribe then Box ? , because like the sucker i am i believed i was going to get a superior service, NOT!
(p.s on this note , for u non cable bods , i recently got my mum fixed up with b/band , her supplier is Pipex , 23.99 per month (512mb) , and no software ! Bargain , its also quicker.)
The software package is so draining on RAM resources that it is quite common for people with 128mb ram to crash , as AOL sucks the life out of your RAM chips.

The AOL browser (their version of Internet Explorer) isnt compatible with a lot of websites , i.e. u cant access webpages that IE can.

If you have AOL 8.0 , do the decent thing and uninstall it , delete all other AOL files on your pc , and step back to AOL 7.0. Far more reliable and stable.

Hmmm, there is so much more i could say , but my fingers are starting to ache , and my blood pressure is rising. Hey Ho !

tc


Box

EDIT: oh yeah , one more thing , any problem u ever have is not their fault , even though every time in my experience it has been. The AOL support staff have 'Deny all Responsibility' on their screensavers.

[Ťoñy4iñ1]

In my youth, I had an ADSL service from my ISP (AOL), I have been cursed with a return to dial-up, albeit free, Service for 16 days now!

SIXTEEN Days for them to agree to call out BT to tell me what I ALREADY KNEW!

The *&^!"£^&%&^!$£* Modem that AOL had provided was disfunctional, it did not work, it was unserviceable, it was DEAD!

Some tricks to remember, to put the "helpdesk" personnel off balance,

• Smile as you talk to them
  
• Start by saying, I realise none of this is YOUR fault
  
• Apologise, in advance, in case you swear/lose your temper
  
• Don't forget to mention that their official answer sheet seems to be lacking the answer
  
• Remember, the person at the other end of the line might be able to fix your fault in 2 seconds (especially if it's their fault)

Oh and remember - to become a helpdesk operator, you must have passed the "ID Ten T" test ;D

[ßOxClev吐]

[ßOxClev吐]

Gotta show you this classic example of a help desk operator that has the IQ of a Rabbit dropping. Below is a transcript from a 'live help' session i had with one of AOL's operators.

What is worth noting , that isnt obvious from the text is that this convo went on for 30 mins , mainly because he/she kept dissapearing trying to find the answer sheet with my Question on it ... OMG

For clarification , i am Huggy (my aol name).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ChatAgentUK024: Welcome to Member Help Interactive. Please present your question, and I will be with you in just a moment.

ChatAgentUK024: Thank you for calling into AOL Chat. How may I be of assistance? I may be with some other members at the moment, so could you please state your query and I will be with you as soon as possible :-)

ChatAgentUK024: How can I assist you ?

Huggy: hi i am trying to access my spam folder , i follwed the instructions by going to the web mail , but theres nothing there , and i know i have at least two

ChatAgentUK024: Can I know the exact issue?

Huggy: how do i access my spam folder

ChatAgentUK024: Steps to Block Spam mails sent from individuals: Go to keyword MAIL CONTROLS. Then click on the GENERAL CONTROLS Tab and select the screen name you wish to setup the block. Click on the Arrow next to the screen name to select a screen name you need to set the settings. Now in the PEOPLE and PLACES TAB there is an ADD Box, in there type in the screen name or E-mail address of the sender of that Spam or XXX Mail and then click on ADD. Do this to all the Screen names or E-mail Addresses you wish to block Once

ChatAgentUK024: the screen names or E-mail addresses have been added in the ADD box click on the Last option called BLOCK E-MAIL FROM LISTED AOL MEMBERS , E-MAIL ADDRESSES AND DOMAINS. ALLOW MAILS FROM ALL OTHERS. Then click on NEXT and in the Picture and Files tab click on NEXT again. Once you get to the SUMMARY Screen click on SAVE to enable to the blocks that you have listed in your Mail Controls.

Huggy: erm , that wasnt what i asked

Huggy: how about u answer the question i asked plz

Huggy: i am going to copy and paste this conversation , it will make interesting reading when i get the 'satisfaction survey' from aol

ChatAgentUK024: Could you hold on a moment please while I check ?

Huggy: ok

ChatAgentUK024: Do you want to retrieve a mail sent by you ?

Huggy: nooooo , i was sent a mail , which ended up in my spam folder , how do i retrieve that email from that folder

Huggy: this would be much easier if you actually read my messages :/

ChatAgentUK024: I am sorry as there is no such thing as Spam Folder

ChatAgentUK024: Can you provide more details?

Huggy: really ? thats fascinating , then why does your (aol's) email controls refer to a spam folder , and it tells you to 'click here' to view the contents ??

Huggy: i will quote it exactly '' visit Aol on the Web to access your spam folder'' , that is a direct quote from AOL's Mail and Spam controls page

Huggy: youve gone very quiet .....

ChatAgentUK024: Apologies for any delay in chat :-)

Huggy: ok , look , i am starting to grow a beard here , why dont you email me (assuming that the email doesnt end up in my spam folder) and explain how to access it

Huggy: i thankyou for your knowledge and expertise , bye

ChatAgentUK024: Hold on

ChatAgentUK024: Please note that

Huggy: ??

ChatAgentUK024: Spam Folder is available only when you use AOL Communicator

Huggy: so , how do u use AOL communicator ?

Huggy: and why doesnt it say that

ChatAgentUK024: Please goto Keyword Communicator

Huggy: lol... ok , cya later .....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

ChatAgentUK024 , consider yourself named and shamed. a large pointy hat with a large letter D on it is winging its way to you as we speak!

Shessshhh

[»T€€«]

I'm on ntlworld broadband: £17.99 per month for 150k (I think it's £24.99 for 600K).

I had a few problems when I first went broadbeans - intermittant service and stuff and it was really frustrating. I was amused by their technical help though. My call was answered nice and promptly, no messing about through automated menus, and if there's a general fault with the server, they immediately tell you what areas are affected as soon as you phone. Anyway, the chap I spoke to when I had to speak to a real person was very funny and helpful. He did an IP check and stuff and then said "What you need to do is unplug everything from the back of your PC, pick it up, take it out the back door and dump it in the bin". Made me laugh at least. He also resolved my problem and told me what to do on future occasions.

That was back in about May and I've been really pleased with the service ever since. There have been occasions when the server has gone down for a few hours and it can be a bit of a pain, but I reckon ntl are ok.

[Ťoñy4iñ1]

Just a few things in agreement -

The reponse to AoL	An AoL Operator	The Helpdesk!

Roll on September! That's when I can get out of my contract!

[Ì©€ ฿Łůξ]

I myself is with NTL they are great now ...but when i first went with them gosh did i have problems with them i spent more time on the blinking phone to ntl than on my pc they had tryed to brush me off with allsorts first it wasnt there end said my pc had something wrong with it and said come back when i had sorted the problem so i got someone out to look at my pc and to find out it wasnt my end it was theres :-/got back on the phone to them they still said that it was my end by this time we were on to first name terms has this was going on for 3 weeks now and they still kept saying it was my pc i kept telling them it was something to do with my modem box but ohh no it wasnt that till i said well why do i have to keep the wire at the back of it wedged to keep a connection in the end they finally sent someone out which they could of done in the first place ... found out i had a crack in the wire to the modem so it was breaking my connection so they fixed that and since then touch wood my head it is all ok ;D so yes i know how frustrating it can get when yr pc isp will not stay connected or goes on one cause it really annoyed me to plus they still blinking charged me for that month i had no connection the cheek of it but i will not go there

[ßOxClev吐]

As i'm not in a cable area , i'll be going with Pipex next time around , @ 23.99 p.m. its far cheaper than AOL and doesnt come with the CPU hogging software.


hey ho

Box

[Ťoñy4iñ1]

Oh to live in a cabled area! But then in the town that hosted the first demonstration of "Practical transmission of pictures by wireless transmission" (Television to you) and now houses the great great nephew of the man who helped devise the system of television we watch today, (that would be me), we only have broadcast signals not "piped"!

America OFF Line, the famous Internet Service Prohibitor hit me again today with a "change of password" because my account had been used to send multiple emails! The problem was (and is) that the "screen name" used is one that I have never used for anything!

Now I have not used this name for anything, but I started getting spam and deleting it! Thank goodness it's a free call to Customer services! Gee but this online world is confusing!

;D