AOL

I've paid for my mum and parent-in-law with AOL for quite a few years - they've been fine (typical useless, impersonal, big corp.).

I've recently needed to change my payment details for my parents-in-law and am stunned at the rude, useless, and sales-prevention led attitude of the telephone support service.

Two hours and thirty minutes of being cut-off, moved around 20 minute queues, and read-scripts. I actually know my father-in-laws telephone number and postcode now having had to give it soooo many times.

Save yourself much misery, and hope for the benefit of mankind this provider disappears from the face of the earth. No one should have to deal with these jerks.

I was with AOL Broadband a year ago, they gave me pretty reasonable speeds and perfect reliability. I got a FREE Wireless Router and FREE Connection. I may go back to them again, as I currently use TalkTalk, but their customer support is TERRIBLE, stupid Indians who I can't understand (not trying to be racist, but they annoy me). It just worries me about whether TalkTalk would solve any problems that I had. Anyway, in conclusion I LOVE AOL BROADBAND.

We have been with AOL for many years, and these recent years have proven to be very fraustrating.

We pay for 8MB broadband, with free uk line rental

--At peak times, we get speeds of about 4.5 to 5mbps

--at crap times, speeds have dropped to 231kbps, tends to drop below 2.5mbps a lot.

Peak times are much less common than 'crap times', its always coming to a standstill like today, actually currently, webpages like the homepage for ISPreview took about 20 to 30 seconds to load up- ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Call of Duty is also lagging disgustingly, it was barely playable. (Online Multiplayer, that is)

Even simple internet applications such as Windows Live Messenger wouldn't even sign in because the internet connection was that poor...

When I called up customer services, I did reach someone pretty quickly but as they're probably indian natives or such, their accent can be almost impossible to understand, you would have to repeatedly ask them to repeat themselves which would make them fraustrated, as well as you - not like they have a right to get annoyed...

They will always conclude that the cause of the connection being so poor is down to us, they will never take the blame, so in that instance, customer service is useless also.

I recommend you to really stay away from AOL or any TalkTalk branch of ISPs because its the most fraustrating experience you'll ever come across, as far as internet is concerned.

I have been with AOL since 1995 or 1996- I can't remember exactly how long. They were once innovative and cheap. Now they are slow. So slow that life grinds to a halt around here sometimes. Last night we were left with no phone service or croadband. No dial totme- dead. Everything was down. Couldn't get through to Tech Support. Got through this morninig. They never own up when it is their fault and make you go through so many 'hoops' to try to get things sorted out. Went through all the things they wanted me to do. Turns out is is again their fault. The calls are really cheap... but I suppose you get what you pay for. I am wanting to change now. After 16 years it is time to do the right thing!

I am a PC tech and have to deal with people and their ISP woes on a daily basis.

The words I dread the most when I ask which ISP they have are, "it's AOL"

The amount of hassle I have with this company is beyond belief, incompetence just doesn't do them justice. I have spent so much time on the phone to them only to get cut off, or I just cannot understand the accent of the tier 1 script readers grunts, consequently I have to keep repeatedly asking them to repeat what they have said, frustration just doesn't quite sum it up.

You have to login to get a status page, WHY! the software they install is ridiculous, update after update, its like creeping ivy.

I've just stopped even trying to sort AOL issues out, based mainly on the lack of customer service but because I can get better deals from ISP's that I know will supply excellent customer service and quality connections.

If I could have given minus figures I would have done so unofficially...

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Services: 2 its a token gesture but useless if you don't have a decent connection.

Support: -10 Support er! no, the worst I have ever come across

Speed: 2 I get consistent reports of speed drops or slowdowns.

Value: -10 If it was free I wouldn't use them.

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Take it from me, get rid of AOL and use such as Eclipse, O2, Xilo, or surprisingly Tesco.