An update on Weemam and her problems with AOL
By mummymo
@mummymo (23706)
January 31, 2008 3:26pm CST
Hi guys as some of you know weemmam have had her AOL account hacked at the weekend and has been struggling to get her internet access sorted out with AOL since Sunday. Unfortunately she has been treated like a bit of dirt on the bottom of their shoe by everyone she has eventually managed to speak to at AOL. She has probably spent at least 3 hours on the phone to them (which she has to pay at a fixed rate per minute) with no progress being made, she either gets disconnected or a promise to call her back at a certain time the next day - unfortunately they never do call her back and she has been getting more and more frustrated by the way she has been treated. Last night she and her son came to my house and using my computer managed to get on TechTalk for some help and we hoped we were getting somewhere - alas we were woefully wrong. The first message said she would be connected to an operator in 28 minutes - when the counter got to 0 it suddenly decided that she would now be waiting 50 odd minutes but still we waited patiently until we were connected - that happened at 10:27 and the operator asked how they could help , this was the only thing they said from 10:27 until they disconnected from her at 11:10.
This morning she decided enough was enough and phoned the cancellation line and cancelled her subscription. Huge relief...until she tried to set up with a new ISP and they asked her for her MAC number , which of course she didn't have - you cannot get a new ISP without this , so off she went back to AOL to get it , their answer NO, they have refused to give her a MAC number unless she goes back to them, NOT A CHANCE AOL. She has now contacted several organisations who are going to try and resolve this issue but at the moment it looks like it will be several weeks before our wee gets back online, she wants to send her thanks for the support and good wishes you are all sending her way and a warning - please be careful - if an ISP is not treating you well do not put up with it , it doesn't get better and before you cancel your contract with a provider always get your MAC code first!
I am really disgusted that such a large and well known company would treat anyone in such a way - it really is disgusting and I for one would NEVER go near AOL.
I do see weemam regularly and will keep her up to date with what is going on until she can get back online. Have you ever had an experience like this? How did you resolve this? xxx
9 people like this
16 responses
@sacmom (14192)
• United States
1 Feb 08
A MAC number? I never had to have a MAC number when switching to a different Internet provider, but then again I would make my switch before canceling my current ISP, that way it would be set up and ready to go.
Poor Weemam, it sounds like she is having a hell of a time. I hope things get resolved soon, so that she can get back online!
I have to say, if this happened to me, I'd be giving these service providers an earful, and that's putting it mildly!
3 people like this
@mummymo (23706)
•
4 Feb 08
Yep they do! I am not 100% au fait with the details but it is a physical address of the connections of your pc! Angelwhispers has told me how to get it and then guess what happened when we were connecting wees laptop to my broadband. Yep you got it - the software we use to allow or deny people access to our broadband tells you the MAC code! D'uh on me! xxxx
1 person likes this
@mummymo (23706)
•
1 Feb 08
Wee has been with AOL since she went online and has been very loyal to them that whole time - she thought she was doing the right thing by cancelling them first- typical weemam really trying to do the right thing by them even though they are treating her appalingly! I would love to speak to someone in AOL and tell them what I thought - unfortunatly wee hasn't had a chance to do this as they keep cutting her off! xxx
2 people like this
@raydene (9871)
• United States
1 Feb 08
My poor darlin sis..I am so sorry for her troubles.
Sweets tell her I love her and will be thinking of her..
I have switched internet carries many times and the only one I ever had trouble with was AOL..They have programs that attach to alot of important files so when I deleted them it screwed up my computer. It cost be a bunch to straighten it out..I was told by my computer guy that Aol does this so you will stay with them..Sneaky Bast@rds...Shame on them!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
2 people like this
@TerryZ (22076)
• United States
31 Jan 08
Oh wow thats terrible. Im not surprised Ive heard some not to good things with aol. Tell her to hang in there and we are thinking of her and waiting for her to get back here where she belongs. Thanks for the update. No I havent had a experience like that thank goodness.
2 people like this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
4 Feb 08
I've never heard a good word regarding AOL and people I know who work for them recommend people not have anything to do with them. They treat their staff badly as well apparently.
I had some bad dealings with a major ISP in my early Internet days.
I found this company by myself and was really pleased with their service and even transferred my home phones over. I was with themabout 5 years when all of a suddwen I was having problems with rubbish coming through my main email account. Not just rubbish either, I had to clean out a couple of viruses. Then, I get an email from my ISP saying if I wanted email protection it was going to cost me an extra $30. I was so shocked. Originally I was getting email protection as part of my contract. It became the norm apparently, to have it as an added on cost but rather than just sending an email explaining and asking for the extra payment...which I would have paid, they played this dirty trick of removing the protection so we would know what we were up against. I thought that was pretty lousy and so I told them so and then I closed my account...how co-incidental was it that a surge came through the phone and fried my modem on the same day I terminated my account.
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
4 Feb 08
I also meant to say thankyou Morag for being there for Wee and for Ross while they try and sort this out. This is such an atrocious state of affairs, it's hard to believe a service provider can hold people to ransom like this. Please say Hi to them from me. :)
1 person likes this
@mummymo (23706)
•
4 Feb 08
I hear you on AOL and how they treat their staff badly as well as their customers! I don't know if you noticed a response I gave earlier but here in the UK they are so desperate for new customers they are tying them into 2 year contracts by giving away free Laptops if you join them - now what does that tell you!
I think the way your ISP tried to manipulate you into paying for protection - too much of a coincidence to my way of thinking - is awful and that surge is very suspiscious indeed, although I do think I would have told them what I thought and left too! I guess I have been lucky so far we have had the same ISP since we got broadband and have had NO problems - we always have extra protection on the computer too against virus and malaware etc. Hugs my dear friend and remember to say Hi to Pickles for me! xxx
@someonesmom (5761)
• Canada
1 Feb 08
Hi mummymo,
I was wondering how things were progressing for weemam, so thanks for the update. I'm sorry it's not better news. I used to be with AOL when I first got my internet. I didn't like them 'at all,' to say the least. When I tried to switch, I had to keep phoning them, and they didn't want to let me go. I remember they made it really difficult, and kept on bugging me, with phone calls, letters, and e-mails. I'm so much happier now that I have my new provider, and trust that this will be her experience too. I did have a hacker break into our system one time too, and they messed up a lot of files etc., and our computer eventually crashed. Fortunately, we didn't have them mess with our e-mail addresses. We lost everything, and had to start all over.
1 person likes this
@someonesmom (5761)
• Canada
1 Feb 08
Thanks. I've never talked to anyone that's been really happy with them either.
1 person likes this
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
31 Jan 08
I went with AOL once and it was like NEVER EVER again, my computer was infected with AOL software which I couldn't get rid off and they their help department was a joke, even when I went without the internet for months I refused point blank to use AOL as a stopgap. I am now with Sky and they are the best internet service I have ever had their customer services are brilliant and touch wood I've never had cause for complaint. They've got you over a barrel on the Mac Code and they are crafty enough to know that as soon as you get it they won't see the customer again for gold dust. There must be an ISP watchdog or consumer out there that would be interested to know of AOL's tactic, bullying an old lady (no disrespect) but lay it on thick. I am really angry for her because she doesn't deserve to be treated like this, I tend to get aggressive which doesn't help and I start threatening companies warning them that I will take this matter to the appropriate body or higher company. Thanks for keeping us updated, not good news, I do hope she gets it sorted I miss her loads and I know a virtual hug is not much to offer from Wolfie but she knows I am always thinking of her xxxx
@mummymo (23706)
•
1 Feb 08
She does know you are always thinking of her my darling and she misses you too! She is going to try and come along with her laptop in the next few days and use our internet to contact people if she can - I am sure you will hear from her if she can do it! She has been in touch with Ofcom who are taking up the case for her - it just isn't very quick - she is also going to the CAB to see if they can help too. It is not just her but Ross needs the computer too - she has tried explaining all of this , she has even been in tears whilst on the phone to them, to me they are just cold, calculating bullies who need brought down a step or two - I am even thinking of her to try and get her to get in touch with Watchdog but that may be pushing her a bit far! lol
By the way she was very touch when I told her what you had said about her being like your Nan, love and Hugs xxx
@dana234 (2114)
• Spain
5 Feb 08
Poor weemam. Unfortunately I can´t give you a solution to her problems. I´ve never been with AOL, but just seeing all the trouble with bounced backed emails, and so on is enough to imagine how the company treats their clients.
She made a wise choice when she decided to cancel her subscription. I don´t think this company is going to get any better, on the contrary!
Good luck for wee. She should have no problem with getting a new provider, when she explains the circumstances which led her to cancel to the new company.
XXX Dana
1 person likes this
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
1 Feb 08
I had not realized she was having trouble. I hope she gets it resolved quickly, although it sounds like she is going to have to fight. Good luck to her.
1 person likes this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
1 Feb 08
I did have AOL at first then I went to I think it was netscape and then finally to cable/
I didnt like the dial up and I have been seeing more and more programs not accept anyone that has AOL so there must be something very very wrong with them. Tell Weeman hang intehre and she will soon get back to us hugs and blessings to you both!
1 person likes this
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
1 Feb 08
I know weemam. they are on my friends list. I am sorry to hear about their account. I have never had that happen to me yet. I had AOL for years and someonje did steal my password and send out alot of spm mail and they shut me down and i had to call AOL and get it all straightened out. I didn't do it and somehow they knew that.
Good luck to weemam.
1 person likes this
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
1 Feb 08
That is appalling. I bet if she got the media involved it might get them moving. It seems to happen here quite a lot when the companies don't help out to resolve things, it gets on our news channel I watch most days. They get helping out quickly when that happens.
I haven't experienced this yet but I would be so frustrated too. I hope she is able to get it sorted out soon. You're a great friend to be helping her out with this!
1 person likes this
@musicman6 (2407)
• United States
2 Feb 08
I had heard several stories like this about AOL, before I got internet! And that is why I don't have AOL right now!
1 person likes this
@darkangel079 (1488)
• United States
1 Feb 08
I didn't know AOL still existed I remember back then when it was around during the early 90's and early 2000 but then I stopped using them. I never liked them and stories like this is nothing new - it just adds on how horrible companies like this treat their customers like dirt you are truly correct on that. And for them to refuse to give a MAC address that person has to join AOL again - that's flat out dirt and wrong. And to resolve this? Complaining to the company or finding information on the people who work there - I mean it's just a twisted puzzle to tackle that situation.
1 person likes this
@Eskimo (2315)
•
31 Jan 08
I hope this works out for her, I've not had this problem, however I recently changed from NTL to BT, although I did order Sky first and was going to use the internet through them, however there was no suitable place to put a dish, so had to cancel. I
didn't need a MAC number for going from NTL to Sky, however because I had joined Sky, I couldn't get on to BT right away because Sky had taken possession of my Broadband line, but because it hadn't been activated they couldn't give me a MAC number and it took me a week to get things sorted.
I do have one problem with BT in that I was promised 500 minutes a month with BT Openzone and Openzone Partners which allows me to log into the internet in lots of hotels and travellodges, hwoever it now seems that they won't give me access to the Openzone Partners (mainly 'The Cloud'), and this is the one that most hotels use. Apart from that I am quite pleased with BT, especially as they also give me an internet phone (and handset) which allows free calls to land-lines for evening and weekend calls. There is also a softphone option (similar to Skype) which allows free calls to other BT softphones at all times.
1 person likes this
@mummymo (23706)
•
31 Jan 08
Sounds like you are fairly happy with BT - apart from 'The Cloud' spreading a little bit of gloom! It is good to hear it only took a week for you to sort out the MAC code - from what wee was told it could take weeks to sort this out unless we can get the MAC code from the advice given to us by Angelwhispers!
It is really good to see you again Eskimo! xxx
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
31 Jan 08
What a dreadful experience! I really feel sorry for weeman having to put up with such bad business like behaviour. It seems that some of these big named ISPs have you over a barrel. Is there not a government agency who monitors these companies? If so I would report them and also ask for their help.
Tell her I wish her good luck. xxOOxx
1 person likes this
