AOL Crowned! (AOL)

Member Name: nicola21

Product:	AOL
Date:	10/04/01 (205 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Too many to list!

Disadvantages: None

Over the years, I have seen many different internet service providers and formats come and go as the net has evolved. I remember the old Netscape format when I was at school and it is suprising just how far things have come since those revolutionary days! Packages from the leading providers have been updated through various differing versions, but as far as ISP evolution goes, AOL are finally deserved of their own crown for having the best and most comprehensive layout to date.

AOL 6.0 version will no doubt be improved on in the future, but for the time being it is the most attractive and consumer-friendly ISP version available. I have seen other layouts from other providers with a majority market share, such as Freeserve, and they are in no way comparable to AOL. Navigation is exceptionally easy and practically fool-proof which is perfect for those who are not totally competent in the .com world. It is a perfect base for beginners on the web and has a vast amount of functions for every aspect of having an internet account, from setting up your own private chatroom, modifying parental controls, to manipulating every part of your account. There are immediate short-cuts to about 98% of everyday internet functions and the main controlling screen is so well laid-out and understandable, with large and obvious icons, that even a two year-old could find his way around!

I know that for free 24/7 access, AOL is the most pricey at £14.99 a month, but for what you get, this is reasonable. You may pay less, I think it is £12.99 a month, for Freeserve as your ISP but from what I have seen, it is a lot more complicated and not even half as comprehensive as AOL. I am not in any way saying that Freeserve are bad, but I just favour AOL instead. AOL seem to have had a lot of criticism. I have been told that once you sign up for a free trial with one of their disks, it is impossible to get away from them, but I'm not sure as to how true this is.


When I had my free trial, I was fully aware that at any time, up to the set date a month away, I could unsubscribe myself with just a few simple steps. When this trial period was up, I was warned by others that if you wanted to break away, you would need to send them a letter in writing to confirm this. But what is so bad about that? Many other service providers such as electricity and gas companies require your cancellation in writing if you choose to be cut off from them. So what is so wrong with having to do the same for an ISP?

I haven't tried to unsubscribe from them yet, so there could be unforeseen hitches, but I don't think so many people would be using the service worldwide if they were that bad a company. And since they are the biggest and most profitable company of them all, it means they have more money to invest in their service being the best. When I have called their helpline for technical support and general queries, calls are answered quickly and all matters dealt with efficiently by their friendly staff.

There are countless lists of functions, activities, web pages, and other services that are unique to AOL. It is so easy to use and there is so much to see and do on the AOL section, let alone the rest of the web. The search functions are simple and very efficient, almost as good as the search engine Lycos. The format has evolved greatly with a fresher, funkier design that is very easy on the eye. I cannot even start to categorise all of the unique and extensive functions as I could be writing for pages, and at least with such a large company as AOL, there is very little chance of them going bankrupt and being shut down for whatever reason. I have heard that many of the lesser-known, smaller ISPs that promise wonderfully competitive packages, have in fact gone bankrupt with thousands of customers losing a substantial amount of money, usually in the form of a yearly subscription cost, with not even the possibility of a
refund. AOL customers are at least safe in the knowledge that this is highly unlikely to happen to them.

All I can say, is that in this life you get what you pay for, and the service and access that AOL provide are more than worthy of the monthly flat-rate fee. If you pay less, you get less, but it's an individual choice and if you've already made up your mind about AOL for whatever reason, that is up to you. In my opinion, if Dooyoo crowns were applicable to specific products and services instead of just opinions, I would certainly be voting to crown AOL as a the most intelligent and comprehensive ISP around to date. In the future, I may consider using another ISP but once you've had a taste of the best, it is very hard to go back.

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