Flat Rate = No Worries (AOL Flat Rate)

Member Name: jennystevenson

Product:	AOL Flat Rate
Date:	18/03/01 (331 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Vast content, quick and easy to use, free technical support

Disadvantages: Browser takes some getting used to

Good or bad, love them or hate them, AOL keep growing stronger all the time. There seems to be such a wide range of opinions on AOL and after two months using this ISP, here's my thoughts and experiences.

After a painful experience with BT Internet, AOL was beckoning me with a free 50 hour trial (it's now gone up to 99 hours) and unlimited access for only £15 a month, so I thought I'd give it a go. The software was easy to install and doesn't take up huge chunks on your hard drive.

BROWSER
-------
I think my next point is where the love/hate divide comes in. After installing AOL your internet dial-up goes through the AOL specific browser which is a lot different to Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. After being loyal to Internet Explorer I was sceptical about this new browser, it looks and works a lot differently so takes a while to get used to. I was dissapointed at the lack of autocomplete function which I knew and loved on my old browser. Right now, I'm used to AOL and the browser suits me down to a T...you get instant access to your e-mail account, technical support, billing information, tonnes of chat rooms worldwide and member only channels of which there are 17.

Everything you access within AOL is extremely fast and rarely are you cursed with busy or broken servers. The downside (and for some it's a BIG one) is that the browser can get a bit stroppy with some websites. I have no idea why this is (I'm no expert), but you either have to put up with a blank screen or open up an alternative browser. Yeah, I know this defeats the whole object, but I said only a SMALL amount of websites can be problematic.

DIAL-UP
-------
A big advantage is the dial up access. AOL are constantly adding more 0800 dial up numbers, to increase the chance of there being one in your area. This means you'll rarely be unable to dial up to AOL and chances of being disconnected are slim.
I was impressed with this, considering the overwhelming number of people using AOL in the UK.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT
-----------------
Technical support plus ISPs usually equals rip off central. Oh, how I love the 24/7 free phone/email support it's such a comfort to know I won't be faced with ridiculous £1 a minute charges. If you have a query that you want answered immediately, you can call upon a professional to help you via live chat, again for no charge.

CONTENT
-------
Oh yeah, the content...it's HUGE! Whatever your interest or hobby, there's a channel to suit you and most of the time a chat room themed to your interest. AOL is very much a community based ISP, where you can create a personal profile so others can search for members with similar interests. The software comes bundled with its own Instant Messanger service, so you can chat in real time, one to one with friends, family or whoever you want. Similar to MSN Messanger, you get a buddy list where you can add usernames, so you know when they're on-line.

If this puts you off, there's a privacy feature where you can click on "Ignore All" so no-one can see you're on line and no-one can contact you via instant messanger.

Keywords is a feature which allows you direct access to specific areas of AOL (such as chat, billing information, web building tools and hundreds more) to avoid clicking through several screens to get where you want to. Great for worried parents, there's a good parental controls feature to screen out unsuitable content for younger users.

E-MAIL
------

You can have up to 7 plain text e-mail accounts when you sign up and there are systems in place to control spam and/or offensive mail. AOL mail is easy to use and is extremely quick with mail being sent/delivered in a few seconds.

DOWNLOADS
---------

AOL have a great download centre, with immediate access
to hundreds of handy software tools, games etc. You get your own download manager which is handy to keep track of what you've downloaded and a place to add software which you want to download at another time.

OVERALL
-------

So, the browser takes some getting used to, but I now find it an advantage with the amount of features you get with AOL, most of them exclusive to members. Connection speeds are consistent, you rarely get cut off, support and help is efficient and user friendly and there's no 1 or 2 hour time outs that exist with many ISPs.

The free trial is the best you'll find anywhere and it's a good way of testing AOL to see if it's right for you or not.

Summary: