AOL to give service away for free to broadband users
Steve Safran August 2nd, 2006
A major change for AOL, as Time Warner announces it will give away AOL service for free to broadband users. TW is hoping existing dial-up members will keep using AOL email and other services, as it transitions to an advertising-based model. An analyst for Soleil Securities Group Inc. in Pasadena, California calls it “a risky gamble.” I call it about the only chance left for AOL.
28 Comments Add your own
1. Anonymous | August 2nd, 2006 at 9:41 am
Even if it’s free, I’ll only use its web-based product. I’ll never install a piece of AOL software, inluding AIM, ever again. That crap propogates like weeds and can never be fully removed. I’ve purged the Windows registry … you can practically reformat your hard drive and up pops the freaking buddy icon the next time you start Windows.
2. Anonymous | August 2nd, 2006 at 10:34 am
I don’t believe that AOL is actually free. After you give them all your contact info (name, phone number, mailing address) and select a username and password, it asks for your credit card number. For your free account. There’s a big button marked “Continue” or a small text link in the lower-left corner that says “Cancel.” It makes it seem as though you must either register with your credit card or you must cancel the registration process. I clicked Cancel. Then it told me AOL would be free for 50 days if I just pressed Continue, but I clicked Cancel a second time. Then it tried to snoop through my computer to see if I already had AOL installed. So I shut that down. Then it wanted me to get a 1045-hour free trial for 45 days. The options were “Download Now” or “Order Now.” No more “Cancel.” So I just redirected my browser to aol.com. Since I had already signed in under my AIM account (which I hadn’t used in years), I had to sign out to see if I had an AOL account. When I tried to sign back in using the AOL username I had selected, it told me that username or password did not exist. So where did the free AOL go?
3. Anonymous | August 2nd, 2006 at 10:43 am
I just tried it again and before it let me get to the credit card stage, it said “We’re Sorry. Thank you for your interest in obtaining a screen name to use this service. At this time we are unable to register you for this service. We regret any inconvenience.”
4. Anonymous | August 2nd, 2006 at 10:44 am
The title for that “We’re Sorry” page, by the way, is “Registering for AOL is easy!”
5. Anonymous | August 2nd, 2006 at 10:49 am
Hey! Third time’s a charm. But I don’t have the username I want. The username I want is my AIM username. That first time I tried registering, I was already signed in with my AIM username, and it gave me the option of registering with my AIM username. So I’m going to try that.
6. Anonymous | August 2nd, 2006 at 11:06 am
Now it’s not letting me sign in using my AIM username. It says “You are already logged into AOL. Please click here to log out and continue.” But I’m clearly logged in as an AIM user, not an AOL user. When I click the mail icon, I get AIM mail, not AOL mail. How do I get the free AOL account I was promised?
7. Safran | August 2nd, 2006 at 11:18 am
It’s not free yet. They are GOING to make it free.
8. Anonymous | August 2nd, 2006 at 11:28 am
Ok, after many attempts, it’s clear that if I want to use my AIM screenname with AOL, I must subscrbe to AOL. No free AOL for me. Screw that.
9. Anonymous | August 2nd, 2006 at 12:38 pm
If you go to AOL.com, it says “Free AOL Email.” I can’t even get that.
10. thedetroitchannel | August 2nd, 2006 at 12:57 pm
i happened into bestbuy the other day and, like mentioned here before, the bestbuykids were pitching “90 days of aol free”.
it was particularly funny when one customer said “i already have aol” to which the bbk said “that’s ok, they’ll credit your acct for 3 months”.
i can’t imagine that will be the case in 90 days!!!
but if someone knows differently i’ll be like the guy with orthopedic shoes; stand corrected.
11. Chuck | August 2nd, 2006 at 6:19 pm
I’m sorry, but free AOL is NEWS? I can go to pretty much any store and pick up a handful of free x__ minutes promo CD’s. Or keep all the ones that come in the mail. You could already have AOL for free. I guess this just saves them money on postage.
12. Anonymous | August 11th, 2006 at 5:55 pm
Why di aol announce on computer in a letr signed by the CEO that aol is now free? I can’t get an answer from any dept. I have a friend who has used aol email and instant mail for over 2yrs and is a Yahoo subscriber. He pays nothing. He is willing to set me up but I wanted to stay w/ aol if it is TRULY free. Is it all just a big “come on” to con the people to join? I was a loyal dues paying member of aol for over 14 yrs and left to go to Yahoo b/c of the cumbersome Safety & Security annoyance. I would like to return withot that if itis frree for real but I’m beginning to think it’’s all a publicity scam. Is it free or not when I have my own internt connection w/ Verizon Broadband. How can I get a straight answer>
13. Joan McConnell | December 17th, 2006 at 1:52 pm
I got free e-mail & Profiles & journals, but if it is free, how..can I get to chat in their chat rooms?OR is that not free?
Joanie
14. Joan McConnell | December 17th, 2006 at 1:54 pm
oh yes, I forgot to mention; I use broadband (RR)
15. Dee | January 5th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
Ok. Everytime I try to register for the aol screen name service it says “We’re Sorry. Thank you for your interest in obtaining a screen name to use this service. At this time we are unable to register you for this service. We regret any inconvenience.” Why can’t it register me for the service! I really want to have an aol.com account but the thing wont let me get one. Idon’t understand why i can just register now.
16. Ayana | January 5th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Every time I try to get an aim screen name, when I press submit, it says “Thank you for your interest in obtaining a Screen Name to use this service. At this time, we are unable to permit you to register for this service. We regret any inconvenience. I don’t know whwta the problem is!!
17. Mel | January 6th, 2007 at 9:04 am
I’ve been having the same problem obtaining a screen name for several days now, I believe I first tried on Thursday Jan 4 and still had the problem today, Jan 6. I’m at least glad to know that it isn’t just me. I found this by searching for a solution, I’ll let you know if I find one.
18. Lynda | January 7th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
My friend was kicked off AOL when her credit card expired - with no notice. She planned to keep the free email but not the service any more, but AOL refuses to provide the promised free email without a VALID CREDIT CARD number. How free is that?
19. seth gergel | January 13th, 2007 at 8:05 am
I’v tried to get a screen name many of times , but it won’t let me due to problems with the service.You creators of AIM should really fix it because i am getting really really mad
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Thank you for your interest in obtaining a screen name to use this service.
At this time, we are unable to register you for this service. We regret any inconvenience
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Thank you for your interest in obtaining a screen name to use this service.
At this time, we are unable to register you for this service. We regret any inconvenience
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