reub2000
Premium
join:2001-12-28
Evanston, IL | My condolences go to RR members
I'm sorry yo hear that you'll have to put up with AOL. |
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Goldman
join:2002-06-21
Maumelle, AR
| What?
[January 31, 2005]
America Online and Time Warner Cable Join Forces to Provide Customized Broadband Offering
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Jan 31, 2005? I would be embarrassed to make an announcement like this. Talk about missing the boat. |
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tiger72
SexaT duorP
Premium
join:2001-03-28
Saint Louis, MO
clubs: | reply to reub2000
Re: My condolences go to RR members
as long as I don't have to put up with their customer support, i really don't have any problems at all with getting their content. |
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W8ASA
Tieng gi vay?
join:2000-07-31
Dayton, OH
clubs: 
 ·magicjack.com
 ·AT&T Midwest
 ·RoadRunner Cable
·Vonage
| We'll see what we will see....
Somehow, I have a feeling that my RR at home might become less useful to me. If they "force" me to install the AOL bloatware, I'm outta here.... If not, just let me use RR as I have always done and I'll be fine, especially with my 5Mb connection speed.
(message to don logan) Don't mess with your long-time users. Give us a choice and then leave us alone. OK?
--
Microwave and RF Components at www.ohiomicrowave.com |
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Jason Levine
Premium
join:2001-07-13
USA
| The Offering
Under the agreement, the new broadband offering will consist of a special edition of the AOL client with its popular content and features optimized for broadband that is combined with Road Runner's high-speed connectivity and its content. This new offering will provide unlimited broadband access as well as 10 hours of dial-up connectivity monthly. Once installed by Time Warner Cable, the new offering's client will be available on the computer desktop and the AOL.com portal will be set as the default home page.
I don't know about other RR users, but I couldn't care less about AOL's content. I don't want TW Cable to install an AOL client onto my PC nor do I want my home page set to AOL.com. Luckily, the article says that the normal, non-AOL service will still be available. I'll stay on that service thank you very much. And if they decide to discontinue the non-AOL service, I'll move to DSL. (A move I've been pondering for awhile but haven't done because the price savings don't offset the speed decrease.)
--
-Jason Levine
http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/
http://www.PCQandA.com/
http://www.urateit.com/ |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| Extra Cost?
It looks as though this will be either an add-on service, or a service targeting former AOL Dial-Up users.
It doesn't sound like they are going to force anything on the normal RR users.
If you remember, "AOL for Broadband" was like $54.95 and was much less capable.
If you currently have Road Runner and want to add AOL's Bring Your Own Access plan, well, that's another $14.95. Totally ridiculous IMHO. It should be maybe $4.95/month for their BYOA plan.
Perhaps this is AOL and Time Warner realizing that and lowering the price for people who wish to remain on AOL?
I could see parents purchasing that for their children, while offering an unfiltered pipe for mom and dad. |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02
Host:
Road Runner
PC gaming GAMES
PC gaming Tech
1 edit | quote:
Perhaps this is AOL and Time Warner realizing that and lowering the price for people who wish to remain on AOL?
They simply want to migrate their dial-up base (read: advertising cash cow) to broadband, and it has taken them YEARS to realize that working closely with a broadband provider they own is a way to do that..... |
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AtomicZero
join:2004-11-24
West Palm Beach, FL
| reply to Matt
said by Matt  :If you remember, "AOL for Broadband" was like $54.95 and was much less capable. If you currently have Road Runner and want to add AOL's Bring Your Own Access plan, well, that's another $14.95. Totally ridiculous IMHO. It should be maybe $4.95/month for their BYOA plan. Holy St. Francis! $54 per month? What for, what do you get for that type of money and who would pay for that? If you already had broadband/cable access that would be a total waste. But I do like you idea for the BYOA I think that should be more than reasonable, especially if you are using TW Cable. |
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SRFireside
join:2001-01-19
Houston, TX
| reply to Jason Levine
Re: The Offering
Roadrunner has been trying to get me to install bleated software for years. Never touched it and never needed. Suggested to all my friends and family to avoid it as well. If the new Roadrunner/AOL comes to your door just don't install it. Ah... the joys of DHCP. |
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rbb
join:2000-09-17
Fairfax Station, VA
| When are people going to learn...
When are people going to learn that AOL is charging you for the "free" hours of dialup they get with BYOA? If you call AOL and tell them you do not want the dial up hours, the price of BYOA drops from $14.95 to $7.95 - a price I am more than willing to pay rather than teaching my wife to use a different system (the same reason why I buy automatics instead of manuals  |
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B
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-28 |
That's amazing -- I hadn't heard that. Is that price divulged anywhere on-line?
-- B
P.S. It's still far too much of course.
--
In a realm outside causality and function |
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Shaggy Dog
@rr.com |  reply to W8ASA
Re: We'll see what we will see....
Your Road Runner Service will remain a full use, full featured ISP. You will have the "Choice" to also use features from AOL, and Road Runner will have the opportunity to use content from another group within the Time Warner family. |
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JPCass
join:2001-01-23
Denver, CO
| So much for "synergies"
This is another interesting example of how many businesses and investors made horrendous blunders during the dot-com bust. It's also a good case study of how mergers and conglomerates often don't function well - though from today's news SBC/ATT, both being companies coming out of the same corporate culture and industry to begin with, stand a better chance.
I remember reading several years ago that despite the hype from the executives who sold the merger deal, AOL/TW was not being successful in getting their various divisions and operations to actually work together productively. I wonder if one of the problems is divisions not working together on things like discount pricing packages, that might appear to cut into the revenues of each but would benefit the corporation as a whole. Whatever the cause, AOL/TW still doesn't seem able to put together any sort of pricing package that is really attractive and competitive. |
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Toyz
join:2005-01-24
Pittsfield, MA
| Embarrassing!
If my RR becomes synonymous with AOL I will bury my head in shame. I liked RR being completely unrelated to AOL (except for the fact TW owns both). If AOL successfully transfers all the AOL morons over to RR, then RR will inevetibly become the laughing stock of the internet, as AOL is now. I don't want to be embarrassed to use @.rr.com email address. And the ultimate nightmare will be if RR takes on AOL's billing practices! I can hear it now, "I told you I didn't want AOL with my RR, now take it off and stop billing me extra for it!!" "But Sir, AOL-RR will give you one more free month to give you time to reconsider..."
--
All my toyz are broken... |
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drake
drizzy
Premium,MVM
join:2002-06-10
Brooklyn, NY
·Optimum Online
| reply to Jason Levine
Re: The Offering
I think I'd have to concur with you, Jason Levine .
I'm not much of an AOL fan, myself. Yes, I use their software ... only because others in my home treat it as "user-friendly" type application. If it wasn't for that fact, AOL would be dead off my system -- never to be seen again!
If AOL/Time Warner decides to go ahead and combine their works, into a forceful tactic on subscribers, then, RR just lost me as an subscriber, overall --- and hello to Verizon DSL! The only thing I'd probably regret about switching is Verizon, here, in NYC has had some ongoing issues with their bandwidth for the last couple of weeks, and I really don't want be bogged down with a unreliable ISP.
--
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them. |
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rbb
join:2000-09-17
Fairfax Station, VA
| reply to B
Re: When are people going to learn...
Not as far as I know. I found it a long time ago. I asked them what I was geting when they changed my rate of $9.95 to $14.95 and they said I got 3 "free" hours of dialup. I asked what if I did not want the dialup hours - they came back with $7.95. BTW, if you exceed the number of dialup hours, it's $2 per hour, coincidence... |
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xillusionx
@172.16.x.x | reply to Toyz
Re: Embarrassing!
lol, I had to laught but sir we will give u a month to consider it. If you keep at it , u either get it removed or free year of a service u dont want.
-illusion |
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RageMan
join:2000-08-23
Middletown, OH
clubs:
| AOL
I got 6 months free AOL with my Dell I bought lastyear. Well I only used it afew times and forgot I had it til I forgot to cancel before the 6 months were up. I called to cancel and they beg me for about 10 mins to stay on and told me I could have another 6 months free. told them I didnt use it much the 6 months I had it so I doubt i would use it during another 6 months. AOL is nice if you are new to the net but otherwise is abig chatroom and tons of ads. |
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B
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-28 | reply to rbb
Re: When are people going to learn...
I think this is newsworthy all by itself. Just not sure the best place to submit it...
Hey Karl! Look here!
-- B
--
In a realm outside causality and function |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02
Host:
Road Runner
PC gaming GAMES
PC gaming Tech
| Yeah, I've heard that as well. They've also long offered you up to six months of service if you threaten to cancel.
Time Warner believes in the same practice. If you call up to complain you're spending too much on broadband, they'll actually offer you a discounted "Lite" broadband tier ($25-30 256-500kbps - I forget specifics) that does not officially exist. |
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