ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, January 24, 1997 TAG: 9701240075
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS AND SANDRA KELLY STAFF WRITERS
LOCAL SUBSCRIBERS relate their difficulties with America Online.
Roanoke Valley subscribers to America Online say they've been experiencing the same problems as other customers of the computer networking service, namely, trouble connecting and unplanned disconnections.
Sara Rutherford, who has been an AOL subscriber for two years, said she's been having problems since she upgraded her AOL software last week.
Rutherford, who takes an on-line course at Virginia Western Community College, said she hasn't been able to send her assignments in on time because she has problems connecting with the service.
It takes her as long as 45 minutes to connect, she said. Then, once she gets onto the World Wide Web, her connection will break as one of the electronic pages comes up on her computer screen.
"I get up to a certain point, and I get knocked off," she said.
Roanoke Valley attorney David Damico has AOL at the office and at home. He said he hasn't had any problems during the day, but has plenty after 5 p.m.
"You can't get on it," he said. Sometimes it will take as many as 10 attempts before he can connect.
The problem started after AOL began a new pricing plan that charges customers $19.95 a month for unlimited on-line time, and he said he suspects he's guilty of contributing to the traffic jam.
"I'll stay on longer if the meter isn't running," he said "If I get a phone call while I'm on line, I just leave the thing running and then go back to it."
He said he'll stick with the service for now because it would be too much trouble to learn how to use a new provider.
"But if this persists for a couple of months, to heck with them," he said. "If it was crucial to me, if I was relying on it for business, I would have already unloaded it."
Pat Pfister, who along with her husband, has been a subscriber for four months, is trying to be understanding about AOL's problems. "We are frustrated, but they need to be given time to work the kinks out," she said.
Pfister attributes part of the problem to phone line congestion. She has another on-line service and is experiencing problems with it, too, she said. She, like other local users interviewed, has not complained to AOL.
"We're going to tolerate it and deal with it," she said.
LENGTH: Short : 50 linesby CNB