Who knows what effect any of our journals may have had on this whole mess with Armand.
Any other company that treated its customers with the same reckless disregard for service would be out of business.
Has AOL become so powerful that challenging its practices is just an exercise in futility. For me it was.
For Armand, it wasn't.
I don't think most journalers have
an appreciation for what he has done to knock down a huge barrier
intended to keep members from confronting the zero tolerance policies
they have in place. TOS causes the most outrage when you know you
haven't done anything. When they refuse to tell you anything. When
there is no opportunity to know what the evidence is. And when
there is no challenge to the accuser.
This wasn't just the Berlin Wall that Armand took down. It was the Great Wall of Indifference.
We need a group of journalers --
not attached to Scalzi, with all due respect -- to make recommendations
to AOL for making our experience as good as it can be. To investigate TOS
complaints.
Remember how we wanted to have
ratings for our journals? M for mature to protect sensitive readers?
AOL could help with techs who specialize in Journal problems. Who speak
English as their first language. And who are aware that there is,
in fact, a HUGE journaling community at AOL.
None of this will happen, because
AOL makes so much money treating people however they want, that
nothing's going to change until we figure out a way to hurt them in
their wallets.
Anybody want to buy the place?
10 comments:
Hey if I had the money, you could consider it done. Until then I'm fighting a lonely fight and it feels like all for naught. oi Vey!
lisa
The only reason I stay with AOL is for the journals. I don't need them, otherwise. They are not my Internet connection. I was prepared to leave AOL if this had not been resolved.
We can start by calling the headquarters, as he did. I think if everyone who has heard about this calls and registers a complaint on AOL TOS, we may be heard.
Short of us all terminating our AOL service, there's little else we can do to get our points across.
With any other 'big business', AOL has become a company that believes we could not make it without them....
They all forget it is we who pay their salaries... and if they keep up their deceptive practices, they will learn just how great Netscape or Netzero can be-- as they sign up former AOL users over this horrendous issue....
I'm calling Mr. Mark 1st thing in the morning to register my complaint and insist a public apology to Armand for his stress....
I don't think they know how many people read Armand's blog, but they are about to find out....
Cat
Everyone has a boss and everyone is a subsidiary of someone else. Let's find the Almighty Wizard of Ah-shit and let him know we're out here.
Then let's stop by for drinks.
I TOTALLY do no understand AOL's TOS. In another vein, a few months back, while doing a search in member directory using my hometown name, I came across a profile with pictures - full male frontal nudity - complete with little dangley thingie. I reported to AOL-TOS. Checked again a couple of weeks later to see if it was gone. It was not. Reported it again --- 3 times, in fact, when all was said and done. This was over course of probably 6 weeks or so. Don't understand why it took so long to get rid of this obvious violation of TOS. But you get booted for an eating disorder.... Go figure.
HEYYYY....where are these profiles with dangling thingies? Now there's an idea. I say we all pose nude for out "About Me" profiles. Being the buff stud that he is, Remo obviously should go first and we'll be RIGHT BEHIND HIM! Just like all those naked people running behind Will Ferrell in Old School.
I'm happy for Armand, even if he had to move heaven and earth and deal with an entire Tits on a Bull village to get his journal back. (and a blank journal at that....how thoughtful of AOL!)
Tune in next week for AOLican Idol, where another talented journaler will get the boot! Count on it.
Yak
succulent wisdom mrs L...
amen.... Armand is one of my very favorite people here. He is smart and savvy and loyal to a fault. This was horrible and never should have happened in the first place.
judi
I called the Drummond guy that Armand spoke with and lodged my complaint.... while doing so, Armand received the call that 'ooops' they made a mistake... there was no violation. Armand gets things done. Other than filing my complaint and not using AOL for my service provider.... I don't know what can be done to actually get the powers that be to listen to us.
Great entry!
Tracy
Mrs. L -
In hindsight, if I could change one thing about how I've dealt with AOL - I'd have recorded everything on tape. I /wish/ AOL's policy makers could have heard the 101 gyrations their front-liners went through just to get me off the phone.
When Mark smugly held the company line as I repeatedly explained the painfully obvious reality that AOL had screwed the pooch, I knew that AOL's problems went well beyond their TOS practices and a gaggle of out-sourced script-reading customer service employees.
The problem starts in the Board Room. If they want solutions, they ought to consider listening to their customers - for a change.
~ Armand
http://journals.aol.com/armandt/sense
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