AOL did not provide necessary service to me or my business during a busy workday when deadlines via email had to be met. In addition, the software provided by AOL allows for adware and spyware to be placed on the computer which requires hours of investigating to remove, or an expensive computer expert. The customer service is horrible, and more than 70,000 have been lost as a result of this problem. This does not include the countless hours spent on the phone trying to reach someone who can help when a problem arises.

In addition, the contract states that you have to seek legal recourse in Virginia where their headquarters is based. It also has several lines that also try to make it impossible to do anything about the abysmal service and potential unavailability of the site. Wrong! If I'm paying for it, it better work. As a print and broadcast journalist, I am not letting this go and will do what it takes to get compensation for time and revenue lost. The contract only tries to protect AOL, not the paying customer.

The corporate office does not return phone calls, and the legal department does not personally respond. We are researching Indiana law to find how we can seek recourse right here, and have them make the appropriate changes to the contract members sign.