evrita
04-03-2004, 08:37 AM
By DAN McLEAN, Union Leader Correspondent
The Union Leader
Updated: 11:28 p.m. ET April 02, 2004April 3 - LITCHFIELD - After running an America Online program designed to optimize their Internet connection, a local couple ended up with slightly better service and an astronomical phone bill.
Ken and Patty Pedersen, of Louise Drive, both retired and 67 years old, had two phone lines, one of which they used exclusively for their AOL Internet connection.
On Feb. 26, Ken Pedersen ran a free diagnostic program offered by AOL, "AutoFix," which claimed it would optimize their on-line experience.
"They offered a free program - 'optimize your computer' - so I did it," he said.
In the process, he said, the local phone number he used to log onto AOL's system was changed to a phone number in Alstead, which was labeled, "Added by AutoFix."
Pedersen said the program didn't indicate the origin of the number and the first time he knew it was an Alstead exchange was when he opened his phone bill March 15.
Alstead is on the border with Vermont, 80 miles from Litchfield, and is a toll call. The Pedersens have been billed from 10 cents to 21 cents for each minute the Internet was connected - racking up more than $1,000 on their phone bill so far.
"I clicked 'yes' and all hell broke loose," he said.
The Pedersens leave their computer on day and night with the Internet connected, so they tallied thousands of minutes of toll calls from Feb. 26 to March 15.
According to their most recent Verizon bill - which does not include the 24-hour-a-day connection from March 6 to March 15 - the Pedersens made five short calls to Alstead and one that lasted thousands of minutes.
The sixth call, placed at 11:37 a.m. on Feb. 26, did not end until Ken Pedersen logged off AOL on March 15 after seeing the phone bill.
The Pedersens' bill is $1,009.05 - not including the charges for nine more days that will appear on their next Verizon bill.
AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham said AutoFix does not automatically change the dial-up numbers, but it does "point out new dial-up numbers that could be better numbers."
The suggested numbers are in the subscriber's home area code, Graham said, adding that subscribers are cautioned to check with the phone company to make sure the numbers are local calls.
"AOL does not re-route, switch, change or do anything to the dial-up string. It's the member that drives the process and makes the selection . . . Unfortunately, there is always room for consumer error," he said. He said AOL does not reimburse subscribers for phone bills.
Before he ran AutoFix, Pedersen said he had three Nashua numbers programmed for login. After running the software, two new numbers were added and their Internet connection was better, he said, because they no longer got bumped off the system. But they were never warned they may be calling a toll number, he said.
"A little warning that said this may be harmful to your budget would be helpful," he said.
"I wouldn't have thought to check (the dial-up number). Why would I?," Patty Pedersen said.
The Pedersens do not blame Verizon. "AOL, on the other hand, I feel that they have some liability. I used their program in good faith and they zapped me," he said.
Verizon spokesman Alan Court warned that dial-up users must be careful when using auto-dialing programs to ensure the number is local.
It makes sense for AOL to balance out its network by diverting people to less used regions, Court said, but subscribers should be informed.
Phil Hatcher, chairman of University of New Hampshire's Computers Science Department at the College of Engineering, said he thinks the Pedersens have a legitimate complaint and that AOL is in the wrong.
"There is a level of trust you expect to get as a consumer," he said.
The software should include a clear warning reminding customers to check dial-up settings, he said.
When the Pedersens called AOL to complain on March 15, the AOL customer support representative said that the problem could not happen.
"It's so frustrating when you're telling them what happened and they say, 'That can't happen,' " Patty Pedersen said.
The Pedersens were paying $28.90 a month for unlimited AOL service and roughly $25 a month for an extra phone line from Verizon. They canceled both Verizon and AOL on March 24 and replaced them with high-speed Internet through Adelphia cable, which costs $45.95 per month.
The AOL spokesman said the Internet company is sympathetic to the couple's problem and would consider giving them "a chance to come back with free months of service."
Patty Pedersen said they would return without the free service, if their phone bill was paid by AOL.
Her husband is hoping to find more people who have had similar experiences with AOL's AutoFix application and said he is considering taking legal action against the Internet giant. He can be reached by e-mailing grumpspedo@adelphia.net.
The Union Leader
Updated: 11:28 p.m. ET April 02, 2004April 3 - LITCHFIELD - After running an America Online program designed to optimize their Internet connection, a local couple ended up with slightly better service and an astronomical phone bill.
Ken and Patty Pedersen, of Louise Drive, both retired and 67 years old, had two phone lines, one of which they used exclusively for their AOL Internet connection.
On Feb. 26, Ken Pedersen ran a free diagnostic program offered by AOL, "AutoFix," which claimed it would optimize their on-line experience.
"They offered a free program - 'optimize your computer' - so I did it," he said.
In the process, he said, the local phone number he used to log onto AOL's system was changed to a phone number in Alstead, which was labeled, "Added by AutoFix."
Pedersen said the program didn't indicate the origin of the number and the first time he knew it was an Alstead exchange was when he opened his phone bill March 15.
Alstead is on the border with Vermont, 80 miles from Litchfield, and is a toll call. The Pedersens have been billed from 10 cents to 21 cents for each minute the Internet was connected - racking up more than $1,000 on their phone bill so far.
"I clicked 'yes' and all hell broke loose," he said.
The Pedersens leave their computer on day and night with the Internet connected, so they tallied thousands of minutes of toll calls from Feb. 26 to March 15.
According to their most recent Verizon bill - which does not include the 24-hour-a-day connection from March 6 to March 15 - the Pedersens made five short calls to Alstead and one that lasted thousands of minutes.
The sixth call, placed at 11:37 a.m. on Feb. 26, did not end until Ken Pedersen logged off AOL on March 15 after seeing the phone bill.
The Pedersens' bill is $1,009.05 - not including the charges for nine more days that will appear on their next Verizon bill.
AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham said AutoFix does not automatically change the dial-up numbers, but it does "point out new dial-up numbers that could be better numbers."
The suggested numbers are in the subscriber's home area code, Graham said, adding that subscribers are cautioned to check with the phone company to make sure the numbers are local calls.
"AOL does not re-route, switch, change or do anything to the dial-up string. It's the member that drives the process and makes the selection . . . Unfortunately, there is always room for consumer error," he said. He said AOL does not reimburse subscribers for phone bills.
Before he ran AutoFix, Pedersen said he had three Nashua numbers programmed for login. After running the software, two new numbers were added and their Internet connection was better, he said, because they no longer got bumped off the system. But they were never warned they may be calling a toll number, he said.
"A little warning that said this may be harmful to your budget would be helpful," he said.
"I wouldn't have thought to check (the dial-up number). Why would I?," Patty Pedersen said.
The Pedersens do not blame Verizon. "AOL, on the other hand, I feel that they have some liability. I used their program in good faith and they zapped me," he said.
Verizon spokesman Alan Court warned that dial-up users must be careful when using auto-dialing programs to ensure the number is local.
It makes sense for AOL to balance out its network by diverting people to less used regions, Court said, but subscribers should be informed.
Phil Hatcher, chairman of University of New Hampshire's Computers Science Department at the College of Engineering, said he thinks the Pedersens have a legitimate complaint and that AOL is in the wrong.
"There is a level of trust you expect to get as a consumer," he said.
The software should include a clear warning reminding customers to check dial-up settings, he said.
When the Pedersens called AOL to complain on March 15, the AOL customer support representative said that the problem could not happen.
"It's so frustrating when you're telling them what happened and they say, 'That can't happen,' " Patty Pedersen said.
The Pedersens were paying $28.90 a month for unlimited AOL service and roughly $25 a month for an extra phone line from Verizon. They canceled both Verizon and AOL on March 24 and replaced them with high-speed Internet through Adelphia cable, which costs $45.95 per month.
The AOL spokesman said the Internet company is sympathetic to the couple's problem and would consider giving them "a chance to come back with free months of service."
Patty Pedersen said they would return without the free service, if their phone bill was paid by AOL.
Her husband is hoping to find more people who have had similar experiences with AOL's AutoFix application and said he is considering taking legal action against the Internet giant. He can be reached by e-mailing grumpspedo@adelphia.net.