``mountain Laurels'' Is A Regular Series Of Letters From Readers Conveying 
Thanks To Individuals Or Groups For Their Support, Help Or Kindness.

2 Lawsuits Filed Against Ymca

By PAMELA C. TURFA; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Thursday, January 30, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





America Online users: You know the frustration of waiting hours --
sometimes days -- to get a connection to the nation's largest online computer
service. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Phil Struzzeri also knows the frustration of disconnecting. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He signed on to the service in mid-December, tempted by the offer of
unlimited service for $19.95. After trying 200 times to sign on (and hooking
up only three times), Struzzeri had enough. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Tuesday night, the Jenkins Township resident called AOL's toll-free number
to cancel his service and get his money back. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 First, he waited 20 minutes to cancel. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Then he was given a "transfer code" and three other toll-free numbers to
call for his refund. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He used two telephone lines to call two of the refund numbers, propping a
phone at each ear. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He ate a plate of spaghetti. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He ate a salad. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He drank a soda and two cups of coffee. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Thirty-seven minutes later, he hung up one phone. He used that line to call
a Times Leader reporter, offering his credit card number to give a reporter a
taste of how difficult it is to disconnect. The reporter declined. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Meanwhile, Struzzeri hung on to the other connection, listening to sales
pitches from AOL between the background music. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Fifty-five minutes later, he finally got the connection he wanted -- the
one that gave him money back for not being able to connect. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The kicker: During his almost hour-long wait, his wife drove to a doctor's
office, was seen by the doctor and returned home. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 His advice now: "I wouldn't touch AOL online for one year with a 10-foot
pole." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Struzzeri isn't afraid of computers or put off by computer problems. He's a
medical bill specialist for a local computer company. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In a way, his own expertise made his AOL experience all the more
frustrating. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They've already overmarketed and didn't have the product available." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Patience, ingenuity order of the day &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 AOL agreed Thursday to settle lawsuits threatened by 37 states by offering
refunds to customers and warning potential customers in advertisements that
they might have trouble getting a connection. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The online service also has promised millions to upgrade its system so that
customers can connect. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Frustrated customers say the improvements can't come fast enough. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Meanwhile, computer experts and AOL's representatives say customers who
want to hang onto their e-mail addresses have some options other than
canceling: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Access your AOL account through a local Internet provider. AOL will sell
you an unlimited "bring your own access" account for $9.95 per month if you
connect using another company's phone lines. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Doing that probably will run you about $30 per month -- but you won't have
to give up your e-mail address. And, some users report the connection is
faster. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 To find out how, select HELP at the Welcome screen, then search for TCP/IP. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Consider downgrading your account with AOL to the $4.95 per month for three
hours. That's not a lot of money to hold onto an e-mail address that you've
used extensively and would lose if you cancel. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Try avoiding peak hours of 7 to 11 p.m. It's easier to get a connection at
5 or 6 a.m. Also, set up flash sessions during the middle of the night to
download e-mail and other files. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And, AOL suggests checking its list of access numbers regularly to see if
new ones have been added. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At this point, only one Wilkes-Barre number is available. (And, you'll pay
toll charges if you use a toll call number, like one in Scranton.) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Put Off By America Online? Some Options Are Available 
The Computer Service Provider Vows To Unclog Its Lines, But In The Meantime, 
Electronic Horror Stories Abound

Put Off By America Online? Some Options Are Available The Computer Service Provider Vows To Unclog Its Lines, But In The Meantime, Electronic Horror Stories Abound