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From: baumgart@esquire.dpw.com (Steve Baumgarten)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: America Online
Message-ID: <1609@esquire.UUCP>
Date: 22 Nov 89 13:04:17 GMT
References: <29969.2562DE85@cmhgate.FIDONET.ORG> <1385@rodan.acs.syr.edu> <1249@key.COM> <5329@internal.Apple.COM>
Sender: news@esquire.UUCP
Reply-To: baumgart@esquire.dpw.com (Steve Baumgarten)
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Organization: Davis Polk & Wardwell
Lines: 24
In-reply-to: lsr@Apple.COM (Larry Rosenstein)

In article <5329@internal.Apple.COM>, lsr@Apple (Larry Rosenstein) writes:
>I almost didn't sign up because they put the burden on you to keep track 
>of your connect time, and you had to provide a credit card number.  The 
>way the offer was worded, it was supposed to be a benefit to them to have 
>people try out the system, yet they made it hard for people to do so.

This is what turned me off as well.  After getting the "You're a
member of a select group, we'd like you to test this system for us"
offer, I was surprised to see that they wanted a credit card number up
front and would give you a couple of hours of free time before they
started charging.  I figured if they were so interested in my opinion,
they should have just given me a login and password that worked for 2
or 3 hours of connect time, and after that made a pitch to me online
to sign up.

I have no problem giving CIS my credit card up front, because at least
I know what I'm getting into.  But for a new service with who knows
what in the libraries and an untested interface -- no way.

--
   Steve Baumgarten             | "New York... when civilization falls apart,
   Davis Polk & Wardwell        |  remember, we were way ahead of you."
   baumgart@esquire.dpw.com     | 
   cmcl2!esquire!baumgart       |                           - David Letterman