posted on September 20, 2001 12:12:36 AM
I figure if maybe I make enough noise somebody will do something. Anyone with AOL 6.0 or below, if you've had trouble signing in to ebay, let's hear about it here. What should we do? It appears that Ebay installed some new software that's got some bugs in it that's making it appear that folks signing on via AOL software have browsers not accepting cookies. If you've had problems post here, and let's see if we can get someone to listen. AOL AND Ebay seem blissfully ignorant, yet there are a number of reports trickling in on this forum about it, on another thread about cookies. Maybe AuctionWatch can pick up on this and start to find out what's wrong with an article.
posted on September 20, 2001 02:57:36 AMcollegepark, AOL members have had sign-in problems since day 1 (Sept 3) when they rolled the new sign-in page out. Here's the form letter they are now sending out (received 9/19 from a customer who couldn't bid because he couldn't get to his "My eBay" page to view lots he was "watching".
Nice that they don't say they'll fix it, or even that they're working on it. Just "get a new browser" seems to be the stance. Well, I'm sure the millions of registered AOL users are happy to hear that. I wonder how many even bother to write, rather than just leaving the site in frustration...
From what I understand, the easiest way to eliminate the problems is to go through eBay-Canada or other site that they haven't (yet) messed up.
**********
Hello XXXXX,
Thank you for your email. I would be happy to address your concerns
regarding the sign in process.
We are aware that some AOL members are experiencing difficulty with the
new sign in process. I would suggest that you try a different browser.
The AOL program uses the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser as a basis
for its web surfing capabilities. Many AOL members find that using this
hybrid browser is less robust when submitting data to our site. The
solution often is to use MSIE as a stand-alone browser in conjunction
with your AOL connection.
Please first be sure you are signed on to AOL as you normally would, and
have minimized the AOL window so that you are seeing the icons on your
computer desktop. Then click on the blue "e" icon on your desktop, or
access Microsoft Internet Explorer from your start / programs menu. This
will launch the MSIE browser as a stand-alone.
You can also use Netscape as a stand-alone browser. Many systems already
have the Netscape browser installed, and it is also available as a free
download on the Netscape web site:
http://www.netscape.com/
I am sure that this will resolve the sign in loop you have been
experiencing. Best wishes to you on your future endeavors. Thank you for
using eBay, we appreciate your business!
Regards,
XXXXXX
eBay Customer Support
______________________________
eBay
Your Personal Trading Community (tm)
posted on September 20, 2001 04:00:29 AM
Remember that limited and slower Internet access, non-standard email format, closed IM standards, poor tech support, and non-standard browser configuration are why AOL charges you more than other ISP services. So hard to use, no wonder it's why you are having problems.
eBay and most other sites design for the most commmonly used browsers. When you finally get smart enough to ditch AOL in favor of Earthlink or other ISP, you'll be glad you set up IE to use as your browser of choice--get all your bookmarks into IE now. Blaming eBay is dumb.
As a former AOL subscriber, I can only tell you that I enjoy much faster and more reliable service while saving money every day and a big chunk of hard drive space.
posted on September 20, 2001 04:18:48 AM
Almost everyone running a PC has a version of Internet Explorer on their system. You might need to upgrade to a new version of it, but that is a fairly easy task. You should have all the security upgrades etc. anyway.
The few times I've had to use AOL, while on a friends system etc, I've always signed on, minimized the AOL eye candy browser, and launched IE. It is much faster and you don't have to deal with all the clutter that is a part of AOL.
posted on September 20, 2001 05:09:07 AM
>Anyone with AOL 6.0 or below, if you've had trouble signing in to ebay, let's hear about it here. What should we do?<
Very simple fix.......
Ameritech DSL
We suffered through 5 years of AOL excuses before finding the real world with DSL.
No more second phone line, no more busy signals, online all the time and NEVER booted off!
In less time than it takes to load up AOL and sign on I can have checked our auctions and read all of our email. (and probably answered them also!)
The ONLY fix I have ever found for AOLs problems was to dump them.
posted on September 20, 2001 05:09:24 AM
I know all the negatives about AOL, but I also know that 32% of my customers have AOL accounts. As a seller, I refuse to accept eBay's stance that the solution is for AOL users to use the "stand-alone" IE (or Netscape). There ARE many AOL users that are not tech-savvy. They don't know how to launch IE. They probably don't even know how to contact eBay to ask the question (they make it pretty difficult). Most probably just leave eBay & don't bother with teh hassle.
eBay needs to fix this problem. It started 9/3, the day they rolled it out, and still exists today. It is unacceptable to not support a platform that so many users rely on, right or wrong.
posted on September 20, 2001 07:02:22 AM
I use AOL 6.0 with no current eBay problems.
I was stuck in a loop for filing NPB's but it has been fixed.
However...
I am AOL with BYOA (bring your own access, I have DSL).
* Don't know if that makes the difference *
One Nation, under God, INDIVISIBLE, with liberty and Justice for All.
posted on September 20, 2001 07:14:12 AM
i have AOL,yes,i have been having problems since early september.
the problem of launching internet explorer after minimising aol window is that i have a compaq computer and when i try to use IE,i have to deal with their search engines etc.
AOL is more friendly and simple to use,or may be some of us use it so much we have become very used to it/
as to earthlink and other providers,how reliable are they??
PSINET i heard is facing financial difficulties,these days any business enterprise which is not profitable,watch out.
some of us have reason not wanting to switch provider as we have email addr printed on business card,stationary and have suppliers and customers who email us.
AOL at least is financially strong and thier customer service does respond to queries.
posted on September 20, 2001 09:01:57 AM
Hwah, I had AOL for almost ten years. DUMB DUMB DUMB. I now have @home so I have the obvious speed increase due to the cable modem. But in addition, my software doesn't lock up or hang there for ages like AOL does, I don't have sign in or cookie problems anywhere (I even have them disabled on eBay!) and my pictures are loaded faster for my potential buyers (I've tested on other people's computers).
I use IE and Outlook Express-they do have problems but in general are far more streamlined than AOL's software which seems cumbersome and lethargic in comparison. I used to hate it when AOL would do something, who knows what, and tie up the computer for ages because I couldn't get out of it.
I re-did the business cards, etc. and it was WELL worth it in aspirin and time saved from the headaches! I highly recommend exploring the options out there. Don't dump your AOL account yet, but try some of those free-for-30-days or whatever deals out there.
posted on September 20, 2001 09:17:44 AM
Me again-didn't get evberything in my previous note...Hwah, I have a Compaq too, all you have to do is change the home page in IE to get away from that crap.
Reliability-I tested a few ISPs...I found that most of the larger ones like Earthlink have comparable reliability. In fact, the local AOL dial-ups here need expansion so badly that they're actually pretty UNreliable. I had problems dialing up all last Christmas.
posted on September 20, 2001 09:25:13 AM
I use AOL daily to access eBay, even though I have a regular ISP. I've had the "cookies" problem, but it's been easy to get around. Just go to any other page FIRST...i.e., click on Search...and then sign in from that page. It works for me.
posted on September 20, 2001 10:21:00 AM
Ebay probably doesn't have to "dumb down" to make their site work with AOL--just some conditional code, but considering that AOL is a major advertising supporter of eBay, it'd be reasonable to not bite the hand that feeds you.
While AOL is made for those who have no computer savvy, almost any of the other big ISPs are virtually as easy to set up and use. As to an AOL user not knowing how to launch IE, what's to know? You click/double click on an icon. How hard is that?
posted on September 20, 2001 10:29:52 AM
wbdareme
I use AOL and the only time I have problems with ebay is when I use the keyword. If I type in www.ebay.com I have no trouble signing in.
I don't have too many problems with AOL in general, no freezing, hardly ever get booted off, no problem with cookies from websites. When anyone I know gets a computer and asks my advice about ISPs I recommend AOL, it is easy for people who don't know much about the internet or computers, and is full of help areas, if anyone has a question.
posted on September 22, 2001 08:43:31 PM
Am still having problems. Here's what I got back from Ebay:
Hello,
Thank you for writing about the Input Errors you are still receiving
while attempting to Sign In to some functions of eBay. We apologize for
the confusion. At the time you wrote in we had only been notified of the
problem by Netscape users. We are now aware that the problem appears to
happening on all web browsers and we are working as quickly as possible
to correct this problem.
We apologize for this inconvenience and thank you for your patience and
understanding. We're grateful to have you as a member of the eBay
community.
Regards,
Erin M. L.
eBay Customer Support
______________________________
posted on September 23, 2001 11:53:41 PM
Below is a notice from Ebay giving further info.. That they would go ahead and launch the software, bugs and all, without fully testing it, speaks volumes about how they run things there. I'd be willing to be it's more than just a "few users" having problems, but don't worry the stockholders..... And this was supposed to be a major improvement!
-----------------------
***Sign In Update***
Some users are still having difficulty with the new sign in process on eBay. Here are some of the issues still involved, and ways you can work around some of the difficulties.
A few users are receiving error messages stating that they cannot be signed in because cookies are not enabled on their browsers, when cookies are in fact enabled. We have made significant progress in identifying this issue and correcting it. If you still encounter this error message, you may find that the following steps help to alleviate the issue.
First, be sure to sign in to eBay BEFORE logging in to any of the discussion boards:
*Community Help Boards
*Category-Specific Discussion Boards
*eBay User to User Discussion Boards
*eBay Workshops
*eBay Affiliates Boards
(Chat boards are not affected.)
Second, if you still have problems signing in to the rest of eBay, close all of your open browser windows and then re-open a new browser to sign in to eBay.
Some users have reported that "sign out" does not fully sign them out of eBay. We have corrected some of the issues that cause this, and are making progress toward correcting the rest.
Some AOL users have reported that they appear to be caught in a sign-in loop, returning them to the sign in page after they are signed in. This has been corrected and should no long occur.
Several things about how you use eBay have changed with the new sign in process. Please remember the following:
Users with multiple accounts on the same computer (including those who use shared equipment at libraries, universities, etc.) should remember to sign out when they are finished using eBay. Please click the "sign out" button to sign out, in addition to closing your browser. Also, remember never to click the "keep me signed in" option if you share your computer with other users.
In the past, because eBay did not remember users, multiple users could share one computer to view their eBay accounts without having to sign out. Now users who share one computer should remember to "sign out" at the end of their visit so that the following user can "sign in".
Also, some users have multiple accounts that they wish to view simultaneously. In the past, users could simply open a new browser window to view other accounts. Users who wish to view multiple accounts simultaneously must:
*View multiple accounts in different browser types (e.g. one in Netscape and one in Internet Explorer)
OR
*Open an entirely new browser instance by clicking on the Internet Explorer icon.(Users should not simply open a new browser window from the open window by clicking "control-N" or clicking "new window" from the header.)
Also, in order to prevent sign in errors, users should delete old bookmarks of:
*Sign in
*All My eBay pages
*Any other pages that requires a sign in
Users should bookmark the new updated pages after signing in to the new pages with one of the following changes:
*Bookmark an eBay page (e.g. My eBay) and, for your security, sign in once per visit.
*Bookmark an eBay page, select the "keep me signed in to this computer until I sign out" and you will not have to sign in every time you visit.
Finally, many users have found that these issues can be resolved by deleting cookies from the computer. However, WebTV users may not be able to clear their cookies themselves. Often, simply unplugging your WebTV unit will clear your cookies. If not, you will need to contact WebTV customer support.
We continue to work hard to resolve this situation, and we appreciate your continued patience.
Regards,
eBay
[ edited by Collegepark on Sep 23, 2001 11:55 PM ]
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