Try to give up on being a company and let someone else who has passion do it. Google is better, hotmail is better, dogpile is better. Try hiring people who push the limits and and strive for greatness. Try being a something that the universe will remember as progressive, not someone that a small minded human would consider progressive. Try learning more about the universe you live in. No information is forbidden yet this is the level of intelligence you chose to stop at. Good luck on your future choices. I wont be hearing about a company call AOL in 20 years. This is a goodbye for that future date

Background:
My email suddenly stopped sending and receiving (minutes after it was working fine) a few days ago. I use the desktop version of Outlook with POP/SMTP settings. After days of trying to fix it, I realized that I needed to generate an app password in the Account Security section of my Verizon AOL email account, and then enter that password in the Outlook settings (File - Account Settings - Server Settings). I talked to an AOL customer support representative (which unfortunately is not 100% free - I needed to sign up for a paid monthly service with the first 30 days free and the option to cancel - which I will be doing). That representative informed me that AOL announced a change 3-4 months ago, but that they have been rolling out the change little by little so that not all customers are affected at the same time. Here are my recommendations:

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. PLEASE inform your affected customers several days in advance of the anticipated changes so that they have a heads-up that something will be changing with their account - and could affect any third party software that they are using. Send along information and help articles to help them troubleshoot the anticipated changes. And if you do something along these lines, be sure NOT to do it too close to the anticipated change (just hours before, or notifying them after the change)- because if people can't access their email, they won't be able to see it on the affected device.)

2. I did find one article that ultimately helped me to fix the issue:
   https://help.aol.com/articles/allow-apps-that-use-less-secure-sign-in

However, part of this article is confusing and I believe that the wording needs to change. It says,

"If you use AOL two-step verification or an older email app, you may need to use an app specific password to access AOL Mail. Just remember, app passwords are only valid for the app they are created for and remain valid until you sign out or remove access to the app. At that time, a new password will need to be created."

Notice it says that the app passwords are only valid ... until you sign out. I read this to mean that I would need to enter another app password again and again if I was not signed into AOL mail. The AOL support representative said the meaning was really until you delete that email account from your device. The words "Sign in" and "Sign Out" are used extensively for simply signing in and logging out of apps (and for online shopping, etc.) Please clear up the wording on this article.

3) When I did call customer support, I asked the representative to pass along the feedback that I gave above. I was told that he was unable to do so because he is in support. This is unacceptable. Your technical support representatives should be able to submit concerns from customers so that they can be addressed.

4) When I realized that the support agent was not going to send my feedback to anyone, I asked him how I could send feedback - and reiterated that I needed to sign up for a paid subscription just to be able to talk to him. At first, since we were already looking at the article at https://help.aol.com/articles/allow-apps-that-use-less-secure-sign-in. he instructed me to look at the bottom of the page and that I could use the links that said, "Talk to Us", "Email Us", or "Chat with Us". All three of those links send me to https://help.aol.com/contact/ - which only gives phone number options -- which would send me to the same type of AOL support agent who I talked to, who said he was unable to pass along my concerns. After a bit more searching he found the "Feedback" link at the top right corner of the article, so I'm posting here. I also notice that this is in more of a message board format, so there is no way for someone to reply to me directly in the way that they could with an email.

I expect far more as a customer of Verizon/AOL mail – and even more so after I have just signed up for a subscription.

I will simply re-post them, you tools. You think you can just dismiss legit complaints about your objectively AWFUL platform by marking feedback as "reviewed"and then do nothing about it?
Neat. Well I can REPOST. here you go. Try actually doing something next time instead of not.
Stop banning people for NO * REASON WHATSO * EVER.

You have THE WORST COMMENT MODERATION SYSTEM IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE. Seriously. YOU. ARE. THAT. BAD.

All the racist garbage I see and reply to everyday and you single out ME!?!?!

I did NOTHING WRONG and now I cannot comment ever. You just LIE TO ME and say I've violated your community guidelines WHICH I HAVEN'T,* liars.

Change your bad system, reinstate me, stop allowing racists to make racist comments while punishing anti-racists like me FOR NO REASON.