Wow. Sounds like ppl had some serious issues today. Major bummer!
Honestly, I didn't run into any problems until the end...my last 2 ppl.
I will say the following:
AOL = blech (BTW, "blech" is not a good thing)
Internet Explorer = double blech
Older computer = anywhere from 1 blech to 10 blechs
I use Verizon DSL (different areas will have different service providers for DSL). It works extremely well for me (I'm on the 3mb/second plan), and has been very reliable. I don't use IE as my browser anymore for VFK...I use FireFox now. Most people I know who use Firefox never go back to IE as a web browser. There is a learning curve, and it isn't bulletproof, but it has a small footprint and crashes WAY less than IE in my experience.
To give you an idea: my wife uses a desktop to play VFK and I use a laptop. The laptop is around 2 years old and your basic $600 Presidents Day sale HP laptop (2GB ram) running Windows Vista (aka, memory hog). lol. The desktop is custom (I've been building my own desktops for years), and it's a 'screamer' (4GB ram) running Windows XP. My wife likes to use IE. Guess who is always crashing while playing VFK??? Yup. My wife on the screaming desktop! If she does a quest on VFK, she can't run 5 tabs simultaneously without crashing before completing it. I'm on a much slower computer using Firefox and ran 8 open tabs today...no problems. Again, I always hop right back in a queue when I get the prize, then log that player out and right back in again.
VFK Help: needs help. lol. Today I finally got some rooms transferred to my kids account that I had received (I'm the main account holder). It only took......1 month and a BUNCH of emails. lol. However, I've also seen them do it within 24 hours. It's funny how sometimes things get done so quick and other times it takes forever. I was trying to get a title for one of my players for the longest time...ran into a guest online who asked me how to get a title. I told them to use the Help button to request it. She had it within about 5 minutes! I then proceeded to do the same thing (hey!...the right person must be working that night!). Took me weeks. lol. I've found that consistent - but not too frequent - prodding is what is necessary to get things adjusted on VFK...whether it's a title or room transfer, or a prize that should have been awarded. If I'm intent on having them do something for me, I might send them 1-2 help requests a day to get it done. Sometimes it happens right away. Sometimes not. Not sure what causes the inconsistency...but it's something I've come to expect. Persistence does eventually pay off though when dealing with VFK. Eventually they make it right. Phone calls can also help. Gale and the staff who answer the phones at VFK are some of the nicest people I've had the priveledge to talk to. They listen to what you have to say and are always eager to help in any way they can.
Guest titles: can be changed overnight or over a year. I've had titles approved over the phone in less than a minute. I've also had a guest without a title for about 3 months now...but it's because I like it just being a guest
I had chosen a title and it was rejected. If you leave it like that...it will stay a guest...forever I guess. Again, persistence is essential in getting titles approved.
Kim: keep an eye on your inventory to see when they award you the prizes you should have received. If you don't have them by tomorrow, send help requests again. Repeat if necessary however many times it takes to get what you earned. I also send help requests 2 different ways: with my title in the top box for the first couple, then I use "VFK Rides" for any necessary reports after that. I'm not sure how they screen help requests, but I have a feeling that if they see a subject of "VFK Rides" at the top, they'll know someone had a ride problem. If they see a help report with just a player title at the top, I'm thinking they might treat it as a "generic" help report...anything from a game suggestion to a title request. I could be completely wrong, but I didn't get my award for my first player today until I used "VFK Rides" in the subject line (or "player title" box). Worth a shot. No matter what, keep on them about it
The surprise: not a clue. lol. Everyone was surprised that there was no surprise....so there was a surprise? hehe.
Sorry to hear of the problems people had today. Try to hang in there and keep on VFK...politely, of course
Flamanar