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AOL - Hard to Cancel

AOL/America Online • AOL Pays $3 Million, Promises to Clean Up Cancellation Process • AOL Settles Florida Fraud Charges • AntiSpyware Group Targets AOL Release As Dangerous • AOL Heads Roll Over Data Leak • AOL Now Free ... Sort Of • AOL Takes More Hits In Press, On Internet • AOL's Problems Worsen as Consumer Complaints Mount • AOL Embarrassed by CNBC Report On Its Business Practices • E-Mail Taxation Without Representation • AOL, Yahoo Planning Postage Charges for Email • AOL Settles With NY, Agrees to Clean Up Cancellation Process • Ohio Settles Lawsuit With AOL • AOL Abandons Broadband • Ohio Latest to Sue AOL • AOL Loses 2 Million Clients, Faces Subpoenas • Class Action Accuses AOL of Double-Billing Scheme • AOL Offers to Settle Federal Charges --- Consumer Complaints • Cancellation Difficulties • Double-billing • "Free" Hours • Unauthorized Charges • Shop-Direct Complaints • Tech Support

It's been said that canceling AOL is harder than eradicating the common cold. It seems that AOL wants to be your Internet-service-for-life.

M. of Richland, MO January 27, 2010

AOL is famous for the difficulty it gives customers trying to cancel service. We were with them since 1995 and tried canceling online jan. 09 before our billing date. We filled out their form and submitted it. We were still charged our yearly fee of 240.00 for all of 2009. they are nearly impossible to get through to over the phone, but we were able to some time July 09, we wanted to once again try to make sure we canceled the dang account. Apparently we did because we just called to make sure, they told us it was closed last July, so we better not be charged again. The billing date is in 2 days so we'll find out.

I called our bank to see if I could block any charges, I could for 25.00 using a stop payment procedure which would last for 4 months. Or I could wait and see if AOL tried anything, if they did, I was told the problem could go to a dispute mediation process taking up to 10 days. I'm choosing to go this route, to let the bank duke it out for me. I've printed out a billing page under "edit my payment" which shows I can't edit anything because I only have a free membership. I figure this is my proof I have no paid account.

I was trying to find a way to confirm the account is closed, I think this does show that it is. Just wanted to let others know, my info and that they are still messing around with people trying to cancel and still charging for whatever reason. I've read other places that as of Dec. 09 and even Jan. 10 people are still having trouble with AOL doing this. Also, for those having trouble getting a live person use this number.....

Elizabeth of Abilene, TX November 24, 2009

My husband signed up for the one month free trial of AOL about two and a half years ago. When he tried to cancel the service he had forgotten his password and security question and was not able to reach anyone to cancel the service. He has been paying nearly 40.00 a month for a service he could not use or get rid of. About 6 months ago his credit card was turned off and he got a new one. Since AOL could not charge him any more, they sent a notice saying that the service would be canceled. My husband was getting ready to Deploy to Iraq at the time and was not able to follow up on it. AOL continued to charge the "canceled" account for four months.

By the time I received the next notice, the bill was 103.60 and my husband was in Iraq. Naturally, I called to take care of the account. They had no problem releasing the account information to me when I called to make the payment. When the payment finally went through, fifteen days later, it caused my account to go negative because I had forgotten about it by this time. My account received six overdraft charges leaving my balance at about negative 260.00. When I called the customer service department again to find out why the payment took so long to process and if they could reimburse me in any way,, they said that they could do nothing for me because I was not on the account and they could not violate my husband's privacy. My husband cannot contact them directly because he is still in Iraq. Meanwhile, my account is negative 250.00and they will not do anything to appease my situation. They had no problem taking the money, but when I called to make a complaint, they would not help.

ANNA of ESCONDIDO, CA November 23, 2009

I canceled my AOL acct. and they have turned my acct. over to Allied Interstate Collection Company. They call about every day and now I have just received a letter from Allied. The amount is 23.98. I do not owe this and I tried to explain that to their rep. but I think he was from India and he just keep saying if you don't pay they will take you to court. They are now harrassing me. Please tell me what I can do about this. This is causing me emotional distress.

Jennifer of Hydesville, CA November 11, 2009

I closed my account with AOL all accounts more then 5 years ago. They have been charging me 5.95 a month for at least that long, for a voice perium service. They said they see where it was closed but not the dial up voice land perieum service. This service was a part of the same account closed. This account has been in active in fact I have not had a computed in my home for over 4 years.

Ronald of New York, NY November 3, 2009

I and others in my former office have had free email accounts for years. This week service was terminated by AOL without notice. These accounts are used for a variety of purposes and are registered with vendors for biull paying etc. None if us knows the original security questions and AOL refuses to provide any means for us to reactivate the accounts. Several of us have placed calls and wind up with completely unhelpful agents in the Phillipines.

Pattie of Chesapeake, OH October 24, 2009

I have tried to cancel my service since July 2008 when I went with wildblue satelite. In July 2008 I called the 800# and thought I had cancelled service thru the automated line, however I did not discover until Feb 2009 that my service had not been cancelled and I had been billed monthly on my credit card. I realized that this may be my fault because I had not looked closely at my billing so I tried again in Mar 2009. The number is an automated line, it will not put you thru to a live person, the message I got on the phone was that my service would cancel on the 7th.

Again I was billed on my credit card,I called again same message,service had been canceled on the 7th, I did this five consecutive months. April 17,2009, May 11,2009, June 17,2009, July 7,2009, each time I got the message that my service had been canceled as of the 7th. (Feel free to call the number, I tried again tonight, Oct 23, 2009 and got the same message )Still I was being billed. I could not for whatever reason seem to cancel the service.

In July my credit card that they had on file expired, so I thought ok I will just eat these charges, its not worth the hassel, they won't be able to charge anymore on my credit card since it had expired. Boy, was I wrong they charged me again.By that time I had been paying them for over a year for service I did not have. I called the company my Credit card was with and explained to them what was going on and filed a dispute on the charges. To be fair I asked them to dispute the last four months of charges because I had written down on my calender when I called and I was sure of these dates. My credit card company credited me for four months.

On Oct.9, 2009 I received a delinquency letter that I owed them 47.96 and if I did not submit within 10 days they would send to collection agency. Which I did not send, by this time I'm thinking what the heck does it take to cancel service with this company. I then received a nasty phone call from aol collector, I advised them of my efforts to cancel and he was adament I was going to pay this. I advised him I was not going to pay something I did not owe and hung up, since he was being so nasty to me.

I then called my credit card company and advised them no charges were to be put on my credit card from AOL. My credit card company representative recommended I cancel my current card that the charges have been put on since AOL had my card number,so that no further charges can be made.

I received another collection call today, Oct, 23, 2009 from AOL stating that this was my last chance to pay this bill before being turned over for collection. I again went thru the whole thing and he tells me that my account has never been cancelled that it had only been suspended for nonpayment due to me changing the method of payment. (This was the 4 months that the credit card company disputed for me) and charged it back to AOL. I could not believe it when he said my account was only suspended and when it was paid I could use AOL again. I advised him I had not used AOL for over a year, I had no intentions of ever using AOL again. He then said he would offer me a 50% reduction on my past due bill if I would pay it now (with a credit card) I again advised him I did not owe this and was not going to pay and was definetly not giving my credit card number to him.

My account is still not cancelled per Aol representative , only suspended, it can not be cancelled until my outstanding bill is paid then they could re-activate. I don't think this representative heard a word I said and AOL has no intentions of canceling my service. So I am assuming that if I had agreed to pay and done so with a credit card over the phone my charges would have started up again.

I have a very good credit history and I would hate for 47.96 to cause me problems in the future but these charges would continue forever if I had paid. Something needs to be done, I have never experienced anything like this before, however I have read many reports over the internet about the same problem. Hopefully if enough people send in complaints something will be done.

Anne of By Bunessan, Isle of Mull, United Kingdom October 16, 2009

I called to cancel my AOL service and the person at AOL would not let me do it until I got very rude and finally had to hang up on him. He just wouldn't quit trying to convince me to stay with AOL. I was told that I would have internet coverage for 5 days until the Mac code was sent to me allowing me to switch to BT internet. But the next day my internet service was cut off. After a lot of aggravation I finally got back online. Something needs to be done about the way AOL treats its customers.

Melissa of Nashville, TN October 5, 2009

Beginning in 2005 I have tried numerous times to cancel an AOL account for which I was being billed through my checking account. I made phone calls,wrote letters, and sent a fax. Each time I tried to stop the charges I was put on hold, transferred told my account did not exist and multiple other stalling techniques. I have not used the account since about June 2000. Today I finally reached an account representative on the telephone who agreed to cancel the billing. He agreed that the account did show my attempt at least once (in 2007) to end the account, but could not explain why it continued. When I asked for a refund, I was told I could only have a 3 month refund. I think I should receive a refund for at least the total paid from 2007 to present, but was told that was impossible.

rebecca of jonesborough, TN September 28, 2009

I had canceled aol through e-mail and phone and they are still billing. they have actually billed me twice in August. It it so frustrating to not get them to cancel.

Marcia of Long Beach , CA September 24, 2009

I called and cancelled my account, they said fine effective that day, over a year ago,a year later, my account was overdrawn and I couldn't figure out why, then I got a billing notice from them! They had been charging me the whole time!

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