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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.

Linda of Port Orchard, WA May 1, 2009

I have been lied to and cheated for 9 months while trying to get AOL to close an account I was paying for in my daughter's name.

They told me they could not bring up an account using my daughter's name, phone number or address. Nor could they bring up an account using my name. They wanted me to provide the number to the card they were charging for AOL services, however, it was replaced by a new one so I did not have access to the old number. I was told by one supervisor (Christine in the Philipines) that I needed to get the authorization number from my bank for the latest transaction and she could locate the account that way. Unfortunately, when I called back I got a different call center, India, and the supervisor there, Jack, so I had to start from the beginning with searching by names and phone numbers etc. then he said he could not use the authorization number (that I took the time to get from my bank) to bring up an account and he did not know why Christine would have told me such a thing was possible. Now we are at 1.5hrs on the phone, today alone, and he says I'm out of luck cancelling the account if I cannot give him the Visa number used to initiate the account! WHAT!!

I asked how many other call centers they have and he said there was only India and the Philipines. So I called until I got the Philipines call center and asked to speak to Christine, who of course, was not available so I spoke to Supervisor Axel. He used the Authorization number, that Jack said could not be used, to bring up an account and guess what? He brought up the account and guess what? It was in my daughter's name! The name Christine said she could not bring up an active account in! He said he could have brought it up under her name and that it was an active account. He is the first AOL employee to be able to bring up any active account that I was being billed for. That is why I believe they are liers and cheats! He said that since there were no calls made previously, he could not not refund any charges.

I told him that having no notes of my or my daughter calling previously does not mean we did not. We were simply told there was no active account to make notes on. I actually had a bit of a conversation about that issue with both Christine and Jack as well as Axel. So, the rule about having proof that you have tried to cancel an account or they will have to refund you... well they get around that by just pretending they can't find an account until one day you get someone who will actually admit to bringing up the "active" account that you are being bogusly billed for; you have no proof you ever called before because there are no notes on the account as they "could not locate an active account" any other time you called, therefore you are stuck paying for something you didn't even get to use.

Holly of Hollywood, FL April 27, 2009

I went to an AOL free service, after paying them for 12 years a monthly fee. The deactivated my account and will not tell me why unless I write to them, which, of course, take forever to resolve this problem. I called 3 different executives at AOL and have not received call backs. I do not have access to my email.

Bernard of Grand Rapids, MI April 25, 2009

I too have been ripped off by AOL in trying to cancel the internet service. I was an AOL internet subscriber for about 15 years and always paid my fees on time. Many years ago I went to annual service fee charged to my credit card in January/February. This year 1/24 an annual fee of 239 popped up on my credit card. I called the card company to dispute it and they put a hold on the charge. I tried calling AOL to cancel on 1/26/09 and they said they would and a cancellation notice was received. I thought that was the end of it. Two months later it showed up again on my credit without notice. I contacted the credit card company and they said AOL had sent in the "paperwork" documenting my responsibility to pay. I said that I had a cancellation notice and had not had the service for two months. The credit card company said to fax in the cancellation notice. I did but the 239 was never taken off. I paid the credit card bill and called AOL's "customer service" again. "Mike" the accented "supervisor" I talked to said he was "powerless" to refund any money even though I had a cancellation and essentially was not using the service for the year's worth of premiums I was paying ahead of time. He said the only thing he could do was to re-start my service which I did not want of course. I stated that no other service for which I pay simply charges me without notice ahead of time--no other utility etc. simply goes into my credit card account and charges me like that--none. He gave me this song and dance that I had been "notified" in September with the chance to cancel by October. I made two points to him: 1. The email notice was four months in advance (among many other emails) and no other utility does it so far in advance of a due date, where one would expect a later notice. 2. The purport of the email was that AOL annual subscription customers could change to a monthly fee. I did not want to change to a monthly fee; I wanted to use up my prepaid annual subscription and then when they notified me like any other utility about 4 weeks in advance, then I would cancel it. This practice should be considered fraud and a congressional investigation is in order.

Ann of Belmont, MA April 25, 2009

I had an aol account from 2001 until 2004. I believe they did not cancell it in May of 2004 when I requested it. Many people obtained my pass word through my son and daughter, so I requested my account and screen name cancelled. I was accused of sending bad or discusing e-mails that I did not send. my young daughter was recieving strange e-mail from our own account. I think that screen name could be still being used by someone other than me. those e-mails caused court action against me and yet no one has stopped that account. I tryed several times via e-mail and telephone to remove my screen name and account but aol did not do that. How can I find out if someone is still using it? AOL will not help me.

Sharon of North Hollywood, CA April 17, 2009

Sharon of North Hollywood CA (04/17/09)
I cancelled online internet service with this co. about 8 or so months ago. They ignored my 2 e-mail attempts to cancel service. Finally I had to stop pay to the co. which cost me a bank fee. A few months ago they decided to help themselfs to my bank account again, and I would not have known they were helping themselfs to my account until a non-suffiecent funds notice arrived, which cost me another bank fee.

Had to close the checking account-feel that my account information was abused, incurred add'l bank fee's, Bank of America denies any error's were made. And that I did not give any re-authorization to allow my bank account to be accessed. 129.50 takenplus bank fee's 68.00.

James of Willoughby, OH April 15, 2009

James of Willoughby OH (04/15/09)
I cancelled AOL in December and the service was cancelled. The problem they still charged me another year of service. I am being charged for something I do not have. I contacted what they call customer service? They stated I had to cancel in Sept. not to be charged, 4 months before my agreement was up. They have no interest in solving this problem.

I lost my job in November and now I have a Credit Card bill I can not afford. I am going to have to borrow money to pay this. The stress over this is effecting me mentally. I am paying for a service I do not have. I certainely hope they do not try to charge me for anything else.

Dianne of Mission, TX April 10, 2009

Dianne of Mission TX (04/10/09)
In 2006 AOL refused to cancel my service and continued to bill my credit card without permission. I cancelled the credit card after numerous attempts to get them to stop billing me for services I was not using. AOL is now (2009) trying to collect 47.95 for unpaid service that occurred after I cancelled the credit card. I have requested a paper bill because I will not give AOL my credit card information again. They refuse to send me a bill and threaten to ruin my credit if I don't pay them using a credit card immediately.

47.95 for disputed bill. Damaged to my credit report Wasted time dealing with annoying phone calls from India.

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