AOL won't let customers cancel account!

[MickeyMouseGal]

http://www.nbc10.com/news/9406462/detail.html

I had this same problem a few years ago. I called to cancel and thought it had been done. A few months later, I got a charge on my credit card for several months worth of AOL that I hadn't used! During that time, I had even changed credit cards (for other reasons), yet they STILL were able to push charges through because they said I had 'authorized' the charges! (Um, yeah... I had authorized charges when I signed up, but not since I cancelled!!) First they offered me several free months worth of AOL, but I wouldn't bite. When I told them that they were not authorized to add any more charges to that card, they refused to stop the account until they had my NEW credit card number!
I was finally able to ditch them, but they used every dirty trick in the book. I ended up telling the girl on the phone, "Listen to what I'm saying. You are NOT authorized to charge ANYTHING to my credit card, EVER!!!" And then I made sure that she sent me a notice of cancellation in WRITING! It still took forever to get rid of them and neither I nor anyone in my family will NEVER use AOL again! Jerks!

 

[drgnfly30]

I saw that story this morning... I cancelled my AOL account about 2 months ago, I was actually prepared to battle but found it was very easy!

 

[SplshMtn99]

Bottom of the story:

IS YOUR FATHER HOME?

 

[Evil Queen]

I went through this years ago with them.

I wouldn't go back to using them for anything. I argued with them almost daily, contacted the BBB, and finally the State of Florida.

Mine was canceled, and refunded all monies paid to them for 6 months. They charged me for 2 months after canceling.

 

[MickeyMouseGal]

I saw that story this morning... I cancelled my AOL account about 2 months ago, I was actually prepared to battle but found it was very easy!

What reason did you give them for cancelling?
Make sure to check your credit card statements to be sure they're not still charging you. I thought mine was cancelled the first time around and it wasn't.

 

[Hillbeans]

There have been a few threads about this in years past. Lots of DISers have gone through very similar horror stories (myself included).

I got into a screaming match with an AOL customer service rep. I was trying to cancel my service and she kept trying to sell me Broadband. It was like she was purposely being a jerk and not listening to a word I was saying. For some reason or another I told her "Listen lady, you work for me, I pay for your paycheck and I demand my account be closed". She then told me she didn't work for me, blah blah blah and finally I got my account closed.

I hope to never need them again. What stinks is that I liked their service but it was way to expensive.

 

[Aidensmom]

I didn't have trouble when I cancelled my AOL account (about 5 years ago), but when I cancelled MSN a couple of years ago they tired to tell me I had a lot of usage too. Don't see how that could have been since I had uninstalled it. I wonder if that is just a standard line used in the industry to try to keep you. (MSN did cancel my account, they just tried to talk me out of it.)

 

[Holly]

I went through the same thing, as well. All of the sudden, after not using AOL for many months- I was charged for an entire year!

 

[tiki23]

I had the very same problem with AOL...I feel for that guy in the news story!. I finally started to record the call about 10 minutes into my going-nowhere-conversation. I told the rep "Look, all I want to do is please close my account. Since you can't seem to understand that, I am now recording this call for quality assurance." He went off on me about how that was illegal and he'd report me, all he was trying to do was help me and yada, yada, yada. I think it finally took about a half an hour to to get him to cancel it, and then he got mad at me again when I made him give me the transaction/record number.

Never again!

 

[goofy's friends]

I had the same experience. MAN!!! I finally got ahold of a rep that seemed to have it out for AOL too. She was more than helpful!!!

 

[MickeyMouseGal]

After all of the problems I had, they still wouldn't completely cancel the account, but instead listed it as 'inactive'. She warned me that if I ever logged back on with that username, the $24.99 charges would start again.

 

[Esmerelda]

I saw this story later on this evening. I had to chuckle....I had been in this guys shoes but wasn't smart enough about 5 years back to tape my conversation!

They gave me the major runaround. Told me I couldn't cancel until such and such date...or there would be a monetary penalty. Yadda..yadda..yadaa...my contract had expired 6 months back...I had no ties to their company. After about 3 phone calls...I told them I was NOT paying them another dime and to stop trying to bill me...and my lawyer would be calling them if they tried to harrass me. They finally stopped.

For the record...their service sucked when I tried to use it...this is why I cancelled them in 2001. Kudos to the young man that finally did something about their lack of professionalism....

Esmerelda

 

[Planogirl]

I had the worst time cancelling AOL. It was awful!!!

We had to threaten and really get nasty before they would listen. I will NEVER use them again.

 

[NCDisneyMom]

Oh great...I was planning to cancel my aol in a couple of weeks. I'll be prepared for a fight, and I'll make sure the kids aren't around to hear it.

 

[palmtreegirl]

Years ago we had the same thing happen to us.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

this has been going on for YEARS

I can't understand why anyone would sign up for AOHELL

 

[Sleepy]

I cancelled with AOL about 4 or 5 years ago. Reason was because they had a deal going where if you refer a new customer and that new customer kept service for at least 3 months, you got a check in the mail for $50. Well, I did exactly as AOL instructed. 3 months passed and then 4 and then 5 and still no check. I called AOL and they said they had no record of my referal. I could look in my acct and see that in fact, the referal was there. I told them I was cancelling my acct and going with another provider. They said they would give me a few months of AOL for free. I told the guy that in the first place, the few months they would offer me, would not equal a $50 value. Secondly, they give unlimited numbers of free months everyday to anyone who picks up that free disc offered at any retail store that has the bin. They were not really giving me anything of monetary value to them as would giving me $50. I was told I would get $50 in the mail. By them giving me free months, it was not coming out of their financial pocket. It's the principle. He was very rude. I finally got him to cancel my acct and was so glad I did, because I went to cable internet and it was wonderful. I received many discs in the mail with offers of 2 months free service if I signed back up. JUst not worth it.

AT&T was a tough one for me to leave. This was several years ago when my local service and long distance decided to do a split of services. In the past, if you did not make a long distance call, no big deal, nothing showed up on your bill. Then, without notifying me, they started charging long distance as a seperate bill. The way they had it set up, if you used at least $15 dollars worth of long distance, you got a bill every month, but if you did not, the bill would come every 3 months and you would be charged $15 for a service fee. Well, I got the bill after 3 months because I never used long distance. I had a cell phone for that. I called to complain. Long story short, I cancelled the service after having to pay the bill. I got a letter in the mail shortly after thanking me for becoming a new customer. WTH! I called and cancelled again and told them that this acct is to NEVER be opened again EVER! and that it better be noted on the acct. A few weeks later, got yet another letter in the mail thanking me for being new customer. Again, I called and closed the acct and told them again to make notation that this acct had better not EVER be reopened by ANYONE....including us!

I could not believe my eyes when I got yet another letter reopening that same acct! This time I called them and told them that acct had better be closed with super glue and if it was ever reopened again I would contact my lawyer and they better make notation in that computer they are looking at. (all previous notations were still on the acct.). I told them that if it had not been for receiving the letters, I would have never been aware of the acct being opened and 3 more months would have gone by before I wold know about it. The new bill in the mail would be my notification and by then it would be too late and I would end up owing them yet another $15 every 3 months for a service I never use. They never bothered me after that.

 

[Pixiedust34]

We had a horrible time canceling AOL. It was one of the worst companies I've ever encountered.

 

[helenabear]

We had a terrible time canceling as well. Eventually our phone company said they would take care of it for us. Not sure what made us call them about it (maybe it was billed to our phone bill at that time), but for whatever reason we contacted them. They said they had the worst time with getting AOL to cancel for other people, but they would take care of it for us. They did

 

[disneynutt1225]

I have a friend that received free AOL for almost 2 years because every time he'd try to cancel, they'd give him another few free months. It got to be ridiculous!