Why is getting rid of AOL so hard???????????

[live4christp1]

(that's AOL I'm hammering)

Have been trying for months to get rid of my AOL account. First time I call, "why do you want to cancel your account" "Because we really aren't using it" "well, let us do this, we'll give you two months free and you check out these helps we think you will really enjoy them". "well it really isn't an issue like that, we just don't have time to internet at home much" "well, we have a more basic plan we can switch you to after your two free months, you'll have to call us back and that plan is $9" "Okay"


Time passes

Get billed by AOL and realize I didn't call them to cancel after the two months. Okay so I call them again, same spill as before. This time I told them, "no, I don't want the free months, I don't want the discounted plan, etc., etc., etc. I WANT TO CANCEL MY AOL SERVICE". "Okay, we can do that, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah"

Get a letter in the mail saying my account was canceled and unless I notify them before X number of days I will loose my screen name, etc with AOL. Fine by me, don't use it anyway.

Check my account balance this morning and there is a charge for $23.90 and I know instantly what this is.....AOL!!!!!!!!!!!!


How can they keep billing me??????????????????????????

Am I going to have to close my checking account and open another that they don't have the account number for???????????

This is ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Nancy]

AOL is the pits...it took us forever to get rid of them. Many phone calls and supervisors later we finally got rid of them. We always got the hard sell each time we called too...even after we supposedy were cancelled. They did eventually credit us all the charges we had after we stopped service but it took awhile. I will never use AOL again.

 

[sk8belle]

Oh, man. I am going through the same thing and recently got the letter saying I was cancelled. I thought that would be the end of it, but from what you're saying, maybe not. Do you think if you show the cancellation letter to the bank and request a stop payment on the charge, they'd allow it? What a headache.

Good luck with this. There was a thread on this not so very long ago with some real horror stories.

 

[cardaway]

Oh, man. I am going through the same thing and recently got the letter saying I was cancelled. I thought that would be the end of it, but from what you're saying, maybe not. Do you think if you show the cancellation letter to the bank and request a stop payment on the charge, they'd allow it? What a headache.

Good luck with this. There was a thread on this not so very long ago with some real horror stories.

Their software installs itself into everything on your computer without your permission. Why should the customer service be any different than the software.

 

[Jingle]

My daughter actually changed bank accounts to prevent AOL from taking more money out of her account (by debit card) because she just couldn't get them to cancel her account. That was about eight months ago. Since then, she's moved back home. She recently received a letter at our home address saying it was a "Final Notice". If she wanted her service continued, and wanted to keep using her screen name, she would need to pay up. That's eight months later!

 

[T1130]

I too had a hard time cancelling. Finally I told the guy shut up,stop speaking to me and cancel the account. They do give a hard sell.

 

[pixiemomma]

I had the same problem with compuserve. Honestly it was just a matter of talking to the right CS rep. (It took 3 prompt calls.)

 

[Maleficent13]

I have always wondered (having never had AOL) why, when you are cancelling and they ask why, someone doesn't just say, "Because I no longer have a computer".

Exactly what kind of hard sell can they give you then?

Worth a shot, anyway. That's what I'd do.

 

[pyrxtc]

It took me over two yrs and over 4200 on my CC that they went above the limit on and lots of money and phone calls to finally shut it off. I would never use AOL again after that experience. never , ever take the free months. they will keep giving them to you hoping that you would forget to call(just like you did) and then get mroe money out of you. AS soon as you cancel, call your CC company or your bank and make it so that they will no longer accept charges from AOL. You can do it that way. I finally figured it out after the 2 yrs. big PIA!

 

[Alicnwondrln]

i hate AOL
we can celled them in oct got a letter saying we had cancelled and there would be no more charges but
last week there was a $14 charge for canceling
i called them and now am waiting for the credit
i hate aol
they wonder why theu lose so many customers

 

[live4christp1]

Prior to my charges last week, I had called the bank and put a stop payment on anything form AOL in from $1 - $100. So last week when I saw the $23.90 pending I called the bank and they said, "Oh, it's just pending, the stop payment will kick it out tomorrow." Check account this morning, $23.90 withdrawn, gone to AOL.



Need a little smilie face to insert here with smoke coming out of the ears, do we have one of those anywhere???????????????????????

 

[Christine]

I guess I was lucky. I had AOL for 6 years. I called and cancelled, didn't accept ANY of their offers, firmly said "no, no, no." I got the same confirmation letter as you and never had another charge appear on my account. Go figure.

 

[CapeCodTenor]

Wow...glad I never went with AOL.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

I have AOL and want to cancel. I haven't done it yet, because I've heard so many horror stories.

 

[poohbear2]

I just did this Sunday! Very easy after taking a few tips on the boards.

I told the agent that I would not have access to a computer, financially in a mess etc. He first tried to give me a month free but I would have to call back or get charged later on. I told him kindly, Please I don't want to play the games just cancel.

He wasn't so nice afterward and read off some prepared speech and connected me to a computerized notice that Iwould be terminated at my next payment date.

So be tough!! And Just tell them no games please!!

 

[safetymom]

When I moved here to FL one month there was a charge on my phone bill for AOL. I haven't had AOL in years. So I called them. They gave me the third degree when I stated that I didn't have AOL. So after about 45 mins. on the phone they said they would cancel it. They would also take the charges off the phone bill. The next month the same thing happened. It happened a 3rd month. Each time took about 45 mins. Finally I got them to believe me that it wasn't us that signed up for AOL and they sent a check for all the charges back to me.

Boy if I had ever thought I wanted AOL that was enough to scare me away.

 

[Free4Life11]

AOL is quite possibly one of the worst companies out there.

They are incredibly shady. Some of their actions are downright criminal if you ask me.

I cancelled my service. 8 months later they called my 16-year-old sister at my parents house and basically forced her into agreeing to re-sign me up and charge me! The lady asked her if she was my wife, "no I am his sister." Oh well this is such a great deal, trust me he will want, "I'm not really sure, he's not here right now." Well I'm going to do it anyways, it's such a great deal and I have all his billing information. My sister said the lady talked so fast and wish such an accent she couldn't keep up and the lady kept pressuring her. Try and figure out that one. If that's not illegal then I don't know what is.

 

[MICOL]

We were so sick of "goodbye" by AOL.So slow awful all the time. 2 years ago we got cable Comcast Broadband and it was so great and fast. Called AOL to cancel and it took 10 minutes. They tried everything and now two friends of ours did the same and it takes 15 minutes to get ride of them.

 

[ADisneygirl]

The first time I called to cancel, the AOL representative on the phone was just as persistent and relentless as all of the above. I was taken aback, and sort of bullied into accepting 2 free months to "think things over". Fast foward another 5 months......

Second call I was ready. I was firm. I was even being what I'd call rude. I was abrupt and gave one word answers, the answers always being "No." I simply stated that I was cancelling and I wanted a letter sent out today stating my account was cancelled. When asked a reason I said I am getting cable. She then tried to convince me to still use all the fabulous features of AOL with my cable. I said in my most monotone voice, " I do not need nor want AOL as my browser with my new cable connection, and I expect my cancellation to go into effect immediately."

It worked! Never got billed again.

 

[Imzadi]

Here's another thread on this a while back:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=923637

It gave a bunch of tips because others have had the same problem. From all the info, I finally did this:

I spoke to them for a few months about cancelling & they too gave me "free" months then ended up charging me for those "free" months!
Basically BEFORE cancelling the very last time, I went and bought a prepaid debit card & put very little funds on it. You can get one from Rite Aid or Walgreens usually "Free after Rebate." I went into my AOL account changed the credit card or (checking account) on file to the new prepaid debit card.

I then went & changed my phone number on file so they couldn't spam me with phone calls.


Sure enough, they tried to charge the prepaid debit card (which didn't have enough funds for that "free" month & emailed me saying my card didn't work & THEY would cancel my service!

Instead of calling them again, I faxed them copies of my official cancellation stating how we both mutually cancelled each other. Then I sent them a certified letter of my offical cancellation, (return receipt requested, so I know they got it,) with a money order for what I owe them, stating how we both mutually cancelled each other. They should no longer be charging ME when they cut off my service & the money order was my FINAL payment in full for the time I did use. (Both address & fax number can be found on the other thread.)

My only hope is that they don't continue to "charge" me on the AOL account for a number of more months & then report ME to the credit bureaus for non-payment.