cancelling aol / unsubscribed service

cancelling aol / unsubscribed service

AOL - we bought a new computer in the summer, it came with 'free' AOL subscription. We're happy with the current ISP and never activated AOL. 4 months later $23.90 charges started appearing on the credit card we used to buy the computer. Calling AOL to cancel was the most frustrating experience. I selected 'cancelation' on the phone list of option. I went to "Jimmy" who refused to cancel the service. I had to listen over and over to the sales pitch.

It was like I had to pass a test, he kept asking me questions about information he told me in the sales pitch and if I didn't answer them or answer them correctly, he wouldn't "finish processing the cancellation".

He kept signing me up for a 'free' month of service. When I asked for his boss, he told me he was the highest ranking person availalbe.

When I asked him if that meant I had to call back again to cancel in another month, he lied. After the 3rd time of asking that question he finally said 'Yes'. I told him it was illegal for him to not cancel the service on the day I called. It took several times of saying that before he finally gave me the cancellation number. He was extrememly rude and read the number so fast I had to tell him to read it to me again, then he transferred me off to a recorded message saying I'd get a letter in the mail with the cancellation number.

Can this be considered fraud? I was given a service I didn't ask for when I bought the computer and when trying to cancel it, I was lied to and it was a horrible experience to get rid of it.

If I ever leave my current ISP, it won't be to go to AOL. I will never use them and I will make sure to tell everyone I know about the barriers that AOL puts up in the market place. They should be fined for these practices and the whatever government office that oversees ISP's needs to sue them.

Ginger H Click this link to e-mail the above consumer: Email User Consumer