AOL / Canceling Service / Massive Surcharges

AOL / Canceling Service / Massive Surcharges

AOL has made it impossible to cancel the service. Plus while visiting Ireland I was charged over 1 USD per minute in surcharges.

It all started by their clever "ploy" of the "5,000 Hours" of free Internet service. So beware if you sign up and gave them a credit card number you are in for a LIVING HELL if you ever plan on canceling. I just can't believe that 60 minutes or 48 Hours have not done a spot on this great AMERICAN ONLINE RIPOFF!! You will not be able to cancel your membership no matter how many times you try!!!

I tried calling the cancellation desk many times and heard a recording that they were not able to handle the call at that time and call back later. Then when I finally got thru I was told that I would have to fax in a written request to cancel. I faxed in a request with all the information I was told to include and still they did not cancel my service. Yet no one tried to contact me to ask for more information or even let me know I needed to provide more information.

When a few months went by then only after I called in was I told that AOL could not cancel my service without me "proving" to AOL that I was really who I said I was! That is the reason they had ignored the fax! The service rep said they had been having people fax in and falsify information in order to CANCEL other members accounts. What a JOKE!! I asked her how she sleeps at night!! What a sorry excuse for a company!!!!

Meanwhile, I was told to re-fax and this time include ALL the personal information and then and only then would I be able to cancel. So another fax was sent and still no cancellation! Still months of billing on my credit card. AOL claims the fax was never sent even though I have a confirmation. All this time I am still paying 23.95 per month and still will not cancel my membership. I kept calling and faxing and emailing and still not a word from them.

Then Ireland!! I was hit with another lovely surprise. I had hit with a surcharge of more than one US Dollar per minute from my laptop while in Ireland. I did see a "surcharge notice" while logged on stating that I was subject to a surcharg. But when I called the AOL 800 number from Irealnd and asked member services no one could tell me how much the sercharge was! All I would get was someone in India who could not understand what I was asking. All I wanted to know how much the surcharge was. Still the run around and 800 numbers are not toll free from Ireland!!! I was paying for the call while waiting to find out what I was paying to log on.

And all the time I kept asking for a supervisor and I would get no one who could tell me an exact amount of the surcharge. So I kept checking my email and at the end of the week I was over $100 in surcharges. Now I really wanted to cancel.

So back in the US I finally got thru to a supervisor and asked for a credit. All I was told is that they would give me a free month of service. I accepted the free month and was asked why I was paying 23.95 per month when I should have been paying only 14.95 per month. So I was sent a letter that confirmed I would get the one month service free and any additional months would be billed at 14.95 per month.

At then end of the month I called to cancel the service and when a supervisor knew I met business she offered me a "partial" credit for the surcharge I was given while online in Ireland. I accepted but agreed to keep the service at 14.95. I did not tell her but I was planning to cancel the service once the refund had been confirmed back on my credit card.

Two months passed and I did get the credit. But here is the kicker. They took my billing back up to 23.95 per month. Even though I have a letter from AOL stating that it would be 14.95 per month. You imagine can imagine how angry I was. I finally got thru and canceled the service and had to wait till the next billing cycle. So I was charged another month at 23.95 and that but they took back all the money they had just given me in the credit. I had not signed on in months and I was paying this higher monthly fee all for nothing.

It is not different in my book to have someone take a gun to my head and rob me the hundred of dollars AOL stole from me. I did not know how their employees who work for AOL sleep at night. Taking advantage of people by lying and giving them the run around. It is amazing that they have been able to survive this far and just like the other "fallen" giants it is only a matter of time before this giant falls. And I hope that it is sooner than later.

AFORMER AOL MEMBER.

Robert M Click this link to e-mail the above consumer: Email User Consumer