Complaint Review: America Online

I was a subscriber to AOL internet service, using a Master Card for payment. As permitted by their contract, I was allowed several additional users without additional charge, but with separate access codes. I set my granddaughter up with the ability to use the service with her own access code in order for her to learn how to use the computer.

In 1981, with a very crafty solicitation along the lines of "press here and you can have your own account," they induced the child to sign up for her own account, but without charge since they intended to bill it to me. Upon receipt of the first bill with the additional $21+ charge, and after several hours of trying to reach them by phone or telephone, I finally talked with a representative and explained the situation, advised I would not pay the bill, and to never allow that or any other charge to be made to my account without my prior written approval. I was told "we understand, and that charge will be removed," which it was.

Sometime later, the same situation was repeated, although I did not catch the billing until the second month was under way, and so was billed for two months. After again finally making contact and reviewing the situation, I was advised they would cancel the account but would not remove the billing for the two months. I advised I was not going to pay for the reasons stated above. They had also been advised in writing because you cannot find a way to file an email complaint with them or to cancel an account by email, although you have no trouble getting a new account by email.

Thereafter, I went through receipt of additional bills, filing several statements required by Citibank Mastercharge to refute the charge and numerous collection calls, including one to my residence at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning, even though my office is open from 9-6 Mon.-Friday, and they had my office phone. I went over the problem, advised the man calling I would never pay the charge, was cancelling my credit card, to never call me again, nor my home, and to go ahead and file suit.

Citibank Mastercard has cancelled the charge at least twice, then reinstated, and as of last night was calling my home phone and harrassing my wife, threatening to ruin my credit rating, sue me, etc., all over an original two-month AOL charge. For the first time, he also mentioned a bill for something over $90 for aviation fuel, which my fuel provider had been charging to the card I cancelled. That one gas charge was refused by Citibank Mastercard and not paid to my fuel provider, but paid to him by me through one of my Visa cards on the day he called to advise that he had been told my Mastercard had "expired."

All of my bills, including all credit card charges, are paid in full monthly. I would be more than happy to join in a class action to suit to stop AOL from this type of unethical conduct, to force them to provide direct email contact to their credit and billing departments, to provide their mailing address to all subscribers, and to provide adequate phone service with toll-free numbers so that no customer would have to wait longer than 3 minutes to talk with the billing and/or credit departments.
Incidentally, their mailing address I found elsewhere is P.O. Box 1559, Ogden, Utah 84401. Meanwhile, I am writing several Congressmen, Consumer Affairs and other state and federal agencies.

Bert
Dallas, Texas