Complaint Review: AOL

I had received a 3 month free trial of AOL when I bought a new computer on May 23, 2005 (which should have extended until August 22, 2005). When I called AOL to cancel the service on July 7, due to disatisfaction with their service and because they had entered the three month free trial into their records as a 50 day free trial (without notifying me), AOL insisted that the free trial was only for 50 days, but offered me another free month to keep trying their service. They then promptly opened a second account (at $4.95 for 5 hours service, with additional hours billed at $2.95 an hour),and began billing all usage on this second account (44 days into the said "free trial", and again, without informing me).

Then, when I called again called AOL around the end of July to cancel their service (again because of my disatisfaction with same, and because it interferred with the paid service that I had begun with Netzero by not allowing the Netzero service, or one I was trying from another ISP, to remain online.

AOL denies this can happen, but after I spent 5 hours removing all of their programming from my computer that the "uninstall" program left behind, the other ISPs mysteriously began working perfectly). I did agree to another free month trial of AOL at that time, however, in order to try out their new "Security Edition", which was supposed to correct a lot of the problems I had been experiencing (It did not, and I was still unaware of said second account).

The fraudulent billing matters began to become apparent when AOL withdrew $35.00 from my bank account on August 10, 2005. When I called AOL about this, their rep became abusive, and insisted that I had switched my service to the high rate on July 7 (and insisted that they had computer records to show I authorized the change). He also stated that I was lucky that they were capped at $35.00, as AOL COULD have charged me $436.35 for said service. (To his credit, he did offer to credit me for the $35.00, IF I WOULD SIGN UP FOR A ONE YEAR SERVICE COMMITMENT). Needless to say, I cancelled their service immediately, and referred this matter to the Better Business Bureau.

AOL then withdrew $23.90 from my bank account on August 23, giving me my first indication that AOL had opened multiple accounts in my name. (This also indicated that they had withdrawn the last "free trial" that I had received and had not completely cancelled my service as requested on August 13). At this point, I withdrew my BBB complaint and referred the matter to the TN Attorney General's office as a fraud complaint.

Finally, after AOL had given me numerous stories and dates for the changes in my account status (all the while insisting that I had authorized the changes), and after I had forwarded all of these different versions of the "facts" from AOL to the Attorney General's office for their investigation, AOL contacted the BBB and said that they would return the $58.00 that they withdrew from my bank account as a "goodwill gesture" (all the while maintaining that I had opened the second account on yet another date, and under another totally different set of circumstances), and said that the bank charges that they had caused me were "my problem".

I have since been told by my bank (Bancorpsouth), that they have more complaints of fraudulent activity from AOL than from ALL OTHER SOURCES COMBINED.

I also have all of these facts well documented, both in my files and in the files I forwarded to the Attorney General's office.

If anyone is even remotely considering doing business with AOL my advice is to either RUN in the other direction, or schedule an immediate appointment with a mental health professional. If you have already been victimized by AOL, then IMMEDIATELY forward the complaint to your Attorney General's office (They forced AOL to halt this same type of practice and return customer's money in 1999, and can do so again, but must have the information in order to act).

Mark
Covington, Tennessee
U.S.A.

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