Complaint Review: AOL

In response to those here that posted defending AOL and blaming everything on the users... call your proctologist.. he may have found your head. I worked for a company called Software Spectrum for almost a year. This company was paid by AOL to handle tech support as well as other calls for AOL.

The main call centers for them are located in India but there are still a few here in the US. As for the billing issues AOL did the same to me. A manager even told me the date I called in to cancel and still refused to refund me for the 3 months that they charged afterwards. Also according to him he had no supervisor. It was a known process that AOL would change the charge amount that was being auto deducted as well in order to get paid. From a tech support point of view.. there is none. They have people working there that have never even used a computer prior to getting hired.

They have a walkthrough app that is designed (and admitted to by management) to make the caller call back over and over. The reason... they not only get paid per call but since even in tech support there is a requirement of 30% of calls must be x-fered to upsales, mainly sprint or a credit protection plan. You will also get fired if you have an average call time over 7 mins.

Considering how many AOL users are not tech savvy 7 mins is not a long time. In addition to that, even if an AOL tech tells you to do the wrong thing and your system is worse off than before AOL techs are not allowed to correct the problem. We were happily told to refer the caller to their manufacturer or to Microsoft. If you requested a supervisor or threatened to cancel your call was to be immediatley x-fered to "saves" and we did not have to inform the caller they were being x-fered.

If you have AOL now here is some sound advice from an ex-employee:
1. Call and cancel your account. Get the name, cancelation number. There is a also a fax number that can be used to recieve cancellations. Do both.
2. Don't except the free time that will be offered when you try to cancel.
3. Go into your uninstall software screen in the control panel and uninstall AOL. After that use the search function and delete anything else that is left behind. AOL does this more than other apps.
4. If your unsure about this step then get some help or find an app that will do it for you. You will still have AOL references in your registry and should get rid of them.

They do not tell you that you need a Cancelation number. If they did not give you one you are... are not cancel. I kewn this because a friend of minds had cancel and they still billed her for 8 months after and told her she needed this number as proof. They will bill you, hey and Mac Afee anti virus is in on it to. I told them That I did not want the program because I had one. I still was billed for it and I never download the program.

To quote your missive:"85% OF WON CASESS NEVER EVER GET PAID! EVEN IF YOU WON YOUR CLAIM IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT, YOU CAN WAIT TILL HELL FREEZES OVER TO GET PAID!!!!" (you can tell that's a true quote as it's in all caps.)
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85%? of won "casess" (cases?) "never get paid"? Is this a statistic gleaned from the actual court records, or a figure excreted from your anal orifice? The first clich one must remember, is the old "you can't get blood from a turnip". It is obviously of no use to bring suit against anyone or any business if they have no funds or tangible assets.
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An asset seizure order may be implemented at no additional cost if payment isn't forthcoming. In my area this is carried out by the county sheriff if the defendant is in this area. "Waiting in hell"...err, rather "WAITING IN HELL" (can you say "caps lock") will certainly not produce any results.
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I have taken notice, however, many companies and corporations now have an agreement clause declaring that any litigation must take place in their venue. This can make cases difficult and/or expensive. If I genuinely feel I've been wronged, I would travel to the West coast on principles to file. (Providing, of course, the potential judgement would exceed the cost of the trip)

Thank God my credit card was already used to disputing with AOL. They told me no matter what diologue occurs, don't hang up without that cancellation code. It's your only proof, and my credit card was willing to recognize it as a valid cancellation. They also warned me, AOL will bill me for the next three months, and still claim that I am a member. They said it happened like clock-work with all of their credit card holders, in the same situation. This meant we had to watch those billing statements.

AOL also made the claim that it was 3 free bonus months, so that we might reconsider remaining as members; yet they kept billing us. How is that free?

The Dispute Department Rep was right each month, I had to call in, for 3 months to the credit card AND to AOL. The cancellation code had to be re-entered all over again. From that point on, my card blocked all other charges.

If they are so popular, and have an 8 million growing member count, why won't they just let people cancel, and be done with it?

Like that other person said, the cancellation code is not a quick fix. I guess now, people have to change their account numbers, as if it were theft.

Keep in mind, you will still have them in other areas of your computer system. I had them professionally removed, and my computer has run better ever since. I was also told by a Microsoft Certified Technician that 50% of all viruses on the WWW are generated by AOL members, but I really don't know if it's true.

I am neither defending AOL nor the parties who feel AOL has "ripped them off", but if someone is going to make a statement it should be factual. AOL stock has actually risen quite a bit in the last six months. Stock price is not solely affected by company performance, economy and industry also affect stock prices. Almost every company out there has taken a hit in the last couple of years because of world events and the economy. Certain industries are impacted more that others. A little research, and a little attention to the news and stock market would help someone understand that. So when you make a statement, please make sure you have done your homework.

I should not even waste my breath responding to you David but i will. I don't know about the others but i did have a contract with AOL, a contract for one year.

I called them at the end of the year and notified them that i would not be renewing my account. I was then given a cancellation code. Also, unlike the others, i was not negligent because i noticed the charges and had to call them every month to get my refund.

Also, this company is so tactless, that everytime i called i simply gave them my cancellation code, and they would say something dumb like, okay we have it on file, i guess the last rep just forgot to enter it.

Since you have obviously have nothing else to do but search this website and rebutt situations that have nothing to do with you, keep reading, some ex-employees have even commented that this is AOL strategy to make money.

Another thing you might want to look into AOL decreasing stock, the company is bankrupt, so why not charge people for a service their not using to keep our lights on. It is not the consumer's fault, you think you have 700 entries, because 700 people are just negligent? Think again!!!! You don't know what the H**l you are talking about.

People who claim to have been "screwed" by America Online and other internet providers, as well as cell phone companies, cable and satellite services, etc. are more often than not victims of their own negligence. When you enter into a contract with a service provider, it IS your responsibility to read the fine print and know exactly what you're getting into, and what your responsibilities are as a consumer or member.

With any service, there is going to be a contract or Terms Of Service that must be agreed to before services are rendered. In the case of America Online, there is a highly detailed Terms Of Service statement that fully explains all aspects of membership. It completely covers billing and cancellation procedures. This statement must be agreed to before membership begins, and by agreeing to it one is legally stating that they have READ and do AGREE TO ABIDE by those terms. That's the reason that those who choose to take their cases to small claims court or seek other legal counsel hit a brick wall - the TOS is a legal document that has and will continue to stand in any court of law.

It is also every person's own responsibility to review their credit card or bank statements monthly (at the least!) to ensure that there are no unknown or unauthorized charges. It is difficult to feel sympathy for a person who calls a service provider to complain that they have been billed for over a year for unused service or multiple accounts and just now noticed the fact.

In response to those who state that they continue to be billed after the service is "cancelled" - keep in mind these things:

1.You must actually call to request that your membership be cancelled. America Online cannot magically determine that you no longer wish to use the service. Simply deleting the program from your computer does NOT cancel your account.

2.If you do call to cancel and qualify for and accept a retention offer of additional free time to reconsider your decision, you still must call back before that complimentary time is over if you do indeed want to end membership. Failure to do this will result in the account remaining open and continuing to bill.

3.When an account is closed, the former member is advised that a confirmation letter will be sent via US mail verifying the cancellation within 7-10 days. If one does not receive the letter, it is sensible to call back to ensure the account was properly closed.

In reality, very few mistakes are made in the cancellation or billing of America Online accounts. The problems lie in the hands of those members who do not educate themselves about their own responsibilities. The vast majority of issues with accounts would never had occurred if only the person would have taken just a few moments to review the details of their membership and acted accordingly.

I have had a problem with AOL for a year, I just wanted to tell Susan to jump off a high cliff, because it does not matter when you cancel, they still charge you.

And anybody who has any suggestions on small claims court. Let me know.

And please ban Susan from the website.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY AND TIME GOING TO SMALL CLAIMS COURT!!!

85% OF WON CASESS NEVER EVER GET PAID! EVEN IF YOU WON YOUR CLAIM IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT, YOU CAN WAIT TILL HELL FREEZES OVER TO GET PAID!!!!
IT WILL NEVR HAPPEN!! I KNOW BECAUSE I WORK AT MY LOCAL COURT HOUSE! SMALL CLAINS COURT IS A BIG SCAM!!!

i just want to let everyone know that AOL does not want to just get you for your money.......some of your double billings are caused by accidentely creating more than 1 account and not knowing about it or just plain old not calling to cancel before your bill date........i mean put yourself on the other side of the fence, think if you were charging people for somthing on the same day every month and 10 of them forget to tell u not to charge them, then youve got 10 mad people that are getting billed and lets say they didnt use it, then your gonna have to refund all their money, the only thing im sayin is that AOL does not just want your money, and the only reason they bill is to pay for the monthly membership fee and if u dont want it then u simply call and cancel BEFORE your bill date

I accepted an offer for Sprint Long Distance, through AOL. I went online to see if my bill was current (paid), as a free month of AOL Service was

supposed to be granted, if I took the Long Distance Plan from Sprint. It was paid, probably around the 10th of June, because a $0 balance showed on the 12th.



Then, I called on a pay phone to check my credit card for available funds, as I needed some groceries. I was surprised to find my

credit card had been overcharged and when I spoke with a representative, he informed me, AOL had charged my account, as usual. AOL was playing double-jeopardy, receiving their payment from Sprint, as well as charging me!



A nice representative, at my credit bank, called AOL Billing and put us on 3-way calling. After much ado, I received a credit, back from AOL to my credit card, which should have never been charged, in the first place. AOL said they never received the payment from Sprint.



Nevertheless, I went on, a few weeks later, to apply for my Sprint Long Distance Credit, and a notice came up, stating, "You cannot apply for this credit, at this time;" which means Sprint did pay AOL, as I assumed, and AOL still charged me! I wonder how many other people are being charged, after taking this incentive offer, unknowingly? All of you better check on it!

AOL also overbilled me for service. They've

been very difficult to deal with. I was bill

for a "premium" service that I never ordered,

used or was even available where I live.



Emails are useless and nearly always return

a response that to has little to do with my

orignal question or problems.



I've made dozens of fruitless telephone calls to

"Customer Service" & Billing. When I finally

spoke with a suporvisor I was flatly told that

"AOL" is incapable of making an error, now

what can I do to help you"!!! This conversation

ended with this guy screaming at me. I have his

name and inside telephone number.



If you call AOL and ask for the VP of customer

relations be name you ge connected to an office

called customer satisfaction. Ha



AOL really has a culture lacking any real attempt

of customer service. They just don't have to care.



At this point I've filed a small claims suit against AOL and am about to have the warrent/writ served.



I live in Connectict and the court wants me to

send a marshall from here to VA. I was originally

told it could be served by postal mail. Do any of

you have any knowledge about this.



It's helpful seeing that other people have taken

a stand against AOL's billing practices. I'd

venture to guess that they make a LOT of money

overbilling unsuspecting customers who don't even

notice.



Best to all

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:



Their email: jilestar@yahoo.com

Their name: Jackson



Their relationship to the company: Supporter



Rebuttal:

Holy Friggin Cow! AOL had done the same thing to me! I registered with the Free Hour disk also.. Instead of ONE account they had TWO on me...for over a year and a half they had been getting close to 60 dollars a month. I also had called and closed both of these accounts -but later to find out

that AOL had no "FOOTPRINTS" of these transactions in their system. I closed the account from which the transactions were being deducted and my account went into a negative. AOL was forcing through transactions...much to say that my bank said they can do that...if they can do that then what the hell is the purpose of having a closed account? Needless to say AOL

did refund me back three months of NON-USAGE a total of like 90.00. Except now they are sending me bills for these accounts a total of 150.00 back payment...with the excuse that I got double refunded because my bank filled and Dispute with AOL and I filled a Dispute with AOL...MY BANK NEVER FILLED A DISPUTE!!! AOL HAS A VERY GOOD SCAM GOING ON! I am now in the process of contacting my lawyer!!

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:



Their email: adolphchrist@godisdead.com

Their name: FUGGMEISTER



Their relationship to the company: Consumer Suggestion



Rebuttal:

I had an interesting conflict with AOL in January of 2000. With

an AOL credit card I had earned several months service ahead. Their'Community Action Team' (?) cut me off due to a 'violation of their termsof service'. I had put up a rather startling web page as a joke; it wasn'tprofane, just weird. They told me I would forfeit the months of 'paid up'service; deleted all my E mail, and cut me off. I told them 'I'll see youin court, a$holes', to which they laughed.



On 2-15-00 I filed a claim in Elkhart (IN) Superior (small claims) Court.A big $30.filing fee. (Which AOL ultimately had to pay) To make a longstory short, they dicked me around after I received a judgement and didn't pay.



I had asked for 1.8% per month interest and that was awarded. I next got an asset seizure for AOL, (just a formality and free) and informed them since I'm retired, I'll have no problem with my next trip going through VA so I and the Sheriff can serve the asset seizure. That got the attention of their legal department, who sent me a check.



The first check didn't include my court costs or interest, so I sent it back.



The second check was also short interest, so it went back too. I ultimately got a check that covered all the interest, my declaired loss of services, and all court costs.



Ain't small claims court great?