Complaint Review: Earthlink Internet Provider

Earthlink used several deceptive practices to BLOCK me from closing out an email account with them which I no longer wanted.

When I initially requested closing the account, several months ago, the representative suggested that I keep the email account open for 1 month more FREE, and then be charged $3.95 per month thereafter IF I DID NOT ACT TO CLOSE OUT THE ACCOUNT.

I agreed, and I let the account run for several more months at the $3.95 price.  However, when I then tried to close out the account, it was nearly impossible.

First, the live chat representative said that I HAD to close out my account by phone.  He gave me a number.

I tried that number several times, over a period of TWO WEEKS, at different times of day.  Every time it gave me a message "we are experiencing technical difficulties."  In effect, it was a nonworking number.

After several weeks, I tried a different number on the Web site.  That number put me into an automated system, but never gave me a customer representative after some 15 minutes of wait time.  I then logged back on to chat to try to close the account. 

The chat representative AGAIN told me he could not close my account, but to call by phone.  He gave me the same number that I had been calling and that had not worked for the past several weeks.

When I then, on chat, said I would have my credit card company shut down payments to them, and that I would be reporting their company, ONLY THEN did he say he would help me close out my account.

He asked a piece of secuirty information and then, after a short period, said the account was closed.

Now why did they give me all this runaround, if not to intentionally make it difficult for customers to close out accounts?

This to me clearly was a deceptive practice, and I now would not recommend Earthlink to anyone.