In March of this year, I called the AOL cancellation number and went through all the steps to close my account. I was asked several questions in the reason for closing my account, etc I was told because of the lateness of my call in the billing cycle that I would be charged one more full month and then the automatic payments being made from my checking account would stop.
In July, I noticed after reviewing my checking account activity that I was still being charged by AOL. I had not used the account since March! I called the AOL cancellation phone number again. This time explaining that I had already cancelled the account and that I was still being billed. I did not ask for a refund as I believe we all can make mistakes and I was going to just let it slide. I was not overly upset as I can understand how mistakes can happen!
In September of this year I was again viewing my account activity and again noticed yet another AOL payment being taken from my checking account! Now at this time I am quite upset. I have now paid for 6 months for an internet email and access account that HAS not been used! And I am still being billed as if I never asked for cancellation! So again I call into the AOL Cancellation number! I explain the history of my problem to the lady at AOL and explain to her that I am beyond frustrated and that I want to speak to a supervisor. She tells me that the account is cancelled and she will need to take my phone number and have a supervisor contact me back! I NEVER RECEIVED A CALL BACK!
Today I call in to an AOL phone number as I was just looking over my account activity and AGAIN I am still being billed. So I get a hold a tech support guy and bluntly ask him for a way to get a hold of someone there at AOL like a VP that can really resolve my problem. He give me another 800 number to call. I call that number and get a gentlemen who's accent is so thick I can't hardly understand what he is saying. This increases my anger. He wants me to give him a bunch of information and I can hardly understand what he is saying! And this is the kind of people that AOL deems appropriate to speak to it's customers??? I firmly state my aol account name and tell him I want to speak to his boss or supervisor! He continues to tell me I need to give him more information. I am then passed on to a gentlemen whose name is Keven M. He again requests all the same information the gentlemen before asked of me and again I have to repeat the entire story. I explain to Keven that I have cancelled my account now three times previously and am still getting charged for a service I HAVE NOT USED IN OVER SIX MONTHS!!! He does some additionally digging and finds a "sub-account" that is still active, which was created UNDER the main account. So because this additional sign on name was still active is WHY according to Keven I am still being billed. I ask Keven to go back and look to see if the account has been used? I explain to him that account was created under my main account for my sister-in-law, who tried it out and liked it and then called AOL and explained to them that she wanted her OWN account and wanted to split off the sub-acct so she could pay for her own AOL Account. This occurred back in March or April of this year, which also happens to be the same time I cancelled the main account. My sister-in-law was assured the account would be spun off that she could pay for hers separate. So now after well over six months of this ordeal, I am finally finding out WHY I am still being billed for a service I have not and do not use!!! I am then told by Keven that he will credit me two months and that is all he can do! I asked Keven to let me speak to his boss and he said his boss did not speak to customers and that, that was his job. I explained to Keven that I work in the Customer Service Industry and that if he could not provide me with satisfaction that I wanted to speak to his boss. He again said his boss did not speak to AOL Customers and that I needed to call the AOL Billing department and that they could speak to me! He provides me YET ANOTHER "800" number to call. During my call with Keven I conferenced in my sister-in-law who verified she had NOT used the sub-account since she got her own aol account and that she was being billed for THAT account every month on her credit card! Keven was not rude, but have you ever spoken to someone that you could hear in their voice that he/she did not really give a shit about your problem and had no sympathy for your situation? I could tell Keven was smiling the entire time as if I was just another pissed off customer that he had to deal with and at one point I even thought I heard him softly chuckling in the background! THIS IS NOT MY IDEA OF QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE!
I then call the BILLING 800 number and when the AOL representative answered I immediately asked for supervisor! This young lady asked very nicely if she could go ahead and get my AOL sign on name so that she could provide it to the supervisor. I gave it to her. She had me waiting a while and then politely came back on and explained she was just waiting for the supervisor. The supervisor gets on the phone and says his name is Benjamin D. He asked me what I needed help with. I asked him if I would have to repeat the entire story or did he actually look at my account and cancellation details I had just given to the young lady who answered the phone? He said yes, he understood that I had cancelled my main account and that I HAD NOT CANCELLED A SUB-ACCOUNT AND THAT IS WHY I WAS STILL BEING BILLED. HE SAID IT WITH THE TONE OF "YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER"! What is it with AOL Customer Service People that they all have some kind of attitude that the customer is just another person to be treated like dirt or to be mocked or laughed at??? I explained to Benjamin the ordeal I have been through and how the SUB-ACCOUNT which is exactly what it is being UNDERNEATH my main account was left active when I initially cancelled my MAIN AOL account back in March. I explained to him I do not feel I should have to pay for a service I HAVE NOT USED! He explained to me that all he would do is credit me the 2 months of service as told to me by keven morrison!!! Oh and by the way, Benjamin did say he that he would be happy to give me MORE of my money back, if I would like to RE-JOIN and open a new aol account!!! This sounds a little like blackmail to me! I declined to re-join!
This is baloney! Is AOL out to just see how much they can take from people when they cancel? This is an out and out SNEAKY WAY TO KEEP CHARGING CUSTOMERS! I am not the only one who has experienced this!
What really upset me is the entire LACK of true empathy from anyone at AOL, except for the one young lady who I spoke to momentarily before I spoke to Benjamin D. Neither Keven M nor Benjamin D had a single tone of empathy or real concern for my situation. They spoke the words, but believe me, you can not say those words and they mean crap when your tone of voice is saying something else!!! I am sure each of you have experienced this as some time in your life.
Danie
Garland, Texas
U.S.A.
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