Even dead people can't escape AOL

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/columnists.nsf/techtalk/story/A0F7FD49EFA6565A862571BF006C005A?OpenDocument

Maxine Gauthier doesn't own a computer. She doesn't know the first thing about Web browsing or sending e-mail. She's not even sure where to find a computer's "on" button, as she describes it.

Yet for the past nine months, she has been fighting one of the most persistent and some say irritating institutions in cyberspace: AOL, formerly known as America Online.

"They just haven't wanted to let go," the 55-year-old St. Louisan said. "I don't think they'll ever really let go."

Her struggle has involved about a dozen phone calls often ending with an AOL customer service representative or manager hanging up on her. She even tried impersonating someone else in a couple of the calls. The giant online service provider wouldn't budge. Advertisement

The problem? An AOL account once held by Gauthier's late father still showed billing charges accumulating against it. The account had been dormant for months; the credit card he used for it was inactive at least as long.

[marmar]

1. There's a guy at work...

Whose mother has been experiencing the exact same thing. I'm so glad I never got mixed up with that ISP.

[Horse with no Name]

2. I once was dumb enough to fall in the trap

AOL is like a virus.
It invades everything on your computer.
I finally just wiped my harddrive because I couldn't delete it all.
When I called to cancel my account, the rep told me that I had to reinstall it on my computer in order to be able to cancel it.:wtf:
I laughed at her--and told her I was cancelling the credit card that they billed and sending AOL a registered letter with HER name on it--dated and timed notifying her (as a representative of her company) of my severed relationship.
I was able to get out from under them billing wise, however, they called me every other day to get me back. I finally changed my number.

[Warpy]

3. She needs to cancel that credit card ASAP

My probem is AARP's Medigap insurance. They're still sucking money out of my pop's account 6 months after his death.

Their service department is Byzantine, to say the least.

I'm glad I've resisted their advertising. They can kiss any possibility of membership from me goodbye.

[izzie]

4. AOL got me and I had trouble with the bills.

Once I get rid of them it was the phone company for the AOL account.

[zalinda]

5. Direct TV is just as bad n/t

[izzie]

7. I had trouble when I moved with them

I liked that service but had to pay to the end of the contract which made me mad as when I got in it it was not like that, this was something my son signed up to living in my home. Frankly it was after I think Murdock bought the first dish company out. They put in new dish and it seemed it came with a new contract that I knew nothing about until I sold the home and could not get out of it.

[Sinti]

6. If they let you go, they'll even change the dollar amount they're charging

hoping you won't notice... AOheLl is nothing but trouble. She can sue.

[guruoo]

8. Want to stop the phone calls?

When they call they say the call is being recorded for
"quality control" purposes. I figured turn about is fair play,
so I started taping them too. When I told the rep about it,
they immediately ended the call, saying that allowing the customer
to record their calls was against company policy!

[TechBear_Seattle]

9. I've used that one myself

I get the person's name and some kind of positive ID (direct line #, extension, employee number, anything), then tell them that I will be recording the call and repeat their name and ID. When they say they are not allowed to speak on a recorded line, I say "Thank you for letting me get that on tape, <name>. Can you patch me directly through to the legal department?"

It is amazing how smoothly the call goes from there :hi:

[beyurslf]

10. If you want to record the call though, you do not have to tell them

you are doing it. Their recording says the call may be recorded so they are aware of it. At the beginning of the call, just say "So this call may be recorded, right?"

[TechBear_Seattle]

11. It depends on what state the call is originating from

I work at a brokerage firm, and we use recorded lines a lot. In Washington, recorded lines are supposed to have an audible "beep" every 15 seconds while the call is being recorded, and so we do. Federal law only requires that the parties know that the call is likely to be recorded; that is why the few call centers still in the US are in states where there is no stricter state laws. And of course, a contract call center in a third world country can't be held to even US federal law, and may do whatever they like.

[BlackVelvet04]

12. I cancelled AOl, got a cancellation number

and 4 months later they were still charging me. I called them and they told me that it wasn't a valid cancellation number. I ended up paying for 4 months of aol that I didn't use.

Beware.....Netscape is owned by AOL and is as hard to deal with. I finally had to yell at a rep telling him to cancel the damn account. It was my father's account and I had every bit of info they asked for and finally asked them if they REALLY wanted to talk to my 79 year old father and try to explain to him why they wouldn't cancel his account. That would have been an interesting conversation.