AOL Fined for Making it Hard to Cancel Service

andy1307 writes "CNET is carrying an article about a settlement between AOL and New York State that includes AOL paying a $1.25 million fine and agreeing to reform its customer service procedures. The agreement stems from consumers' complaints that AOL customer service representatives would either ignore requests, or make it unduly difficult, to cancel their service, according to a statement from Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. The policy probaby had something to do with rapidly declining customer numbers at AOL as more Americans switch to broadband."

Comments

Got off today

[NovaX]

I just got my mother off AOL today. I read about how people would call, be harassed for 30 minutes and then told AOL wouldn't allow them to cancel. However, I read one post where they guy claimed he told them he sold his computer and was moving to Europe, and it took him 3 minutes flat.

So I told her to say she was going into hospice. She saw it as a game, so she even timed it. It took 1:30 min with the operator, who talked about how sorry she was for her.

That's how you do it. AOL only lets you go if you have a terminal condition.

Finally

[Floydius]

I work at a credit union (the largest in the world), and we get people calling in *all the time* complaining about AOL/TW ignoring or being hostile about cancellation. I'll admit, i'm not going to assume much about the intelligence of AOL users, but still, if everyone is having the same problem, there's got to be something to it. It is absolutely the #1 problem company for cancellations, even above magazine subscriptions and people calling who tried to cancel their internet pornography.

Tesla Coil Re:CDs

[turtleAJ]

I was once on a physics discussion board, and they where using the AOL CDs as capacitors... They would solder a small cable to one of the sides (top side, obviously), then stack them 50/100/250 high. I don't remember numbers, but some guys said it worked excellent. I think one of the guys was using a five-pack of these AOL CDs to fire up a Tesla Coil... I don't recall it's use... but I've always found very amusing a "Tesla Coil anti-pissing-dog application" ::: You hook-up your Tesla Coil to a metallic trash can (has to be of the above-ground type)... then, when your most-hated man's-best-friend comes along and takes his typicall piss, you fire up the coil... You can imagine what would happen when 375,000 volts shoot straight up the dog's winnie. I haven't done this, and I suggest against it... but for some idiotic reason, I crack my self up laughing every time I think about it. -AJ [There... my 1st /. post =) Now if I can nail down how they make the italics and bold letters... and those nifty hyperlinked text phrases...]

Re:I found it VERY easy to cancel service

[Nurseman]

I once signed up for AOL all inclusive phone service. I got dial up Internet, and local and long distance for one price. After regaining my sanity, I canceled it. About six months later, they began billing me again. I called customer service, and had the charge reversed. This went on for 4 months, bill me, credit me, until I called the FCC and reported them for "slamming" (switching my service without my permission) and fraud (for billing for a service they were not providing).

About 2 weeks after my complaint, I got a very frantic, angry phone call from someone who said he was a lawyer representing AOL and I had caused them much grief with my "false" complaints. Bottom line, I never got another bill from them, and got two follow-up letters from the FCC asking me if AOL resolved my complaints. Sometimes the FCC works !