AOL is so easy (to cancel)

Submitted by Adam on September 19, 2007 - 7:14pm.

Riding Shotgun with Adam

I helped a broadband user cancel (yet keep) his AOL account today. Over a year ago, AOL stopped charging users who wanted to use their service over broadband. However, they did not tell their members about this change and continued charging them.

My client was still paying $23.95 per month for AOL. The conversation went kind of like this:

ME: Are you still paying for AOL?

HIM: Yes.

ME: How much?

HIM: $24 per month.

ME: You know that AOL is free now for broadband users.

HIM: Really? How is the free service different?

ME: It's not. It's exactly the same service, they just don't charge you for it.

HIM: Why are they still charging me $24 per month?

ME: Because you haven't asked them not to.

HIM: How was I supposed to know that they were free now if they keep charging me?

ME: You should visit HelpMeRick.com more.

HIM: How do I cancel.

I then called the AOL cancellation number. During the hold, a recording notified me that I could just type the keyword CANCEL into AOL to change my plan online. I decided to hold hoping that I might be able to talk AOL into giving my client a few month's of his money back.

Twice, I was hung up on by AOL as soon as I mentioned that I wanted to cancel. The tech said, "I'm sorry to hear that you want to cancel, I will help you out with that...*click*.

So, I typed CANCEL into AOL and it lead me through a very quick three step process of canceling his AOL account. The whole process was extremely easy. I have to think that AOL must have become tired of customers asking for some of their money back.

Why hasn't there been some kind of class action law suit over this, I'm not sure...maybe it's in the pipeline. I alone have met dozens of people who are still paying the full $23.95 price for AOL. A price that AOL doesn't charge any new members. Their service is $9.99 for dial-up and free for broadband users.

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Uninstalling DOES NOT EQUAL Canceling

Submitted by Rick on September 20, 2007 - 2:32pm.

Any kind of account that you create, online or otherwise, does not get canceled until take steps to cancel it. Uninstalling a program only prevents you from using the service for which you are paying. To cancel an account, you must contact the company and ask for a cancellation.

With regards to AOL, you have to use AOL's "Keyword" service and type cancel in it OR give them a call.

Confused in Palisade !

Submitted by Smart Computer User on September 20, 2007 - 9:28am.

I did what this story told me to do. I never found the "three easy steps".
When I typed in cancel it brought up a page with price plans and cancel was not on those options. There was a o dollar price plan that claimed to also be a cancel option. So I clicked on that, and then it never gave me a cancel option. It asked me to confirm my new o dollar plan and described to me all the new features available to me with my new plan.
I feel like the are just walking me around in circles.
Do I dare uninstall it? Will they still charge me like when I tried to cancel Napster and I uninstalled it and they still charged my account?
Confused in Palisade !