AOL members BEWARE!!!

[moosmom]

I just got back from my bank.

Back in September when my internet was on the fritz, I signed up for a TRIAL membership to AOL. It was a temporary 3 month trial period. In order not to be charged, I had to cancel by October 11th. I canceled on October 9th. I was ASSURED by two people, whose names I DID document, that my account would not be charged.

WRONG!!!

When I talked to someone at AOL (some idiot who spoke very little English) they said they had no record of me cancelling.

AOL CLAIMS you don't need a credit card, but they ask you for your checking account information.

A bell should've gone off in my head. I noticed that my account was charged $28.90 on the 14th of November. I went to the bank and filed papers to get my money back. I got a credit on my account for that amount.

My checking account for the last 2 months has been overdrawn. I've incurred a total of almost $200 in overdraft fees, all because AOL has had their hands in my pocket.

The bank manager said she has had NUMEROUS complaints about them. She said the way they get around the stop payment, is when you make a stop payment, you have to have the exact amount of the charge. So, what does AOL do?? They get around it by yanking out an amount OTHER than what the stop payment is for. To make matters worse, AOL will probably

I am so TOTALLY pissed of right now. $200 I could've paid bills with!!!!! So, I now have to close down my checking account and open a new one so that AOL will stop stealing money from me!!!

The bank manager was very helpful. She said she would try to get the credit back in my account (I have exactly $.99 in my account at this point) before they try and yank it out again. Once they do, she's going to shut down the account so they don't get the money and open up a brand new checking account.

Sorry this is so long, but I'm so frustrated. I just needed to vent, and to warn other AOL members about it.

Thanks for listening!

[petslover]

My dad had the same thing happen to him.. They said he didn't call to cancel it, but he did. Aol has major problems. I would never be a customer of theres anymore.

[ramanth]

Donna, that is aweful!!! From working at legal firms, can you think of anything you can do to get back at them?

[lute]

that's terrible! the same thing happend to my grandparents!

[Cinder & Smoke]

Originally posted by moosmom

The bank manager was very helpful.
She said she would try to get the credit back in my account
before they try and yank it out again.
Once they do, she's going to shut down the account
so they don't get the money

Dunno if that Bank Manager did "ALL" she really could have!

I'd like to think that if I told the bank "Do *NOT* HONOR
*ANY* electronic transfers to XYZ Company"
that my bank would make DARN Sure XYZ never pulled another CENT!!

You have an argument/claim against AOL for sure...
but I think you ALSO have a claim against your BANK, too!!

Who's paying for the New Checks with the NEW account numbers??

I'd go back and ask the bank WHY they can't totally STOP
AOL from withdrawing funds from YOUR account!!

/s/ Phred
.

[NoahsMommy]

That's horrible, Donna!!

David loathes AOL...always has and I'm not sure why, he's just always hated them. Now I can give him another reason.

[Corinna]

My bank will let me do as Phred says . I had a problem with a company they had no phone# or address we could find .(market drop products for a shopwe had) So they stopped payment by name. I would talk to the bank president not a teller or manager .

[moosmom]

Phred,

The reason why they can't put a "flag" on the account is because they need an amount (say $29.95/month). AOL, in order to get around that, yanks out $28.90, $26.95, etc.

I was also told by the bank manager that while I WILL get free checking, I will no longer NOT be charged for checks, because that promotion is no long available.

I'm going to think about taking AOL to small claims court to recoup my overdraft fees of almost $200. Not sure if I'll succeed, but it might be worth the $37 filing fee!

[dukedogsmom]

That's why they're called AOHell. I can't stand them. If you have any computer experience at all, I'd get another ISP provider. Just look at all of the complaints at Planet Feedback: http://www.planetfeedback.com/shared...e-desc,00.html

[Cookiebaker]

That's sounds AWFUL! What a nightmare.

I'm so paranoid about my checking account that I reconcile it once a week with the automated phone line that lists all the transactions. That way if there ARE strange withdrawels, I know about them right away.

Good Luck with the small claims court! I hope you get your fees back!!


Some companies! Uggh!

[Vette]

This is why my brother and i call AOL - A$$holes On Line.

[CalliesMom]

My husband used to work for AOL and the customer service reps actually get paid for keeping members who try to cancel. If they keep a member for 90 days without them calling back to cancel, they get a huge commission...I wonder if that is what happened with you.

[Cinder & Smoke]

Originally posted by moosmom
Phred,

The reason why they can't put a "flag" on the account is because they need an amount (say $29.95/month).

I was also told by the bank manager that while I WILL get free checking,
I will no longer NOT be charged for checks,
because that promotion is no long available.

Sorry, but I don't think you're getting the correct story
from that "Manager" - talk to a Senior Officer at the Main Office.

You need to demand that they STOP "accepting" Any and ALL
transactions from AOL... a "dollar amount" shouldn't be
required to keep AOL out of your account.

Good Luck!

/s/ Phred

[moosmom]

Val,

Thanks for the complaint link. I'm going to call the CEO of the company tomorrow and put up a stink. Don't know if I'll get anywhere, but it's worth a shot.

[Uabassoon]

This same thing happened to my roommate.

My husband used to work for AOL and the customer service reps actually get paid for keeping members who try to cancel.

It's true, I applied for AOL once. If a person calls to cancell and they manage to convince them not too then they get a small bonus. After 90 days if the person still hasn't cancelled then they get a much larger second bonus. Sometimes I wonder if they just click that people didn't cancel so they can get the bonus.