|
5 Oct 2006, 11:12
|
#1
|
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: London
Posts: 3,347
|
Cancelling AOL
Would it be unreasonable to claim that AOL purposly puts people who wish to cancel n order on hold to put them off?
I phoned up AOL to ask a technical question regarding broadband (which will be with me in 14 days!) and I got through fine.
I then phoned up again to cancel paying for dial-up (I don't pay for broadband either! whoo hoo!) strait away and they put me on hold for about three minutes with the worst hold music I've ever heard.
I thought this delay strange what with the rapid response I recieved just moments before.
Has anyone worked at an AOL (or any other similar) call centre and what is the procedure for dealing with cancelling subscriptions? Are there less people to deal with cancellation or is it some type of delaying technique?
__________________
The 20th century has been characterised by three developments of great political importance. The growth of democracy; the growth of corporate power; and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy.
|
|
|
5 Oct 2006, 11:19
|
#2
|
Insomniac
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 3,583
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
no.
its commonly done by them from what ive heard, though its usually those free trial things they do. They get your bank details during the signup for it, and unless you cancel the trial they start charging you. Ofc they make you jump through lots of hoops to cancel before the trials up.
thankfully the wonderful thing that is the internet has recently come up with a list of key combos to press while on hold which makes their software bump you to the head of the queue
according to this, you simply hit 0 and it should sort it. If not im sure a googling around will come up with others to try
|
|
|
5 Oct 2006, 11:22
|
#3
|
Registered Awesome Person
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 5,676
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
Yeah, I read a thread on SA a few months ago that basically said that they were absolute ****s - for example, telling people that they couldn't cancel even though the minimum contract term had expired.
__________________
Finally free!
|
|
|
5 Oct 2006, 11:57
|
#4
|
Victim of Marriage
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: NW Indiana
Posts: 784
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
It could also be you got through quick signing up because most people have realized AOL is crap, and therefore not many people are in line. Yet there's probably a ton of people trying to cancel after realizing that AOL was crap, so that's why you had to wait longer to cancel than you did to sign up.
__________________
You mean there's life outside the internet...oh man I'm screwed.
|
|
|
5 Oct 2006, 16:41
|
#5
|
:alpha:
Join Date: May 2002
Location: London, UK
Posts: 7,871
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
Gosh, a company putting more resources into profit making departments.
Who would have thought it?
__________________
"There is no I in team, but there are two in anal fisting"
|
|
|
5 Oct 2006, 17:18
|
#6
|
so f*cking zen
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Hitting Bottom
Posts: 8,499
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
SHOULDN'T YOU BE ON A TRAIN SOMEPLACE BITCH?!
__________________
On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
|
|
|
5 Oct 2006, 19:20
|
#7
|
Bad Girl
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: right here..right now
Posts: 1,055
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
*if u have a touch tone phone press a button*
dont .. you get a human almost straight away
further aol cancelations:
http://insignificantthoughts.com/200...ancelling-aol/
__________________
R1 - noob
R2,3,4, - ICD | R5 -ICD HC |R6 - HR Command | R7 - HR Command/NoS
R8,9,9.5,- HR HC /NoS Exec | R10 - HR HC | R10.5 - HR HC (FYTFO with LCH)
R11 -> NOW HR HC
(a round history not condusive to suceeding in exams, having a life or much sleep )
I'm not misunderstood ... I'm EVIL
Last edited by Mistwraith; 5 Oct 2006 at 19:41.
|
|
|
5 Oct 2006, 19:53
|
#8
|
I am.
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,580
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
just have your bank cancel the payments ffs
__________________
hi
|
|
|
5 Oct 2006, 21:21
|
#9
|
Caveat Lector
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Posts: 3,038
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
aol are jerks, no reason to do business with them ever
|
|
|
5 Oct 2006, 22:22
|
#10
|
break it down!
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,087
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yahwe
just have your bank cancel the payments ffs
|
Easiest way ever.
|
|
|
6 Oct 2006, 02:53
|
#11
|
not the daddy...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Chino Hills, CA.
Posts: 117
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
The first time I saw AOL I knew I would never have them as a provider. So, in my infin ate wisdom, I went with Verizon.
Go me.
__________________
Discussions in general...
Last edited by Malice; 6 Oct 2006 at 03:05.
|
|
|
6 Oct 2006, 14:18
|
#12
|
Winker
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: IOW
Posts: 319
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
I used to set up call centres for a living. Its logical that there will always be more people maning a new business revenue generating number, than one where they are going to lose business. It feels worse because your on the phone and you can not see what is going on. However, you could really liken it to a major department store. The customer service or "returns" till is normally tucked away in a corner somewhere and the tills doing new business or new sales are in the majority.
Its the way business is done.
__________________
prestel
Yeah so what Im an Original Pr0nstar
some of us have serious jobs
|
|
|
6 Oct 2006, 17:26
|
#13
|
Motherfracker
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 2,985
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
Little Timmy should die
|
|
|
6 Oct 2006, 20:54
|
#14
|
Flash in the PAN
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Birmingham, Romania
Posts: 554
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
Indeed.
And it isnt really logical. If you have a decent support team which resolve problems using their initiative rather than just following a paint-by-numbers sheet then you might even keep some customers for more than a 12 month minimum contract.
|
|
|
7 Oct 2006, 09:52
|
#15
|
cynic
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Bishop Auckland Co. Durham
Posts: 8,809
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yahwe
just have your bank cancel the payments ffs
|
yahwe in breaking off a contract incorrectly shocker
__________________
lazy
|
|
|
7 Oct 2006, 13:54
|
#16
|
break it down!
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,087
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
Quote:
Originally Posted by roadrunner_0
yahwe in breaking off a contract incorrectly shocker
|
What more is there to do when they aren't letting you break it off correctly?
|
|
|
7 Oct 2006, 14:08
|
#17
|
Victim of Marriage
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: NW Indiana
Posts: 784
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
Quote:
Originally Posted by _Kila_
What more is there to do when they aren't letting you break it off correctly?
|
Just remember, if you try to dispute the payment, AOL may have something in your wonderful contract that if you do this, they'll charge you for it, add a ridiculous fee for "frauduantly disputing payment", and if you refuse they have the right to sue you for it.
__________________
You mean there's life outside the internet...oh man I'm screwed.
|
|
|
7 Oct 2006, 14:23
|
#18
|
I am.
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,580
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
Any such terms would not apply in the Law of England and Wales
__________________
hi
|
|
|
7 Oct 2006, 14:48
|
#19
|
Bline
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Texas, US
Posts: 233
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
I have an aol connection, and have to say its quite good if you dont have what they call the bronze one which kept cutting out every 3 hours. There platinum one i think its called is great though.
|
|
|
7 Oct 2006, 19:00
|
#20
|
Victim of Marriage
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: NW Indiana
Posts: 784
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pilgrim
I have an aol connection, and have to say its quite good if you dont have what they call the bronze one which kept cutting out every 3 hours. There platinum one i think its called is great though.
|
Gee, what a surprise, the more expensive one works better.
__________________
You mean there's life outside the internet...oh man I'm screwed.
|
|
|
7 Oct 2006, 19:03
|
#21
|
Insomniac
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 3,583
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pilgrim
I have an aol connection
|
I really dont think theres anything more to say then that
|
|
|
7 Oct 2006, 19:55
|
#22
|
Bad Girl
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: right here..right now
Posts: 1,055
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yahwe
just have your bank cancel the payments ffs
|
then they send your debt to an agency .. killing your credit rating
__________________
R1 - noob
R2,3,4, - ICD | R5 -ICD HC |R6 - HR Command | R7 - HR Command/NoS
R8,9,9.5,- HR HC /NoS Exec | R10 - HR HC | R10.5 - HR HC (FYTFO with LCH)
R11 -> NOW HR HC
(a round history not condusive to suceeding in exams, having a life or much sleep )
I'm not misunderstood ... I'm EVIL
|
|
|
7 Oct 2006, 21:53
|
#23
|
Drink is Good
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,122
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
I work for orange broadband,, when a customer comes to cancel, what often happens is i get the account details loaded, ask there reason for cancelling, put them on hold so i can get hold of a 'broadband care team agent' who deal with cancellations, tell them any information i know, go back to the customer transfer him, on the other end basically he gets offered better packages at reduced prices to keep him as a customer, or they just cancel him. Im guessing AOL are different though
__________________
Can we please have a moment of silence...........
|
|
|
8 Oct 2006, 12:13
|
#24
|
:alpha:
Join Date: May 2002
Location: London, UK
Posts: 7,871
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mistwraith
then they send your debt to an agency .. killing your credit rating
|
Then you pay off the agency, and AOL cancel your subscription, and you get what you were after in the first place.
Also I don't think it affects your credit until (at least) it goes to court. I had quite a few debt collection places asking me for money on behalf of various bills I didn't pay at uni. I paid them off quickly and it isn't on my credit rating.
__________________
"There is no I in team, but there are two in anal fisting"
|
|
|
8 Oct 2006, 12:37
|
#25
|
Clerk
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 13,940
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tomkat
Then you pay off the agency, and AOL cancel your subscription, and you get what you were after in the first place.
|
The problem is that depending on how they operate, you might find yourself paying for 2-3 months of service that you don't use.
I had a similar issue with one of my old phones. It was past it's year contract period and so I phoned to cancel. Twice I was placed on hold to the cancellation department for twenty five minutes and then cut off. I then wrote in, but they denied receiving the letter and then in another phone call cut me off again while on hold to the cancellation department. In the interim I had cancelled my Direct Debit, but they reckoned I had 4 months of line rental until they eventually cancelled it. I got letters from various debt collectors, it may have been to court by now (I doubt it). My credit rating is already destroyed though so I wasn't worried.
Obviously I should have challenged the eventual bill but contacting these companies is made such a deliberately annoying task that I didn't bother. I've moved since this happened so I'm not sure what's going on at the moment.
|
|
|
9 Oct 2006, 09:57
|
#26
|
cynic
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Bishop Auckland Co. Durham
Posts: 8,809
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yahwe
Any such terms would not apply in the Law of England and Wales
|
yahwe in being wrong twice in a thread shocker
if you break off payment without cancelling the contract they WILL keep charging you for 2 or 3 months ATTHE VERY LEAST before they send it to a credit agency, who will then charge you not only the original AOL bill, but also their costs on top.
__________________
lazy
|
|
|
9 Oct 2006, 17:21
|
#27
|
Choice of Whacker sir?
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Ireland
Posts: 679
|
Re: Cancelling AOL
lads,
used to work for aol. The only way you cancel with them is if you
a) are in prison or on the way to prison
b) can convince them that you really really need to cancel and that if they offer you one more free trial you will report them to Oftel (sp?)
c) your next of kin can fax in your death certificate.
just a quick edit. The cancelations team are called Member Save Dept. They get more comission than a sales person gets for selling you the account to save you from cancelling. The reason being is that AOL make all their money from advertising and marketing. This works out at about 1000 pounds per annum per account. Your subs pay for the callcentres and the salaries associated. So they will do everything within their legal right to keep you a customer.
__________________
* thanos sets mode: -brain The_Shadow_Man
Last edited by TheShadowMan; 9 Oct 2006 at 17:27.
|
|
|
|
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 17:44.
| |