[N|E|W|S] A-Hole-L Thinks it's M$
Sinister Midget
http://www.nbc10.com/news/9406462/detail.html
An incredible video from CNBC shows an AOL customer trying to cancel
his account, but a phone rep won't let him do it. What customer
Vincent Ferrari got when he tried to cancel his account was a lot of
frustration.
It took him 15 minutes waiting on the phone just to reach a real,
live person.
And, what happened next was recorded by Ferrari on audio and lasted
about four minutes:
I had an account with them a long, long time ago, back before I ever
connected to the internet. It began to dawn on me that they really
didn't have anything worthwhile to offer except a self-contained
audience for generating ad revenue.
When I went to dump them, I ran into the same sort of runaround
mentioned. I called and got passed to several people before finally
getting one who promised to cancel the account. Nothing happened. I
wrote emails and nothing was changed. Usually nothing was even
answered, unless it was an offer to help me solve my problem or to get
a short term discount for my continued use. I wrote a letter and made
them sign for it, and still nothing happened.
In frustration with both them and a card I was carrying, I cancelled
the credit card they were billing (could have had the charges refused,
but the card was crap anyway).
First they got nasty, and I ignored them. Then, after a long period of
getting nastier and nastier, they started getting nicer. I ignored
them. They innundated me with free offers, floppies (this was
waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back), emails, snail mail, etc. I ignored them. They
finally gave up. I still ignored them.
Except to make fun of them, or to discourage people who haven't already
been screwed by them, I /still/ ignore them.
--
I once heard two ladies going on and on about the pains of childbirth
and how men don't seem to know what real pain is. I asked if either of
them ever got themselves caught in a zipper.
-- Emo Philips
Mathew P.
Hash: SHA1
On 2006-06-22, Sinister Midget spake thusly:
> On Tape: Rep Won't Let Customer Quit AOL
>
> http://www.nbc10.com/news/9406462/detail.html
>
> An incredible video from CNBC shows an AOL customer trying to cancel
> his account, but a phone rep won't let him do it. What customer
> Vincent Ferrari got when he tried to cancel his account was a lot of
> frustration.
------------8<-----------
> In frustration with both them and a card I was carrying, I cancelled
> the credit card they were billing (could have had the charges refused,
> but the card was crap anyway).
>
> First they got nasty, and I ignored them. Then, after a long period of
> getting nastier and nastier, they started getting nicer. I ignored
> them. They innundated me with free offers, floppies (this was
> waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back), emails, snail mail, etc. I ignored them. They
> finally gave up. I still ignored them.
>
> Except to make fun of them, or to discourage people who haven't already
> been screwed by them, I /still/ ignore them.
Exactly what I was thinking I would do if such a thing had ever happened
to me. Except for one thing: I have a wells fargo credit card, which I
like very much. Wells Fargo is a very customer oriented bank, and I do
all my banking, including my mortgage, with them. Closing my account
wouldn't be my first choice, and more importantly, wouldn't have to be.
Once, a porn company defrauded my credit account, charging to it without
my authorization (no I don't buy, view, or download, porn). I happened to
see the charge on the online statement. It was very sneaky, calling itself
by a name that was very benign and easily missed. How they obtained my card
information is still a mystery, but online white collar crime is getting
more complex and devious. *
To the point: When I realized I had been had, I called Wells Fargo and
reported the unauthorized charge. They credited my account immediately
and stated that they would investigate the fraud. I have never had another
unauthorized charge since, and they told me that my account had been
altered (for the better) to prevent further abuse. If AOL or any company
was pulling these kinds of shenanigans, I wouldn't take a chance of negatively
effecting my credit score. I would call Wells Fargo and report the abuse.
I have been with them for two decades, and I have no doubt that I wouldn't
get any more nastyness from Assholes On Line.
I would also report them to all applicable government agencies. Whether
or not it would do any good is definetly questionable, but I would
do it nonetheless. But I have to give you kudo's Sinister, for
giving AOL the big "UP YOURS!". :-)
Regards,
Mathew
* It is worth noting that at the time, I was using windows exclusively, for
all my computer tasks, including, but not limited to, internet access. I
make no accusations; four out of five dentists recommend giving
it thought for their patients that draw their own conclusions. member FDIC.
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--
"Always do the right thing: It will delight / Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanies
some and astound the rest" - Mark Twain / Psychotronic protection, low prices
nes...@wigner.berkeley.edu
They made it Oh-So-Easy to sign up (diskettes in the mail etc), but
just try to sign off. What a pain. You couldn't find a phone number,
address or email address to actually contact them to sign off.
It's obvious that the way to make a lot of money is to milk a lot of
people on a steady basis. Even a small amount per person adds up to a
fortune when you've got a large population. Microsoft, AOL, cable
companies, music companies, you name it, it's the same MO.
Linonut
I ended up paying for one month before I could finally get their hooks
out of me.
--
Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your Microsoft product.