AOL Makes it Just as Difficult to Cancel as Comcast
By Gilbert Falso :: 1:12Â PM
You’re probably familiar with the Comcast cancellation debacle that tech journalist Ryan Block and his wife experienced last month when they had to sit for hours on hold with Comcast, and then endure the efforts of a service rep who just would not let the couple cancel their Internet service.
Now, it appears that online service has-been AOL is subjecting another tech journalist to a similar fate. Why do these companies hate tech journalists so much? Okay, this probably would have happened with anyone – but tech journalists just have a better outlet for their frustrations!
In today’s tale of customer service horror, tech journalist Peter Kafka, who writes for Re/code, is attempting to help a family member cancel their unwanted AOL service. He can’t easily figure out how to do it on AOL’s site, and resorts to Googling the information. This leads him to a series of unfortunate calls… and well, just read through his Tweets below to see how he’s faring. Hopefully he’ll have the service canceled quicker than Block was able to – but I’m not holding my breath. He is dealing with AOL, after all.
Turns out my father-in-law is paying aol $34 a month for “AOL Total Advantage Premium Complete”. Trying to help him unsubscribe now.
— Peter Kafka (@pkafka) August 8, 2014
Not surprisingly, aol does not make it easy to stop paying them $34 a month.
— Peter Kafka (@pkafka) August 8, 2014
.@Wolfson my mother in law tried to cancel a couple years ago. they talked her into keeping a $10/month plan.
— Peter Kafka (@pkafka) August 8, 2014
So far: 1) Went online, couldn’t find unsubscribe option. 2) Googled “unsubscribe AOL”, found link
— Peter Kafka (@pkafka) August 8, 2014
3) Chatted w/online rep, who told us we had to call to unsubscribe. 4) Called unsubscribe #, went through menu 5) Got disconnected.
— Peter Kafka (@pkafka) August 8, 2014
Second time running through AOL automated phone menu, giving them phone and screen name info, disconnected again.
— Peter Kafka (@pkafka) August 8, 2014
New plan is to go through credit card company and try to cancel through them. Sure seems like a lot of hoop-jumping, tho, @timarmstrongaol.
— Peter Kafka (@pkafka) August 8, 2014
I understand why @timarmstrongAOL would make it difficult for my father-in-law to stop giving him $408 a year for services he doesn’t use.
— Peter Kafka (@pkafka) August 8, 2014
But we are persistent! We will figure it out.
— Peter Kafka (@pkafka) August 8, 2014