AOL Charges

richgreat10

Hi. My first post, sorry if it is in the wrong section but I think it's fine!

Okay.. I am posting on behalf of my Dad. He was with AOL Broadband for 3 years or so but cancelled the contract in April (I think) to join Sky. He checked his statements a few months later to discover that AOL had charged him for May, June, July and August. So he contacted the AOL people (in India!) who said they would re-cancel it and give him a refund.

Another month or so passed, and he checked the new statement. AOL had charged him for September AND took money for the 4 months they were supposed to be refunding him.

As you can imagine he isn't best pleased as they now owe him around £170. He rang up the call centre again and the woman (who was unhelpful by all accounts) said the refund can take up to 30 days to process. Also, she would get the "Special Investigations Team" onto the case and they would ring him back in the next few days to discuss the issue. 10 days have now passed and he hasn't heard a thing.

The reason I am putting it on here is a) has anyone else experienced this? b_ If so, how did you deal with it and get it solved? c) Does anyone know a number he can call to contact AOL in Britain and not India?

I know you guys are usually very helpful. Many thanks in advance, Rich

Neurotica

Phone OFCOM. Simple as that. They'll hopefully unleash holy hell on them for being so stupid. Otherwise they'll fine them and your dad will get his money back.

del1001

I presume that you/your dad followed aol's terms and conditions for cancelling, phoning/emailing aol after you've commited to a new isp and actually telling them to cancel your account and obtained a cancelation code from them (a 4 figure number), at the same time, the aol agent should have advised you of your last payment collection date, once that date has passed, you should cancel the direct debit arrangement between your bank and aol.

Having said all that, I am in the middle of a similar situation with aol, only they are not getting any more money out of me, but they keep on trying, I have now escalated my problem to a "formal complaint"

http://help.aol.co.uk/what-stage-of-the-complaints-process/article/20060802100809990026?n=collection&p=AOL%20Broadband%20Complaints%20Policy%20help_portal&c=help_portal

Dominium1uk

Many years ago, I took out AOL broadband. After 2 years I was offered a similar package by a rival company, but when talking about this to AOL I was told that I have a contract that may cost me to cancel- So, I did not.

I was paying £24.99 for AOL a month up to my move in date of 7th August 2008. I had cancelled AOL late July through email 'cancel@aol.co.uk'.

On the 11th August, I phoned AOL for 40 mins to find out if the account had been cancelled so that there was no issues for anyone new coming into my old house. I was told that the email had not reached them, and that they would cancel the account on the phone then. (cancellation number ****) On the 2nd August AOL took out £24.99 from my account.

On 3rd October- AOL took out another £24.99. After not receiving any information for an entire month, I phoned AOL on 9th October for 29 mins to quiz why I had paid three times for a service that I did not own. They stated that my August payment was money due as there was a cancellation time of 30 days. Annoyed about this (As I had probably not read the very fine print) but getting what they said I asked for an immediate refund of September and Octobers payments, which I was told was fine, and that the cancellation number was ****, as it was before.

On the 19th October, I phoned again for another 22 mins- frustrated that I had nothing go back into my account- I was told it would take 20 days to refund the amount.

I could not belive that the company can hold money for this time- or even take such a long time to process this refund- they are very quick about taking it out of my account!

Again, patiently, I awaited the refund, and by the 24th October I had nothing in my bank still, so I phoned AOL again for 16 mins this time, to be told that the refund had been processed, and it would be with me shortly, very sorry, etc.

Another phone call had to be made on 30th October for 19 mins- when I still had not received any form of refund. I was told on this phone call, that AOL had recently bought up another company and that this changed the refund time to 40 days., I could not get this... was this a change in contract? If so, they had not advertised this in any way.

It all comes to a head when today, I checked my bank to find that on the 31st October they have taken out another £24.99.

After a phone call today of about 10 mins I was told- "Very sorry, but your account was never cancelled back in August, nor in October (Even though they told us that they had) and even though we have taken the money from your account, it will take another 44 days to refund back to you".

The long and short of this is that AOL now owe me £74.97, and if I added up all of the phone calls it would be another £6.80 on top.

I know it does not sound like much, but it is alot in this time of rising prices, especially with myself and my wife expecting a christmas baby- and another example of the working person being penalised by a large company.

I will go formal- but really want to make a song and dance about this as I think it really stinks that AOL have been allowed to get away with this sort of thing for so long now

del1001

Dominium1uk, if it's any consolation to you, the "formal complaint" did the job, I am now fully rid of aol, in actual fact, they still owe me 44 pence, but they are welcome to it, heaven only knows the trouble I'd have to go to to get it back!

As you are in posession of a cancellation code I would also suggest that you cancel the direct debit arrangement with aol, they clearly now owe you money so I wouldn't give them the chance to take any more!