AOL - unfair charges for cancelled account?

gf1

Hi - My 74 year old Mother-in-Law rang to cancel her AOL account in Dec. She says they told her over the phone that they would cancel the DD. She also contacted her bank and cancelled the DD. They have since continued to charge her for the last 3-4 months and are now threatening court action to reclaim the money. They say they advised her that they would need to transfer her to the 'cancellations department' and that she terminated the call before this happened. She says that she heard no such thing. They are suggesting that she has to pay a £10 fee and produce all sorts of evidence to obtain a copy of the recorded phone call. Does she have to pay the 'missed' monthly charges? Is her best bet to obtain a copy of the phone call? If she does obtain a copy of the phone call and she is proved right - should AOL refund her the £10 fee? Any help/suggestions gratefully received. Many thanks.

macman

Was she still in contract when she cancelled? If so then they can rightfully charge her until the end of the contract.
PS: it's not possible for the recipient to cancel a DD, it has to be done by the account holder. All the recipient can do is not request the payment, but until the account holder closes it, the option is still there.

gf1

Thanks for the reply. I believe she was out of contract but had to give 28 days notice to cancel?

clickclash

gf1 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. I believe she was out of contract but had to give 28 days notice to cancel?

You should check how long the original contract lasted for, AOL ones tend to have a rather long tie in period.

macman

gf1 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. I believe she was out of contract but had to give 28 days notice to cancel?

Well you need to find out for sure, because if she wasn't then she has to pay out the rest of the contract. That's the first thing to establish. If she was still in contract, then there's no get out.

Amethyst197831

Hi.

The same thing is happening to me. I changed from AOL to TALK TALK last July. The lady on the phone at TALK TALK told me she would cancel the AOL. A couple of months ago I received a bill from AOL for £126.54, and have been trying to sort it out with both companies but neither will help. I was definatley not in a contract period with AOL. I am now getting letters from a debt collection agency, and that has angered me because I have just got my credit file in good order. I again phoned TALK TALK today and was told they do inform the other company but AOL tell me this has not happened. What is more annoying is that they are essentially part of the same company. It seems like a big scam to me. I am being passed backwards and forwards and am getting nowhere.

Maestro2006

AOL are terrible, on all counts.

I just pasted a lengthy thread about how they've been billing for an account I never had or requested, and refuse to stop!

Avoid them at all costs. If it's any consolation, i'm looking to take AOL to court for what they've done to me. :P

gf1

Unfortunately my Mother-in-Law can not take the stress and the threats from AOL, and has decided to pay them to get them off her back. (She was not under contract). She did ask them why they let her run up a bill and not point out that she was in 'arrears' for some months. They said that they do this to be 'helpful' to people who might be in financial difficulty(!) - (as if running up extra costs could ever be helpful) - but then they come in all threatening. What a 'sharp' practice. She has basically 'given in' as she can not cope with the worry. Thanks for the replies though, and good luck to those still taking AOL on.

LALON1983

gf1 wrote: »

Hi - My 74 year old Mother-in-Law rang to cancel her AOL account in Dec. She says they told her over the phone that they would cancel the DD. She also contacted her bank and cancelled the DD. They have since continued to charge her for the last 3-4 months and are now threatening court action to reclaim the money. They say they advised her that they would need to transfer her to the 'cancellations department' and that she terminated the call before this happened. She says that she heard no such thing. They are suggesting that she has to pay a £10 fee and produce all sorts of evidence to obtain a copy of the recorded phone call. Does she have to pay the 'missed' monthly charges? Is her best bet to obtain a copy of the phone call? If she does obtain a copy of the phone call and she is proved right - should AOL refund her the £10 fee? Any help/suggestions gratefully received. Many thanks.

Reading stories like this makes me more determined to take AOL to court, seems to be the norm to not cancel the account when requested to do so, leave it for a few months then start chasing. I have already submitted my claim in court .

del1001

When you're Mother In Law phoned to cancel she should have been given a four-figure cancellation code, as long as you've got that you will be ok.

It took me 4 months to get AOL off my back, their customer services are a nightmare.