AOL Nightmare

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Our ISP is AOL. We've been with them for years, but I think that's all about to change. In fact, I know it is.

The other day I had a phone call from a call centre way out east somewheres saying our direct debit had failed. As I wasn't certain who I was talking to, I said thank you for calling, but I'll check online. I did this on Thursday and discovered the DD had failed as they were trying to process it through my account but in my husband's name.

Anyway, I tried to make a one off payment online using my debit card but it wouldn't have it. I tried again in case it was the system. Nothing doing. So I phoned them, no the card wouldn't work, please verify the card with your bank. Phoned the bank, the card & account are fine. Phoned AOL, we try the card again twice, nothing. Tried again online, nothing. Phoned AOL, it's ok they said, there was a system error. So we tried again, twice. And they still can't take the payment.

So, long & short(ish) of it is the card was used 8 times to try to make a payment of £47.95. AOL have said they haven't had the money but my bank has 'ear-marked' the funds to go to AOL EIGHT times and removed it from my account to a 'holding' account. They cannot, so they say, stop or reverse the payments until they show on my statement in three days time. But, the bank said that AOL can reverse them, and gave me a list of transaction authorisation codes to give to AOL. I phoned AOL out east and they have flatly refused to help, they won't pass me on to a supervisor or manager and they won't let me complete their customer complaint procedure over the phone as they say there is no complaint.

I finally got through to another call centre in Dublin and I was told, but not assured or even reassured, that the money would go back go back into my account overnight last Friday when AOL's payment system realises it's taken too many payments. It didn't happen, and still hasn't happened, although other transactions have gonein/out.

FOUR hours I was on the phone to either AOL or my bank, nonstop. Being passed back & forth. Meantime, I'm furious, stressed to all get out, totally penniless and I feel like I've been steamrollered by both AOL and my bank.

Oh yeah, on Friday night AOL phoned again to ask when I was going to pay my outstanding bill......

They had better give me my mac code tomorrow morning.:mad:

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