Name And Shame! Aol

Art_2

idobelieveit wrote:

I would like to thank AOL for introducing their new rip-off telephone support service. Why? I hear you asking.
Well I'll tell you. I'm a typical laggard and am still on dial up with modem (I know, I know...) paying AOL £16 a month or something silly like that.
Anyway, their little trick to screw more money out of us (not that I have ever telephoned them) has incensed me enough for ME to decide, at long last, to swap ISPs. Yesterday my wife and I set up new mail accounts with another provider. When we've e-mailed all our friends we will cancel our AOL account and go for a BB connection with someone else - the info for which I'm sure I'll find around here.
So, Thanks AOL!

Although I'm not with AOL I am very dissatisfied with my ISP and have spent a lot of time looking at the alternatives. As mentioned in a previous post I have decided Plusnet is the ISP I will be switching to. Local call rates for support and they are based in Sheffield so you speak to someone who you can understand. Great broadband rates from £14.99 per month. https://www.plus.net

Regards,
Art.

BexTech

I notice Plusnet use a 0845 number, so not actually a local rate call. Yes it is better than a 0870 number, but a true geographic number would be better, as they are cheaper to call than a 0845 number.

Edit: Have noticed Say No To 0870 lists the true number the 0845 lands on as 0114 220 0000.

idobelieveit

Thanks for this. You may have saved me some searching,
Tom

daveboy

I've only ever needed to ring an ISP when cancelling.

Maybe it's just me who is thinking that if you had some knowledge - this phone number thing wouldn't be an issue.

I am with AOL and to be honest what they've done makes no difference to me.

BexTech

This is true, I've only ever called Pipex when requesting my MAC, and then again a few months later when I returned to get my log in details, though when I did call them I used their 01707 number instead of the 0845 number.

borntoshop

I must admit i have now got a lot more knowledge and havent used the service recently. When i first set up my AOL account we had lots of problems and after many hours trying to rectify it with the telephone tech support, they gave up and transferred us to the expert team, who finally agreed what we had been saying all along, that it was an AOL software problem not our PC. If you are new they assume the fault is with the user or equipment.

This would have cost £100's, not all users are experienced and that was the great advantage of the free support.

Ellie2758

I emailed the "top man" as suggested in an earlier post and got this reply:

I understand from your recent e-mail that you have comments and complaints about the AOL® service. I am sorry you are dissatisfied, but appreciate that honest and constructive criticism is sometimes necessary to help AOL improve our service to you.

I know that AOL isn't perfect, and our team is working every day to make it better. Though we don't like for our members to be dissatisfied, we're still grateful when they let us know what improvements are most important to them.

In the future, you may want to send your comments directly to us at AOL Keyword: Tell Us.

While we're working on resolving your complaint, I would like to recommend that you visit AOL® Keyword: Discover AOL -- a convenient guide to our features, all in one place.

If you need additional assistance, you can chat online with a technical support specialist. Please go to AOL Keyword: Live Help. My colleagues there are available 24 hours a day to assist you in a secure, one-on-one session.


Rimbert L.
AOL Customer Care Consultant

So, they are "working on resolving" the complaint. Interesting.....do you suppose they even read it?

Ellie

bbb_uk

Ellie2758 wrote:

...So, they are "working on resolving" the complaint. Interesting.....do you suppose they even read it?...

Not likely as the response seems standard/automated. It mentioned nothing in it with regards to what your original query was. They must know they are likely to lose customers but probably gain that back in people holding/queuing on their new 0870 number where they can gain a profit upto about 4ppm.

HeaddyMX

First of all thank you Martin and everybody else for bringing this up.

Following the advice I've just gotten off the phone to AOL CS. I'm 10 months and 6 days into the contract, which I was duped into, and told even though there was a change in the contract that I still could not cancel. I have been trying for months to do so.

I guess I'm confused, where and how exactly do I cancel?

Art_2

BexTech wrote:

I notice Plusnet use a 0845 number, so not actually a local rate call. Yes it is better than a 0870 number, but a true geographic number would be better, as they are cheaper to call than a 0845 number.

Edit: Have noticed Say No To 0870 lists the true number the 0845 lands on as 0114 220 0000.

I think in this instance the 0845 is cheaper than the alternative national rate number you have given.

I emailed Plusnet to ask about their 0845 number. Their reply states:
'Local rate. It is a standard BT 0845 number so is charged by BT at the standard local rate charge.'

regards,
Art.