AOL - I hate it - with a passion! This is second time I had to deal with
AOL. In 1999, I canceled my account after I finished school. It took a
year to cancel as I had to call every month to tell them to stop billing
me and I vowed never to have the service again. I was true to my word
and never signed up with AOL again, so why am I complaining you ask..
this is the kicker...

Without my permission, my son signed up with AOL. His intent was to use
the free 1000 hours then cancel. All of which without my knowledge - HA!
Well, he went over the 1000 free hours and I found out my checking
account was being billed and called to cancel. The problems I endured
were beyond my comprehension.

When I called - I had to listen to a 3 minute AOL welcome message
before I was put on hold for approximately 15 minutes. When the person
finally answered the phone, he asked for all my information and I
explained my problem all before he informed me that the computer was
down and I needed to call back in an hour or so. Why didn't he say that
before he asked for all my information? So I did - call back -three
hours later and - read the last paragraph again. The next time I called
- the next day - read the last paragagraph again, so I called five hours
later - yeap - sounds like "Ground Hog Day" to you? You know the movie
when Bill Murray's day keeps repeating - over and over and over - again.
So, I wait a few days before I call again.

Finally, I'm going to get some results - Not today. I gave the lady all
my information and told her that I previously canceled the account that
my son opened without my permission and apparently my confirmation
number didn't mean a hill of beans because the account was never
canceled. So, I had to start ALL over again. I explained that my son
used my checking account to pay for it and I wanted it stopped. Guess
what? I knew all the right answers - my mother's maiden name, my routing
and checking account number, but the most important - thing - "The
screen name" - I didn't know the screen name. So they refused to give
me any information and refused to close the account. Can you imagine my
frustration? Finally, my son came home we discussed it - more calmly
this round - we called again - listened to the stupid three minute
welcome message then waited the usual 15 minutes to speak with a rep -
again. All of the information was taken and the account was supposed to
be canceled based on the information - "screen name" my son provided.
But he didn't stay until the end of the conversation with the rep and
she had another question that required his response - the second screen
name or password - Do you know, I had to call the next day! The stupid
lady would not tell me what I needed to know although she already knew
the situation and spoke with my son only five minutes earlier. You know
the drill - read the 1st paragraph - AGAIN! I'm getting sick to the
stomach at this point. When I finally get through some days later - I
know the screen name, and everything - do you know the stupidly trained
rep could not give me any information on the account because my son put
his name on the account. My name, mind you, is the billing name, it's my
routing number, checking number, billing address and my mother's maiden
name but Robert put his name on the AOL account. I could have hung
Robert out the window like Mike did his kid - but I didn't - besides
he's too big for window action and he wasn't sitting at my desk at work
with me at the time. Thank God for small favors. Anyway, I needed to
know this information because - remember, I told you all of this was
coming out of my checking account. The rep informed me that my son had
to be sitting next to me and answer the appropriate questions with the
correct responses. So I asked the rep - So, what you are telling me is
that I can get ANY male to sit next to me and I could feed him all the
correct answers and then I could find out how much money was billed to
my account. Of course the silly rep couldn't say yes - she had to defend
her script - but how silly? So she threatened to make a notation on my
account that I intended to have my boyfriend or my brother pretend to be
my son to answer the questions.

It is so stupid! The three minute welcome messages clearly states that
the only person who can get information about the account is the person
that the account is being billed to via credit card, debt cards, or
checking account! It doesn't say a single thing about a if***ing screen
name.

I also told the rep that I would send a message to everyone in my
address book and spread the bad news about the ordeal that is required
to cancel an AOL account - even when it was opened without my consent.
I guess she said to herself - "get in line." To top it off I hope she
made that notation on my account too.

I finally got a confirmation number and the account should be closed.
It took me a month to get this far. We'll see? Now I have to go to the
bank and make sure AOL does not draft my account anymore. As for
Robert, I'm thinking about having him for dinner - or at least his head
on a platter.