Customer Service Rep Won't Let Customer Quit AOL... - GoFuckYourself.com

clickhappy · 06-21-2006, 06:08 PM

too funny, I went through the same thing years ago

they are rough about canceling your account

http://www.nbc10.com/news/9406462/detail.html

On Tape: Rep Won't Let Customer Quit AOL

An incredible video from CNBC shows an AOL customer trying to cancel his account, but a phone rep won't let him do it. What customer Vincent Ferrari got when he tried to cancel his account was a lot of frustration.

It took him 15 minutes waiting on the phone just to reach a real, live person.

And, what happened next was recorded by Ferrari on audio and lasted about four minutes:

CLOCK READOUT - 00:00

AOL REPRESENTATIVE: Hi this is John at AOL... how may I help you today?

VINCENT FERRARI: I wanted to cancel my account.

AOL: Sorry to hear that. Let's pull your account up here real quick. Can I have your name please?

VINCENT: Vincent Ferrari.

CLOCK READOUT - 00:30

AOL: You've had this account for a long time.

VINCENT: Yup.

AOL: Use this quite a bit. What was the cause of wanting to turn this off today?

VINCENT: I just don't use it anymore.

AOL: Do you have a high speed connection, like the DSL or cable?

VINCENT: Yup.

AOL: How long have you had that...

VINCENT: Years...

AOL: ...the high speed?

VINCENT: ...years.

AOL: Well, actually I'm showing a lot of usage on this account.

VINCENT: Yeah, a long time, a long time ago, not recently...

CLOCK READOUT - 01:47

AOL: Okay, I mean is there a problem with the software itself?

VINCENT: No. I just don't use it, I don't need it, I don't want it. I just don't need it anymore.

AOL: Okay. So when you use this... I mean, use the computer, I'm saying, is that for business or for... for school?

VINCENT: Dude, what difference does it make. I don't want the AOL account anymore. Can we please cancel it?

CLOCK READOUT - 02:21

AOL: Last year was 545, last month was 545 hours of usage...

VINCENT: I don't know how to make this any clearer, so I'm just gonna say it one last time. Cancel the account.

AOL: Well explain to me what's, why...

VINCENT: I'm not explaining anything to you. Cancel the account.

AOL: Well, what's the matter man? We're just, I'm just trying to help here.

VINCENT: You're not helping me. You're helping me...

AOL: I am trying to help.

VINCENT: Helping... listen, I called to cancel the account. Helping me would be canceling the account. Please help me and cancel the account.

AOL: No, it wouldn't actually...

VINCENT: Cancel my account...

AOL: Turning off your account...

VINCENT: ...cancel the account...

AOL: ...would be the worst thing that...

VINCENT: ...cancel the account.

CLOCK READOUT - 03:02

AOL: Okay, cause I'm just trying to figure out...

VINCENT: Cancel the account. I don't know how to make this any clearer for you. Cancel the account. When I say cancel the account, I don't mean help me figure out how to keep it, I mean cancel the account.

AOL: Well, I'm sorry, I don't know what anybody's done to you Vincent because all I'm...

VINCENT: Will you please cancel the account.

CLOCK READOUT - 03:32

AOL: Alright, some day when you calmed down you're gonna realize that all I was trying to do was help you... and it was actually in your best interest to listen to me.

VINCENT: Wonderful, Okay.

CLOCK READOUT - 03:39

"I've never ever experienced anything like that," Ferrari told CNBC.

He recounts how the AOL representative - as a last resort even asked if his dad was home.

"I think I could've put up with everything, but at the point when he asked to speak to my father, I came very close to losing it at that point," said the 30-year-old Ferrari.

Ferrari then posted the call online, and the response was tremendous.

AOL sent him an apology and said the customer service rep was no longer with the company.

madawgz · 06-21-2006, 06:12 PM

hahah what pricks at aol :@

WiredGuy · 06-21-2006, 06:14 PM

Ironic how mainstream companies like this make it impossible to cancel and adult memberships are so easy by comparison.
WG

BuggyG · 06-21-2006, 06:15 PM

heheh they gotta keep them as long as possible
try to change their minds LOL

BobG · 06-21-2006, 06:18 PM

this was posted last night too. This AOL tactic has been going on for years. I like how they responded to the incident with shock as if it was an isolated incident. I had the same thing happen to me more than once and everyone i know who has cancelled has had the same thing happen to them aswell. It's kinda funny too.... they act really charming with you until they know that the account is absolutely beyond saving at which point they turn into condescending pricks.

OzMan · 06-21-2006, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WiredGuy

Ironic how mainstream companies like this make it impossible to cancel and adult memberships are so easy by comparison.
WG

But can you imagine if adult memberships were as hard to cancel.
Even the one sale a day webmasters would each be eventually living on their own private islands and Webmaster events would be held on the International Space Station

Gaybucks · 06-21-2006, 06:35 PM

Imagine if an adult company pulled this crap?

Actually, come to think of it, gay.com does exactly this... to cancel my annual membership, I went through 4 pages of shit and then at the end it said "You have to call this number to cancel" Well, I called that number and it took them like 5 days to cancel, by which time my annual subscription had renewed.

I bitched and they "generously" prorated the cancellation charging me for 1 month. I should have just charged the whole thing back.

After Shock Media · 06-21-2006, 06:36 PM

I personally played with them two weeks ago. I have had an account there since well it was pay per minute and they did not send you CD's they sent you a big ass box full of floppy disks (not 3.5 either) along with a huge users manual. Well my fiance actually likes AOL for its "other" crap, games etc. So I had no real intention of cancelling, I just did not like my price.

I called up and said I wanted to cancel, they went through hoops and I said I barely use it and I also have high speed. I felt it was too much money. They countered with a 7.99 a month deal, unlimited broadband connection and then 10 hours a month dial up. I said ok, since that was about a 50% discount. I logged in to grab the email and print it out and a pop up had an agreement with the terms of my account now and a cancellation fee if I did not stay a year. I called them back again bitched about that and said cancel my service. The rep asked why, I explained it was too expensive, and I did not like the cancellation fee nor the 10 hours dial up. Well she dropped the costs down to 4.95 unlimited broadband, 30 hours a month dial up, and no cancellation fee, plus through in 6 months free service and refunded my last months bill.

I can deal with that.

minusonebit · 06-21-2006, 07:45 PM

hehe, good shit.

WiredGuy · 06-21-2006, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OzMan

But can you imagine if adult memberships were as hard to cancel.
Even the one sale a day webmasters would each be eventually living on their own private islands and Webmaster events would be held on the International Space Station

Or more likely is chargebacks would be in the double digits each month

WG

06-21-2006, 06:08 PM	#1
clickhappy Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 4,027	Customer Service Rep Won't Let Customer Quit AOL... too funny, I went through the same thing years ago they are rough about canceling your account http://www.nbc10.com/news/9406462/detail.html On Tape: Rep Won't Let Customer Quit AOL An incredible video from CNBC shows an AOL customer trying to cancel his account, but a phone rep won't let him do it. What customer Vincent Ferrari got when he tried to cancel his account was a lot of frustration. It took him 15 minutes waiting on the phone just to reach a real, live person. And, what happened next was recorded by Ferrari on audio and lasted about four minutes: CLOCK READOUT - 00:00 AOL REPRESENTATIVE: Hi this is John at AOL... how may I help you today? VINCENT FERRARI: I wanted to cancel my account. AOL: Sorry to hear that. Let's pull your account up here real quick. Can I have your name please? VINCENT: Vincent Ferrari. CLOCK READOUT - 00:30 AOL: You've had this account for a long time. VINCENT: Yup. AOL: Use this quite a bit. What was the cause of wanting to turn this off today? VINCENT: I just don't use it anymore. AOL: Do you have a high speed connection, like the DSL or cable? VINCENT: Yup. AOL: How long have you had that... VINCENT: Years... AOL: ...the high speed? VINCENT: ...years. AOL: Well, actually I'm showing a lot of usage on this account. VINCENT: Yeah, a long time, a long time ago, not recently... CLOCK READOUT - 01:47 AOL: Okay, I mean is there a problem with the software itself? VINCENT: No. I just don't use it, I don't need it, I don't want it. I just don't need it anymore. AOL: Okay. So when you use this... I mean, use the computer, I'm saying, is that for business or for... for school? VINCENT: Dude, what difference does it make. I don't want the AOL account anymore. Can we please cancel it? CLOCK READOUT - 02:21 AOL: Last year was 545, last month was 545 hours of usage... VINCENT: I don't know how to make this any clearer, so I'm just gonna say it one last time. Cancel the account. AOL: Well explain to me what's, why... VINCENT: I'm not explaining anything to you. Cancel the account. AOL: Well, what's the matter man? We're just, I'm just trying to help here. VINCENT: You're not helping me. You're helping me... AOL: I am trying to help. VINCENT: Helping... listen, I called to cancel the account. Helping me would be canceling the account. Please help me and cancel the account. AOL: No, it wouldn't actually... VINCENT: Cancel my account... AOL: Turning off your account... VINCENT: ...cancel the account... AOL: ...would be the worst thing that... VINCENT: ...cancel the account. CLOCK READOUT - 03:02 AOL: Okay, cause I'm just trying to figure out... VINCENT: Cancel the account. I don't know how to make this any clearer for you. Cancel the account. When I say cancel the account, I don't mean help me figure out how to keep it, I mean cancel the account. AOL: Well, I'm sorry, I don't know what anybody's done to you Vincent because all I'm... VINCENT: Will you please cancel the account. CLOCK READOUT - 03:32 AOL: Alright, some day when you calmed down you're gonna realize that all I was trying to do was help you... and it was actually in your best interest to listen to me. VINCENT: Wonderful, Okay. CLOCK READOUT - 03:39 "I've never ever experienced anything like that," Ferrari told CNBC. He recounts how the AOL representative - as a last resort even asked if his dad was home. "I think I could've put up with everything, but at the point when he asked to speak to my father, I came very close to losing it at that point," said the 30-year-old Ferrari. Ferrari then posted the call online, and the response was tremendous. AOL sent him an apology and said the customer service rep was no longer with the company.

06-21-2006, 06:12 PM	#2
madawgz 8.8.8.8 Industry Role: Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Noordermarkt Posts: 30,509	hahah what pricks at aol :@ __________________ TAEMDLRMSKRJIXMRLSMRJ.

06-21-2006, 06:14 PM	#3
WiredGuy Pounding Googlebot Industry Role: Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 34,509	Ironic how mainstream companies like this make it impossible to cancel and adult memberships are so easy by comparison. WG __________________ I play with Google.

06-21-2006, 06:35 PM	#7
Gaybucks Confirmed User Join Date: May 2004 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 451	Imagine if an adult company pulled this crap? Actually, come to think of it, gay.com does exactly this... to cancel my annual membership, I went through 4 pages of shit and then at the end it said "You have to call this number to cancel" Well, I called that number and it took them like 5 days to cancel, by which time my annual subscription had renewed. I bitched and they "generously" prorated the cancellation charging me for 1 month. I should have just charged the whole thing back. __________________ Gaybucks.com 100% exclusive American guys - hosted movie galleries - NATS - Boyfunk.com - Boysfeetclub.com - AJsCloset.com- SkylerDeVoss.com ICQ 272-995-402

06-21-2006, 06:36 PM	#8
After Shock Media It's coming look busy Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn". Posts: 35,299	I personally played with them two weeks ago. I have had an account there since well it was pay per minute and they did not send you CD's they sent you a big ass box full of floppy disks (not 3.5 either) along with a huge users manual. Well my fiance actually likes AOL for its "other" crap, games etc. So I had no real intention of cancelling, I just did not like my price. I called up and said I wanted to cancel, they went through hoops and I said I barely use it and I also have high speed. I felt it was too much money. They countered with a 7.99 a month deal, unlimited broadband connection and then 10 hours a month dial up. I said ok, since that was about a 50% discount. I logged in to grab the email and print it out and a pop up had an agreement with the terms of my account now and a cancellation fee if I did not stay a year. I called them back again bitched about that and said cancel my service. The rep asked why, I explained it was too expensive, and I did not like the cancellation fee nor the 10 hours dial up. Well she dropped the costs down to 4.95 unlimited broadband, 30 hours a month dial up, and no cancellation fee, plus through in 6 months free service and refunded my last months bill. I can deal with that. __________________ [email protected] ICQ:135982156 AIM: Aftershockmed1a MSN: [email protected]

06-21-2006, 06:15 PM	#4
BuggyG Confirmed User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Ottawa Posts: 4,179	heheh they gotta keep them as long as possible try to change their minds LOL

06-21-2006, 06:18 PM	#5
BobG Confirmed User Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: San Diego Posts: 4,274	this was posted last night too. This AOL tactic has been going on for years. I like how they responded to the incident with shock as if it was an isolated incident. I had the same thing happen to me more than once and everyone i know who has cancelled has had the same thing happen to them aswell. It's kinda funny too.... they act really charming with you until they know that the account is absolutely beyond saving at which point they turn into condescending pricks.

06-21-2006, 07:45 PM	#9
minusonebit So Fucking Banned Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: [email protected] Posts: 7,391	hehe, good shit.