AFSCME 3357-HOF'S BLOG

AOL is up to its old Tricks
Back to the Cancellation Tango

America Online is like a roach motel, you can get in, but you can't get out. At least, AOL does its darnedest to keep you from cancelling. No trick, scheme or artiface is too low for AOL. Basically, when you want to cancel, AOL does everything not to acknowledge you short of sticking its corporate fingers in its corporate ears and saying "LA LA LA LA" like the Vancome lady on Mad-Tv.

One of my coworkers just finished (she hopes) dancing with AOL. Her cancellation experience was much like that experienced by Dave Taylor. Dave Taylor put his experiences on a web page along with advice to would-be-ex-Aolers.

Note, this is not a new phenomenon. It wasn't new in 2003 when the FTC entered into a consent decree with AOL. In the consent decree, AOL promised to make it easier to cancel. More importantly, if AOL purports to "save" the cancellation and continue the account in effect, AOL must record tangible evidence of the save and send a written notice to the consumer informing the consumer that the service is continuing.

Thanks to M.D. for the tip.