I just got SLAMMED by AOL!

[Dogmudgeon]

Two months of "service", plus two overdraft fees.

$23.90 + $35 ... and double that. It's about $117.

WTF?

I never ordered AOL.

Those knuckleheads ought to know better than to SLAM an unemployed tech worker who hates corporate Bush supporters.

--bkl

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. You would think so, right?

But, sadly, they do know better, they just don't care. They get to count that as accounts receivable now.

[amber dog democrat]

2. I hope soon they will express regret over their error.

I juot hope you can make it cost them something to rememeber you by.
But good luck anyway.
bastards.

[liberalnurse]

3. Did you have AOL for a free year?

As part of a new computer purchase? When you sign up for the free service, they automaticly activate you when the year is up.

[w4rma]

4. Call AOL and tell them you want those fees removed from your account. Then

, after they have done it, call up your bank and tell them you want the overdraft fees removed as they were caused by a company who accessed your account without your wishes. Assuming you have a decent bank AND you get in touch with a decent customer service rep, you won't lose a dime... Just a whole bunch of time out of your life trying to correct everything.

[democracyindanger]

5. Could be identity theft

I got a $400 bill from Verizon for a cell phone I never signed up for. Get all the information AOL has for your account...I bet there's something screwy in there.

[pagerbear]

13. I suffered identity theft, too

Fortunately I caught it in time.

[catchthefever]

6. Those free hours

I believe that when you get your CD for service, you have a "no-credit card" option. With that option, you provide your home phone number and agree to be billed. That means anyone can type in anyone else's phone number may claim they can legally charge to that phone number. Pretty scary, huh?

[Dogmudgeon]

10. Nope, they got my card number

I have no idea how they got it, but ID thieves are pretty resourceful. Maybe they rifled the mailbox. That's the theory I'm working on.

Plus, they got some of my information wrong, anyway.

Yeah, the phone number charge thing is pretty scary. I suppose a lot of people are hit that way, and pay the charge rather than give it any scrutiny. Most people won't contest a charge, so that's a source of "free money".

--bkl

[politicat]

14. Mailbox is less likely than someone selling it from an internet puchrase.

I've had this happen - I buy something from a small business online and my number, name and address gets stolen from there.

Happened in January. Not fun.

Pcat

[miss_kitty]

7. Make sure you let your state's AG know

if it's not ID theft. :)

How'd they get your checking acct number?

[Dogmudgeon]

8. Imagine my gobsmacked surprise ...

I was able to get the whole thing "handled" in less than 70 minutes.

Now all I have to do is write a letter to my wank -- I mean, my bank -- and let them correct their own errors (the overdraft charges).

The AOLians were polite and efficient. So different from the last time I had to deal with an AOL slam, back in 1996 or so.

Now, to figure out how the blackguard who did this managed to effect his foul deed -- and plug the security hole.

--bkl

[miss_kitty]

11. As a person still dealing with the fallout of ID theft

may I suggest a couple of things?
Never mind, I'm going to. Protect your checking acct with a number password. Not your Mother's maiden name. Order a copy of your credit files to see if any asshole has been applying for credit in your name.

excuse me. I have to go fill out a Victim's Impact Statement for CLARK County WA, 3 hours from my house-one of the many places checks with my name and BOA acct number were used. (The address and phone # had been changed to the thief's)

[Dogmudgeon]

12. The exposure has been minimized

Thanks for the suggestions; I've been through this before, and it was one of the most onerous annoyances I've ever had.

My account itself wasn't hacked, and my password is a random combination of letters and numbers.

I now strongly suspect someone rifled my mail.

The credit reports will stay put; I'm considering filing bankruptcy when I get a halfway decent job. My attorney (a friend of mine handling it pro bono) said I'm in "credit limbo" from the charges I couldn't pay when I lost my job, but the total debt isn't all that much. If there's any action on the credit system, he'll know about it soon enough.

Good luck with the VIS. It's a bitch, but if enough victims give them, it will eventually force changes in a sieve-like system.

--bkl

[miss_kitty]

15. Yeah- I have a friend handling my possible bnky

pro bono-Bad Credit, by the way is this best deterrent to credit fraud :) that's why they only opened up checking accts in my name. oh and my bank (BOA:grr: :nuke:) GAVE them my acct. c*nts...
I was unemployed for 6 months when I was diagnosed with somewhat advanced cancer (big, but no metastasis) last thing on my mind-paying those soul sucking money grubbing large banks.

[flvegan]

18. Tell AOL you want the ISP info from the original sign up contract

If they don't want to provide it, tell them that they can provide it now, or during Discovery after the lawsuit is filed.

May be a public 'puter, but worth a shot.

[truthbetold]

9. Heck with them.

I use AIM most of the time, for my chatting needs.

[GiovanniC]

16. Oh My God!

Me too! Except I had AOL for a while. I cancelled. Then I went to balance my checkbook.

Boom! Two attempted withdrawals from that account (which I don't use anymore, so it only had $5.00 in it) for 28.90 each. Four NSF fees for $25.00 each. I called my bank and they let me fill out a dispute form.

I called AOL and went through all their typical bullshit, and when it was all said and done they said they cancelled it for real this time, but that they were going to charge me for an extra month for the sheer hell of it. I'm not even kidding. I called October 6 and the girl said that the cancellation would be effective November 6 and they would charge me for the month in between "as a convenience" to me. I told her I wanted it cancelled TWO MONTHS AGO, that I don't use it, that I don't want it, and I sure as hell don't want to pay for another month. She told me she was doing it anyway.

I was so mad about what happened that I transcribed the conversation from memory after I hung up the phone. I'll post it. It's kind of funny in retrospect.

[GiovanniC]

17. My AOL Conversation Transcript

This is out of memory, but it's pretty darn close. I wrote it down almost immediately after getting off the phone.

AOL: Hi, this is Sherry... blah blah blah... What's your name?
ME: Giovanni C.
AOL: Okay, Mister C. Is it okay if I call you Giovanni?
ME: I really don't care.
AOL: Okay, Giovanni. I need to ask you your security question. What is your mother's middle name?
ME: Anne.
AOL: I'm sorry, that's not what we have.
ME: That's her middle name.
AOL: Could it be something else?
ME: No, Anne has been her middle name, like, my whole life.
(argue about security question for five more minutes)
AOL: Okay, and what can I do for you today?
ME: I want to cancel my account.... again.
AOL: Ha ha! Well, I'll need to get some information from you. You said that you want to cancel your account again? What do you mean by that?
ME: I called a couple of months ago, and spoke to some guy and tried to cancel. He tried very hard to prevent me from cancelling.
AOL: Okay.
ME: He asked me a bunch of questions asking me what I use AOL for -- music, news, sports, video, whatever...
AOL: Yeah.
ME: ... and he was trying to tell me that I can do all of that stuff with AOL.
AOL: Well, you can do all of that stuff with AOL.
ME: Yeah, and I can do all of that stuff without AOL. I'm not my grandmother. I can use the Internet without all the little Playskool pictures and colors.
AOL: Ha ha. I agree with you there.
ME: Anyway, he wanted me to sign up for AOL with Broadband. I told him no. Then, the other day, I find out from my bank that you guys are still charging me.
AOL: Okay. He must have thought that you said that you wanted to sign up for AOL for Broadband.
ME: Why would I want that? Why would I spend an extra $28.90 every month to get something that I don't want and that I don't need?
AOL: I don't know. Well, what would you like to do?
ME: Well, first off, I want this cancelled. And I want you to listen very closely to me right now, okay?
AOL: Okay.
ME: If you have some stupid little script where you're supposed to beg me to stay with AOL, I want you to save your breath.
AOL: Um, all right...
ME: I mean it. I've already heard it before, it's stupid, so save it. I'm not going to use AOL.
AOL: I wouldn't do that, sir. We're on the same page here.
ME: Good.
AOL: I think that cable modem is definitely the way to go. It's very fast and you can do so much stuff with it.
ME: I agree.
AOL: So what kinds of things do you do online?
ME: I do all sorts of things. I do all of the things that I do, with my cable internet, without AOL. I haven't used AOL for months. I haven't missed AOL.
AOL: Well, like what sorts of things do you do, though? Like, sports, or music, or video, or what?
ME: You're reading the &@%# script. I just told you not to read me that stupid script, and you're doing it.
AOL: No I'm not.
ME: Yes, you just did. I asked to have my account cancelled, the guy didn't. I ask you not to read the script, and you did.
AOL: No, we're on the same page here.
ME: If we're on the same page, then you'll realize that I want you to cancel my account, and I want you to do it now.
AOL: I can do that, but first I'll need to get some financial information from you so we can take care of the outstanding balance of $57.80.
ME: Have you cancelled my account yet?
AOL: No, I can't cancel your account until you give me the financial information to take care of your outstanding balance.
ME: I tried to cancel months ago, before you guys charged me this outstanding balance.
AOL: Well, I wasn't there in that conversation but he didn't think that you cancelled so you still owe this $57.80.
ME: I want my account cancelled now.
AOL: I can't do that until you --
ME: Hold on a @&#$ minute. Do you mean to tell me that you guys refused to cancel my account, you charged me for two more months, and now --
AOL: Sir, I --
ME: And now, you're telling me you won't cancel until I pay you for two months that I shouldn't even owe in the first place!?
AOL: Sir, that's --
ME: (very loud) Do you mean to tell me that you're not going to cancel my account unless I pay you money I don't owe!?
AOL: Sir, no, of course I wouldn't say that.
ME: Good. Then cancel my account. Right now. Cancel it.
AOL: If I cancel your account right now, we'll just send you a paper bill for the amount you owe.
ME: I don't owe you anything.
AOL: We're going to bill you one way or another.
ME: Send the bill, and I'll fight that then.
AOL: (very quickly) All right then, your account is now cancelled effective the sixth of next month. Please listen to this recorded disclaimer. Thank you --
ME: Wait!
AOL: (annoyed) Okay. What else can I help you with?
ME: Did you just say that the account is cancelled effective the sixth of next month?
AOL: Yes, sir.
ME: Meaning the sixth of November?
AOL: Yes, next month.
ME: Do you mean to tell me that you are going to try to charge me for ANOTHER month of your stupid service I don't use?
AOL: Yes.
ME: Even after I'm cancelling?
AOL: Yes, it's for your convenience.
ME: Whatever.... I'll just fight that with someone else. There's no point in arguing with you, you're too stupid to do anything anyway. (*click*)

I know I was kind of rude, but I was mad and I felt she deserved it.

[flvegan]

19. I'm sorry, but

The part where they started reading the script, and you stopped them was very...I don't know, Crank Yankers or Family Guy. Funny as hell.

[GiovanniC]

21. There were parts from the very beginning I left out

Where I was identifying myself. And I kept repeating my screen name over and over, and she didn't understand it or something, and she didn't understand when I was spelling it out, either. So then I was like, "Okay, that's 'G' as in, 'Gigantic hassle'. 'I' as in, 'I hate AOL'. 'O' as in..." You get the idea.

[Heyo]

20. AOL are criminals..

...financial criminals.. they have done stuff to my bank account in the past that I can only reason that someone would have to go to jail for. (I had to close the account)

F**k AOL!

Heyo