Another Brain Teaser

I too have had these issues, they gave me the crap about being with them for so long..blah blah blah...so I gave in and they gave me another month of service for free, then again I called to cancel, same thing and it was hell... Finally after about ten minutes or so, they got the hint.

Also, I needed a dial up service for a couple months while I ws tranisitioning to North Carolina and used Earthlink, they were not much better with their service - too many questions why I am cancelling - I will never use either company again for these reasons alone. I thought about taping these too. Good for you, these bastards can go the way of 8tracks and Yard Darts...however I do like Yard darts...

way to go !!!

'bout time someone sticks it to them... i have to agree with the previous post...aol is a dieing breed; this only solidifies their demise ....

800,000 customers lost last quarter….how many more next quarter because of the taping and rude treatment mr. ferrari received….

When I read your story I thought it was impossible. It mirrored my situation almost exactly. Except my conversation lasted about ten minutes, and the man at the other end of the phone was clearly from India and did not speak English very well. I first called to cancel and after a long and frustrating conversation I was pursuaded to stay based on receiving more free months of service. I am a poor college student, so I welcomed the free internet, regardless of the crappy service. Well then school was over, and I moved out of my apartment, and home for the summer. So I called to cancel my electric account, done in 2 minutes. I called to cancel my gas account, done in 2 minutes. Then I called to cancel the AOL.

Again I was greeted by an Indian with poor English skills. He did not seem to understand the word "cancel". It was so frustrating hearing him tell me what he wanted me to do. "Well I want you to go and try this and call back if you aren't satisfied." I would respond much like you, "Are you not listening? I'm moving away. Just cancel the account." It persisted like that until I ended up yelling, using four-letter words out of frustration, and asking to speak to his supervisor.

I'm glad someone was smart enough to tape a conversation and publish it. Kudos to you Mr. Ferrari.

AOL is already a dieing company. Service like this only speeds up the process.

I too have had 2 bad experiences cancelling AOL accounts. The first time I requested a cancellation, was charged again for the service and had to beg and plead for a refund. Finally I just wrote to the Better Business Bureau, and wouldn't you know it, I got a refund. The second time was just this past Monday. we bought a new computer that offered 6 months of free AOL, and even though that 6 months does not end until mid-July, I decided I better be ahead of the game on that one. My conversation was very similar to yours, only the girl had a much heavier Indian accent, and it did result in begging for a cancellation. I have learned my lesson and I will avoid AOL like the plague from now on. Thanks for sharing your story.

Vinny, I am a reporter for CNBC doing a story on poor customer service based on your incredible aol call. would you be available for an interview today? Thanks. Jane.

I'd also like to put forth stringier:

stringier
stingier
stinger
singer
singe
sine
sin
in
I

startling
starting
staring
string
sting
sing
sin
in
I

RKB got it first!

Hmm. Now that's a startling question to ask, Vinny!