aol overcharged me and refuses to honor a refund

I too was charged for an antivirus upgrade. I also hit the no button, but ended up being sent the software in the mail and being charged for it at the tune of an extra $4.95 per month. AOL would not cancel it -- so I cancelled AOL and went to another service provider. As the old saying goes -- " If a mule kicks you twice, it it not the mule's fault."

AOL continued to bill me for the next 3 months after cancellation -- and only after filing a complaint with the FTC and with AM Express was I able to get the billing credited back to my account. It also took me whole chunks of my day on the phone with AOl -- they certianly do know how to delay and delay. It seems you cannot cancel AOL from billing or being taken from your checking account without a cancellation confirmation number from them; which they, of course, flat will not give to you.

My suggestion to any consummer being ripped off by AOL -- cancel them immediately, go some place else, and then pursue refunds. Close a bank account and make your bank give you a new account number that AOL does not have paperwork to access, demand a new credit card number, whatever it takes. The real question is, how is AOL able to get away with this and why do credit card companies and banks support them in it?

i am sorry to hear about your experience. but i still cant figure out why people use higher priced internet and to top it off have it charged on a monthly basis. try using joi internet at 6.95 per month and never have those unwanted billing problems, they are honest and i have been using them for 3 years, you can send in a money order for thier service which leaves your checking account and credit card untochable to internet mishaps...just a thought...and No i dont work for joy internet , just want people to have a great expierence on line as i have had...

Ann,

There is a time and place for accusatory tones, and this is not one of them. I too, have a beef with AOL. My fiancee and I had separate accounts as I am on constantly for my business, so he had his own so that he could get some log in time.

I also allowed my supervisor at work a screen name. During one session she was looking at one of the products they were offering and instead of hitting the no thank you button ended up ordering the d**n thing. She immediately called me, and I contacted AOL that night, but they couldn't do anything until I received my order number. I received that the next day. I was online when they emailed it to me and immediately sent notice of cancelation to which I recieved a form e-letter back stating the product was being shipped already. I emailed them back a rebuttal stating I totally doubted that there was an AOL elf skipping gleefully to the warehouse with my order in hand yelling this is a rush priority. It took 4-8 weeks for it to come in. I, in the meantime still continued to email them that the order was a mistake and that I would not pay for it, and that if they took any monies out of my account for that order causing anything to bounce I would sue them for 3x the amount of actual damages. So, what did they do, they didn't even take out for my monthly bill for 2 months, then locked out my account. Needless to say, I still have not paid for it, or the 2 months they didn't take for their time. Due to medical bills I have incurred that Allstate (another story) refuses to pay for, I am going to file bankruptcy anyway, so they will be added.

I am still using my fiancee's account, so I am still able to correspond with the friends I have made in this forum.

I did what any consumer would do, and they were the negligent ones in this case. To the original poster, I would ask your 12 year old, in a non-accusing tone, if it did get changed by him, and go to the areas to see if there is any recognition of the billing areas. If he did do it, tell them 3 months free, as they should start sending a confirmation email to the primary screen name of any billing changes, 3 months almost makes up for it. Then go into the parental features and see what areas you can turn off to make them personna non grata to anyone else changing things. Please keep us updated.

It is unfortunate what has happened to you, but you are responsible for what goes on with your computer and who uses it and what they are doing. Put your yourself in AOL's position. This was something changed through your computer. It was not them. It's not their fault. And, they have no proof you are not trying to pull a fast one on them. Sorry about your luck!