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  • Report:  #75578

Complaint Review: AOL - Dulles Virginia

Reported By:
- newfield, New York,
Submitted:
Updated:

AOL
aol.co Dulles, Virginia, U.S.A.
Web:
N/A
Categories:
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?
In Dec. 1999 my teenager put in the "free" AOL disc, and did hit agree for their user agreement but it was under a made-up name. AOL changed the name on the billing to match the debit card user which was me.

I never used AOL nor did I know that I had continuing service. I was charged for 3 1/2 years before I realised that it was being taken out of my account. I had been paying for Earthlink (in 1999) and then AOL-Time Warner Road Runner cable in 2000 (for three years of the same time I was charged for AOL). They refunded a year of service charges but still have $574 from my bank account...in addition to the $500 I was paying every year for Road Runner.

I have reported then to the Attorney General Spitzer but they have not been able to get anything more back. I filed a small claims in NYC, but they had changed address (Time-Warner kicked them off their official name/address in NYC)a month beofre I was able to file.

I cannot travel easily to Virginia, so I have not been able to fight these unauthorized charges. I should at least be able to get back overcharges considering that I would have only paid $9.95 vs. $23.95 while I was already paying for Road Runner...if I had only known that I was being charged. Yes, I could have been more careful to check charges on my debit card, but I stopped checking this card since I have over-draft protection.

I feel that AOL has taken advantage of my most precious thing: my free time. I am an extremely busy working single mom of two kids, and I need to prioritize everything I do. For example, I check my credit cards but not my debit card.

AOL has built their company by scamming as many of the little guys (like me) as possible. They could see that I had not used the account for the past 6 months, but were unwilling to go back to see that I had never used it. How could I do dial-up when I have cable and only one phone line? Their staff could see that my case warranted pay back but their "accounting practices" would not allow them to give me my money back.

I also got charged for two years of AOL-Auto Advantage since AOL gave them my credit card information (under the incorrect name), and I cashed their check for $2.50 which I mistakenly thought was a thank you from AOL. This amounted to another $180 in fradulant charges for something I never knew I had and never used (I had AAA-Plus) for the entire time.

Both these companies took money out of my bank account after offering "free" services. Noone should be able to ask for credit card information for free items. Of course I am a wary consumer now, but why should I be penalized near $800 for being a stressed single mom with not enough time to avoid scams?

Emily

newfield, New York
U.S.A.


2 Updates & Rebuttals

Chef

JOPLIN,
Missouri,
U.S.A.
PAUL SAID IT ALL BUT, YOU WERE RIPPED OFF BY YOUR DAUGHTER

#2Consumer Comment

Fri, January 09, 2004

PAUL SAID IT ALL BUT I BELIVE HE MISSED ONE THING LADY YOU ARE A BAD MOTHER. IF YOUD TAKE THE TIME TO INFORM YOUR KIDS THAT USING A CREDIT CARD THAT DOSENT BELONG TO THEM IS CREDIT CARD FRAUD AND USING A FAKE NAME SHOWS THAT CREDIT CARD FRAUD WAS INTENDED. YOUR CHILD BROKE THE LAW. AND YOU BROKE THE LAW OF BEING A MOTHER IT IS YOUR JOB TO TEACH THEM RIGHT FROM WRONG. AND IT IS SUPOSED TO BE YOUR JOB TO HAVE THE WISDOME TO CHECK YOUR STATEMENT WHEN IT COMES IN AND TO SAY I DONT WORRY ABOUT IT BECAUSE I HAVE OVERDRAFT PROTECTION IS A SIGN OF AN IMATURE MOTHER OVERDRAFT PROTECTION IS FOR JUST IN CASE SHT HAPPENS ITS NOT A TICKET TO WRIGHT BAD CHECKS AND WRIGHTING BAD CHECKS IS ALSO A CRIME. SO LIKE MOTHER LIKE DAUGHTER. YOU WERE RIPPED OFF BY YOUR DAUGHTER BECAUSE YOU ARE RIPPING HER OFF OF A MOTHER. SPEND YOUR FREE TIME WITH YOUR KIDS AND MAKE YOUR KIDS YOUR MOST PRECIOUS THING.


Paul Pickle

Raleigh,
North Carolina,
U.S.A.
Your complaint is extremely disturbing

#3Consumer Comment

Mon, December 22, 2003

First of all, why are you blaming AOL for this problem, when it was YOUR teenager who signed up for their service? Is AOL supposed to supervise your youngsters AND also monitor you to make sure you know how to be responsible with you has possession of your debit card? I think not ... You clearly state that your "most precious possession" is your "free time." That is really sick. What about YOUR CHILDREN? It is not AOL's fault that you are soooo busy that you cannot monitor your children's actions, and do not check your bank statements. They have simply provided the service that was signed up for. Whether or not you used the service, or were aware of it, the service was there and readily available for you to use. Perhaps you should have not so carelessly given your debit card to an underage minor in the first place. And as an adult, only YOU are responsible for checking your bank card and reporting any discrepancies in a timely manner. If you truly do not have any time to do these things, then perhaps you should hire a full-time nanny to monitor your little ones, and a personal assistant to follow through with your personal affairs. For you to blame AOL for your array of personal issues is not only abominable but ridiculous as well.

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