I’ve finally, finally cancelled my AOL account. From now on, I will access AIM with AOL’s stand-alone client (or, more accurately, with Trillian). My new screen name is Tinmanic73; when I cancelled AOL I had to give up my old name. And for some reason, “tinmanic” by itself was already taken, which is odd, since I invented the damn word. So I just tacked on my birth year. Tinmanic73 it is.
It is so frickin’ hard to cancel AOL. I got DSL in March 2003 (along with a new computer); before that, I used AOL dial-up. But when I tried to cancel AOL last spring, the guy on the other other end of the line told me that they have an AOL-via-Broadband package at a lower price; if you have broadband Internet access, you can still use AOL’s features at the lower price. I figured it would be nice to have an extra e-mail account and keep my screen name. Plus, the irrational side of me wanted an Internet backup in case something happened to the DSL. But most importantly, the guy on the phone offered me two free months of AOL. Figuring there’d be nothing wrong with getting something for free that I didn’t really need, I accepted (plus I wouldn’t have to get a new screen name). Two months later, I forgot about it, and they began charging me again. So I called back and got another two free months. This happened several times, and now here it is, May 2004, and I’ve still got AOL. It came in handy last week when I was in San Diego, but I’ve finally decided to get rid of this stupid AOLbatross.
So I called up today, and I must have had to tell the guy four or five times that no thank you, I really appreciate the keywords you want to send me that could show me some great stuff, but I’d really just like to cancel.
I was beginning to worry that AOL cancellation was really a myth and that they actually didn’t have a cancellation process and that I’d get stuck in AOL-purgatory or they’d threaten to kill my first-born if I didn’t keep my service or something.
But no. I managed to hold my ground and make it to the end of the obstacle course. At the end of my current billing cycle, my AOL service will end and my billing will automatically stop and I’ll finally be AOL-free. This was according to a legal statement that I had to listen to.
It’s always nice to get rid of clutter. If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything — even cancel your AOL service. Hallelujah.
You really never lose your AOL account, kinda like circumcision. And, they know you really didn’t mean it, theorizing you merely called in some typical homosexual ecstasy-viagra-cocktail drug-induced whim.
And i’m willing to sell you the Tinmanic aim account as i havn’t used it in ages.
;-)
Welcome to the real world wide web.
.rob adams
I’ve had similiar problems with aol. A couple years ago, I started an aol account and laterr called to cancel. They talked me into two more months for free. I called up later to again cancel, they talked me into another month for free. A month later, I called and argued with them for about twenty minutes, until they finally cancelled me.
Recently, for some stupid reason, I started another aol account. I only needed it for about two days, however, and didnt use it after that. I called to cancel, and they hassled me so much that I took another two months free. Two months later I called to cancel and they refused. Another free month. 30 days later I tried to cancel yet again. Arguing, I almost had the guy to agree to cancel me, but then we were mysteriously “disconnected”. I called back and sat on hold for a half an hour. Irate, I yelled at them and they started to cancel me, but during the reading of the privacy disclosure, I was disconnected again! Furious, and needing to know if I was cancelled, I re-called, waited on hold for another twenty minutes, and talked to a different guy for another ten minutes about different packages and stuff i didnt want to find out that I was finally cancelled!
For the past 4 years or so, I’ve had only one AIM screen name. The other day I wanted to see how AOL MusicNet compared to other music providers like Rhapsody. AOL hides the fact, or at least doesn’t make it obvious, that in order to use their “Free Trial period” of MusicNet, they will automatically download AOL9.0 as a prerequisite (Which I didn’t want!) AOL also doesn’t tell you that if you canel their account it will be automatically reactivated if it is logged onto at a later date. (Oh yeah – the Billing process is also reinstated!) So if your child or spouse knows the account name and password and they log on after you canceled the account, you will eventially receive a bill!
During the install process they give you the option to use your existing AIM screen name as the AOL account name. The next morning tried to cancel the MusicNet and AOL accounts but I had to find a number through Google to do it. Then I was told that when I cancel the AOL account, the screen name that I used for so many years and all my associates know it, can no longer be used. It belongs to AOL. In order for me to continue using that screen name, I had to subscribe to program A or even program B, at a minimal cost of so many dollars per month!!!! I had the account canceled but I also had to make it clear that I wanted the password scrambled so that no one can log onto the account. By the way I tried my best to keep my AIM screen name by talking to an AOL rep who couldn’t help me, then I asked for her supervisor (who could’nt help me) then I asked for her supervisor who not only couldn’t help me but refused to give me her last name and would not pass the call to her boss. She was the shift supervisor and she held the AOL policy line, “In order to keep the screen name, you must use either program A or program B”, otherwise when you close the account you will no longer be able to use the AIM screen name. She told me that anyone I asked to talk to will tell me the same thing. She didn’t give me her bosses name either. I lost my screen name. Have a nice day AOL!
I lost my screen name today…I went searching to see if this has happend to others and found your site..This makes me hate AOL even more…so glad to be rid of them..but I want my damn name back! I had it for 6 years!