Just for fun, I recently signed up for an AOL account through one of those ubiquitous free CDROMS, and now that I’ve poked around a bit, I’ve decided to shut it down. It’s time to return to the real Internet. But I’m a bit stymied. How do I cancel my AOL account?
My first words to you are: good luck. My experience in this regard has been terrible. For what are obvious reasons AOL doesn’t make it easy for you to quit their service. For example, there’s no “Cancel My AOL Service” option on the “Help” menu. Probably too many people would use it!
To answer your question, I thought it would be fun to share exactly how I tried to cancel my own AOL account. Fair warning: it’s not a pretty story…
I started out by logging in to my AOL service. The logical next step would be to try Keyword “cancel” or “quit”, but “cancel” pops up a “not yet available. Come back soon” message (which is weird) and “quit” produces a full blown search of the Web.
Buried in those search results, however, is what I seek: Cancel AOL Account. Click on it and — amazingly — “The area you have reached is not yet available on this version of AOL. Please try back again later.”
Which leads to the question: how do I cancel my $#&@*$(& AOL account??
My next attempt at a solution is to use AOL Help, then click on “Chat With Us: Billing Support”.
Five minutes of seeing a “Loading Java Applet…” message later, I’m convinced that it’s another dead end and quit.
So how about the “Billing” area? Nope. No way to quit through that avenue, but I am prompted to create a “security question” which I do so by indicating my favorite film.
To heck with it! I’ll call them on the phone and cancel my account the old-fashioned way, since it appears there’s no way to accomplish it electronically. But that’s not so simple either. Look at how they cunningly word their phone help information:
To speak to a customer support consultant or use our automated telephone system, please choose a toll-free telephone number from the list below. Selecting the most appropriate number will help you get the support you need as quickly as possible.
- To get an access number to sign on to AOL: 888-265-8005
- Help with your AOL account, connection or other technical issues: 800-827-6364
- Customer and technical support en español: 866-885-5117
- AOL TTY service for the hearing-impaired: 800-759-3323 (to use this service, you must have TTY-enabled equipment)
What don’t they tell you that they offer? You guessed it: billing support via telephone.
Since I don’t need an access number, I’m trapped having to call the second number, 800 827-6364. I call in at 7:07pm and meet their automated attendant. First step: I have to state what I want from a small list of options (access numbers, billing, support, cancel, …). I say “cancel” and then get a 60 second advert for all the new AOL features, then it asks me for my phone number, my account name and the answer to my new security question (which I had to set up while logged in, trying to cancel in the first place. Makes me wonder what would happen if I didn’t have a security question set up). After all that “your wait will be greater than ten minutes” for a task that should take their operator about 15 seconds once we’re connected.
Ah, welcome to the electronic age.
While I’m on hold, I’ll observe that smart companies recognize that a departing customer is still a potential customer and that if you make the cancellation process easy and offer a final “don’t leave us” special bonus then maybe they’d be able to hold on to more customers. If an operator came on 20 seconds after hearing this terrible hold music and said “Looks like you’ve only just joined AOL, Dave. We hate to see you go. Can I offer you an additional three free months of service?” I might well say yes. But if I have to just sit on hold for ten minutes, I guarantee that they’d have to pay me to stay a member after wasting this much of my time doing something that should be pretty darn easy, all in all.
Ah, an operator! 7:24pm. He has a thick, difficult to understand Indian accent and the first thing he asks for is my screen name. Typical lack of information coordination: why did the automated attendant ask for all of this information if I’d be asked for it again as soon as I was connected to a customer service representative? First and last name, and my security question. Asks from a script “What is causing you to give up this account” at least four times. I finally say “I don’t want to go through your questions. I want to cancel my account.” and he skips ahead and gives me the all important cancellation confirmation number: “426167951-43”.
I’m not quite done, though: “To finalize your process, please listen to the following legal disclaimer about canceling your account.” and I’m off to one final waste of my time, a recording that informs me that “We’re sorry you have chosen to cancel your account. Your cancellation is effective as of today. You are responsible for all accumulated charges, however, and we’d love to welcome you back to AOL. For a limited time you may reactivate it, keeping your current screen names, by clicking on AOL and signing back on. Thank you for choosing America Online”
Done. Elapsed time on the phone: 22 minutes. Time actually talking to someone: 73 seconds. Overall elapsed time including trying to cancel my account through AOL’s software or help system: 50 minutes. Likelihood that I would reinstate my account after that terrible customer service experience? 0.
And that, my friends, is how you cancel your America Online account. Save yourself the effort and just don’t sign up in the first place…
Additional helpful AOL tutorials, in case you decide to stay with them:
• Get rid of AOL popup ads!
• How to create new AOL screen names
• How to delete an AOL screen name
• How to change your AOL account password
And a final tip: if this feels like too much hassle, you can also cancel your aol account by using the cancel wizard service. Just click on “cancel your aol account” to learn more.
After speaking to 2 operators and trying for hours on line .. still not able to cancel my aol acct 😭😩help
If you’re really stuck, get your credit card company to help by blocking the transactions. Good luck.
Cancel aol now ..thank you
I’m not part of AOL, I can’t cancel anything. That’s why I have a tutorial on how to do it yourself, Linda!
AOL doesn’t come free or cheap. If you are unhappy with aol as I am then stop payment from your credit card company. AOL in turn will contact you at which point you will have the opportunity to speak with someone who actually has a heart beat. I am fed up myself with the advertising intrusion not just occasionally but frequently.
I tried to cancel my Amex payment to Aol but Amex said they were not allowed to without aol permission so after 22 yrs.with amex I am about to cancel. They AMEX dont seem to care
Please cancel this free AOL account for snd4fr@aol.com. I don’t like all the articles that are untrue about Donald Trump and they are LIES! Can you please wipe AOL completely off my computers. If not tell me how I can!
Please cancel our four AOL email accounts.
The person using these accounts is no longer with us and they are not necessary anymore.
Thank you.
Similar story, took 52 mins and 3 people to cancel my account that I thought had been cancelled in 2007. I haven’t used it in so long I didn’t even know what the email address was! When trying to “verify my account” the security question was “not available” and I didn’t know the email address, leading to a 15 minute circular conversation in which I was told since I didn’t know the email address and no security question was available, she could not verify, approximately 10 times. I explained we are at an impasse, obviously we can’t just forget about it and there has to be a way so either figure out how to “verify” or put someone on the phone that can. Then proceeded to ask the card number of the payment account. I patiently, then not so patiently, explained, no less than 15 times, it comes directly out of checking, from my bank, which she replied “ok, what is the card number, do you have a debit card number?” Also had to explain there was no such thing as a debit card when the account was set up. Another circular conversation; finally, she got it only to tell me she can’t cancel accounts, I had to be transferred to the cancellation dept. I asked her to please give me the email address and account number so I did not have to go through this again. She gave the email readily enough but I had to ask for the account number 4 times. She said she was the one transferring me so I would not have to go through the hassle again. Guess what, after transfer the estimated wait time was again 25 mins and, surprise, I did have to go through the “verification” process again. By this time, I was so bitchy he didn’t dare try to talk me out of it, he just cancelled it. Super frustrating, I think the plan is to put you on hold or irritate you into hanging up without completing the cancellation then wait until you forget (incidentally, that plan has worked on me before). Gotta love excellent customer service!
After waiting 45 min. to cancel AOL, the person who came on the line, I could clearly hear, As soon as I said cancel my AOL, all she could say to me is I can’t hear you. What a joke. So. I called my credit card co. and cancelled payment to AOL forever.
It took one year to effectively cancel an AOL and receive a CC credit for fraudulent charges for an account I had for one day. If you want to cancel, contact the Better Business Bureau; apparently it’s the only way they respond.
I signed up for a free trial but had to give a credit card to do so-mistake #1. When I found that AOL would not work for a back-up internet connection I tried to cancel the following day. I called, stayed on hold for almost one hour, and was informed that although I gave my name, address, phone#, and credit card, they would not cancel because I didn’t have my user name handy. I called back; another 45 minute hold (great tactic to get you to give up) and the overseas rep hung up on me.
I disputed it with my credit card and several months later once again, monthly charges from AOL. I contacted my CC provider and this time file with the Better Business Bureau as well.
Finally, an AOL rep called me; four days after filing a BBB complaint. She first offered to remove three months of charges and I declined. She then went back and removed the nine months of additional charges I incurred from this company.
I know it’s shameful I did not catch the the residual AOL charges after the immediate first dispute. Too busy to thoroughly check my CC statement and often leaving ta task to someone else.
But, I’m writing this to let others know: dispute these charges, share on social media, and go to the Better Business Bureau, post on their Twitter & Facebook accounts.
It’s rare that I will give personal or credit information to any company but I thought AOL was legit. They are not. I learned my lesson and hope others can learn from my mistakes.
July 2016—I too was one of those who went on with life and forgot about my monthly AOL membership fee that was debited out of my account. When I eventually went in to cancel I did not know that I was in for the hassle of my life. Their “customer service reps” (now THAT’S about the biggest lie ever uttered) are essentially very highly trained sales reps whose ONLY and I mean ONLY job is to get you to continue your service. It is probably easier to get out of a Mafia contract than get out of AOL, but it can be done. Took me 3 letters (certified mail) and 2 phone calls over about a month. They still call relentlessly via 800 number trying to get me to rejoin. I may have to contact the police for harassing phone calls. Terrible, terrible customer service.
I do not wish for aol anymore.please cancel my emails.
I would like to cancel my aol account donot use it and donot like the service.
i do not like aol i want to cancel my acc.
I want to cancel my AOL account ( If I have one)
I WANT TO CANCEL MY AOL ACCOUNT I DO NOT USE AOL ANYMORE THANKS WILLIAM
I just canceled with them. It took less than five minutes. I told the woman I was addicted to the Internet and had to kick my habit by closing off all access to it. I could tell that she was stumped as to how to convince me to keep using it. LOL