Phone Rep won't let customer quit AOL

[Janice]

http://www.nbc10.com/news/9406462/detail.html

On Tape: Rep Won't Let Customer Quit AOL

An incredible video from CNBC shows an AOL customer trying to cancel his account, but a phone rep won't let him do it. What customer Vincent Ferrari got when he tried to cancel his account was a lot of frustration.

It took him 15 minutes waiting on the phone just to reach a real, live person.

And, what happened next was recorded by Ferrari on audio and lasted about four minutes:

CLOCK READOUT - 00:00

AOL REPRESENTATIVE: Hi this is John at AOL... how may I help you today?

VINCENT FERRARI: I wanted to cancel my account.

AOL: Sorry to hear that. Let's pull your account up here real quick. Can I have your name please?

VINCENT: Vincent Ferrari.

CLOCK READOUT - 00:30

AOL: You've had this account for a long time.

VINCENT: Yup.

AOL: Use this quite a bit. What was the cause of wanting to turn this off today?

VINCENT: I just don't use it anymore.

AOL: Do you have a high speed connection, like the DSL or cable?

VINCENT: Yup.

AOL: How long have you had that...

VINCENT: Years...

AOL: ...the high speed?

VINCENT: ...years.

AOL: Well, actually I'm showing a lot of usage on this account.

VINCENT: Yeah, a long time, a long time ago, not recently...

CLOCK READOUT - 01:47

AOL: Okay, I mean is there a problem with the software itself?

VINCENT: No. I just don't use it, I don't need it, I don't want it. I just don't need it anymore.

AOL: Okay. So when you use this... I mean, use the computer, I'm saying, is that for business or for... for school?

VINCENT: Dude, what difference does it make. I don't want the AOL account anymore. Can we please cancel it?

CLOCK READOUT - 02:21

AOL: Last year was 545, last month was 545 hours of usage...

VINCENT: I don't know how to make this any clearer, so I'm just gonna say it one last time. Cancel the account.

AOL: Well explain to me what's, why...

VINCENT: I'm not explaining anything to you. Cancel the account.

AOL: Well, what's the matter man? We're just, I'm just trying to help here.

VINCENT: You're not helping me. You're helping me...

AOL: I am trying to help.

VINCENT: Helping... listen, I called to cancel the account. Helping me would be canceling the account. Please help me and cancel the account.

AOL: No, it wouldn't actually...

VINCENT: Cancel my account...

AOL: Turning off your account...

VINCENT: ...cancel the account...

AOL: ...would be the worst thing that...

VINCENT: ...cancel the account.

CLOCK READOUT - 03:02

AOL: Okay, cause I'm just trying to figure out..

VINCENT: Cancel the account. I don't know how to make this any clearer for you. Cancel the account. When I say cancel the account, I don't mean help me figure out how to keep it, I mean cancel the account.

AOL: Well, I'm sorry, I don't know what anybody's done to you Vincent because all I'm...

VINCENT: Will you please cancel the account.

CLOCK READOUT - 03:32

AOL: Alright, some day when you calmed down you're gonna realize that all I was trying to do was help you... and it was actually in your best interest to listen to me.

VINCENT: Wonderful, Okay.

CLOCK READOUT - 03:39

"I've never ever experienced anything like that," Ferrari told CNBC.

He recounts how the AOL representative - as a last resort even asked if his dad was home.

"I think I could've put up with everything, but at the point when he asked to speak to my father, I came very close to losing it at that point," said the 30-year-old Ferrari.

Ferrari then posted the call online, and the response was tremendous.

AOL sent him an apology and said the customer service rep was no longer with the company.

[swedeace]

Wow... that sucks. I also don't understand why call reps ask why people want to cancel things. A basic question is all that's needed, but I believe it's optional of details of our reason.

I had to call in and cancel one of the phones on my T-Mobile family plan in late May. *cringes* If you know me, I really hate dealing with phone customer service, but I had no other choice. That was the only way I had to cancel the third phone line. Believe me, I tried to walk into a T-Mobile store, and they just dialed the T-Mobile number for me. I sat there grinding my teeth while calling because I really hate it. Well, they asked me the reason why my mom wanted to cancel her line, and I kept it to the minimum by saying, "She found another service she's happy with." I remember the woman asked me questions about the other service trying to be nosy, and I just told her, "I don't know." Luckily, she just dropped it after that. Besides, I wasn't going to sit and chit-chat in details because that's irrelevant. I just called to cancel the line and NOT BS about my mom's decision to move. They don't need to know THAT much info.

[MsOrange]

i'd be pissed too, that's ridiculous

[robyrob]

AOL reps get a bonus every time they talk someone out of quitting - even when they offer a month or two free service, their goal is to KEEP YOU HOOKED.

[dlemond]

Funny thing is, you know AOL trained them to do that.

Maybe not to the extent of which this guy went- which shows he is beyond common sense- but I'm sure his badgering wasn't because he felt a personal responsiblitly to provide AOL to the world.

[dawsongirl]

Nothing worse than calling to cancel something and getting 20 questions. I WANT TO CANCEL should be enough. I remember when I called to cancel a Citibank Credit Card, they asked me why and offered me more credit (which was one reason I wanted to ditch the card...they only gave me $600 credit after several years). So at that time I said okay. Well, then it turns out they couldn't increase my limit due to inactivity....because I never used the card....because it sucked. So I called back real stern and said I didn't want their card and don't even bother trying to bribe me. Thankfully he cooperated.

I've cancelled a few isp's too and got a few questions, but nothing like that. Basically you just lie or get snotty with them and they shut up.

I wouldn't work that job for anything.

[Ireneparalegal]

Just yesterday I had to call my phone company to ask a question..."What do I dial to get call block?" for the life of me i couldn't remember the two numbers. The rep asked for my name and number. gave it to her. she said what did i want again. I told her what is the two numbers to dial to use call block. she said they don't offer that service anymore. Oh ok, well thanks. Nooooooooo, "Ma'am, do you have a cell phone?" Irene: "no, don't need one" phone rep: "well we can offer you a great deal." Irene: "No thank you, don't need a cell phone, I have a car phone, that's all I need." phone rep: "Oh, ok. Do you have a computer?" Irene: "All i called for was abt the call blocking, you told me its no longer a service, thank you. phone rep: "We offer DSL and broadband services." Irene: "No thank you, I am happy with my company." phone rep: "Oh, which company is that?"


ok it went on and on like that all the way down to direct tv. etc. etc. etc.

PEOPLE!!!! I DON'T NEED ANYTHING....GOT IT!!!!

Although I knew very well what she was doing. I worked for Verizon for over a year and they had us try to SELL SELL SELL...OFFER OFFER OFFER. TO EVERYONE!!!! regardless of the reason for their call. When you sold something or got a customer to sign up for something we achieved point value for whatever services they ordered. We had a quota. Sometimes, i get irritated and i will tell the phone rep to look on page 3 of my account (personal info of the customer) they are always shocked to see that I was a former billing rep at the company. They will immediately apologize and say "Well, you know the routine, we have to ask." YEAH YEAH YEAH...geez.

[Brian Damage]

That was a hysterical transcript. I could just picture this going on. I tried to cancel AOL once and got the same kind of problems. It doesn't make you want to keep AOL, just to hate it more.

[Ireneparalegal]

there is one thing abt AOL that I am so thankful for...they finally got me connected to people who SPEAK ENGLISH!!!!!! I had issues in the past where I was connected to some guy in INDIA. Man, trying to decipher what was being told to me gave me a bigger headache than the issue itself.

Two times in the past three months I had to call for help and each time I reached a rep HERE IN THE GOOD OL' USA!!!!!!!!!

[Janice]

What I posted was a partial transcript. Here's the audio, in full. Hilarious.

http://www.break.com/index/aolhell.html



Irene: Call block is #67 around here.

[Ireneparalegal]

Originally Posted by Janice

What I posted was a partial transcript. Here's the audio, in full. Hilarious.

http://www.break.com/index/aolhell.html



Irene: Call block is #67 around here.

apparently Verizon doesn't offer that service here anymore. Damn...i want to block some calls.

[dlemond]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

That was a hysterical transcript. I could just picture this going on. I tried to cancel AOL once and got the same kind of problems. It doesn't make you want to keep AOL, just to hate it more.

How did this guy not curse is a miracle.

I would have asked for a supervisor immediately after he gave me a quarter of his appeal.

Makes you wonder if he did this as a test, or heard someone else had a hard time.

Otherwise, why record a simple cancellation?

[Janice]

Originally Posted by dlemond

How did this guy not curse is a miracle.

I would have asked for a supervisor immediately after he gave me a quarter of his appeal.

Makes you wonder if he did this as a test, or heard someone else had a hard time.

Otherwise, why record a simple cancellation?

He ends up cursing. It's on the audio I just posted. I read that the guy had heard that cancelling AOL was living hell, and that's the reason he taped it.

[Brad Russ]

This doesn't surprise me one bit. It was about two years, and 50 calls, before they would let me discontinue my services with them. I'm still getting crap in the mail from them to this day, atleast once or twice a week, trying to get me to sign back up. Iv'e even made various threads here over the years, complaining about my bad experiences trying to discontinue service with them. That conversation you posted, is all too familiar to me. AOL is like a credit card company. Once you have them in your life, they're there until the day you die!!!

[dawsongirl]

Originally Posted by dlemond

How did this guy not curse is a miracle.

That's what I thought. I'd have spewed plenty way before he did.