AOL has been double billing my friend for possibly years!

[The Night Owl]

My friend just found out that AOL has been double billing her for possibly 4 years for having supposedly opened a secondary account, which she never did. So, basically, she has been charged an extra $23.90 every month for 4 years. She called AOL and AOL said they can only reimburse her for 90 days. Excuse me? So, if AOL admits that they wrongly double billed, shouldn't AOL reimburse the full amount of what my friend is owed?

Has anyone been through this AOL? How can my friend get her money back from the thieves at AOL?

[Hawkeye-X]

1. Take it to an attorney

That's my advice.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

2. How'd she not notice that she's been getting double billed for 4 years????

She'd have to be able to prove it for all 4 years. Not likely.

[The Night Owl]

6. She never noticed the double billing because...

AOL withdraws the money directly from her bank account.

Here is how AOL hides double billing practices...

http://consumeraffairs.com/news03/aol_doublebill.html

Thieving maggots. I hope the assfaces at AOL all burn in hell. Bosses and employees. All of them.

[The Night Owl]

7. They told her when the bogus secondary account was opened...

So, I assume she should be reimbursed for all charges on that bogus secondary account.

[GOPisEvil]

3. How do you not realize something like that for 4 years?

Yeah, AOL bears some responsibility, but at some point you've got to look at your own credit card statements and question anything that looks out of line.

[gpandas]

12. another of life's great mysteries, evil n/t

[Beware the Beast Man]

4. AOL is a deeply criminal organization

I still can't fathom who, in their right mind, would still subscribe to them. I've heard nothing but nightmare billing stories.

[aquart]

5. Well, first thing she should ask online who ELSE has been robbed.

See how many come out of the woodwork. Then talk to her Congressman, local state representative, and a federal attorney.

Con Edison overcharged me for six years. I got a check WITH INTEREST. If AOL has an exemption from honest accounting, there's a legal loophole that needs to be closed with penalties.

Why is she on AOL anyway?

[jjmalonejr]

8. Your friend is going to have a hard time

It's not out of the question that a person might sign up for two AOL accounts. It would be one thing if your friend noticed it right away and asked AOL to correct it.

But to go 4 YEARS without even noticing it!?!? How did she allow that to happen?

I feel bad for your friend, and I'm sure that if she says she didn't sign up for two accounts, she probably didn't (you know her better than I). But, being charged $23.90 TWICE every month by AOL for 4 years and not noticing it doesn't look good.

[jjmalonejr]

9. BTW, I didn't notice the link to the story on the class action suit

If there are others who have the same problem, that certainly improves her situation.

[jjmalonejr]

10. I ALSO didn't notice the bit about how AOL staggers the billing...

...at the beginning and the end of the month to draw attention away from the double billing.

Very sneaky.

[The Night Owl]

11. You have a point...

My friend may have been stupid to not notice the fact that she was being double billed, a practice which AOL makes great effort to hide, but that does not mean that AOL has the right to double bill her. In other words, if I leave the door to my car unlocked, that does not mean that the car belongs to anyone who can start it up and steal it.

[Beaverhausen]

13. It may have been a clerical error on AOL's part that was just a mistake

I really doubt they do this on purpose. I have an AOL account and have never had problems with it.

I'm sorry but your friend should really have checked her bank records more carefully.

It amazes me sometimes that people don't do this.

[The Night Owl]

14. A clerical error? You must be joking.

Funny how the "mistakes" corporations make always seem to work to the financial benefit of the corporation.

Yes, my friend should have noticed the double billing, but that does not mean that she does not deserve to get her money back.

[Beaverhausen]

19. What I'm saying is...maybe there is a quirk in the software

that AOL uses for people with 2 or more screennames and this causes people to be billed twice. I absolutely don't think AOL does it on purpose. But what do I know?

Your friend is responsible for checking anything on her bank/credit card statements. I check each and every charge on my statement/bills, don't you?

It does suck but come on...people have to take some responsibility.

[Th1onein]

20. It doesn't matter if she didn't notice it for four years.........

The statute of limitations begins tolling when she DOES notice it. And, yes, they have to pay her back all of it, plus interest. Let's not get on the crap of blaming the victim here. AOL has learned how to hide these practices, and they do it well. They need to pay the money back, with interest, or she needs to take them to court and sue them for it, plus punitive damages.

AOL has, for many years, taken advantage of people's ignorance.

[LibertyorDeath]

15. AOL the Wal-Mart of ISP providers I think they have approx

36 Million Customers so you see there's just no possible way they could

reimburse her for ripping her off for 4 years.

36 million customers & they DON'T GIVE A SHIT cause they don't have to.

She may get more than 90 days back I hope but not much more.

[Dukkha]

16. It happens all the time

I work for a VISA issuer in disputes and I see AOL duplicate charge disputes quite often. You'll have to contact your credit card company and dispute the duplicate charges. You will only get credits going back 120 days under VISA regulations. Anymore credit due you'll hvae to work through AOL which is unlikely you'll get back. You can't dispute it as fraud since you pre-authorized the service and gave AOL your CC #. Becayse of VISA time frames you have to notify your bank within 50 days when the charge appeared on your account.

[Not Me]

17. I know someone who had this happen to him as well...

One call from his attorney (friend) and the 13 months were quickly refunded. Sad that it takes this.

Interestingly, it wasn't until I convinced him to cancel AOL that he noticed it. When he cancelled, they stopped billing for one account...when he saw that they hadn't stopped billing for the ghost account, he called.

They are scum. Do your friends a favor and steer them to another ISP. In almost all cases, they will save money.

[AngryAmish]

18. AOL ripped me off also

About 4 years ago I got a cable modem, so good-bye AOL. I called AOL up and said cut me off. They said "Can we show you AOL for Broadband." I said no f'n way. About 3 months later I found out they were still billing me. I called and they denied I cut off service. I threw a fit. They rebated me. Guess what I found the next month. I blew a gasket.

AOL is scum.