netmasta Posted August 24, 2005 CID Share Posted August 24, 2005 By Dawn Kawamoto Staff Writer, CNET News.com TrackBack Print E-mail TalkBack America Online agreed to pay $1.25 million to the state of New York and reform its customer service procedures, the state attorney general announced on Wednesday. The agreement stems from consumers' complaints that AOL customer service representatives would either ignore requests, or make it unduly difficult, to cancel their service, according to a statement from Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Spitzer said that an incentive system AOL had developed for its customer service representatives contributed to most of the actions that drew complaints. "This agreement helps ensure that AOL will strive to keep its customers through quality service, not stealth retention programs," Spitzer said in a statement. Under the agreement, AOL will no longer require its customer service representatives to meet a minimum quota for customer retention in order to receive a bonus. Previously, AOL would distribute bonuses in the "tens of thousands of dollars" if representatives were able to retain half the customers who called to cancel their service, according to the attorney general. AOL has been under pressure for several years to shore up its declining subscriber base. The company's hold on dial-up customers has steadily declined as broadband service has ramped up, especially as competition in the broadband sector has heated up and subscriber prices have fallen. The agreement also calls for AOL to have a third-party monitor to verify and record customer requests to continue their AOL service after a consumer had initially contacted AOL to cancel. AOL said it won't need to have a third-party monitor to record all calls. The new verification system will be introduced to certain call centers by January and all AOL call centers will have it in place by June, said Nicholas Graham, an AOL spokesman. In addition to paying New York state $1.25 million in penalties and costs, AOL will also reimburse eligible New York consumers with a cash refund worth up to four months of service. Those consumers will have 120 days from Wednesday to fill out and submit a claim form necessary to collect their reimbursement. Power play for Intel Sun plugs into software grid Open-source effort faces rift Business Objects vs. the naysayers Google unveils IM service Previous Next The attorney general's office received approximately 300 complaints regarding AOL's customer service policies, according to Spitzer. Based on a dial-up account cost of $23.90 a month, AOL may pay at least $29,000 in refunds to New York consumers. "The cost is secondary to doing right by our members," Graham said. The investigation began in 2004 and reviewed cancellations going back to 2001, Graham said. He noted that AOL has cooperated fully during the investigation. "AOL is pleased to reach an agreement with the state attorney general of New York," Graham said, adding that it enhances the relationship AOL has with a certain segment of its members. New York's attorney general office is the second to pursue an investigation and agreement with AOL over customer care practices. Last April, the attorney general of Ohio concluded an 18-month investigation into AOL's customer care practices. AOL paid $75,000 to the state of Ohio as part of its agreement, as well as some limited refunds to customers, Graham said. The issues involved areas such as the customer retention process, as well as billing and cancellation refunds. Source:http://news.com.com/AOL+agrees+to+customer+service+reform/2100-1038_3-5842727.html?tag=nefd.top Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elite.Pete Posted August 24, 2005 CID Share Posted August 24, 2005 you notice, most of the shady dealings on the internet involve AOL somehow, first the spammer creep now not letting people cancel service, shame on AOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptors892004 Posted August 25, 2005 CID Share Posted August 25, 2005 i guess they don't want ppl using other ISPs.. My friend had AOL years ago (the 3 months free one).. Every month he would call to cancel the free net and they would say "We give you one more month free".. At the end he got cable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsnet2k8 Posted August 25, 2005 CID Share Posted August 25, 2005 Im glad that happened' they would not let me go for a long time always offering extra free months until i told them enough is enough and they let me go after almost a year' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptors892004 Posted August 25, 2005 CID Share Posted August 25, 2005 Maybe that's why their Internet is so bad.. They don't let users go -> their net suffers -> users hate AOL -> switch to broadband.. Their plan doesn't work.. lol .. Noone will stay with their slow connection and high ping times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nos7667 Posted August 25, 2005 CID Share Posted August 25, 2005 They just called me today to tell me about security edition. $1 for 2 months.I said "Dont ever call me back. I dont want your Sh*tty service anymore. *hangs up phone* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptors892004 Posted August 25, 2005 CID Share Posted August 25, 2005 They just called me today to tell me about security edition. $1 for 2 months.I said "Dont ever call me back. I dont want your Sh*tty service anymore. *hangs up phone* I bet that's not Norton 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netmasta Posted August 25, 2005 Author CID Share Posted August 25, 2005 i guess they don't want ppl using other ISPs.. My friend had AOL years ago (the 3 months free one).. Every month he would call to cancel the free net and they would say "We give you one more month free".. At the end he got cable That's for sure. If you try to uninstall AOHell, it seems to mess up your dial-up networking settings, so you can't dial-up with another isp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptors892004 Posted August 25, 2005 CID Share Posted August 25, 2005 That's for sure. If you try to uninstall AOHell, it seems to mess up your dial-up networking settings, so you can't dial-up with another isp. Maybe they want to save users the trouble by making it impossible to quit.. I wonder if that is their idea.. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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