AOL: "I Charge Dead People"
Why anyone would still be using AOL in this day and age is beyond me..BUT, that said, I bring you the tale of Maxine Gauthier, a non computer user, who was trying to straighten out the affairs of her dearly departed father. Upon finding a credit card, whose only charge was a monthly bill from AOL for the elderly gentleman’s dial-up service (dial-what?), Gauthier immediately made an effort to contact AOL and inform them of her father’s passing, that was ten months ago and she only finally resolved the issue this month. In that time she spoke to countless AOL reps who answered her phone calls with everything from “Stop complaining and learn to use a computer” to “Shut up and listen to what I have to say or don’t bother calling”. Offers to provide her father’s death certificate were met with apathy.
Having had to deal with getting moved to a dedicated server recently, and being a person who purchases a lot of electronic gadgets (many of which need to be returned), I know the pain of dealing with a large company to try and get fair service. From cable service companies to cell phone providers to local utilities, a general attitude that THEY are doing YOU a big favor by providing you with service prevails. It’s time these companies started realizing that without their customer base, they wouldn’t exist. So if you have an issue with a company that is clearly their fault, don’t take it lying down. Ask to speak to a supervisor, don’t leave your problem to be resolved by the troll that’s placed at the edge of the moat to ensure that you don’t enter the castle and hassle the royalty. If you can’t resolve the issue, threaten to move to another company, that usually motivates them enough to offer you some sort of deal.
In the case of Maxine Gautier’s father, even moving into the great beyond wasn’t enough to shake AOL. A few days ago, a letter arrived at the home of Gautier’s mother, addressed to her late father.
“Dear Mr. Berkowitz, We hope you’ll come back to AOL.”
Read the original story here:
Even dead people can’t escape AOL [STLtoday.com]
Fruit Brute
Posted to on 6 August 2006
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