On Tape: Rep Won't Let Customer Quit AOL

[Guest guest]

" Stevo " <blue_meanie_9

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 17:08:49 -0700 (PDT)

CANCEL THE ACCOUNT!!!

 

On Tape: Rep Won't Let Customer Quit AOL

POSTED: 4:11 pm EDT June 21, 2006

UPDATED: 5:53 pm EDT June 21, 2006 Watch Video: AOL Rep Won't Let Man

Cancel Account | Slideshow: Blow-By-Blow Slideshow

E-mail: Send Video To A Friend

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.

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