To Service Our Customers

I would like to share with you a customer service experience that I had today with America Online. It all started when I received a charge of $28.90 on my telephone bill. Having been a subscriber to MSN for well over a year, I called to dispute this charge. 1

I first spoke with a man by the name of Shawn, who informed me proudly that he could in fact confirm that $29 per month is being charged to my phone bill, but that he could not cancel this because I could not verify the name of the person who started this account. I tried to explain that I was the only person who had access to the computer –to which he replied that perhaps I was having “visitors” who were secretly using a free AOL disk in my computer. Having not been satisfied by his answer, I asked who could help me with this problem. He then transferred me to billing and I proceeded to explain the situation again, this time adding in Shawns suggestions about the sneaky “visitors”, to a lovely woman named Maria. 2

She again confirmed that yes I was being billed for the AOL service, but that since I was not the person who signed up for the service, I could not cancel it. Just to make sure I understood her correctly, I verified –“so what you are saying is that you cannot cancel, nor can you give me any information on the person who has to cancel because it was not me, but you CAN bill my phone bill for it?” To which she replied, “yes maam,” relief in her voice that I finally understood. I asked her then if she would mind billing that unidentified “visitor” rather than me –to which she became utterly baffled as to why she would do that, when it was, after all, tied into my phone number. 3

I tried a new approach explaining my dilemma of not knowing who I should ask to call and cancel this policy, reiterating that I was unaware anyone had snuck into my home and signed me up. She finally became wary of all of my requests and said I would need to call the AOL Research Department. 4

Finally, I thought, someone to research my dilemma. Lyla answered, “Lyla I asked, can you help me –I was told to speak with someone in the research department…” and I once again explained my whole story about the “visitors” and my not knowing who was authorized to cancel this account that I had to pay for, yet didn’t have access to… and Lyla laughed. She laughed for a few seconds and then said, “Honey, we don’t even have a research department at AOL, sounds to me like you will have to speak to someone in the fraud department.” She then gave me the number, only, there was an added catch to this this time; I would have to call them from the number that is being billed, which is my home phone. So I ask Lyla, “what time is the Fraud Department open?” 5

As I should have expected, she informed me they could be reached between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday through Friday –my own work hours. So now I am thinking, I am going to have to take a morning off of work to cancel a policy that I never started in the first place?  6

She gave me the phone number for the fraud department, at this point I am becoming so weary that I considered paying the $29 per month because I had probably spent that in time by this point. But I decided to persevere. 7

I called the Fraud Department from work to explain how I could not possibly be available during those hours. As I dialed I realized that Lyla had just given me the same phone number as I had reached her on. So I dialed anyway, and what are the chances? Lyla answered again. 8

“Lyla, I asked, “have I reached the fraud department?” 9

“Yes, how can I help make your AOL experience even more pleasurable today?” I must admit, in addition to being completely infuriated, I was becoming slightly amused at the sheer incompetence. 10

And so I started with my story again, now that I had the correct department name and all. And Lyla said, “I’m sorry, but I cannot help you, let me transfer you to someone else, he may be able to help…” 11

Thank you Lyla! John answered, once again, and for the final time I explained my situation. He asked me to verify my home number and my address. He said he would take care of the situation right away. I said, “but John, are you sure?” “I have just been told by several of your coworkers that I could not be helped.”12

He laughed, “Let me guess, they told you to call the fraud department?” 13

“Yes, yes that is what they told me!” 14

He apologized for his co-workers, he told me that I should have never had to deal with such incompetence, and that each and every one of those people could have done exactly what he did. So this is to all of the Johns’ out there; thank you!15

In closing I would like to share with you the ironic way in which my ordeal ended, John said, “I am glad I could be of help to you, and thank you for choosing AOL!”16