Just Cancel the @#%$* Account!

So true, NetZero is the worst i've delt with

 

sounds like the AOL horror stories IMO.
lodore

 

AOL is horrible. It took me months to get that company out of my life. Centurytel and Direct TV are not very good either. I didn't have a big problem with MLB.com or ESPN Insider. Sure you have to call, which gives the company one last shot at you, but the person at MLB.com seemed nice enough. Actually I called ESPN to complain about not being able to access their web site and the "customer service" rep suggested I cancel as they had problems forecasted with their servers. Seemed fair to me.

 

To me, it's still baffling that consumers are so poorly protected in the USA. In the USA you can make good business out of people's mistakes.

Well, here is another reason to use disposal credit cards.

 

lol, i'm still laughing. Great response.
If they operate like that, they are a FRAUD!

 

The businesses like that just use a cost/benefit analysis in regard to making cancellations nearly impossible. They have the leverage of reporting a delinquency to credit reporting agencies while, at the same time, there are few remedies available to a consumer. Well, except for maybe going on some blog and writing about the bad experience. But that is something. And I think it has some useful effect. Seriously, I never had any dealings with NetZero before. But after reading the story in the link as well as a couple posts here I am sure I will never do business with NetZero.

 

Hello,
I can't open the article, for some reason. Just a blank page.
Anyone has an alternative link?
Mrk

 

Baffling? the economic and legal systems are designed to protect those with money, aka business and industry. Individuals can't pad the pockets of those who write the laws the way business can.

My ISP will charge me $125 if I cancel my internet service before the yearly contract is up.

With the phone company, I had "forward when busy" when I used dialup. Needed it for Call Wave. It cost $10 plus a mothly fee to get the service. When I switched to DSL, I had to pay $10 to drop the feature.

To those overseas, is it like this where you live? Are you required to pay for cancelling or dropping servive or features?
Rick

 

Hello,

Depends on the service / provider. There are cancellation-fee-dependent subscriptions, but there are those that are not. But the model, although heavily US-biased, is less strict. For example, I once received an advertisement sms to my cellphone. Instantly, I called the company, threatened to cancel my account and shouted a bit, from that moment on, never a single ad.

The same goes with cables, internet etc. You call them once a month, bicker a bit and you get a discount...

BUT it also depends on the customer.

All in all, I have found that firm voice and threats work magic with vampires.

Mrk

 

Doesn't seem to work that way here. Too often, one company has a monopoly in an area. The DSL I'm using is all a non-Verison customer can get. Must be a dozen DSL service providers in the phone book, all with Verison service. Several years back, Verison added a bunch of charges to my bill, supposedly incurred after the service was cancelled, which I've refused to pay. In order to get their DSL, even thru one of the other "service providers", I'd have to pay those bogus charges, which are around $100.

I'm interested to know if it's like this elsewhere as I'm sick of this "financial rape" being the law of the land.
Rick

 

It´s much worse here

 

just got a $10 reduction myself as an incentive to stay with the program
(I started as one of only pilot microwave broadband sites in the US some 6 years ago)
Ive had damn near 99% uptime

 

I would vote for Netzero being the worst, having gone through that particular war. I also feel the company is somewhat deceptive in its tactics. It has been a couple of years, so I don't remember all the details, other than I was really ticked off. I called and cancelled Netzero, and of course, went through the routine, etc. The person I was speaking to referred me to a another person, who I refused to talk to, as I knew the game and explained to the customer service person that I knew she was passing me off to a "smoothie" who was going to try to talk me into keeping my account. Told her it wasn't happening, and to cancel my account right then or I would file a formal complaint, etc. So the account was cancelled.

Next step - find another ISP. A few days later I get a CD in the mail advertising Juno Internet. I had Juno before and liked it somewhat. Had a 30-day trial so figured I'd try it. Went to install the CD and the installation program gave me a message "Juno dialing software already installed." How could that be? - I had Juno on a former computer. Came to find out that the dialing software it was talking about was the Netzero (adware) dialer, and that this was actually the same %$#%# company as Netzero. Just for the fun of it, I uninstalled Netzero and installed Juno. Same garbage - even had Netzero's logo on the dialer, etc.

Next step (after banging my head on the wall, using a few choice idioms, turning red, steam coming out the ears, etc) - Find the customer service number for Juno and chew some butts. Turns out, same number I had called previously. Also, got the same CSR that I had gotten before (what are the chances of that?). Explained to her in a clear, calm manner (yea, I'm lyin' like a rug) that I did not appreciate this tactic and to cancel my account immediately. Again, she attempted to refer me to another smoothie...and again, I refused. She then told me that it would take 48 hours for the transaction to become final. I told her I knew that was BS, blah blah blah. Anyway, started receiving emails from Juno telling me that they were IN THE PROCESS of cancelling my account. How long does it friggin' take to type "cancelled?" After about 4 days of this crap I called Juno (aka Netzero) and told them they would either cancel my account instantly or the next correspondence they received would be from my attorney. That did the trick. Gee, all this time had passed and I still get ticked off every time I think about it. Wow, thanks for bringing this up

 

Don't think that these things only happen in the USA.
They have competition in Belgium too: TELENET.
After only few days of a functionally cable connection I practically only had problems. Each time they claimed I was to blame until they finally admitted they made a mistake...
In the end I cancelled the connection and they came to uninstall the modem. But they didn't stop to use the domiciliating payment. When I blocked this facillity with the banc they said that I didn't pay (for what?). On the other hand, I claimed the money they stole from my account back. "We cannot return that money because you are not a client". But they were able to steel it althaugh I was not a client anymore.
I still don't have the money back because a lawyer will be more expensive than what they owe me.
THEY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CUSTOMER.