AOL broadband helpline can be patronising
My gripe is about the AOL helpline and how patronising and inflexible they are. I am a freelance computer engineer for home users by the way.
With other Internet service providers, when I speak to them on behalf of the customer, they get the message straight away that I know what I am talking about and they don't ask stupid questions. Alas this is not the case with AOL. I have to go through the whole rigmarole as if I don't know anything. For example, take the following conversation:
Me: Hi, I am an engineer speaking on behalf of the customer who is with me now. The customer has called me out to have a look at this problem. There is no broadband connection. We are using a router and there is no ADSL synchronisation because there's something wrong at the telephone exchange, please get BT to fix it.
AOL Helpline: Is the "i" light on the router flashing?
Me: Yes. The problem is being caused by the BT telephone exchange, so can you please report this as a fault to British Telecom.
AOL Helpline: What colour is it flashing?
Me: It is flashing amber and I know what that means, I have checked everything and there is a fault at the exchange.
AOL Helpline: Are you sure it's flashing?
With other ISPs, it's okay that they ask me questions about whether I put the bits and pieces in the right places. That's all right, because it's a helpful reminder. However the AOL helpline insists on taking me through baby steps all the way and it is quite infuriating.
Eventually it is possible to get through to the mythical AOL Second Level Support where there are people that start being properly helpful, hurrah!
As for AOL "Live Help", the AOL Live Help text chat operators have less authority and fewer tools than the helpline people. Anything non-trivial they just have to direct back to the helpline, whereupon there is the recorded message, "If you can get online, why not try AOL keyword: Live Help?"
AOL only helps with a few specific makes and models of connection equipment and everything else is "unsupported". So I have to carry a Netgear DG834 as it is one of the few routers that AOL will help with, even though any make and model is capable of working fine with AOL when set up correctly.
With AOL it is at least possible to get through to the helpline and to get broadband problems fixed. It's just that they ask a lot of basic questions and it all takes longer that I would like.
By: Phil
Broadband Resources
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At Broadband Expert we research, test and compare broadband and mobile broadband packages to help consumers find the best broadband packages for their needs.
Comments from visitors
AOL barred me due to a technical fault on Jan 4th at 10am. ELEVEN phonecalls to the MUMBAI numptys, repeated lies of 'You will be reconnected within 12 - then 24 then 48 hours' two ignorant supervisors, hours wasted listening to the electric lights music on hold, and I only got re connected tonight when I asked for my MAC code..... :)
I asked for my MAC code and was put through to a British person who got his supervisor to lift the barring instantly.
Isn't it amazing what asking to cancel your contract can do? ... However after all the hassle, aggrevation, lies and time wasting, I am changing providers after 7 years with AOL.
If you are having a similar problem, ask the Mumbai numpty for your MAC code and amazingly you will get to speak to someone in the same country as you who is actually able to sort your problem out - it's worth a go :)
I asked for my MAC code and was put through to a British person who got his supervisor to lift the barring instantly.
Isn't it amazing what asking to cancel your contract can do? ... However after all the hassle, aggrevation, lies and time wasting, I am changing providers after 7 years with AOL.
If you are having a similar problem, ask the Mumbai numpty for your MAC code and amazingly you will get to speak to someone in the same country as you who is actually able to sort your problem out - it's worth a go :)
-7
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well i'm NOT an engineer but a very VERY good self taught aol problem solver! however ..... last friday after aol not being able to help me with a problem then told me to phone netgear. netgear lost my password so back to aol and now since 10.32 last friday morning and its now 9am monday morning i've been without broadband as the computer that generates the netgear router password has crashed. the only reason i'm typing this is because at great expense i've had to purchae a dongle! aol are the most patronising telephonists i've ever come across. they call themselves technical but wouldn't know a technical if it bit them on their butts! a technical department that don't know didly squat and as this is now way over my head and not something an engineer can fix as it has to be done in india via the main password computer. they can't speak to you they read off cards and whilst their manners and use of the english language is impecable i'm finding that for most of the phone call I cant understand a bloomin word because of their very thick accents and you can hear a slight annoyance in their voices when after 3 times i've said I really can't understand you. america on line? more like wherever we can get the cheapest work force to make you go off line! premium rate numbers with 27 options before you get to the most annoying music ever! even wanting to complain is impossible. wouldn't recommend them
+5
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I am having trouble via on line Billing the site rarely works.
I am awaiting for the 3rd month for a refund due to incompetence at accounts.
I have been with AOL for at least 15 years, if this is not sorted soon I am jumping ship.
Chief Exec of AOL is at tim.armstrong@corp.aol.com writing to him with one's problems is akin to expecting a reply for God.
I am awaiting for the 3rd month for a refund due to incompetence at accounts.
I have been with AOL for at least 15 years, if this is not sorted soon I am jumping ship.
Chief Exec of AOL is at tim.armstrong@corp.aol.com writing to him with one's problems is akin to expecting a reply for God.
+9
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Hello - I am desperately in need of help with AOL. I cancelled my broadband with them to move to another provider and am finding it impossible to actually cancel my payment. Needless to say they have stopped my broadband and on-line account so I can't access any cancellation tools that way. Each time I phone the call centre I am either put on hold for 40 minutes or just not spoken to at all. I rather lost the plot a few days ago and got very heated on the phone and actually got a call back from a supervisor at AOL who assured me that my account was now inactive and I would not be billed further. Two days later, they took my monthly subscription. Another call to the call centre resulted in a further heated exchanged as they claimed the only payment they could see was at the beginning of August. I was told to email a copy of my statement to them and they would come back to confirm that the charges would be reversed - and that the credit back to me could take up to 30 days (!). I frankly don't have the energy to keep fighting them - is there a regulatory body I can talk to or anyone who can actually help me extricate myself from the worst company I have ever had the misfortune to deal with. Many thanks
0
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It may be of interest for you to know that AOL as it was no longer exist. AOL is now just a brand name owned and used by TalkTalk so when you think you are speaking to an AOL team you are actually speaking to a TT callcentre in Mumbai. The only remaining AOL staff within the company are the cancellations team based in Dublin
+7
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If you don't do anything else in life. Stay well clear of AOL.
Writing via experience, they are nothing more than a corporate shower of mafia gangsters.
Having cancelled their shoddy service, monies to due myself were in excess of £400 for services unused.
They assigned a debt recovery agency for £69, namely Avantis Credit (another bunch of hoods), posting out threatening letters of court action with gignatic costs.
Be aware and avoid them if you know what is good for you.
Writing via experience, they are nothing more than a corporate shower of mafia gangsters.
Having cancelled their shoddy service, monies to due myself were in excess of £400 for services unused.
They assigned a debt recovery agency for £69, namely Avantis Credit (another bunch of hoods), posting out threatening letters of court action with gignatic costs.
Be aware and avoid them if you know what is good for you.
0
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just unbelievable incompetence at the aol mumbai call centre. i've literally spent hundreds on the phone to them trying to get my problem fixed. I regret signing up to aol so much. I need a new provider but I don't have time.
-5
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Hi Phil
My experience with AOL was far more traumatic! When we moved house we had no internet for nearly 1 month and obviously the 'Live Help' was useless without the connection,
Having spent a small fortune calling their helpline in Mumbai and as you said repeating my woes to about 4 different call cantre employees that to be honest I found difficult to understand.I felt so frustrated was an understatement!
Now fortunately for me and many others there is a plc company based here in the uk that I now use www.bestbillsaver.co.uk where the pride themselves in customer care,value for money and talk to you with integrity and knowledge.
Have a look and make the move I am sure you will be pleasently surprised.
Hope you will find this both informative and helpful if you need any help you can email me at david@bestbillsaver.co.uk
bestbillsaver.co.uk
My experience with AOL was far more traumatic! When we moved house we had no internet for nearly 1 month and obviously the 'Live Help' was useless without the connection,
Having spent a small fortune calling their helpline in Mumbai and as you said repeating my woes to about 4 different call cantre employees that to be honest I found difficult to understand.I felt so frustrated was an understatement!
Now fortunately for me and many others there is a plc company based here in the uk that I now use www.bestbillsaver.co.uk where the pride themselves in customer care,value for money and talk to you with integrity and knowledge.
Have a look and make the move I am sure you will be pleasently surprised.
Hope you will find this both informative and helpful if you need any help you can email me at david@bestbillsaver.co.uk
bestbillsaver.co.uk
-1
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bestbillsaver.co.uk - 22-May-10 17:41
Everything GixerUK says below mirrors my own personal experience with AOL I wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy!
-9
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I've had enough of AOL too!!!
I was recently unable to connect to the internet so I called AOL and spoke to an unhelpful half-wit from 'Customer Services' in India. I was informed there was a 'technical problem' and duly transfered to another numpty in the appropriate department.
From here I was put through to one their unhelpful 'Technical' people (also in India) but promptly refered back to the 'Billing' dept. Due to reasons unknown, it wasn't a technical problem, my account had been barred. Very strange, my subscription payments weren't late and always up to date!!!
However. I was insistantly informed that this was not the case by the Billing Dept and refered back to their Tech Dept and ping-ponged between the two for over two frustrating weeks with no logical explanation and no internet access.
I don't think I've ever dealt with so many incompetent, ignorant and at times, rude people.
The assurance of a call back from a manager never emerged and the compensation offered never recieved. It's funny how they're repeatedly managed to find time to call me when it's 'subscription renewal' time though.
I was recently unable to connect to the internet so I called AOL and spoke to an unhelpful half-wit from 'Customer Services' in India. I was informed there was a 'technical problem' and duly transfered to another numpty in the appropriate department.
From here I was put through to one their unhelpful 'Technical' people (also in India) but promptly refered back to the 'Billing' dept. Due to reasons unknown, it wasn't a technical problem, my account had been barred. Very strange, my subscription payments weren't late and always up to date!!!
However. I was insistantly informed that this was not the case by the Billing Dept and refered back to their Tech Dept and ping-ponged between the two for over two frustrating weeks with no logical explanation and no internet access.
I don't think I've ever dealt with so many incompetent, ignorant and at times, rude people.
The assurance of a call back from a manager never emerged and the compensation offered never recieved. It's funny how they're repeatedly managed to find time to call me when it's 'subscription renewal' time though.
-4
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Whatever you do, please don't sign on with AOL, AOL is a lot of crap and customer services are based in India and they are just like cowboys. Have been with AOL nearly 4 years and my contract is coming to an end by October 2009. Am very glad to get off AOL. Rubbish and you are better off with other prviders even though there are problems but still better than AOL.
+6
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Try AOL level2 telphone help- if you can get through to them!!
+5
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Is AOL closing? We cant find message boards and they dont respond. We need to know this before cancelling. So please answer Is AOL closing please? If AOL is closing then we must find out what is happening and not keep paying the bills for a very poor service.
-4
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Today I tried for the third time to get AOL to discontinue my service and billing me $25.90 monthly for dial up service. AOL has billed me for two months for services that I cancelled two months ago. They refuse to reimburse me. I spoke to 4 agents and managers. They state they will stop billing me but will not reimburse me. I have found through the Internet that this is a common practice after you cancel services with AOL. I had to resort to calling my bank to stop AOL from taking funds from me that they should have stopped after the first Email and phone call. I have told everyone I know as well as sent out several Emails letting them know how AOL treats their customers.
+6
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I totally agree... Aols live chats are not helpful. I moved house recently and they have taken four months to have my house given the internet. our router has the internet, however they have yet to have our account on the list for broadband even though we're still paying.
Their online help isn't much more useful.
Their online help isn't much more useful.
-3
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:Problems with AOL - I signed up for free laptop package and nothing arrived despite repeated requests (not even a router).
I have now cancelled my order but cannot use another ISP as AOL have tagged the telephone line and will not provide a MAC number. So I'm stuck without a telephone or broadband.
Are they allowed to do this? Customer service is really unhelpful and quite abusive.
Any suggestions how I can unblock the line?
I have now cancelled my order but cannot use another ISP as AOL have tagged the telephone line and will not provide a MAC number. So I'm stuck without a telephone or broadband.
Are they allowed to do this? Customer service is really unhelpful and quite abusive.
Any suggestions how I can unblock the line?
+2
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Well that was spooky! I got part way into moaning about AOL & my internet connection went down!
What I was saying was that a while ago they upgraded my broadband speed & then I found I could not post on this site. I kept getting the message saying "there is a problem with posting your comments". I contacted them but they just kept coming up with irrelevant or useless suggestions like was my computer up to spec? Well it was before & is now!! I said that as I felt they had caused the problem I hoped they would fix it & they just sent more drivel.
They obviously don't read anything properly (or are queries answered by a computer ?)
I pointed out that I had the same problem on PC & laptop so it wasn't the computer and also that if I used Internet Explorer it was ok.
Then I threatened to take my business elsewhere & suddenly the problem miraculously disappeared!
And this time I have managed to get it all down, so paranoia attack over!
What I was saying was that a while ago they upgraded my broadband speed & then I found I could not post on this site. I kept getting the message saying "there is a problem with posting your comments". I contacted them but they just kept coming up with irrelevant or useless suggestions like was my computer up to spec? Well it was before & is now!! I said that as I felt they had caused the problem I hoped they would fix it & they just sent more drivel.
They obviously don't read anything properly (or are queries answered by a computer ?)
I pointed out that I had the same problem on PC & laptop so it wasn't the computer and also that if I used Internet Explorer it was ok.
Then I threatened to take my business elsewhere & suddenly the problem miraculously disappeared!
And this time I have managed to get it all down, so paranoia attack over!
-3
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grumpyoldwoman - 30-May-08 08:55
I have a lap top and got into AOL for awhile but suddenly I could not get into AOL even talking to a technical advisor, but he has made it worse, I have had my lap top for three months and have had trouble with AOL ever since. I have even deleted it and put disc in again but still cannot get into AOL. Also AOL does not let me play in certain sites when I have been on AOL.
+13
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Yes I'm using the yellow ethernet cable and the softwere and I went to the sites that they gave me it just doesnt want to work on my laptop
+5
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are you using a yellow wire? if not go to the market and buy one...
-6
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