The Computer Is Your Friend: The only way AOL can still make money

[athelind]

AOL threatens former users with mystery bills

The link is to the BoingBoingGadgets article, but the original story is from the Wall Street Journal.

Apparently, AOL is "upgrading" customer accounts, then sending the bills off to collection agencies -- without actively notifying the customers in question.

This, it seems, includes people who have signed up for nothing more than AIM service.

Hooray. =P

---

Comments

[svashtar.livejournal.com]

Seems a strange way to make a buck, because when you send someone to collections, it costs YOU money to do so.

[mocha-mephooki.livejournal.com]

You'd think, but that's been AOL's primary means of getting money for years, now... hidden charges and fees on credit accounts without letting the user's know they've been charged until after the billing.

Apparently, the words "cancel my account" translates into gibberish in oversea-call-center speak.