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Earthlink DSL

Earthlink • Tech Support • Cancellation disputes • Billing problems • "Free" trial • Other offers • DSL cancellation • DSL installation • DSL speed • Mailstation

Sufen of Woodinville WA (12/20/03):
I called Earthlink to cancel my DSL service in order to switch to Verizon. Sales rep provided competitor’s promotion and promise will give me $29.95/month offer. She said she couldn’t change the price on November because the invoice has been billed. I received the bill in December and price still remains on $53.50. I called on 12/5/2003 and tried to get the credit back. Another rep told me that it was previous sales rep’s fault, that the sale rep should have contact me when offer was rejected but she didn’t.

I still couldn’t get the discount rate. I wasn’t happy about that and ask to cancel the account and get my money back. They charged me the service to Jan 6, 2004. This sales rep refused my request. He canceled my account immediate but I couldn’t get my money back, even prorated portion, that's “AGAINST EARTHLINK POLICY”. I was very angry. Technically, I already cancelled my account in October and is under the new agreement. Due to Earthlink’s mistake, my account neither canceled nor switched to the new agreement. The entire procedure weas all Earthlink’s fault and they tried to blame it on individual employee and refused to take any responsibilities.

I don’t have to pay them 2 month of expensive rate ($53.5) if they could do the right thing, just tell me they couldn’t offer this to me. I told the sales rep that Earthlink couldn’t hold the customer’s credit card information and charge whatever they want. He said that was based on the contract. But I said the contract should have been cancelled and under the new agreement. He re-emphasized, “That’s was employee’s mistake. You can’t get your money back”. Because of Earthlink’s fault, I do believe that I should have right to get my money back when I am not using their service.

Sufen should notify her credit card company and dispute the charges.

Ron of Cincinnati OH (12/11/03):
I am being billed on a service I had cancelled from EarthLink. four months after I stopped the service, EarthLink reopened the account without my knowledge or consent and started billing me again. Let me provide some background. I had been a DSL EarthLink customer for many yrs. when I found I would be moving out of state. I did not know if EarthLink could provide me with internet service at my new home but I wanted to keep my established email addresses so I intended to make a best effort to keep EarthLink as my ISP.

During the move process I closed the DSL service and opened a temp. less expensive account in order to maintain my email addresses. At my new home I found I could get EarthLink cable service via Time Warner. I called EarthLink and setup the new service and at the same time cancelled the temp. low cost dialup account. EarthLink said "no problem" and informed me that all my billing would now go thorough Time Warner on my new EarthLink Cable account.

After several months EarthLink took it upon themselves to reopen my closed dialup account, without my knowledge or consent and started charging my on-record credit card. Is that legal? After looking at the emailed bill I saw that I had 30 days to dispute it via mail, phone or email. I emailed my complaint and after a number of back and forth emails and a lot of hoops to jump through, EarthLink said I would have to Call them. If you have ever called EarthLink you would know you will spend hours being transferred from person to person, hour after hour. ( looks like ...Mmmmm hoops again) the EarthLink Rep. admitted they reopened my old account without my knowledge. The short of it, Rep. said they would have to verify Time Warner was billing me and would call me back. I'm still waiting!

Ron should dispute the charges with his credit card company as well as with Earthlink.

Dwight of Santa Ana CA (10/5/03):
I ordered Earthlink DSL. I was sent a router from UHP, it was no good - the POST (Power On Self TEST) failed. Earthlink put me through all kinds of nonsense before shipping me another modem. The new modem worked perfectly for about one month, but now, when I upgraded to the 2004 software, it allows me to surf for about three minutes until I again see the "Server not Found" page which has become my primary purchase from Earthlink! Unplugging the Modem and killing the task Panel get me another 3 minutes online.

I wish to find someone who can write a consumer experience meter, which will log the time the network actually feeds data, which is what we really pay for, taking into account congestion at popular sites, so that we can really create a measure of how our service declines. We could use such a rating for a class action lawsuit. Stereo manufacturers didn't advertise RMS power levels until they were forced to. Let's get busy!

We just pay, we no longer surf, we're too busy. Earthlink has made DSL into Dialup Simulator -- Loser! -- and I no longer wish to fulfill my contract!

Victor of Chicago writes(5/10/01):
On or about February 20, 2001 I placed an order with Earthlink for DSL service. The sales representative that I spoke with told me an order would be put through for line activation and once the line was activated my DSL installation kit would be shipped. I asked specifically if a network card came with the DSL installation kit and was told by the sales representative that it did.

Weeks passed and I received no further emails other than my order confirmation on February 20, 2001. The line was never activated and the installation kit never arrived. Every time I contacted Earthlink to inquire about the delay I was either disconnected, or the customer service representative was unable to pull up my account information. Several weeks and several phone calls later I was finally informed that there was a delay in getting the line activated locally and there was nothing Earhtlink could do but wait. Once the line was activated I would be notified and the installation kit (which was to include the afore-promised network card) would be sent.

Periodic phone calls to Earthlink for updates usually ended in frustration just like my initial phone calls -- representatives unable to access my account information or “accidental” disconnections after being on hold for twenty minutes or more. Finally, on May 1, I received an email informing me that the date of my line activation was April 26, that my installation kit was on its way and if I had not received it within seven days I was to contact customer service. Since I received that email already six days after the line activation, I waited one more day and, when the installation kit never arrived, I contacted customer service. I was informed that I actually should wait about ten days before contacting customer service (even though the email specifically stated seven days). I waited some more.

At this point, over two months had passed from the date the initial order was placed. I contacted customer service again a few days later and was told that there was a problem with my account and that was why the installation kit was never shipped. Apparently, every time someone at Earthlink attempted to ship the installation kit, the system would spit the order back out and not fulfill it. No one seemed to notice this until I called and pressed someone to investigate the problem.

I have to wonder how long this error would have repeated itself had I not forced someone there to access my account and find out why I hadn’t received my installation kit. I was assured at that point that the installation kit would definitely go out that day.

Today, I received the installation kit and there was no network card included. I contacted sales and was informed that Earthlink does not provide network cards. I said that I was told (after specifically asking about a network card) that one did come with the installation kit. The representative I spoke with said he had no idea why the sales representative who took my order would tell me such a thing since it is not true and clearly stated in a written disclaimer I received with my installation kit. I said I wanted to complain about this and he transferred me to customer service. A customer service representative confirmed what I had just heard. Regardless of what I was told by sales when I placed the order, a network card does not come with the installation kit.

I told customer service that I was promised a network card and was lead to believe that I would be getting one. I told her that Earthlink misrepresented itself in an obvious attempt to get my business and such behavior is highly unethical. I also told her the term that applies to such behavior is “bait and switch”...Earthlink promises a network card along with the installation kit and when it finally arrives there is no card and the company disavows any knowledge of having promised such an item now the transaction is complete and the company has my money. I told her I planned on contacting Consumer Affairs as well as my attorney about this matter. She told me to go ahead and do so. She said go ahead and sue or do whatever it is I wanted to do.

I asked her why Earthlink is not making any effort to rectify the situation before I take such extreme measures. She put me on hold and came back a few minutes later. She said my account would be credited $25.00 which I could use towards the purchase of a network card but there is no way Earthlink could send me one since they no longer include network cards with their installation kits anymore. ANYMORE. Therein lay the key to this whole mess. I asked her if, at some point in the past, Earthlink DID make it a practice of including a network card with the installation kits. She said yes Earthlink used to provide network cards but stopped doing so in March. I placed my order in February, which would explain why I was promised the network card when I placed my order.

What is not explainable is why two employees of Earthlink, one in sales and another in customer service, couldn’t realize where and how such an obvious error occurred. In between the time my order was placed and the time Earthlink finally got around to sending my kit, a policy change had gone into affect. However, as I placed my order BEFORE the change in policy, I am still entitled to receive the installation kit as originally promised. It is not my fault it took Earthlink over two months to complete a simple order for a DSL connection, nor is it my fault that Earthlink enacted a policy change in the interim and failed to notify any customers who’s orders might be affected by such policy change.

What is also amazing to me is, at the end of the phone call, the customer service representative finally said I could be sent a network card if I chose to wait a week. I should not have had to fight with two of Earthlink employees for over an hour on the phone with neither one of them able to clearly see what the problem is nor the obvious solution before I’m finally (and clearly grudgingly I might add) told I can receive what I purchased. I told her I would take the $25.00 credit and to not send the network card and I hung up. I find Earthlink’s behavior in this situation reprehensible and the attitude of Earthlink’s employees inexcusable. I am entitled to receive what I was promised at the time of purchase. Further, I feel I should be compensated for my time and aggravation.

This whole process has taken months plus the time I have spent on the phone or on hold or getting the run-around from Earthlink employees or getting disconnected by them because no one I spoke with is able or willing to provide me with simple information about my order. I ordered DSL service in February, before Earthlink enacted its policy to discontinue shipping network cards. Earthlink DSL sales specifically promised me a network card. I should not have to endure a long and frustrating battle with poorly skilled and ineffectual customer service representatives to receive what I paid for.

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