Earthlink is big all right. By most reckonings, it's the second largest Internet service provider after AOL. Unfortunately, it shares many of AOL's bad habits -- the most notorious being the near impossibility of cancelling the service.
Below is a sampling of recent complaints. Click the links to the right for more.
Mara of Chicago, IL February 16, 2008
Mara of Chicago IL (02/16/08) Earthlink misrepresents the ability to provide high speed (or any speed) internet access. It provides inadequate internet and telephone service. Technical Support is fraudulent and useless: they refuse to direct me to mac support; enforce beginners troubleshooting even though everything has been tried many times; transfer to someone else who cant help so you have to start over again; claim that department is closed? to get rid of you for the day; put you on hold and either hang up or never come back.
When I try to cancel my account (stop paying for non-service) customer service refuses to cooperate: claim they can't cancel; try to talk me out of it; refuse to transfer to a manager or supervisor or transfer to a person who claims to be a supervisor but can't do anything at all; transfer to anyone else just to get rid of you; threaten absurd cancellation fees; put you on terminal hold.
These are my demands: 1. Cancel Account. 2. Please send confirmation number. 3. Send Earthlink supplied return shipping address to return equipment. 4. Do not charge cancellation fees. (Earthlink broke contract by not providing service.) I have written 17 letters to Earthlink and filed complaints at the BBB, FTC, FCC, and Illinois Attorney General.
I have paid 80/month since 3/2006 for very little service. My phone was off when I needed to go to the hospital. I had no service the last 2 months. I have spent hours dealing with this. Earthlink still refuses to cancel my account; they threaten me with a 150 cancellation fee. I do not know yet what they will do to my credit rating.
Jacquee of Atlanta, GA February 15, 2008
Jacquee of Atlanta GA (02/15/08) I severed a six year relationship with Earthlink in January 2007 after repeated service complaints about DSL speed, with no resolution. I maintained both DSL and web-hosting accounts with them. Technical service reps could not resolve the issue over the course of a year, even after sending out a new modem. Frustrated after a year of paying for high speed DSL and getting only regular dial-up speed, I canceled the email service. The company billed my credit card for early termination fees, which I successfully challenged. In response, Earthlink took my website off-line and have since refused to return the files. More importantly, they have retained control of the domain name, leaving me unable to use my own business domain name. I have filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and FCC.
In negotiations through the BBB, after first denying having control of the domain name, Earthlink later acknowledged having registration rights, but refused to release it because I violated Earthlink policy by taking the charge back. Negotiations were suspended at that point. I contend that I did follow proper procedure by notifying Earthlink in writing of the disputed charge for the e-mail account. Having received no response, I moved forward with the only protection available to me as a consumer by disputing the charge with my credit card company. Earthlink did not follow its own policy requirement to inform me (the consumer) of the termination of service. Its important to note that I canceled only the email account, on 1/8/07. I became aware that the website account was canceled on 3/30/07 when I contacted the company and was told my website had been taken off-line. They refused to release the content of the site unless I reinstated the credit card charges.
As a small business, my website served as an important marketing tool. Having it disabled for nearly a year has taken a tremendous toll on my business. I cannot afford to re-create all of the content from scratch. More significantly, I am unable to launch a new site as long as Earthlink retains the registration rights to the domain name and the status is locked.
Matthew of Los Alamos, NM February 13, 2008
Matthew of Los Alamos NM (02/13/08) I had service with earthlink for over 1 year (they initially require 1 year contract). I then was offered new equipment (new modem) from earthlink. I got the new modem, then canceled my service a few months later. Earthlink then tried to claim that since they sent me a new modem, I was now bound to an additional year contract. I never agreed to this additional year, either verbally or in writing. Eventually, after discussing it with a customer service rep, they agreed to cancel the contract without charge. Then, I suddenly received a bill for 135 and also a notice from a debt collection agency for early termination of contract. I am currently disputing this bill, because Earthlink is trying to claim a contract where none existed.
Thomas of Vallejo, CA February 11, 2008
Thomas of Vallejo CA (02/11/08) I paid my Earthlink service contract in full. But I needed the DSL taken off my line to install a local DSL. I asked to have Earthlink remove their DSL service from my line, but told the representative that I had sent my check in for the full amount on January 17; and my service contract ended on January 30. I just needed the line clear. They billed me for 149 early termination fee--even though they were paid for the service.
The Earthlink representative told me they would get a supervisor and then put me on hold. After 1/2 hour I hung up.
Mark of Silver Spring, MD February 6, 2008
Mark of Silver Spring MD (02/06/08) I have been an Earthlink subscriber for almost 8 years. Sure, their technical support has always been iffy, but I know what I am doing and was able to make it work. 10 months ago, I upgraded to the up to 8.0 and telephone service. I wasn't stable at 8.0, but at 6.0 I was up 98 to 99% of the time and I got a tested speed of 4.8 to 5.4 consistently. Suddenly, at the end of December I started losing my connection several times a day, this slowly increased to 10 to 15 times a day! Finally, I gave in and called tech support. After hours of novice troubleshooting techniques - ALL of which I had done numerous times on my own, they said that my loop length was too long and they needed to downgrade me to 3.0. When I asked them to explain why 6.0 had worked fine, they just kept repeating that I would have to downgrade. Wanting to get SOME work done, I agreed reluctantly. Well, it improved. It only drops 2-3 times a day now and I only can get a speed of 1.8 to 2.3. After hours more of the same bone head technical support they wanted to downgrade me back to 1.5! No way!
Well, finally I bullied my way through to a Level 3 technician AND then to his supervisor! Finally, someone who didn't just read down a script. He actually read my file, said that he didn't understand why the Level 1 people had downgraded me, and he arranged to send technicians out to check the lines and the connections. The problem is, this took HOURS, DAYS, NEARLY TWO WEEKS of constant phone calls, hour long holds, frequent disconnections. After working with computers for nearly 35 years - I know my stuff and can out talk the low level support people. The average person is hindered.
Bottom line, it still isn't fixed, and Earthlink support is TERRIBLE. AND to add insult to injury, in the process of dealing with this I reviewed my last couple of Earthlink invoices which I just hadn't read yet and found out that they had added PC TUNE and FAMILY CONTENT to my account (nearly 11 extra a month)! I didn't order these, I never heard of these, and I certainly would never order PC TUNE as I don't now, nor have I ever OWNED a PC (Windows) and PC TUNE doesn't run on a Mac! There has got to be something better out there. I just kick myself when I think about how I could have set up permanent email addresses long ago, so that when I finally get so frustrated that I dump Earthlink, I wouldn't have had to deal with informing hundreds of people about my email change!
Untold lost hours of productive work and time with my family. Delays to work production. Years off my life due to stress.
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