I've used AOL since 1997 and changed accounts twice, once regarding going solo away from my family's account and then again when I began billing a year in advance. Every year they'd notify me they would be billing my account and I'd approve or make changes.

Since I had my identity sold out of the DMV and then became a victim of credit card fraud, I had closed all but a couple of my credit cards not realizing AOL stores that information in their AOL Wallet. They alert the master screen name which I went on only to delete mail, every few months. They say they sent an email for renewal and perhaps they did, but I did not see it;therefore never opened it to approve the charge.

They don't take my plight seriously and gave me a large amount of trouble when I asked for credit. I changed the type of account I had and their site informed me the changes wouldn't take place until the next billing cycle which in bold for me was June of 2009. Apparently The next billing cycle didn't mean My next billing cycle but Their next billing cycle. To add insult to injury, they billed me again at the lower price and told me I now had two accounts. All my AOL friends and friends on other services began asking me what is going on. Apparently, they'd get two of every email I sent. AOl doesn't allow you to have two accounts under the same master screen name and I pointed this out, but their account executives couldn't see the logic they put forth in their own written materials. This is a lawsuit in the making, if nothing else, for ethical purposes. They still owe me $139.00 and have the audacity to bill me an additional $11.95.

I sent a letter to their legal department and got no answer. I reported them to the FTC and my complaint is filed with hundreds of thousands from others with no action taken.

They have demonstrated to me just how big business does business and they have landed themselves on my list of corporations who are enemies of consumers.

I'm on Yahoo and Google now and though I do purchasing online, I don't do it with a credit card or ever use PayPal. I use only money orders and deal with sites that allow me to do it.

I'm trying to protect my credit identity as well as pay cash for things to help our country. I figure the more credit used, the higher the cost of goods because demand increases and we get charged for that by way of higher costs of goods sold.

Prior to this, I cannot say I ever had a problem with AOL. I blindly trusted them and certainly trusted them to be ethical. I never imagined that they would become otherwise. I don't know what changed in their business structure but it turned a a long-time friend into a foe ruining a treasured business relationship. I'll never do business knowingly again with corporations who have such unethical practices.

I urge any of you using AOL, to remove your credit information from your profile and erase your AOL wallet.

God Bless

Chelle Stockman formally R.G.S. 94591