Cancelling RCN

Many, many years ago, I subscribed to a dial-up account at a small, local Internet Service Provider. After a few years, that small provider was absorbed into RCN. I kept the RCN dial-up account for several years. In November I got DSL from Verizon (not, I should point out, because I have even a sliver of love for Verizon). I hung onto the RCN account for a couple months to make sure I was getting all my email, etc. A couple months turned into six months, because I am a loser. Yesterday I finally called RCN to cancel my account.

I worked my way through the usual long phone tree, eventually finding an option that specifically said it was for "canceling dial-up service". Of course, at large, soulless corporations like Verizon and RCN, the number you press on the phone tree does not actually route your call any differently than pressing any other number. It's a useless exercise designed to keep you busy so you won't notice how long it's taking to get a representative on the phone.

So I choose the "cancel dial-up account" option and get "Brian", who makes me give him my home phone number, address, reason for calling, reason for canceling, etc. Then he announces that he can't cancel the account, and he'll have to transfer me to Billing. After 15 minutes on hold, the Billing guy makes me answer all the same questions again, then informs me that Billing doesn't do any cancellations at all, and he's going to have to transfer me to a dial-up technician. At which point I tell him to whom I've spoken already, and point out that this sort of poor customer experience is precisely the reason I'm running from RCN. In transferring me to the dial-up tech, our man in Billing disconnects me.

I go back to the toll free number, work my way through the phone tree, and am sent back to a customer service rep, who makes me give her my phone number, street address, reason for calling, etc. Then she announces that she can't cancel my account, and she'll have to transfer me to Billing. So I tell her my whole customer experience so far today, emphasizing the fact that someone in Billing has already told me that their department absolutely cannot assist me.

Now suddenly she can handle this herself without transferring me any further. This takes several minutes, during which I repeatedly wonder if I've been disconnected again, due to the static on the line and the lack of a speaking voice.

It took almost 45 minutes and considerable aggravation to close an account costing me $21.95 per month. I can't tell you how often I thought, "It might be worth it just to keep paying them," but I'm convinced that their nefarious plan includes making things so difficult that I will do just that, continuing to pay them for the convenience of not having to deal with them.