‘Free’ Online Hookup Brings Huge Bills

After months of encountering frustrating busy signals, Susan Markicz, a photographer in the Bronx, thought she had solved her problems connecting to America Online in February when her teenage son said he had learned of a toll-free number that gave users instant access to the online service.

“It was like hitting the lottery,” she said.

Not quite. Last Saturday Markicz’s family received a $541.65 bill from America Online for service in February, dwarfing the usual $19.95 monthly fee for unlimited access.

Across the country, subscribers to America Online are receiving bills ranging into the hundreds of dollars for using one of two toll-free access numbers the company offers to users. The calls themselves are free, as are most calls to numbers that begin with (800) or (888). But the unlucky users did not realize that America Online charges 10 cents per minute, or $6 an hour.

A rising tide of complaints has prompted the New York Attorney General’s office to begin an investigation.