Why is there no general email address for members to contact AARP?

[Davidfstnyc]

Why does AARP go so far out of its way to make it difficult for members to contact them without going to some lame Social Media page? Which also doesn't allow for much real communication!

I'd love to be able to provide real feedback on the pathetic website and app. My guess is AARP doesn't give a rat's patootie what their members think.

[shelley25b]

I'm an additional voice here on this topic.  AARP's web site and the internal membership is very poor.  Additionally, their outgoing marketing is overly intrusive.  I've send my specific complaint to member@aarp.com.  There's also spoof@aarp.com.  I don't expect to receive a helpful response.

[AARPConsumerCare]

Hi @shelley25b, thanks for reaching out. Our goal is to provide the best customer service, and we found that email was not the best way to do that. How can I help? You can also chat with us, call or text, here you'll find more information: https://aarp.info/3epCObA - Diana G.

[amkaplan]

I don't know how you determined that email was not a good way to do customer service, but perhaps you didn't contact enough of your membership - of my friends, most of us find chatting and texting a pain in the ass for getting anything accomplished in a reasonable time frame, and frankly, insulting.  With an email I can write a reasonable amount of information without being limited to a set number of characters, send attachments, and get the job done if I can't get a human on the phone.

I'm quite disappointed.

[AARPConsumerCare]

I can understand your frustration, @amkaplan. If chatting or call us is not a good option for you, feel free to send us a DM with a description of your problem, and we'll provide the appropriate information or guidance. Thanks. - Diana G.

[amkaplan]

I just got off a very dismaying phone call with one of your agents, whom I must say was simply not intelligent.  She could not grasp any of the issues I was trying to express, even after multiple attempts.  Wow.  And she was a native English speaker.  Ironically, when I asked if there was any email address specifically for complaints, she said she would EMAIL it to me (I have not received anything yet). The real irony here is that your entire system of reaching out to members is based on email (I was alerted to your reply here by email), but members cannot contact you the same way.  I don't know how you determined to eliminate member@aarp.com, but I think you've misread the population you serve.

[JanMarie337]

Here is the problem you have. I called about an issue with Hartford Insurance and was hung up on. I tried chat but it was ended by AARP before I could get my issue written out.. The other member is correct; it is very difficult to make contact with somebody. So we have to use forums like this to get responses. My issue was simple. The Hartford will not write my 2019 Challenger RT using performance capability as a reason. When I called The Hartford, they do write Mustangs, Camaros and even Corvettes. All 3 have equal to more performance capability than my car. It didn't matter that I was 61 , have never had an at-fault accident nor even a ticket in my life. There is no legitimate reason not to write my car. AARP advertised that we can get a discount on car insurance for joining. What can you guys do?

[AARPConsumerCare]

We're sorry to hear you’re having trouble with The Hartford, @JanMarie337. We are listening and would like the chance to help as soon as possible. Please visit https://help.aarp.org/s/article/contact-aarp to chat, text, or speak with a representative who can get you in touch with our Member Relations team. - Diana G.

[GailL1]

@JanMarie337 

AARP has NO say on what Hartford will or will not insure - that is the decision of Hartford.

The AARP Auto Insurer Hartford benefit says this in its Disclosure.

AARP® AUTO INSURANCE PROGRAM FROM THE HARTFORD 

from the link:  

DISCLOSURES

AARP commercial member benefits are provided by third parties, not by AARP or its affiliates. Providers pay a royalty fee to AARP for the use of its intellectual property. These fees are used for the general purposes of AARP. Some provider offers are subject to change and may have restrictions.

*Your savings may vary. Rate difference for AARP members and non-member vary by state and AARP membership tenure. †Terms and conditions apply. 

State Availability

Not available in U.S. territories: Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Accident Forgiveness and Disappearing Deductible are not available to CA policyholders.

[donl256893]

 I just received a renewal letter in the mail from aarp that they charged $16 to my wife's PayPal account. My wife passed away nearly 5 years ago. They make contacting them such a pain and of course its a Saturday so I have to wait till monday to call since I cannot find any other way to contact them. In fact my search to do so is what lead me to this page... 

[Dzhon66]

Exactly, and I just found out they charged me for an unwanted annual membership. And there is no one living person on a Saturday  to talk about it because they only assist by phone from Mo to Fri. I don't see any benefit from AARP excepting from a lot of junk mailing with special offers that are totally useless. Hey AARP, you charged me yesterday, despite I cancelled my subscription previously, returned my money!!!... your customer service is almost non-existing, your web resources unhelpful, your web site interface unfriendly and if this is aiming elderly people??? Help us God!... I´m feeling scammed and I will make sure this is reposted in main social media networks!

[th585]

David,

I'm totally with you. Why do companies think all this social media crap is so great that they have to ditch email. Maybe they'll lose me as a customer over it.

In any case,  it looks like that's the way it's going.

Thomas

[Dzhon66]

it's wrong David. We shouldn´t accept it. Smells fishy!

[gs1897]

Exactly, same here. If you look around enough a site like Reddit will have it 

[normcOR689022]

One way communication. AARP determines what is important feedback based on their agenda. 

[Dzhon66]

Exactly. And they are collecting $16,  for the annual membership, for nothing but junk mailing me... I think is a huge scam.

[EricC28201]

Thanks for the link @AARPJanelleM .  I checked it out and saved the address.  But since that web page, with all its contact options, doesn't seem to provide Email contact info, it seems to be a bit of a misdirection regarding the original question i.e. Email Address?

Not having a Contact Email seems misguided to me, but at least be up front about it and say something like, 'We no longer have a Contact Email because yadda yadda yadda...'

[AARPJanelleM]

@EricC28201 Hey Eric, I explained in my reply that we no longer have a monitored email inbox. Here's that info again in case you missed it:

" We no longer have a monitored email inbox as we have updated our contact options. I invite you to visit our site to discover the new ways you can get support from us. Whether you prefer to do things on your own time, or to get support from an agent, we are here for you: https://aarp.info/3epCObA"

Please let me know if there's anything I can do, I'm here to help!

[Dzhon66]

Ridiculous and unacceptable answer from "AARP"... whatever it is or whoever it is behind... looks like a huge scam!

[DianeM682950]

I agree with Eric. I refuse to participate in the political platforms or thievery of social media tycoons. Your Chat, like everyone's, is blind, deaf and dumb. I have a response to an AARP email I received from Reshma Mehta. Why can I not give a pertinent answer to misinformation?

[AARPJanelleM]

@Davidfstnyc Hi David, I can help! We no longer have a monitored email inbox as we have updated our contact options. I invite you to visit our site to discover the new ways you can get support from us. Whether you prefer to do things on your own time, or to get support from an agent, we are here for you: https://aarp.info/3epCObA

[pdessart]

Every one of those contact methods has the line "Our team is available ..." followed by the office hours. And yes, I "prefer to do things on your own time" but there is no self-service option for discontinuing receipt of print copies of AARP publications. Your chatbot simply spits out the same contact hours, so I have no choice but to get support from an agent.

Since I sat down to make this request 5 minutes after your support hours, I am left with no choice but to keep putting this back on my todo list.

I understand that you've chosen not to have a monitored email inbox. But there are alternatives. Provide a web form, for example, where we can "Leave a message for an agent."

Rather than repeating the existing contact limitations in response to my message, how refreshing would it be to hear "Thank you for your input. Not having a self-service option for opting-out of receipt of print copies of AARP publications was an oversight on our part. Here's a link to the page we've added/updated to allow you to take care of this on your own time: https//aarp.org/..."

Or, even to say "I've taken the initiative to look up your account and have that change made for you."

I won't be holding my breath.

[Dzhon66]

Hilarious isn´t it???... they behave like a total scam operation.

[AARPJanelleM]

@pdessart Thank you for reaching out! I was able to process your request to stop delivery of the mailed publications and they will fully stop being delivered within 4-6 weeks due to pre-printed mailing labels. I have also passed on your suggestion to our team for review. I'm always here to help!

[RobinB255076]

Related to web newsletter--- I cannot read it. There are so many pop-ups with you trying to sell me crap, that they cover the content and/or redirect to another page. What a disappointment !!    Why do I pay for you to spam me??

[AARPJanelleM]

@RobinB255076 I'm so sorry to hear about this, Robin. We don't have popups in our emails. Are you trying to access the info on our site? You may want to follow our troubleshooting steps for website issues: https://aarp.info/2I3wo4C 

[amkaplan]

It says "web newsletter," not emails.