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.

[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

[RuthT810962]

Ironic that the people making these decisions to use social media likely grew up predominantly using social media. AARP please listen to your customers. Use email.

[ChrisR57]

AARP Consumer Care. We are members, not consumers. At least call us Customers. Very telling choice of terminology.

[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!

[TomCalWriter]

Great. So, now we have to go farther down the rabbit of the tech BS. Emails are a good way to keep records of contact, etc.  Most of us are seniors. Maybe you should wait for the next generation who are attached to their cell phones and texting. Annoyed in Ohio.

[Dzhon66]

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

[TomCalWriter]

 I'm with you on that.

[rwgast]

  I agree. The communication policy makers at AARP obviously don't get it. We are the customers, not them. They, for whatever reason, refuse to listen. Our only collective option is to drop AARP or ignore their endless stream of emails and junk mail. 

[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!

[TomCalWriter]

  How old are you, anyway? You need seniors to serve seniors and if you're not in the U.S., that's totally disrespectful. Or is AARP now serving India too?

[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 

[TomCalWriter]

 If you are sending us emails, you should have a monitored email inbox.

[AARPConsumerCare]

I am sorry to hear you are unhappy with the lack of a monitored email for members. We feel that we can better assist our members via the channels that we have available; we have Live Chat, phone, SMS, or Social media. You can always reach us via these channels, and we will be more than happy to assist you with any issue, feedback, or suggestion you have. Thank you - Caleb G. 

[sktn77a]

"I am sorry to hear you are unhappy with the lack of a monitored email for members. We feel that we can better assist our members via the channels that we have available; we have Live Chat, phone, SMS, or Social media."

We know what's best for you.  Now go away and stop bothering us!

[amkaplan]

It says "web newsletter," not emails.

[rwgast]

Regarding this long dialogue aboutAARP being difficult to communicate with, I agree. Some advice for AARP. I am now retired but when I was in my corporate role as the head of sales and marketing of a large multi national global company,  I adhered to a simple standard operating  procedure. "We have no money, we get it from our customers, so give them what they want and are willing to pay for." Think about it AARP.