# Zombie KU subscription charges after relative’s death!



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I ran across a unique Amazon problem. Those of you with relatives who are Amazon users might want to take note. My mother passed away last Christmas. She had her own Kindle account plus a Kindle Unlimited subscription. This stuff was paid for with her American Express card, and she had accumulated a big stash of travel points on the card. After she passed, I called the card issuer to cancel her card, and transfer her travel points to my account (I had a card from the same issuer). It ended up that the only way I could keep the points (which had about $2000 in value!) was for me to take over her card. Then her points could be merged with my stash of points. I had to call Amex to do it, but it was pretty easy to merge mom’s points into my points from MY American Express card.

When the card was merged and I could look at her account, I realized that mom’s Kindle Unlimited subscription was still being charged. I called Amazon and asked them about it, and without being too windy about it, I’ll just say that I spoke to Amazon three times in two months about it, was assured the problem was fixed, and I’d get a refund and the monthly charges would stop, but that didn’t happen. The charges had moved to my new card where I took over her Amex card, and kept on a-coming! Amazon wouldn’t cancel mom’s subscription. It would go on forever. An Amazon rep actually recommended that I cancel the credit card, or at least request a new card number! The key seemed to be because I didn’t have access to my mother’s Amazon account.

This morning a new Kindle Unlimites charge was made on my card. I called Amazon again, and after fifty minutes (by honest count from my cell phone) I managed to talk to someone who indicated that I could report mom as deceased, and new charges would stop. But I couldn’t get a refund on old charges, even those that had happened after I started complaining to Amazon about it. Soon after the phone call I got an email from Amazon asking for a copy of my mother’s death certificate and some other information. I provided it by email, and now am told that the account is closed, nobody can access it, and the charges will stop. I will hope so!

There was still the matter of the zombie subscription charges after Mom had passed. I called Amex this morning to dispute the charges, and it appears they are being really good about it. I already have notice that I am getting a provisional refund.

This could apply to others with elderly relatives, and I guess it could apply to a married couple with separate accounts. My advice would be to get the password so you can access the account of the relative, it would have been easy for me to cancel the Kindle Unlimited subscription if I had had that. My mother had made me an authorized user on her charge card, which made American Express a LOT easier to deal with on this, especially on transferring the points. Of course it also caused the subscription charges to keep on going to my account. I hope this helps somebody!


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