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Business Profile

Associations

AARP

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

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Complaints

This profile includes complaints for AARP's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 279 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 107 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:09/01/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      On two separate occasions I renewed my membership to AARP they offered a gift of a car caddy if you renewed your membership. I did this twice and I have not received the rear car caddy. I wonder is this just a scam ? They certainly have my address because I weekly receive all sorts of mail from them.They owe me those car caddy bags I renewed and paid for the membership.Thank you for your assistance.*************************

      Business Response

      Date: 09/08/2022

      September 7, 2022

      BBB of Metro Washington, DC and Eastern PA
      1411 K Street, NW 10th Floor
      Washington, DC 20005

                  Re: *************************, #******** 

      To the Dispute Resolution Team:

      We are in receipt of your letter regarding *************************** claim that he has never received membership premiums from AARP after renewing his membership twice.  We have investigated his concern and welcome the opportunity to resolve this matter.

      *************** has been a valued AARP member for 14 years. His most recent membership renewal took place on May 9, 2022, with a $16.00 payment for 1 year. While our records do not reflect that the renewal offer to which he responded included a premium item, as a token of our appreciation for his past and continued support, we have ordered the premium he requested.

      We have a record of **************** contacting us about a premium on May 6, 2022, via live chat.  The agent asked **************** for his address and **************** did not respond to the agents question. Therefore, an order for a premium was not placed on that day.

      We also received a letter from ****************, dated August 5, 2022, in which he requested the Premium Trunk Organizer for his membership renewal. Our records show that a Premium Insulated Trunk Organizer was ordered on August 29,2022 via USPS. The USPS Tracking number is **********************, and *************** can use the USPS website in order to track the status of his Insulated Trunk Organizer. The Insulated Trunk Organizer was mailed to the following address:

      **** ********** *** ******
      Mount Dora, FL *****

      If **************** has any further questions, it would be my pleasure to assist him.  He may contact me directly at ************. If more convenient, he may send an email to my attention through the following email address, [email protected].

      Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. It is our hope that our actions demonstrate our commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all, as a responsible, effective consumer advocate. 

      Sincerely,

      Sam R***********
      Member Communications Ombudsman

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/31/2022

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I payed for a course to reduce points on my license with the promise it would be reported to the dmv. It was not. I finished the class on august 11th for a new job required it to show up on abstract. Aarp never reported it because it still hasn’t showed up. Had I known they weren’t going to report it then I would’ve never paid for the class through them. I need the certificate put on my ny dmv abstract tomorrow not the 20th of next month because they said on the phone they only report on the 20th of every month. I want a refund regardless because now I might not get the job because of this and I want it reported tomorrow that I completed the course.

      Business Response

      Date: 09/07/2022

      September 7,2022

      BBB of Metro Washington, DC and Eastern PA
      1411 K Street, NW 10th Floor
      Washington, DC 20005

                  Re:      Complaint #********
                              *****************************
      **** *************
      Matawan, NJ *****

      To The Dispute Resolution Team:

      We are in receipt of your letter regarding ****************'s claim that AARP Driver Safety did not transmit his course completion certificate to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (NYS DMV) in a timely manner. We have investigated his concern and welcome the opportunity to respond.

      *** ********** completed an AARP Driver Safety Course on August 9, 2022. AARP Driver Safety informed us that there was a technical issue, now resolved, that interfered with the transmission of the certificate to the NYS DMV. We apologize for the lapse. This is what we have done to “make it right:”

      Transmitted the certificate and information to the NYS DMV as of this date, September 7, 2022.
      Provided *** ********** with a full refund of his course fee. This will appear as a credit back to his original form of payment.

      We apologize for any frustration or confusion *** ********** may have experienced.

      If *** ********** should have any further questions, he may call me directly at ###-###-####, and it would be my pleasure to assist him further. If more convenient, he may send an email to [email protected] or mail to the following address: AARP, Ombudsman Team, 601 E Street, Washington, DC  20049.

      We would like to thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. It is our hope that through our actions we have demonstrated our commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all, as a responsible, effective consumer advocate.

      Sincerely,

      Bruce B******
      Consumer Care Ombudsman
      [email protected]

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/31/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      This is an ongoing issue that started back in 2005 and has only gotten worse. I am not sure that you can help with but I would like to try. AARP has continually contacted us (my husband and myself by mail). Now I believe they have sold or shared our information with other businesses. I am being contacted by both email and by regular mail literally more than six times per week by AARP and several other businesses. At this point I feel that I am being harassed. I have called into AARP to opt out of any mailings. I have put returned to sender on mailings and I have even sent letters to them asking them to remove me from any mailing list and to not give out my contact/address info to other companies. I got another letter today with a membership card in it , again. Please help me to get them to stop. I am tired of taking the time to shred this mess and I am tired of wasting the blades on my paper shredder.

      Business Response

      Date: 09/15/2022

      September 15, 2022

      BBB of Metro Washington DC and Eastern Pennsylvania
      1411 K St. NW, 10th Floor
      Washington, DC  20005-3404

      Re:      Complaint ********
      *******************************
      P.O. Box **
      Peculiar, MO *****

      To the Dispute Resolution Team:

      We are in receipt of your letter regarding ********************************* claim that she and her husband continue to receive unwanted mail and email from AARP.  We have investigated this matter and welcome the opportunity to respond.   

      Per ************************ complaint, I called her at ************** in order to determine the names of the individuals receiving unwanted mailings, and the correct mailing address,as the details provided via the BBB Complaint were incomplete.

      We had a lengthy and productive conversation about the matter and ********************** provided me with two mailing addresses at which they are receiving unwanted solicitations to join AARP.  Additionally, she informed me that the mailings are being sent to multiple variations of mis-spelled names for both herself and her husband at both addresses.

      I worked with my colleagues across the Association to address her concerns and resolve her complaint.  Both AARP Enterprise Data and AARP Services, Inc have blocked future targeted mailings from AARP to the following addresses:

      PO Box **
      Peculiar, MO *****

      *** **** ********
      Peculiar, MO *****

      *** * ********
      Peculiar, MO  *****

      In addition to targeted mailings, AARP also distributes generic promotional pieces as part of AARP’s overall membership acquisition program. These pieces are neither addressed to nor targeted to a particular person or household. They are inserted either in shared mail programs (bundled with other offers from other retailers or marketers) in the regular USPS mail, or inserted inside a subscription newspaper or catalog. Since these are mass generic inserts, we cannot control who receives them or whether the recipient lives in a 50+ household. 

      We ask that *** ********* allow up to eight weeks for all targeted mailings to stop. This is to ensure that any mailings already in progress will be completed.  To that end, I encourage her to contact me directly should she continue to receive unwanted mailings from AARP after November 10, 2022 so that I can investigate further.

      Additionally, I verified *** *********’s email address (*****************@*****.***) and ensured that it has been Globally Opted Out from communication with AARP.

      If she has any further questions or concerns, she can email any correspondence to my attention at [email protected], or mail to: Consumer Care Ombudsman, AARP, 601 E Street, NW, Washington, DC  20049.  Additionally, she can call me at (562) 496-5216.

      We apologize for any frustration this matter has caused *** *********.

      Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. It is our hope that our actions demonstrate our commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all, as a responsible, effective consumer advocate. 

      Sincerely,

      Justin A**************
      Consumer Care Ombudsman
      [email protected]

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/22/2022

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I spoke with an agent at the aarp Hartford around July 10 2022 regarding getting an auto and homeowners policy. We found a suitable policy and I agree to have the policy start on 8/22 because that was the date my only policy would expire. I gave my payment information, and the agent said no amount would be charged to my account until 7/22. Well on July 17,22 a payment was processed through my bank account and because there was no fund there because no payment was expected to come through, again until 7/22. I was charged an overdraft fee of $25 from by my bank. I called The Hartford and explained that was this issue and I wanted my overdraft fee refunded. The agent said she would take care of making sure the policy was effective 7/22 and the $25 refunded. I thought that was the end but if was not. They still tried to put the payment through my bank again, so I went online and the policy was still showing active so I cancelled the policy myself to keep the company from putting through another charge and creating a second overdraft fee. I called a 7th time n 7/22 and the agent there gave me a new policy for 7/22. She recognized what happened before. Today I see my bank account and I have been charged $270.60 . Because I was billed a portraited amount for the policy for 7/16 which should not have been put through until 7/22, and for my current month. If I don't get a refund within 7 days of this of the company receiving this complaint, I am going to cancel all policies. I want a refund of the $25 overdraft fee and $107.00 over billing to my bank account

      Business Response

      Date: 09/08/2022

      September 8, 2022

      BBB of Metro Washington DC &
      Eastern Pennsylvania (Washington, DC)
      1411 K St, NW 10th Floor
      Washington, DC 20005-3404 

      Attn:BBB Representative

      Re:*****************************
      ID: ********

      Dear BBB Representative: This letter is in response to a recent complaint to the Better Business Bureau, filed by *****************************. The issue is enrolling into an auto & homeowner insurance policy with The ********. This complaint has been referred to me for investigation and response.

      Please be advised that AARP contracts with providers to make products and services available to AARP members. Neither AARP nor its affiliate is the provider. When AARP receives a complaint such as the one that you forwarded, AARP will forward the complaint to the appropriate provider for feedback, research and/or response.  Since AARP is not the service provider, we unfortunately cannot access **. ****** records with The ******** to address her concerns. To assist, we forwarded the complaint on behalf of **.****** to The Hartfords Escalations Team to have a thorough review and investigation completed. The ******** will be contacting ************** directly to advise the outcome of this matter.

      We truly apologize for any frustration ************** experienced. Should she have any additional questions or concerns to bring to my attention after hearing from The Hartford, she can respond directly to this complaint or call me at ************. Should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

      Sincerely,

      Thelma G****
      Member Relations
      AARP Services, Inc.
      601 E St NW
      Washington, DC 20004
      ASI Case ID: ********

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/16/2022

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I have received two bills from AARP ******* with late fee charges of $29 each. These were not late according to my bank statement. They arrived in time. They corrected after I called them, and it was corrected, they gave me a credit. Now I get another statement this month with another $29.00 fee on it and they claim again that it was late. I mailed it on July 30 with a due date of August 7 and they posted it August 10.

      Business Response

      Date: 09/22/2022

      September 22, 2022

      BBB of Metro ************* &
      Eastern Pennsylvania (**************)
      1411 ******** 10thFloor
      ************** 20005-3404

      Re:  *************************
      ID: ********

      Dear BBB Representative:

      This is a response to a recent complaint to the Better Business Bureau, filed by *************************. The issue is regarding AARP Essential Rewards Mastercard provided by Barclays. This complaint has been referred to me for investigation and response.

      We are sorry to learn that **************** keeps being charged a late fee by Barclays and he feels that the payments were not late. Please be advised that while AARP contracts with providers to make products and services available to AARP members, neither AARP nor its affiliate is the provider. When AARP receives a complaint such as the one that you forwarded, AARP will forward the complaint to the appropriate provider for feedback, research and response. Since ************************* is referring to issues with Barclays, we forwarded his complaint to Barclays for investigation and response. Barclays will be contacting him directly to advise the outcome of this matter.

      We truly apologize for any frustration ************************* experienced. Should he have any additional questions or concerns to bring to my attention after hearing from Barclays, he can respond directly to this complaint or call me at ************. Should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

      Sincerely,

      ***********************
      Member Relations
      AARP Services, Inc.
      601 *******
      **************
      20004
      ASI Case ID: ********

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/02/2022

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  I have received my new membership cards and I appreciate the thoroughness of the business response.

      Thank you,

      ***************************

      d like my money returned.

      Business Response

      Date: 08/09/2022

      August 9, 2022

      BBB of Metro Washington, DC and Eastern PA
      1411 K Street, NW 10th Floor
      Washington, DC 20005

                 Re:      Complaint # ********
                              ***************************
      **** ***************
      Blacksburg, VA  *****

      To the Dispute Resolution Team:

      We are in receipt of your letter regarding **** *********’s claim that he continues to receive expiration notices after renewing his AARP membership and writing multiple letters to confirm his membership was active.  We have investigated his concern and welcome the opportunity to respond.

      *** ********* has been a valued AARP member for 14 years. AARP sent a renewal notice to *** ********* on June 6, 2022 and again on June 20, 2022. *** ********* sent in a $63 payment for a five year membership on June 16, 2022 and the payment was recorded in our system on June 21, 2022.

      Our records show that *** ********* wrote two letters to AARP on July 2 and July 15, 2022 requesting an apology and written confirmation his membership is active and in good standing. There was no reply written to *** ********* after his first letter and a contact center agent issued new membership cards on July 26th after receiving *** *********’s second letter.  Unfortunately, there was no correspondence sent to *** ********* after the second agent ordered new membership cards. We apologize for both agents’ oversight and have passed on the appropriate coaching feedback to contact center management.

      We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused *** *********.  As a courtesy, we have refunded his $63 payment and added five years of membership to his account at no cost to him.  New membership cards and a refund check under separate cover have been sent to the following address and he should receive them within 4 weeks:

      **** ***** **
      BLACKSBURG, Virginia *****

      If *** ********* does not receive his membership cards by September 6, 2022, he may call me directly at ###-###-####, and it would be my pleasure to assist him further.  If more convenient, he may send an email to my attention through the following email address, [email protected].

      We would like to thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. It is our hope that through our actions we have demonstrated our commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all, as a responsible, effective consumer advocate.

      Sincerely,

      Lauren A******
      Consumer Care Ombudsman

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/01/2022

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.

      [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

      Better Business Bureau:

      I totally forgot that my banking account was being used to pay for my father's AARP membership.  I just wish AARP could have told me when I made the first phone call regarding the $16.00 payment that I was paying for *********************** and this entire mix up could have been prevented.  At the second phone call AARP told me I was the back up payer for a ********************* which was of course not the case, which supported my thought that I was being fraudulently billed.   This misunderstanding has caused me so much grief with my bank which stopped all payment to ******, with ****** which in turn did not want to allow my banking account to be used again etc.  What a mess over $16.00.  

      Lesson learned for me is to document on a calendar all payments for my father and all future payments.  

      I did contact AARP again, spoke with a really great representative who accepted my **** card payment for my father's membership.  So now everything has been straightened out.

      Thank you for researching the issue for me and for discovering why I was being billed by AARP and it was a correct billing.  I appreciated your time and response.

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 

      Regards,

      ***********************

      Business Response

      Date: 08/16/2022

      August 16, 2022

      BBB of Metro Washington, DC and Eastern PA
      1411 K Street, NW 10th Floor
      Washington, DC 20005

      Re:  ***********************, Case #********

      Dear Dispute Resolution Team:

      We are in receipt of your letter about the complaint of ****** ***** that was filed with your office on August 5, 2022 and transferred to our office for handling. The complaint is regarding *** *****’s concern that $16 was withdrawn from her ****** account without authorization; therefore, she is requesting a refund for these funds. We have investigated *** *****’s claim and welcome the opportunity to resolve this matter.

      Our records show that *** ***** originally contacted us on August 1, 2022, to have this issue addressed; however, neither a membership account nor the $16 payment in question appeared in our system at the time. For this reason, the complainant was asked to contact us again the next day in hope this charge would post into our system and help us better assist her. Subsequently, *** ***** contacted us on August 4, 2022, and the payment still could not be located. However, the agent initiated a $16 refund that was scheduled for mailing to the address (***** * ******* ***., Aurora, CO *****) that we have on file for her. She was also informed that it would reach her within 3 to 4 weeks of that date.  Upon receipt of this complaint, it was discovered that the $16 ****** payment from *** *****’s account was linked to a member’s account with the name ***** ** *****. It was later verified through our system and listening to previous phone calls that the correlation was a daughter-father relationship. Furthermore, *** *****’s ****** account was used to setup auto-renewal for *** ***** *****’s AARP membership account (#**********) last year on August 1, 2022. Under this process, a discounted rate of $12 (vs the standard annual rate of $16) was charged, in exchange for the account to be auto-renewed annually on August 1. Auto-renew could be cancelled at any time.

      Per her request, we have refunded the $16 back to *** *****’s ****** account as opposed to a check payment. The refund should appear shortly in *** *****’s ****** account. *** *****’s AARP membership account will expire at the end of August/2022. If he wishes to maintain the account, it will need to be renewed before month’s end. I apologize for any inconvenience or frustration this may have caused *** *****.

      If she should have any questions regarding this issue, *** ***** may call me directly at ###-###-####, and it would be my pleasure to assist her further. If more convenient, she may send an email to my attention at [email protected]  or mail it to the following address:  AARP, Consumer Care Ombudsman Team, 601 E Street, NW A9-135G, Washington, DC 20049.

      Again, we would like to thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. It is our hope that through our actions we have demonstrated our commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all, as a responsible, effective consumer advocate.

      Sincerely,

      Angelo *. B*****
      Member Communications
      [email protected]

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