I have multiple accounts and redundant subscriptions

Question

I have been a Microsoft customer for decades. I use Macintosh computers. Over the years I have helped others, such as my now dead father with his Microsoft accounts and app usage. I have had various emails, and used various email forwarding services. I now find myself with multiple Microsoft accounts, one of which I can no longer access, because it is tied to an email forwarding service which I no longer use. One of them is tied to my dead father's email address. When I look up my accounts by my phone number, I find 6 accounts. One of them has an email address at yahoo.com which I have never had (in other words, there is someone using my phone number for a Microsoft account which does not belong to me). In what is now my main account I have a Family Microsoft 365 account which I share with my wife and daughter. Examination of my financial records shows that I seem to have 2 Microsoft 365 subscriptions which are both being billed annually to the same credit card, but for different amounts (136,68 and 99.99). The latter renewed in March, the former in February. Looking at my own installation of Microsoft Office, the "About" dialog lists the defunct forwarded email as the registered email. If I select "Sign Out" from the Excel menu, the resulting dialog asks if I want to sign out of a different email address. I desperately need to talk to a human about this, but I can find no way to do that or even to do an online chat with a representative.

Answer 1

Based on the described situation, there are two separate needs: stopping the extra billing and getting direct human support.

1. For the extra/duplicate Microsoft 365 subscriptions

• If a subscription is being billed from a Microsoft account that cannot be accessed (old/forwarded email, deceased relative, or an account that may not belong to the requester), canceling directly through Microsoft self-service is not possible without access to that account. Microsoft enforces this for account security.
• In such cases, the practical way to stop charges is to cancel the recurring payments at the payment provider:
  • Contact the credit card issuer or bank and request cancellation of the recurring Microsoft 365 charges that should not continue.
  • The bank/issuer can block or dispute those specific subscription charges. This is explicitly recommended when account ownership or access cannot be established.
• If any subscription was purchased through a third party (for example, Amazon), that third party can also cancel and refund their portion of the billing, as shown in a similar case where a Microsoft 365 Family subscription billed via Amazon was canceled and refunded by Amazon support.

2. For accounts tied to deceased relatives or inaccessible addresses

• When an account belongs to someone who has died (for example, the father’s account), Microsoft requires a formal process to verify rights before granting access or making changes. This is handled through Microsoft’s documented legal/next-of-kin process for accessing Outlook.com, OneDrive, and other Microsoft services when someone has died.
• For an account that is inaccessible because the email is defunct or forwarding no longer works, and where ownership cannot be proven through normal recovery, the same principle applies: Microsoft will not bypass security based only on a description of the situation. This is why canceling via the bank/credit card is recommended when sign-in is not possible.

3. To talk to a human (phone support)

• When self-service and online options are not sufficient, Microsoft provides customer service phone numbers. These can be used to reach a human support agent for billing and account issues.
• Use the published “customer service phone numbers” page to find the appropriate regional number and call to speak with an agent. This is the supported path when a direct conversation is required.

4. Additional account help resources

• For general Microsoft account issues (multiple accounts, sign-in problems, forgotten usernames, etc.), Microsoft provides central help pages such as:
  • “Get help with your Microsoft account” – includes links for product keys and options to reach support.
  • “I can’t sign in to my Microsoft account” – covers sign-in and recovery scenarios.
  • “I forgot the account I use with Microsoft 365” – includes guidance for forgotten usernames and checking which products are tied to which accounts.
• If any of the accounts are work or school accounts, there is a separate “Help with a work or school account password” link for those scenarios.

Given the constraints described (multiple accounts, one tied to a deceased parent, one possibly not owned, and duplicate billing), the concrete steps supported by the available information are:

1. Immediately contact the credit card issuer/bank to stop the unwanted recurring Microsoft 365 charges and, if appropriate, request chargebacks or refunds.
2. If access to the deceased parent’s account is needed beyond canceling billing, follow Microsoft’s documented process for accessing Microsoft services when someone has died.
3. Use Microsoft’s customer service phone numbers page to reach a human agent for further clarification on which subscriptions are active and what can be done from Microsoft’s side.

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References:

• I can't sign in to my Microsoft account
• I forgot the account I use with Microsoft 365
• Get help with your Microsoft account
• Combining Microsoft accounts
• How to Cancel Microsoft 365 subscription if you do not have account info? Or get anyone to help? - Microsoft Q&A
• I need to talk to someone!! - Microsoft Q&A
• How to resolve being billed on 2 separate charge accounts for the same thing - Microsoft Q&A