Renewed 2 yr. contract with HBO included ; 40 days later its gone. Bait and Switch?

Burd2

When I used the online renewal center in June, the online chat representative assured me that HBO would be included (along with Showtime) as part of the Extreme HD bundle in my location, for the duration of the contract. Checking the Verizon website online channel lineup for my zip code also showed the HBO channels (and Showtime) as "Included in TV bundle" for Extreme HD in my zip code. Since I had started receiving HBO months prior to this (as part of a promotion, according to a letter I received) and since the price of my renewal contract increased, this seemed reasonable and I did not ask for any further proof. My new contract took effect the last week of June and all was fine (including HBO) until a week ago, when any attempt to tune HBO channels resulted in a screen offering me the opportunity to add them at extra cost.

I contacted online chat, and the first representative said that she saw that HBO was included with the Extreme HD lineup in my area so she transferred me to tech support. After an hour of fruitless re-initializing, tech support said his indication showed I was not subscribed and transferred me to billing. The billing (very courteous) representative said her records show I received a promotion starting in March that was discontinued Aug. 6. And if I check the channel lineup while signed in to my account at the Verizon website, it shows '$' instead of included in TV bundle (Note that It showed HBO ' included in TV bundle' for my zip when I checked the website at the time I saw my contract was up for renewal, however I may not have been signed into 'my account' at the website at that time)

It appears that HBO is only shown as part of the Extreme bundle for my area *unless* you are a subscriber, in which case it is shown as requiring an additional charge. In my case, it was stated to be part of the bundle (not merely a promotion) when I renewed my contract (confirmed by the online representative). And over a month later, it disappeared from my lineup with no explanation. At best this is an error (which I seem to be unable to have corrected); at worst it is deceptive and fraudulent.

The only confirmation of the programming package in my contract is "Extreme HD" the details of which vary depending on where (and how) you search Verizon's website. What recourse do I have to get this resolved, aside filing a complaint with the state attorney general?

[Deleted User]

Hi Burd,

Your issue has been escalated to a Verizon agent. Before the agent can begin assisting you, they will need to collect further information from you. Please go to your profile page for the forum and look at the top of the middle column where you will find an area titled "My Support Cases". You can reach your profile page by clicking on your name beside your post, or at the top left of this page underneath the title of the board.

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