When I first signed up with Verizon (couple of years ago,) I had the very basic phone service. It was all I needed, since I use my cell phone as my primary. I didn't, and still don't need a landline. I don't even have a phone hooked up to my phone line, since I don't use it. I know I technically have to have service in order to get DSL, which I'm fine with.
However, this is the second time Verizon has upgraded my phone service without my permission. The first time was when I moved apartments about 8 months ago. When I moved my service got downgraded to the 1mbps speed. After a while I managed to get it back to what it was before, which was the 7.1-15mbps service. However, my basic phone service somehow got upgraded in the process, so I was then paying ~$20 more per month. I talked to someone at Verizon, and they told me they'd fix it, and I'd get a credit for the change, but that never happened.
Fast forward to this month, and I see my bill has gone up, from $79 to $140! It seems I somehow got put on the Freedom Essentials plan. A few weeks ago I got a call from a woman at Verizon in regards to a service issue they had recently addressed. She told me she was reviewing my file/case, and noticed it'd be cheaper for me to bundle my phone and DSL. She said it wouldn't be very much, but I'd save ~$7 a month. I told her I'd be fine with changing it as long as it was cheaper, but had no interest in paying for the higher tier service, since I don't even use my landline.
So now I have to waste more of my time talking to Verizon to get them to fix their mistake, and I'm still out several hundred dollars as a result.
Verizon, when your service works, it works great, and I love it. When it doesn't, it's a trainwreck, and lately, it's all been a trainwreck.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to deal with this?
*Edit*
I should mention that I tried to change my service back to the lowest tier by using the "Add/Change Services" page, but that page has NEVER worked for me. It only ever lists the services I have, not ones I can switch to. I've always had to call or chat with Verizon in order to upgrade my services.