Wait'll you get a load of this!

[IamBatdan]

  I have been a Verizon customer for over 10 years.We have a family plan with 4 phones and you'd think this would mean something to a company. Well not to Verizon. I am so throughly displeased with Verizon right now I am also about to make a change. I own a retail establishment and if I EVER treated my customers anything like we are being treated, wow we would be out of business.

  Will try to make this short.. Began on 3Feb at 1Am as I tried to order the "New Iphone" for my wife as this is all she could and can talk about. I start going through the steps and find out that I can not order one because I am a "cash only" customer. Huh, what is this? I am not sure what this is or how this happened? I tried everything I could to change it on-line and then tried to call customer "not" service.  Now you would think with the biggest release of a product they have had in many years they would have a special customer service set up for this release. Na, that might make sense. So once again I hit a dead end. So basically I watched for 4 weeks these emails wit my wife, all this build up.  I stayed up till 1 am to buy it and still no Iphone. 

  So I call customer service and they tell me because I had some issues with paying them with checks I will be place in cash only status for 6 months from the date of the last check.  But wait, once again I tried to explain, and the "Customer" service agent said,"I am having a hard time reading the notes"  I had called in and asked them t post date a check for 7 days and they sent it through that day, so yes it did not go through.  So who's fault is that?  Sure it's my fault for not having money in there, but I made the agreement with Verizin for them to send it through in 7 DAYS! So know I am a "Cash only" because VERIZON made a mistake? The "Customer service" Agent wasn't hearing any of that and transferred me to financial services.  Financial services said they would take the block off for 24 hours hours so I could order the phone. At this point I was tired of talking to "customer service" agents who kept interupting me and who didn't want to listen to anything I had to say, so I said fine.

   Now we are to 12 Feb (yesterday) and we return from a working trip,  expecting to return to an Iphone. No Iphone, surprise. I check the high speed, low drag internet  system Verizon has set up, no information. I call Verizon's regular "customer service", surprise the are closed....but wait. Can you believe Verizon has a special section set up for the Iphone! I have to give kudo's where they are due and they are open. The first agent I get must have been very confused because I mysteriously got disconnected. The second agent was very helpful. He discovered, now get this, that my Iphone was cancelled because once it was ready to ship I was a cash only customer and my credit card could not be charged! HA, a cash only customer!  So his solution is to repeatedly tell me that,"Sir all you have to do is go down to your local store and get your Iphone."  If I had wanted to do that I would have done that to begin and it still doesn't resolve my other issues that no one wants to deal with.

  As anyone can tell in my writing I am a sarcastic person, however I am fair and I try very hard to never interupt anyone, because I hate to be interupted. I always try to treat people with the respect I want to be trreated with.  I do however expect someone to fix this issue and no one seems to be able to.

  So, if your thinking about going with Verizon, I truely hoped this help you decide a little easier...

Dan

[Jax_Omen]

Here's the part of the story he doesn't want you to know: In order to become cash-only, one must meet one of three criteria: A) he'd have to have bounced THREE checks in the past while (not sure how long, I think either 6 months or a year), B) he'd be a brand new account and bounced a check, or C) he bounced a HUGE check (over $400 I think). NOBODY who has a longstanding account gets put on cash-only for one regular bounced check. He's hiding the fact that he has a history of bouncing them.

[wihltsabow]

Who pays for anything with a check anymore anyway, given they have enough credit for a credit card? Especially a small business.

[budone]

I agree. But it seems in my family only I pay bills online and use CC to pay bills to get airline miles.  They all think I am nuts. I hear, "What is (Fill in the blank) happens?"  My arguement used to be, What if someone opens your payment and gets your account number, address, account number, and routing number??? 

I have given up the fight.

[vereyezuhn]

IamBatdan, I'm sorry if I overlooked this in one of your replies, but did you happen to write down the name of the customer service rep you talked to when you asked them to wait 7 days? If not I would try to track them down somehow and talk to them, or see if that was in your account at all that you had asked them to do that. Again, I'm sorry if you've already addressed my question.

[Jax_Omen]

It's completely impossible to get back to a specific CS rep. they don't have extensions and they can't transfer to a specific rep. He'd have better luck escalating to a supervisor in financial to try to get the cash only indicator taken off, and I still doubt they'll do it, given the criteria to get it put on.

[vereyezuhn]

I've spoken to the same rep before by request. It was somehow put on my account or notes or something and I wrote down the name and where they were located. That's why I asked.

[Jax_Omen]

Was this a sales rep, CS rep, or a specialized rep like retention? Sales you can definitely get back to a specific salesperson in many cases, lots of them even give their extension when you call as part of their greeting. CS... yeah, won't ever get back to a specific rep. The other departments, maybe, maybe not, depends on the department I guess?

[vereyezuhn]

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Jax_Omen wrote:
Was this a sales rep, CS rep, or a specialized rep like retention? Sales you can definitely get back to a specific salesperson in many cases, lots of them even give their extension when you call as part of their greeting. CS... yeah, won't ever get back to a specific rep. The other departments, maybe, maybe not, depends on the department I guess?

---

It was a normal customer service rep, I think. My account had a bunch of issues with data being used on a line that wasn't even active. The phone had been broken for weeks and it was still saying data was being used, so we only dealt with one rep for the whole ordeal multiple times.

[#10]

Dude, this is 100 percent your own fault. You don't send post dated checks to a company with 95,000,000 customers. As a matter of fact, post dated checks are not even legal. If you don't have the money in your account to cover a check, don't write one. You people are killing me.

[dirkbonn]

Just to be clear, it's against the law for a company to hold a check after they receive it. 

 This came about as a result of allegations that companies were holding checks and then running them through after the "due date" so that they could charge the customer a late charge.

[ejh4isu]

Pardon my ignorance, but can someone please clarify "cash only"...Verizon actually wants you to send them cash, no checks or CC?  What am I missing ?

The best way to pay your bill with VZ is just do the auto-CC each month.  If there is a problem with them overbilling just dipute it with your CC company and let them figure it out.  Most disputes end up in favor of the consumer.

Cheers,

[Jax_Omen]

Cash-only is a special status your account goes into when it is highly delinquent. It means you can only make payments with certified funds (money order, cash payment at a retail location, etc) until cash-only status is removed.

[lorrix]

I guess that not many people know that the ability to post date a check is a service that Verizon Wireless offers for their customers.

Seriously.  It's a piece of cake to do...and can be done through the automated payment system by anyone.  I know this, because I used the service last year when I was laid off and had to pay my bill a week later than it was due.

Of course, you have to use it responsibly.  Meaning that when I used it, I was careful to input the correct date that I wanted the funds to be removed.  And of course, I made sure that the funds were in there on the date I had set up.

I'm guessing that the OP used this service but either inputted the wrong date for the post date, or did not have the funds in on the date of the post date.  I do not believe for a minute that someone would properly input a date and that Verizon would take the money out on the wrong day.   Their automated system as far as this goes is, and has to be, rather precise.  The mistake was likely on the OP's end but that doesn't really matter anymore.

I just saw a lot of people giving him grief about postdating, when it's something that any customer can do.

[lou0685]

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lorrix wrote:

I guess that not many people know that the ability to post date a check is a service that Verizon Wireless offers for their customers.

Seriously.  It's a piece of cake to do...and can be done through the automated payment system by anyone.  I know this, because I used the service last year when I was laid off and had to pay my bill a week later than it was due.

Of course, you have to use it responsibly.  Meaning that when I used it, I was careful to input the correct date that I wanted the funds to be removed.  And of course, I made sure that the funds were in there on the date I had set up.

I'm guessing that the OP used this service but either inputted the wrong date for the post date, or did not have the funds in on the date of the post date.  I do not believe for a minute that someone would properly input a date and that Verizon would take the money out on the wrong day.   Their automated system as far as this goes is, and has to be, rather precise.  The mistake was likely on the OP's end but that doesn't really matter anymore.

I just saw a lot of people giving him grief about postdating, when it's something that any customer can do.

---

Technicly post dateing a check is not considered legal,in the buisness world,regardless of what a company tells you,and not good idea for the consumer to do,once you release a check there is nothing to stop a company from trying to draw on the account,they have a routing number and account number that is all  they need to attempt an electronc transaction,regardless of the date on the check,mistaks can happen in this type of  paying method auto pay is another service i wil stay away from,the bank or financial institution does not care,if the funds are not there at the time of transfer you will be hit with an ovedraft charge,one thing that is good is banks have lapsed on is returning the check as no funds and will pay it,keeping you from having to pay 2 overdraft charges,now a true credit card is a different story,and rember this with a check if the payment is not accepted or paid the company who has the check can countinue to try and draw off the check,and you could be left paying even more overdraft  fees.

[dirkbonn]

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Technicly post dateing a check is not considered legal,in the buisness world,regardless of what a company tells you,and not good idea for the consumer to do,once you release a check there is nothing to stop a company from trying to draw on the account,they have a routing number and account number that is all  they need to attempt an electronc transaction,regardless of the date on the check,mistaks can happen in this type of  paying method auto pay is another service i wil stay away from,the bank or financial institution does not care,if the funds are not there at the time of transfer you will be hit with an ovedraft charge,one thing that is good is banks have lapsed on is returning the check as no funds and will pay it,keeping you from having to pay 2 overdraft charges,now a true credit card is a different story,and rember this with a check if the payment is not accepted or paid the company who has the check can countinue to try and draw off the check,and you could be left paying even more overdraft  fees.

---

Lou is correct. Post dating an actual paper check is not legal in the business world.  The main reason for this is what if someone sends a post dated check to a business as a payment for a bill, and then before the date on the check is reached the check writer dies.   Now the business has a check that was technicily written after the the person passed away. Depositing this check now is theft.

Now setting up a payment via credit card to be processed at some future date is legal. Also setting up an automatic withdrawl from your checking account also is legal but there is no physical post dated check involved with this transaction.  But this type of transaction is set up in advance and the receiving company and your bank are notified in advance that these transfers of funds will take place.

[kscwv]

i have had a couple instances where my funds were going to be low and I could not make the payment for 2 weeks past due date and I told them I will make the payment on this day and they always say that is fine and usually give me one extra day before they would take action to suspend my account. idk, guess im lucky

[lou61166]

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kscwv wrote:

i have had a couple instances where my funds were going to be low and I could not make the payment for 2 weeks past due date and I told them I will make the payment on this day and they always say that is fine and usually give me one extra day before they would take action to suspend my account. idk, guess im lucky

---

I would rather be late then submit a payment without the funds to cover,and your right Verizon is very easy to work with, at least with their Fios packages,i do not have cell service with them.

Verizon Fios
Ultimate HD
25/25 fiber internet

[#19]

If you can't make your payments on time, you don't need a smart phone or cable tv. Get a TracPhone and rabbit ears.

[Abi]

Some when you make assumptions they are blunders. But those who do the same are making "ASSumptions". I did not know the meaning of the word changed depending on who is making it.  Seriously, a public fora is not the best place to vent about money problems.

Checks take up to 72 hours to clear. It could be that Verizon deposited the check on the 4th or 5th day thinking it would clear by that promised 7th day. However if it did not clear, then it would be considered a bad check. Do not be mad at them for running their business properly so they do not get burned.

[lou0685]

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Abi wrote:

Some when you make assumptions they are blunders. But those who do the same are making "ASSumptions". I did not know the meaning of the word changed depending on who is making it.  Seriously, a public fora is not the best place to vent about money problems.

Checks take up to 72 hours to clear. It could be that Verizon deposited the check on the 4th or 5th day thinking it would clear by that promised 7th day. However if it did not clear, then it would be considered a bad check. Do not be mad at them for running their business properly so they do not get burned.

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That 72 hours holds only true if you walk into a bank with the paper check,even then they can instantly draw money on it,all they need is a routing number and account number,you honestly think verizon or any company deposits a check,they use the electronic method.times have changed,we are not here trying to stop people from doing what they want with their money,only offering advice and facts in most cases,

[laur2288]

Gloating= irrelevant.