Overcharged billin
kathyopr3
Newbie

We have been customers since 2007, and have paid betw $145 and $170 per month for the first 3 to 4 years.  Your representative told us that after the initial low-billing, introductory period, we would be contacted for the purpose of reviewing/updating our account and its billing, as an incentive to stay with your company, which never happened.  Suddenly, in 2011, our bill incrased to the $200/month range and steadily increased, almost monthly, to the present amount of $275, a difference of well over $100 per month from the average of what we were paying in the first 3 to 4 years.  All during this high billing period, we were under the assumption that these billings were somehow the norm after the introductory period.  We then spoke to friends/neighbors a few houses away, who have almost identical service + channels as we do (the only difference being that we had 1 add'l bedroom service, and they had DVR boxes, which we do not), who informed us that after only 2 years of your service, they were contacted by your company, who continued their introductory low rate (which continued the ensuing approx. 10 years!), as an incentive to keep their business.  We since spoke to other friends with almost identical service + channels, with the same result.  In short, all others with whom we have spoken have always paid approximatey $165 per month, long after their introductory rate had expired for almost identical service and  channels.  A few weeks ago, we cancelled service to 1 of our bedrooms and returned the equipment to your Route 17, Paramus store.  Upon looking at our account, the representative told us words to the effect to "You've been paying way too much for your service;  I will correct that", and adjusted our bill downwardly by approximately $100 per month, simply because we returned one bedroom's set top box.  Considering all this, we are feeling very ripped off concerning your billing and follow-up practices.  If we take the sum of $164 per month (which your representative told us we should have been paying over the past 5 to 6 years) and deduct it from our recent years' billings of between $211 and 275 over these years, we can easily calculate that we have been overbilled approximately $5,000.00 over this 6-year period.  We would like an explanation for not only: (a) this gross overbilling, as compared to what others with almost identical plans have been paying all these years, and (b) why there was never a follow-up review of our service and billing, as promised, and as every other subscriber with whom we have spoken has received from Verizon.  We find this egregious billing practice and neglect of our long-term subscribing relationship with your company, unconscionable.  To add insult to injury, your store representative (the person who informed us we were "paying way too much" for our bundle for years) lowered our bill to approximately $160 per month, as he informed us we should have been paying), and we subsequently were billed the OLD amount of $275.00 on October 28th.  I want this corrected, as well.

In another instance of last week, I called to seek assistance with a gaming devise on our bedroom tv.  The woman successfully helped me with the issue, and then informed me that she was "also in billing", so I conveyed our above complaints to her.  What I received in response was a quick dismissal of my billing issue, and instead received an explanation which was, frankly, confusing and irrelevant information, such as "you had no contract" and similar remarks.  What difference would that have made in our total billing over these 9-plus years, when any initial contract would have long expired?  The entire conversation quickly morphed into her trying to sell us more expensive services, such as faster internet, sending our billing right back up to the $250 range.  This experience only added to our concerns that we have been overbilled with no discernable, straight-answer explanation.

Lastly, we suddenly noticed a "Regional Sports Network fee" of $4.99 per month on our bill.  No one in our household has ever watched any sports-related program.  When and by whom was this authorized?  We would like a written explanation for this, as well.

Effective immediately, I want our automatic debit-billing from our bank account stopped, with paper billing commenced, while we consider our options for continued cable service, contingent upon a satisfactory resolution of this matter.

0 Likes
Re: Overcharged billin
LawrenceC
Moderator Emeritus

Hi kathyopr3,

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 scroll down the page to an area titled "My Support Cases". You can reach your profile page by clicking on your name located above your post, or at the top right of this page.

Under "My Support Cases" you will find a link to the private board where you and the agent may exchange information. The title of your post is the link. This should be checked on a frequent basis, as the agent may be waiting for information from you before they can proceed with any actions. To ensure you know when they have responded to you, you may subscribe to the case. At the top right of your support case there is a gear icon which provides a drop down menu with support case options. Click that and choose "subscribe". Please keep all correspondence regarding your issue in the private support portal.

0 Likes
Overcharged billing over 5+ years
kathyopr3
Newbie

I posted my complaint on 10/31/16, and received, in response, only notice that "This case has been concluded in a private support area."  This case has NOT been concluded, either in this portal, or in any private support area.  Please respond in writing to my message entitled 1(/t5/My-Verizon-Account/Overcharged-billin/m-p/823339#M16820 today.  I have been similarly unsuccessful in trying to navigate your site and receive an intelligble response to my complaint, and am tired of getting a major run-around by your company.  My next complaint will be to the FCC and Board of Public Utilities.

0 Likes