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Complaint about customer service and business practices

I am creating this post to make public a complaint i have about unethical practices and poor customer service with Verizon.

Here is the story:

A few months back our landline stopped working. Called Verizon and followed all of the troubleshooting steps to try and fix the problem. No dice. I called again- they said they could send a tech out to fix the phone line- and was told specifically that if the problem was INSIDE the house and involved the tech coming INSIDE then there would be a $91 service charge. If the problem was OUTSIDE the house, no charge. So cautious that the problem might be inside, I replaced the phone jack and tried multiple phones etc to make sure it was not an inside issue. Called back and scheduled an appt. The tech came out- was extremely friendly and immediately located and fixed the problem- IN THE BOX OUTSIDE. Said there was a short in one of the lines at the box. It took him less than 5 min. I said- that was easy! He said- yup- and will save you money too (by not having to go inside). That was that. The next month we got our statement (we're on autopay)- and there it was- $91 charge. I called customer service- and after some passing around and review of the tech's notes by the rep- that stated he did NOT enter the house, they agreed to credit us back the $91 on our next bill. That was last month. Statement arrives today- NO CREDIT. I call back. After more passing around I am finally told that it was not credited because our "request" was denied. What? I said? The request was reviewed and denied based on the "notes" showing that i was "informed of the charges at the time of service"? Um, what? No i wasnt. I was informed MULTIPLE times PRIOR to the appt that i COULD incurr charges if the tech came in the house. He did not- his tech notes even state that. So now i get passed to a supervisor. He tells me that the tech notes state that i was told of the charges at the time of service. Funny- the month prior to that when i first called the notes did not state that at all- they simple said that he did not enter the house. Somehow after my "request" was filed the tech notes were modified. The supervisor was very curt and short and said the case was already reviewed and denied- no credit. He then goes on to say that the reason for the charge was because the tech did work on a line that LED into the house? What? Don't all the phone lines LEAD into the house? And regardless- it was explained several times to me that the ONLY charges would be if he came in the house. I have been a loyal Verizon customer for years- but i was shocked and quite frankly **bleep** off. NEVER was i told about any charges during the service. In fact i was told the exact opposite- that there would be NO charges since he never entered the house. This is a horribly deceptive practice- and i am NOT HAPPY. I told the "supervisor" so- who didnt seem to care at all- and told him that i would consider canceling my service because of this- at which he happily said "would you like me to transfer you to cancelations?" wow. Unfortunately I am still locked into my 2 year agreement- however i will unquestionably be looking to switch to brighthouse after its up and will be recommending likewise to my friends and family. You simply cannot tell a customer one thing and then charge them for another. Dont they record all the phone calls for "quality assurance"? Well if so, then they need to listen to the calls i made prior to the appt to ensure that i would NOT be charged if the tech did not enter the house. I triple confirmed this. Verizon has completely lost any credibility in my opinion. NOT HAPPY.

Comments

ElizabethS

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 in the middle, right at the top 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.
Under “My Support Cases” you will find a link to the private board where you and the agent may exchange information. 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. Please keep all correspondence regarding your issue in the private support portal.

elvistuna

so yesterday i posted the below complaint about my experience getting charged for service on my landline. After some "private chatting" with various verizon people i got the response that follows. unbelievable. i will without a doubt be canceling my verizon service as soon as my contract is up and will definately be recommending the same to friends and family.

here is my original post from yesterday:

I am creating this post to make public a complaint i have about unethical practices and poor customer service with Verizon.

Here is the story:

This post was followed by an online chat with a verizon person last night- who, after reviewing my acct and the notes on the acct said the following:

{edited for privacy}

WHAT? First off I WAS NEVER INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE OF WHERE THE WIRE WAS OUTSIDE MY HOUSE. I was simply told if the work/wires were ANYWHERE ON THE OUTSIDE of the house, which they were, then no charge. "Internal side of the NID leading into your home"- THIS WAS STILL ALL OUTSIDE! NO ONE EVER SAID IF THE WIRE WAS ON A PARTICULAR SIDE OF THE NID BOX I WOULD BE CHARGED! ONLY IF THE WORK WAS INSIDE OR OUTSIDE THE HOUSE! THIS IS CRAZY! AND ARE YOU SERIOUS ABOUT AN INSIDE WIRE MAINTENANCE PLAN? WHO THE HELL HAS THIS? OR HAS EVEN HEARD OF IT?

I AM SIMPLY AMAZED THAT A HUGE COMPANY LIKE VERIZON FEELS THE NEED TO BULLY AROUND AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF PEOPLE LIKE ME. SHAME ON YOU VERIZON. CLEARLY I HAVE LITTLE RECOURSE HERE, HOWEVER AS MENTIONED BEFORE I WILL BE CANCELING MY SERVICE AS SOON AS MY CONTRACT IS UP (TO AVOID ANY RIDICULOUS EARLY TERMINATION CHARGES0 AND WILL BE RECOMMENDING THE SAME TO OTHERS. I WILL OF COURSE BE FILING A COMPLAINT WITH THE BBB AND ANY OTHER CONSUMER ADVOCATE GROUPS THAT I CAN - NOT THAT I EXPECT ANYTHING TO COME OF IT- BUT TO SIMPLY LET THIS GO ON RECORD. SHAME ON YOU. YOU CANNOT TELL A CUSTOMER ONE THING AND THEN DO ANOTHER. LISTEN TO THE PHONE RECORDS FOR WHEN I CALLED TO MAKE THE APPT- ALL I WAS TOLD IS THAT THERE WOULD BE NO CHARGE FOR WORK DONE OUTSIDE THE HOUSE...ONLY CHARGE WOULD BE IF WORK WAS DONE INSIDE. WOW. SIMPLY AMAZING.

gs0b

First of all, know that I am a Verizon customer just like you. It's unfortunate what you're going through. I can't offer a solution, just some background on how you got to this point.

It looks like the confusion is over inside/outside wiring vs the actual inside and outside of the premise. Inside wiring often exists outside the premise. It sounds like the people you talked to at Verizon didn't fully understand this subtle, but important, distinction until after you got the bill.

The "NID" was created several decades ago to serve as a clear demarcation line between phone company wires and premise wires. The phone company is responsible for the wires up to the the NID, and the premise owner is responsible for the wires from the NID to the phones. This is the "inside/outside" designation point, even if the inside wires run a short distance outside the premise to the NID.

Modern NIDs include a phone jack that is right on the demarcation point. When dealing with suspect wire problems, the intent is to plug a phone directly into the jack on the NID. If the phone doesn't work, it's an outside wire problem. If it does work, it's an inside wire problem.

For future reference, regardless of phone company, always test at the NID when you have phone problems. If you switch to a VoIP or cable company, this will be the phone jack on the box they provide you. Here's a web page shows how to test phone lines on a Verizon NID:

http://www.verizon.com/Support/Residential/phone/homephone/general+support/phone+troubleshooting/calling+problems/122702.htm

Wire maintenance plans have been around for decades; since divestiture of Ma Bell. They aren't really pushed much these days as most people realize they are very overpriced insurance. That might be why you're not familiar with them.

You may also want to file a complaint with your state's PUC. The BBB and other private organizations don't have the same teeth the government does.

Good Luck.

Verizon_Support

We have closed your private support case. Feel free to make a new post anytime you need our assistance.

- Jose_VZ

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