Verizon

[Shochphish]

I signed up for a mobile plan last fall via the Verizon website that included a free (monthly credit) pixel 6a, I also imported three other phones. The imported lines all worked flawlessly but the free 6a wouldn't activate.

When I took it to the Verizon store I was informed that somehow there was no record of the phone being assigned to the plan and that's why it wouldn't activate. The salesman took it to the back and when he returned he said it got it to work. I didn't ask questions, I was just happy my son had a working phone. 

Here's where the problems begin.

About three months in I receive a "past due" bill for the phone saying I owed $45 or so. Kind of weird to accrue charges on a free phone so I check the bill. I notice the fine print states: may take 2-3 billing cycles for credits to take effect. I figure that explained it so I paid the $45. I never saw another bill so I figured that solved the issue. 

Nope.

Verizon continued charging me for this phone without saying anything. Bear in mind that between Fios and mobile I probably pay Verizon north of $500/mo. The bills for these services never showed anything about the phone. 

Then, the day of reckoning. I wake up to a credit alert.... Verizon has sent an account to collections. I was super confused. I look online, mobile and Fios both are in perfect standing. Then I see the amount: $468. The cost of the phone, less the $45 I had paid earlier. See, it turns out that the store salesman got the phone to work by opening another account under my name for just the phone. I had no idea. He also did not apply the free phone promotion, which is why i accrued monthly charges.

When this fake account got sent to collections it dropped my credit score over 70 points to the mid 600s overnight.

I of course called Verizon and after 9 hours or so they confirmed everything I was saying and admitted their mistake. They said they had sent a notification to the bill collector to cancel the credit hit and that they would delete that account. Basically they'd take care of it.

That was a few months ago. The collections account is still on my credit and Verizon has now sent this fake account to a lawyer. That's right, I'm now being sued. I can't ever reach anyone other than basic customer service and they can't help. Always clueless. What am I supposed to do? I have all the documentation to back my claims and if this goes to court Verizon will definitely lose. I don't want it to get there. How can I get them to actually fix this and not just lie and say they'll fix it???????

By the way, when my credit dropped, two of my credit cards saw this somehow and lowered my credit lines which lowered my score another 40 points. So much for getting a new car or house. Verizon is ruining my life. Please help!

[vzw_customer_support]

We're sorry to hear that you're having problems with this charge and we want to make sure you're able to get the help you need. We're sending you a Private Note so we can help you.

~Jesse

[vzw_customer_support]

We want to make sure you're able to get the help you need with this collections account. Let's open a secure chat so we can gather more details about that account and see what our next steps need to be. If you get a message about the chat timing out, please ignore it and respond in that window.

By connecting with us, you grant us permission to review your services, so we can offer you the best value. Refusing to authenticate will not impact your current services. It is your right and our duty to protect your account information. For quality, we may monitor and review this conversation. Visit our privacy policy to learn more at verizon.com/privacy. California customers can also view our California Privacy Notice at verizon.com/californiaprivacy. Please note that the link we provide has a timed expiration, so we encourage you to continue as soon as possible. Click here to authenticate: http://spr.ly/6006uXJN6

~Jesse

[Shochphish]

Figured I'd update: Jesse was no help. He/she gave me a number that took me somewhere that tried to collect payment for this fraudulent account. 

I see on other parts of the forums that some people have been able to get direct numbers to specialists to handle this, but I'm told to just keep talking to basic customer service reps.....this problem is way above basic billing issues. I'm being threatened with legal action over an account that was created fraudulently. Verizon even admits it. Is court my only option? Thats going to be much more expensive for verizon if so. This has already upended my life financially.

[Shochphish]

By the way, I've been at this for five hours and counting today. That means 14+ hours of my life between the two long calls. 

No help anywhere. Not even an actual attempt to help. All lip service. 

[vzw_customer_support]

Schochphish, my apologies to hear of your experience and to hear you feel this way. It is always our goal to assist you and ensure you get the answers and a resolution that you need. I have sent you a Private Note for additional assistance. 

-Natasha