The Most frustrating thing about calling customer service.

[blazersharon]

We should not have to press anything to get a live person.Maybe a nother number to use for certain situations. They are getting redicuous on alot of things lately.Even the people you talk to.They don't put you through to a supervisor they put you through to another customer service rep.And they also if they don't want to hear your crap will put you on hold till you can't take it anymore.Been there the last month with order change still not fixed.

[Tricia]

I regret having ever switched to verizon. They screwed up my computer and the service is horrible. Calling customer service is a waste of time and they do nothing to help when there is a major problem and a very dissatisfied customer.

[jumpin683]

I don't have phone service with Verizon (Internet and TV) and calling into customer support is a painful experience.  Because there is no physical phone number associated with my account I generally answer "dont have a phone" to the first two questions.  I am then able to get a live person.  I tell them I need the New York Service Center for technical support with <Internet, TV> and they transfer me.  At that point I tell them I provide my contact number but inform the rep. I don't have verizon phone, only Internet and TV. 

I've tried using my contact number back at step 1 and step 2 but since my contact number is not a verizon phone I am put into an infinite loop of the IVR.  Zeroing out is the best option for me.

[MrCustomer]

It's 2009. I expect phone trees, foreign service rep's with strong accents, and "alternative" service venues such as automated (unattended) chat responses and web based "support" (FAQ).  Corporate America has done this in virtually every industry.  For example, Banks drove customers out of their branch offices (so they could close them) and into ATM booths.

BUT...This is the part that Verizon doesn't seem to understand...Those alternative service venues have to actually work!  When I go to an ATM, I can make a deposit or withdrawal with no problem 99.9% of the time.  Verizon's support web pages are filled with bad links, dead-end pages, pages that don't load, and even incorrect information.  Astonishingly, this is also true for their marketing/sales department.  (I recently looked into upgrading my phone service which I've had with Verizon for almost 7 years; and according to Verizon's "check for service availability" web results, Verizon doesn't offer any services to my zip code.)  The automated chat response doesn't work at least half the time.  Ironically, I've had the most "success" with the phone tree.  (By "success" I mean actually reaching a service rep. in a reasonable amount of time.)  Unfortunately, Verizon has been trying to restore normal DSL connectivity for two weeks now and there's no indication that they're any closer to identifying (let alone fixing) the problem.  I plan on giving them ANOTHER two weeks before I cancel my DSL (and telephone; AND cellular) service.

[larryw9999]

The IVR system should allow you to enter the contact or "can be reached" number you used when you first setup your service. The system should not put you through an infinite loop.

If you private message me your information, I can check the system and also work with one of the FiOS techs who monitor this forum to be sure you know what contact number is on your account so that you can get through the IVR system and to tech support.

[dhlunar]

What I hate about calling customer service is at the end of the call they inform me that my address is eligible for FiOS.  Then they try to shove it down my throat about how great it is.  Well, I know I am eligible for FiOS, but I don't want it because I don't have a problem with the services that I currently have and I don't want to have to pay an arm and a leg and have to get myself into a contract.  Is there any way of telling the customer service representative that I am only interested in them helping me solve my problem and not trying to sell me FiOS?  The last time I called and the CSR told me that I said: "Not interested, BYE!" and hang-up.

[Heath]

I left comcast because of how much they frustrated me, verizon's customer service and phone system is mind bogglingly frustrating. Last friday while i was shopping Verizon to potentially switch I was looking to get them to waive the monthly charges for the HD set top boxes for fios TV. They said they could not waive the HD set top boxes but they could in fact waive stahdard definition set top box monthly equipment charges. The next day I set up to have verizon FiOS installed on sunday. Now heres where the jounrey begins at 10am EST tuesday. I am in Virginia, my cell phone is a california number. I understand that i call 800 numbers i get routed to west coast places. I try calling the 1800 verizon number, said that they are closed. So im assuming i got routed to a west coast department which would in fat be closed because its only 7am and they open at 8am but you would think that when you give your account information and zip code it would point you in the direction of the region that your account is in. Nope. So after going in circles with phone prompts and online chat support trying to reach someone on the east coast an HOUR went by, finally its 11amEST/8amPST, so i call again, get someone on the WEST coast (as expected). That person said that they would transfer me to someone on the east coast, but instead transfered me to someone on the west coast again. This next person finally transfered me to someone on the east coast who couldnt help me with my quest/request/problem and sai dthey would transfer me to someone who could help me. I asked that person to make sure that the person who they are transfering me to is on the east coast. I got transfered to someone on the WEST coast AGAIN! This person transfered me to someone on the east coast, this time central flordia, deals with financial situations, or so im told, seemed smart, nice lady but couldnt help me with set top box charges. She said she would transfer me to someone on the east coast to help me but guess what? Yep, got someone on  the WEST coast! I gave up at that point and went the online chat support route again who told me that they do not waive monthly set top box charges. So I try the phone one more time! After 1 transfer i got someone who was on the east coast and handles billing questions! Sadly, 2 hours and 17 minutes have gone by now and she tells me that they do not waive monthly recurring charges and does not know why someone would say that they did. I asked who could? She said no one could at all. I bet if i had an account at the time i was first talking to the lady who said she could waive SD set top box charges it would have happened right there. A very disappointing end to a very frustrating journey with verizon's customer service.

[Mkm]

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