Earlier today, I received a prompt to participate in an online Verizon survey and in return I would receive a gift worth at least a $70 value. While, I am not necessarily incline to take an online survey; I thought, what the heck? what’s the harm?
After successfully completing the survey, I received several very enticing offers and it appeared that true to their word “Verizon” was presenting several options worth at least a $70 value. I selected one of the items I had an intertest in. My first tell, should have been when I was prompted to provide the standard name, address, credit card, blah, blah, blah; yet I persisted since I was already intellectually invested in the product. Granted on the initial screen that I saw there was a $1.99 charge that I was presented with and I assumed that was potentially for shipping (seemed reasonable). After hitting confirm, I was charged $4.95 for shipping and handling (what the heck, what happened to the originally $1.99). Of course, I immediately called the company after receiving an email from them confirming my order and inquired about the $1.99, which of course they denied. It was certainly not worth my time to have a lengthy decision about $1.99 vs $4.95 (it was just the principle of feeling deceived).
Now here is the kicker and what caused me to become irate. Since I had the representative on the phone, I begin to inquire a little more about the product, since now the company now has zero credibility with me. She advised me that I had until May 21st to cancel the “TRIAL” or I would charged $74.95 ($70 + $4.95) monthly for the product to be sent to me automatically (now of course, what the heck turned to **bleep**). I asked her, how in the world (world was not the word I used) would I have known that I would automatically be signed up ro monthly deliveries after May21st. She advised me that in the terms of agreements, which I suspect were there, and I failed to read them (my bad). Although, I would have expect in the spirit of transparency, this fine print would also be included in the email confirmation I received and of course it was not.
To further complicate things, she advised me that I was receiving a two week “TRIAL” version of the product, by the way, which I could have order directly from the company’s website and paid the same $4.95 shipping charge. Which lead me to wonder why Verizon would allow themselves to be associated with what on the surface is all within the terms of the law; however, from a perception perspective feels like a shady deal.
I would contend that Verizon is better than this and would certainly suggest that Verizon fully understand the impact of depending on external partners to provide goods and services to Verizon’s customer. While I hold the external partner primarily responsible my experience (I suppose, I own some of the fault, since it is incumbent on consumers to read the fine print). I do hold Verizon accountable for establishing the environment that enables their external partners to perpetrate, what I perceive as a “Bait and Switch” – even if it does not truly meet the text book definition of Bait and Switch.
I now understand my original question “what’s the harm?” The harm is to Verizon’s reputation.
My entire morning was totally thrown off-course all because of a “Short Survey”. Lesson learned, never take online surveys...
