Refund

[Counselormills]

 Albuquerque, NM 87120

June 19, 2024

To Whom It May Concern:

Re:  Susan ***** Account #*****

I am writing this letter as suggested by Nikki in the Customer Service Dept. during our conversation yesterday, June 18,  2024.  In November of 2022, my foster daughter came to live with me; in December,  the day before I celebrated my 75th birthday, my sister, my only sibling, passed away; in January of 2023, I was diagnosed with cancer.  In either November or December of 2022, I discontinued my phone service with Verizon and bundled it with Xfinity Comcast, my internet provider.  During the next year and ½ my life was consumed by the job I had accepted in order to support a foster child, medical and radiation treatments, and family obligations, since my sister left 3 children and 6 grandchildren. 

I am a retired English teacher who spent the last 10 years of my career counseling adolescents.  During that time, I was also a teachers’ union representative, served on a federal mediation/arbitration board, and helped to rear 12 foster children.  I Since my retirement, I have served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for foster children, I was trained by AARP and IRS as a volunteer tax preparer and served for seven years in that capacity.  For the last two years I have conducted group psychotherapy for an Intensive Outpatient Drug Treatment Facility.  I mention this background to you, so that you will know that while I am elderly, I have managed to maintain an active lifestyle and contributed to my community.  I am not technically illiterate.

When I went to the Verizon store on approximately June 15 to investigate why I was still being charged for a service I was not using, the gentleman said that I was still being charged for the use of a tablet, under a separate phone number.  I had never known that the tablet was a separate phone number, nor did I know why Verizon was still charging me, since all of my other devices worked under the umbrella of Xfinity’s internet service. 

Yesterday, as Nikki and I talked, the subject of my history with Verizon came up, and I admitted that I had a Hum attachment for my car and a hotspot internet connector.  I also pointed out to her that I had not used those two attachments for many years, and I am sure they have been paid for many times over.  The little tablet that I am being charged for sells for $50.00 at Best Buy, so I am sure it is also paid for many times over. 

I admitted that I had wondered about the continued payments to Verizon, but had many other concerns going on in my life.  To her question of why I waited to contact them, I responded that I might ask the same of the Verizon Company.  Did it not occur to anyone there that I was being charged an inordinate amount for very little use?  Do they not have any responsibility to their long-time customers?  I have spent approximately $3,000 in the last year and ½ for nothing but an hour or two a day on a tablet that I thought was being provided by Xfinity.

I received a confirmation by email yesterday, offering me a refund of $80.  I have no idea how Verizon arrived at that amount, but I  believe it does express an understanding of their culpability in this matter.   I am requesting a refund  of $2,875.  I was told that I would receive a response within 24 hours of my submission of this request, so I will not take any further action for 24 hours. 

Thank you,

Susan *****, M.A.

[email address removed per the Verizon Terms of Service]

[vzw_customer_support]

Hi Susan, thank you for reaching out about your closed account. I'm sorry to hear you're no longer with us. I want to make sure we have explored all possible options for the remaining billing for the tablet line. As we will need to gather some more information we will be sending a direct message. 

-Melissa