New Agent Assist fee for making a payment arrangement over the phone

[ELIWEL48]

What is the justification for Verizon's new policy of charging an agent assist fee of $7.00 for making a payment arrangement over the phone.  I have been a customer for over 15 years.  It seems in bad taste that Verizon would do this especially since a customer requesting an arrangement most likely has a financial difficulty to begin with.  Just adds salt to the wound.  I needed to modify a promise to pay that i had set up on line.  Therefore, i had no coice but to call.  Fortunately,  the agent  waived the fee.  What about the poor customer who is computer illiterate?   It certainly doesn't  seem that customers are the part of Verizon.

[vzw_customer_support]

We want to make sure you have a great experience as a customer. I would be concerned if there was a charge added to speak to someone about my bill as well. We do not charge to speak to our customers about their payment arrangements or billing concerns.  If you want us to process the arrangement or a payment, there is a $7 fee for those services.  You can avoid that fee when you complete those transactions using any one of our multiple self serve options. The good news is that you did not have to pay the fee and you also know what our process is for future needs. I hope this helps.

JasperM_VZW
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[CABNFVR133]

I  have been a long-term customer paying my bill each month with the same credit card.  I moved to another state and changed my account info on Verizon and the credit card.  I attempted to pay the bill (not late) and it kept declining payment stating the credit card zip didn't match, I tried another credit card and had the same issue.  I contacted customer service via chat and was ultimately transferred to financial.  They stated that the current address was in their system and they had to do something with the zip code.  They asked for my credit card on file, I gave it too them and they processed the payment.  I received the typical message that a bill had been paid, but it was for $7.00, so I checked my credit card to make sure that the full $74 bill was paid and discovered the agent fee.  I didn't ask them to process a payment, they never advised of a fee.  It's a business practice that Verizon should rethink or at a minimum warn customers when they solicit customer service for issues with an account that I had no controls over.  I don't recollect ever receiving notification that an agent fee was going to be implemented either.  

[ccunningham8811]

I created a payment arrangment on my own and then i went to edit and it made me talk to a customer service agent who charged me $7. I do not appreciate not being able to edit my payment once its been made. 

[deloused]

So just pay your bill on time going forward and you'll never have to deal with that issue again 

[beccabl]

I do not understand the justification behind the $7 agent assist fee.  Do your agent's only get paid if they answer a question or why would you want to charge customers for customer service?

I understand that things can be done online much simpler and quicker but the fact is that you have a large percentage of elderly customers who simply aren't tech-savvy.  I am currently dealing with an issue where my elderly father has gotten behind on his bill and wanted to talk to an actual person about his options.  Each time he calls, he says he is being charged $7 to talk to a live person.  He is not able to go to the store due to COVID concerns and simply needs to make arrangements and get clarification over the phone.  I realize he shouldn't have gotten behind but life happens and with my mother being sick, he let a few things slip.  He's already on a limited income and you are wanting to charge him $7 just for trying to pay you???    You are charging him $7 because he can't use the internet and he can't go into your store.  I find this fee rather discriminatory and from a service standpoint, absolutely appalling.

[KH-OrnEsh]

Due to the age of this thread, it will be locked in order to keep discussions current. If you have the same or a similar question/issue we invite you to start a new thread on the topic.

[JONDOUBLEC]

I have been with Verizon for 10+ years. I have not considered changing service until about a year ago. There is definitely an attitude with most customer service reps in all divisions of Verizon of very aggressive and push for getting the most amount of money from all customers as they can while having no real sense of compassion. Present Case in point, the $7.00 AGENT SERVICE CHARGE for each call. IT IS A RIDICULOUS to say the least. TO VERIZON: Word of Mouth is still pertinent in this day and time. Also, your business practices with customers are going downhill fast. You're not too Big for A Mega Corporation to force a Buyout of Verizon because you guys are shooting yourselves in the foot(business wise). I'd say within 10 yrs. with the present course, you are on and there will be no Verizon. Oh Well.

[vzw_customer_support]

Hello JONDOUBLEC,

Thanks so much for your loyalty to us over the years. It's true that we have a $7 Agent Assist Fee for payments or payment arrangements. Please keep in mind that our goal is for no one to pay this fee. We have so many ways to pay the bill quick and easy without interacting with a representative, it makes it easier for you to make a payment. Check out this link for payments: https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/pay-bill-faqs/

ChristinaB_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport
If my response answered your question please click the "Correct Answer" button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[NOLACHIC]

I have been with Verizon nearly over a decade and I spoke with an agent via chat recently and they told me I needed to talk to financial services if I needed an extension longer than the CSR could give and they said they can setup payment plans as well.  No where in our chat (I kept a copy via email) did she say that I would be assessed a $7 service fee just to talk to them to set up something.   Why wasn't all there customers give some kind of notification about this stupid charge.  I never need an extension past the date indicated on-line and now they charge me to help me with payment arrangements that I am struggling with due to medical issues with my husband.  We already pay high prices for services all the way around and now to charge their customers just to talk to their people.  I wondering how much these people are getting paid an hour because if they have a few thousand people call for assistance they just made $14,000.  This is crazy after I get my stuff handled with them I am leaving.  I can't keep affording their services and their ridiculous service fees because they want people to use the app or their website which I do but they don't give you any options to setup payment plans unless you talk to them.  Catch 22!   I'm so disgusted with them they are gotten worse of the years, once you become a customer they don't help you anymore not even promotions.

[boringusername]

ELIWEL48 wrote:

What is the justification for Verizon's new policy of charging an agent assist fee of $7.00 for making a payment arrangement over the phone

The only reason to make a payment arrange if you can't pay on time. Pay on time and you won't have the fee.

[christy713]

For the mean person who has no empathy that apparently hasn't had LIFE happen to them or faced a hardship no one wants to have to pay a bill late but when things happen that effect your money you do what you have to. Yes we are happy that Verizon allows us to make payment arrangements but it's not fair to put a fee on a service that people are already getting paid to do. $7.00? Who is really getting played...us the consumers.

[glitchedpixel]

When life happens, that's what savings is for. If you don't have savings, next option is a credit card that you pay off on time. That isn't your carrier's job.

It also takes way less time paying a bill online, the app or even dialing #PMT than it does waiting in a long call queue then complaining about an easily avoidable fee. You have ways to set up a promise to pay without contacting a person to do it for you. 

[vzw_customer_support]

Hello, christy713, and thank you for taking the time to reach us. Though we never want to hear that it's for this reason, we'd be more than happy to review this further for you. Though our $7.00 agent assist fee is unable to be waived, we want you to have comfort in knowing all of our self service options. Here is a link that will provide more details. After reviewing this link, let us know if you have any additiona l questions as we'll be right here waiting to help : https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/pay-bill-faqs/.  AnthonyM_VZW

[Mbtroy2]

In the past year customer service has really gone downhill. The $7 fee is ridiculous especially when you must speak with someone to fix THEIR mistake. What information you get inside a store is totally different from what customer care says and then a different response from financial services. Nobody seems to be on the same page. Billing questions and answers are inconsistent. Every time I call I get a different answer than before.

I‘ve been with the company 12 years but it may be time to choose a new carrier!

[vzw_customer_support]

Mbtroy2, I understand all your concerns on this matter. We would be happy to go over any questions that you may have concerning the $7.00 charge. We never want our customers to feel this way.

NicoleC_VZW  

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

If my response answered your question please click the "Correct Answer" button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this.

[no1cntrygrl]

The fee is ridiculous - They say you can manage everything online as far as setting up payment arrangements, but they choose the dates that you can set these up for - If you need it extended to the end of the month you have to call which results in the fee.. We switched to verizon years ago from AT&T due to the coverage areas and unfortunately Verizon is still the only coverage we have at our home for cellular service. If there were another provider in our area we would be changing as they all seem to be offering better deals and based on what I hear from friends with other carriers they have much better customer service.  When we upgraded this last time, I was told we would be able to turn in our previous phones for credit, they never sent the packing slips for that - I called several times and each time was told that it would be sent - Naturally it never was so our bill double and the prices that we were quoted for the upgrades were never applied to our account.

[boringusername]

Pay on time or online or heck mail the bill in and you avoid the fee.

[dhallengren]

This fee is insane. I wanted to pay off my phone today. I went online to my device page and the only option I had was "payoff and upgrade". I clicked but there wasn't just a payoff option; I had to select a new phone to upgrade to. I then used your digital assistant system which give me an option to only pay off my phone... except it doesn't work. I can enter all of my payment information but the chat box won't give me the option to submit. So I call customer service. The automated phone system says that I would be better served using your digital assistant service, you know, the one that didn't work earlier. I ask to talk to a person and get numerous warnings about having to pay $7 to make payment arrangements over the phone. Insane. You created a confusing site, using a technology that didn't work, and want me to pay $7 to get is resolved? I was eventually able to pay off my phone through the Verizon Up app (which then wouldn't show up as paid off on my account), but why does this need to be so difficult. The choices shouldn't be "waste thirty minutes" or "spend $7"

[boringusername]

Unless things have changed in the last few months I was able to pay off device without up grading

[dhallengren]

I was able to do this... Eventually. There isn't an option on your device or account page, and digital assistant on chrome wouldn't process it. Eventually the Verizon up app allowed me to pay it off