Deteriorating Service Over the Years - Escalating Costs

[Dld78]

I am beyond frustrated with Verizon at this point.  I've been a loyal customer since around 2002 and for most of that time had nothing but glowing things to say about my service.  Now, however, I have absolutely nothing good to say about my service.  I have lived in the same home since 2008 (when I paid $60 a month for cell service) and in the last three years I have experience a steady decline in service to the point of near non-existence. I live in Derry, NH, in the 03038 zip code area and these days my husband and I pay nearly $200 a month for service that constantly fails. Dropped calls and failed texts are no longer aberrations, but have become the norm.  Slowly but surely I went from being able to have crystal clear calls in my home, to sometimes having dropped calls, to no longer being able to use my phone indoors, to no longer being able to use the phone outdoors either.  I'm beyond frustrated and it kills me to make a $180 - $200 payment each month for this.  Not only does my phone not work at home, but it no longer works at my office in downtown Boston or the bus station.  These are the three places I spend my weekdays! 

In December my husband and I had decided we had enough and were going to leave Verizon.  We were sweet-talked into joining the Edge plan with the promise that 4G LTE and new iphones would likely solve our connectivity/service issues.  Verizon sent me an iphone 6 that had a massive hardware failure - the screen would turn red and the unit would reboot repeatedly.  I tried everything to get it to work and while I was successful for a time, it would crash again within a week.  After consulting Verizon (in person at a store - can't get a live person on the phone to save my life unless it's about a bill), they directed me to visit the Apple store to have the device replaced. I spent three hours at an Apple store to do that and now have a functional phone - but still no reliable service from Verizon!

On top of this, Verizon claimed I never turned in my old iphone 5 as directed to join the Edge program.  The thing is that I DID return the phone!  I even used the shipping label that THEY PROVIDED to return the unit to them!  I've shared the tracking number at least three times and each time I've been assured that I will not be charged for non-return of equipment. And yet, each month there are more messages saying it hasn't been received and this month a $300+ fee was attached to my bill for not returning the equipment.  I am a full-time working professional with two children at home and I've spent three evenings and one afternoon exclusively dealing with Verizon instead of spending time with my children. I finally handed things off to my husband - an attorney - to handle. Even he has been given the run-around. I really regret starting a new contract with this company.  I am beyond fed up with the poor service, the lack of customer support, the lackadaisical attitude of store employees, and the constant shifting of responsibility for their errors onto my shoulders. Every month my conversation ends with a representative saying "please check your statement next month and let us know if this charge appears."  Why is this my problem?  This should be their problem.!  Done. Done. Done.

[Weth]

If you don't have good service at your main places, switch.  Other companies have offers to help you switch. 

[Jbrt]

Agree,  deteriorating service and escalating costs!!!

459.00 this month for WHAT????

[vzw_customer_support]

Dld78, we're stepping in to ease your frustrations and save this long term relationship. Wireless service can be challenging indoors due to restrictions caused by the materials that your home was built with. Have you contacted us at 800-922-0204 to submit a trouble ticket for your area yet? A trouble ticket will allow our network team to evaluate your area for issues.

Edge is great option to upgrade to a new device. http://vz.to/18hFNL6 What issues are you having on your iPhone? Did you retain the shipping tracking number to confirm the receipt of your device in our warehouse? Once the device is received and confirmed that it's in good condition, a credit will be applied to your account.

LasinaH_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!!

[Dld78]

I've called Verizon in the past and spent time talking about the service in my area. The woman I spoke with recommended resetting my network settings.  Do I need to do that every day?  How about you repair the service in my area?  How about not having customers jump through hoops and pay through the nose for poor service when it used to work just fine at a fraction of the cost before 3G, 4G, and LTE. Unbelieveable.

Also, if you actually read my complaint above, which I'm doubting now, you'd see that yes, I thought Edge was a good option for us. The phone you sent me malfunctioned and was replaced by Apple.  The phone isn't the issue - the service is!

Lastly, my husband had a conversation with Verizon 15-16 days ago and was told that the non-return fee would be removed from our account in 10 days.  Here I am today receiving messages saying the phone hasn't been returned. I have literally had this conversation with Verizon every month since January.  YOU RECEIVED THE PHONE.  The tracking number confirms this.  Our last five communications with Verizon confirm this.  REMOVE THE NEARLY $300 FEE FROM MY ACCOUNT OR I WILL RESORT TO LEGAL ACTION.

Oh, and I've followed you on Twitter.  I've tried to use your twitter service for assistance.  Your associate got back to me 24 hours later.  Seriously.  Should I be waiting on my twitter account with bated breath for 24 hours to receive a response?  Exceptionally poor customer service.

[Nola12365]

You just told my story.

[dad_of_2]

Could it have been broken when it was recieved? That would cause the fee as well.

[Dld78]

You make a good point.  I should have mentioned that in our prior conversations it was determined the device was not damaged - the code on our account was issued because somehow it was incorrectly marked "not received" even though it had been received. We were told by Verizon this was a "paperwork" issue that would be resolved in 10 days.  That was two weeks ago.

[dad_of_2]

ohhh...I am not sure then.  Keep fighting.

Have you tried this:

"HOW AND WHEN CAN I DISPUTE CHARGES?

If you're a Postpay customer, you can dispute your bill within 180 days of receiving it, but unless otherwise provided by law or unless you're disputing charges because your wireless device was lost or stolen, you still have to pay all charges until the dispute is resolved. If you're a Prepaid customer, you can dispute a charge within 180 days of the date the disputed charge was incurred. YOU MAY CALL US TO DISPUTE CHARGES ON YOUR BILL OR ANY SERVICE(S) FOR WHICH YOU WERE BILLED, BUT IF YOU WISH TO PRESERVE YOUR RIGHT TO BRING AN ARBITRATION OR SMALL CLAIMS CASE REGARDING SUCH DISPUTE, YOU MUST WRITE TO US AT THE CUSTOMER SERVICE ADDRESS ON YOUR BILL, OR SEND US A COMPLETED NOTICE OF DISPUTE FORM (AVAILABLE AT VERIZONWIRELESS.COM), WITHIN THE 180–DAY PERIOD MENTIONED ABOVE. IF YOU DO NOT NOTIFY US IN WRITING OF SUCH DISPUTE WITHIN THE 180-DAY PERIOD, YOU WILL HAVE WAIVED YOUR RIGHT TO DISPUTE THE BILL OR SUCH SERVICE(S) AND TO BRING AN ARBITRATION OR SMALL CLAIMS CASE REGARDING ANY SUCH DISPUTE."

[Dld78]

Thanks for your suggestion.  My husband is a lawyer so we are mulling over legal action.   We spent two hours on the phone with Verizon about this issue last night and were assured it was resolved.  I logged into my account this morning and the charge is STILL there along with a notice that we're past due and must pay immediately. I am ready to report this company to the BBB and file suit.