I HATE VERIZON WIRELESS

[mparr15h]

If it wouldn't cost me $585 to cancel all five lines I have with Verizon, I would drop them in a heartbeat!  Been a customer since they were GTE Mobilnet WAAAAYYYY back when.  Had up to eight lines with Verizon at one time, never had a problem, paid all bills on time, things were great.   Cancelled three lines, paid to break the contracts, kept five lines with Verizon.  Final payment on cancelled lines needed to be broken into three payments.  Called 12/11/09 to make first payment, scheduled two equal payments for Jan/Feb, no problem.  Informed customer service my account was on auto-pay but I could not cancel it because I couldn't access it since the phones were inactive.  No problem, they would take care of it, I could call in January to make next installment.  12/22/09, the full amount was withdrawn from my checking account!  Much to my dismay, my bill pay account went to a negative balance and then got worse with bank fees and other charges that were assessed.  I called Verizon on 12/22/09 to complain, they said they would "send it for review", they acknowledged it was their mistake (good thing I kept notes from the 12/11/09 phone call) and they said it should be resolved in 7-10 business days.  OK, I called back on 01/05/10 and was told a representative would call me on 01/06/10...no call.  I called again on 01/07/10, this time I was told there was a "10-day hold" put on the review and someone should be calling me back.  I could not speak to someone directly in the department handling the review, but I should get a call back...yep, I've heard that before!  At this point, the issue isn't the amount they took out, it is the bank charges.  The bank won't refund the charges until Verizon refunds the money to my bank account because that would show my bank that Verizon was the reason my account overdrafted.  I am so frustrated with Verizon that I would love to cancel all service with them.  Every time I call customer service I start off with a smile on my face, end up being transferred 2-3 times, spend at least 10-15 minutes on hold while each rep reviews my account, and then I end up boiling mad.  Does anyone else have these issues when dealing with them????

[LongTalons]

I have the suspicion that this forum exists so that we who have been s*rewed by Verizon will be able to offload our anger here, rather than in some way that actually harms Verizon.  So my question to you all is: What can we do to publicize the face that these people take our money, advertize this "100% satisfied" pack of lies, hire incompetent **bleep** who don't understand simple questions and don't know how to deal with human beings, and generally suck eggs?

I want to do something that will LET THE WORLD KNOW!  am I dreaming?  I hope not.

[JohnGrumpy]

Amen to that brother and sisters.  10 months ago -- a retail store tried to screw me.  Lying that I qualified for buy 1 get 1 free ... the salesman said I would pay for both phones now but get a refund for one later.  The refund never came.  The retail store said there never was such a deal but took the return after I found out the refund was never going to come.  During the return, somehow my numbers got switched!  I lost my phone #!  They had switched my broadband and my phone numbers.  Insane.  So I contacted the company.  They took 2 months to get the issue straightened out with the retail store and then another month to get my money back.  What a hassle.  The worst part was that for the rest of the year -- my plan was messed up.  They never canceled the screw up the retail store did - and even though I returned the equipment they kept charging me for equipment I no longer had.  Recently, I called to disconnect one of our numbers and they said I had to pay an early termination fee.  I've had the line over two years but when I returned the said phones a year earlier -- they kept those phones in the system and marked my contract as starting then.  They wiped out the fact that I've had these phones for years.  Apparently there are over 7 pages of notes on my case.  Everytime I call another agent has to put me on hold for 10 minutes.  And some of them don't understand what happened then.  And still, problems from that first issue last year continue.  I'm done with Verizon.  I'm glad Sprint and Clear are offering great 4G plans at very good prices and Virgin is giving away their 3G broadband Wifi for only $40/mo for UNLIMITED GB.  What a rip-off Verizon is.  I'm glad to be an ex-customer.  John

[donnaka1]

I hate them too! I have for years. I think this time i'm finally going to let my contract run out and quit them. They SUCK! Rude rude rude rude rude and sneaky! SOOO expensive and not up front about it. Hate them!

[sheila123]

My experience exactly but with residential.  They are RUDE and I am not sure if all the charges are correct since they REFUSE to give me a detailed bill.  I am supposed to take their word for phone calls I NEVER made!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SydneyK]

I've been a customer of Verizon for years, and have never, not once, been treated rudely. Maybe it's a matter of treating others as you would like to be treated. 

[budone]

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sheila123 wrote:

My experience exactly but with residential.  They are RUDE and I am not sure if all the charges are correct since they REFUSE to give me a detailed bill.  I am supposed to take their word for phone calls I NEVER made!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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based on how you posted this and the prior post, maybe just maybe, how you presented yourself to them, resulted in the issue not being addressed. Sorry but residential bills DO have detail if you LOOK online.

[droidsw]

If you dealt with rude customers all day, you might not be the sprinkle of sunshine that you expect on the other end of the line. I don't know the specifics and I generally avoid CS unless it's a must, so I am not defending them. But, there's two sides to every story.

[budone]

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droidsw wrote:
If you dealt with rude customers all day, you might not be the sprinkle of sunshine that you expect on the other end of the line. I don't know the specifics and I generally avoid CS unless it's a must, so I am not defending them. But, there's two sides to every story.

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Actually three sides to a story, theirs, the other party, and somewhere in the middle.

[ameme]

People say they hate them yet they are on there forum...

There expensive yes, but last longer and have better service than the other people. If it's too expenisve don't get a smartphone and a bucnh of other plans and if you really hate verizon go to Sprint or At&T hell maybe Criket, boost mobile or T-mobile.

Also, because youve talked to some crappy customer service doesn't mean the ENTIRE company is crap. There are TONS of peole worling there. If you have bad customer service a couple time, then EVERY comanpy SUCKS. Not ever single person working for a company are the same..

[unusualVolume]

My beef with Verizon is very specific: whenever I need to talk to tech support, I can count on spending15-30 minutes on hold, being thanked by an automated message for my patience, and explaining how they are experiencing unusually high call volume. This is an offensive lie at many levels. First, the call volume is not unusual, since I always encounter that message. Second, the problem is not the unusually high call volume; that explanation blames the victims. It is not too many people calling for help, Verizon; it is not enough people answering the phones to help them. Verizon has made a business decision to fund customer support at a level that maintains a chronically high backlog; then has the nerve to harange the poor captive customers, by robot, that they are the problem for calling so much. If the CEO took a 1% cut on his bonus he could double the customer support staff and cut the wait times to nothing. Finally, as a technology company, the question is why they are putting people on hold at all. Why not have them leave their frigging phone numbers and call them back when you are ready to take them, instead of wasting your customers' time with ghastly music and messages about how great your network is? Show us you care by not wasting our time. 

On a contrarian note, given V's poor reputation for customer service, I find that when I finally get a human on the phone they are usually quite helpful. Breaking through their automated customer service prevention system is the hard part; it is like a video game where if you can traverse enough levels you get the reward of a human at the other end. If V is interested in trying to attack their poor customer service reputation, follow my advice: (1) hire more customer support staff -- Amazon does this really well, and it helps them (2) eliminate customer wait time -- just call us back, and (3) stop telling us we are the problem. Next time I hear a robot tell me I am part of unusually high call volume I will spend my hold time researchers alternative providers instead of leaving posts.

[budone]

I have to say, if I call tech support....option 3, I am answered EVRY time. Never placed on hold.

Customer service, yes, I have been placed on hold but never more than a minute or so.

I have worked in call centers, I am certain, VZW and the call center managers measure time in queue, number in queue, hold times, number of rings to answer, length of call, and sets goals for each rep based on their individual and team numbers. They DO NOT want extended queue or hold times.

[RoyB_VZW]

unusualVolume, I appreciate your feedback regarding wait times and customer service you encounter when contacting us. I have lifted your suggestion of having the ability to leave a message during high call volume times to our Leadership Team for consideration.

Please know we do our absolute best to resolve all of our customers' concerns in a timely and friendly manner, whether you reach us by phone, E-mail, forum or Twitter. We also have call centers in a number of states around the country and when you call, you will be directed to the next available representative regardless of their location in an effort to speak with you just as quickly as we can. 

Thanks again for your comments and suggestion. 

[sheila123]

Fortunately I do not have Verizon wireless.  I just had to say that I am very unhappy with the Verizon Residential and it is not surprising to see that their wireless customer service is just as bad as their residential.

I had to pay a large bill, not knowing what the charges were.  I called the customer service, they could not tell me why I had such a large bill and NO THEY CANNOT PROVIDE A DETAILED BILL.  They claim that someone made the calls from my house when I know that we were away and THERE WAS NO ONE IN THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I asked for a detailed bill so I could see what the called numbers were and the dates and they told me that I could not see those, but I had to pay anyway.  

I hate Verizon, they add charges for no reason, charge for things that never happened.  Sadly, in my area I have no other carriers.  But as soon as I have a choice I am dropping this company.  My friends and husband have wanted to get Verizon wireless many times and I have shared my experience and they have changed their mind and gone with AT&T.  By the way, AR&T has great customer service, the agents are actually polite and will work with you.  I don't  have AT&T stock and I am not employed by them nor do I have any interest in saying this, but I have never had them be rude or belligerent like the Verizon people.

I jus hate the fact that I am stuck with Verizon and their nasty customer service people in my area.  I even told one of them that she was the nastiest person I have ever talked to.  I think they train them to be that way, it must be a company policy!

[Customercareles]

If you have any calls that get dropped in mid conversation you are entitled to cancel your contract.  YUP it is that easy and it is the law.

I cancelled ATT to come to Verizon because I had repeated dropped calls.  I had one of my three phone left on the contract but when I spoke to the ATT agent I expleained the law and asked them to verify this and I was released from my contract without penalty.  So there you go.  If you have ever experienced drop calls you can complain and cancel.

I will be doing it again because it happens and I might over look this happening as we all know it happens on every network but Verizon Customer Carelss is so terrible and they have been so difficult that I am going to use this escape clause and go to T-Mobile where a 4 line family plan will cost me about half the cost of Verizon and where they don;t promise you rebates and then KEEP YOUR MONEY!

Good luck and I hope everyone reading this thread sees this.

[budone]

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Customercareles wrote:

If you have any calls that get dropped in mid conversation you are entitled to cancel your contract.  YUP it is that easy and it is the law.

I cancelled ATT to come to Verizon because I had repeated dropped calls.  I had one of my three phone left on the contract but when I spoke to the ATT agent I expleained the law and asked them to verify this and I was released from my contract without penalty.  So there you go.  If you have ever experienced drop calls you can complain and cancel.

I will be doing it again because it happens and I might over look this happening as we all know it happens on every network but Verizon Customer Carelss is so terrible and they have been so difficult that I am going to use this escape clause and go to T-Mobile where a 4 line family plan will cost me about half the cost of Verizon and where they don;t promise you rebates and then KEEP YOUR MONEY!

Good luck and I hope everyone reading this thread sees this.

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Care to share a link to 'this law?  You said there was a law to ATT and they said you can leave??? I will call your bluff until I see THE LAW.

[Customercareles]

You can call me Bluff or anything you want.  I am just telling others as fed up with this company as I am they have a way out.

Consumer advocates have promoted this off and on for years.  I tried it and it worked... if it didn't work I might still be on AT&T...  proof that I sould be careful what I ask for...  they have better customer service and did not jerk me around for $200 in rebates for 6 months as Verizon is doing.

[spottedcatfish]

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Customercareles wrote:

You can call me Bluff or anything you want.  I am just telling others as fed up with this company as I am they have a way out.

Consumer advocates have promoted this off and on for years.  I tried it and it worked... if it didn't work I might still be on AT&T...  proof that I sould be careful what I ask for...  they have better customer service and did not jerk me around for $200 in rebates for 6 months as Verizon is doing.

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The "law" that you claim exists is in direct conflict with the contract that all Verizon customers sign.  Here's a portion of that agreement:

What Are My Rights for Dropped Calls or Interrupted Service?

If you drop a call in your Coverage Area, redial. If it's answered within 5 minutes, call us within 90 days if you're a Postpay customer, or within 45 days if you're a Prepaid customer, and we'll give you a 1–minute airtime credit. If you're a Postpay customer and you lose Service in your Coverage Area for more than 24 hours in a row and we're at fault, call us within 180 days and we'll give you a credit for the time lost. Please be aware that these are your only rights for dropped calls or interrupted Service.

Now, that's not to say that exceptions are not made, and some customers don't recieve greater accomodations, but I'd still like to see some type of source for this law that you're describing.

[cornseed]

When, and if,  you decide to cancel, I advise you not switch to the "other" big company.  I could write a book on why they are not an option.  We had two years of misery, and a trip to the store at least once a month.  An example of one problem:  We just wanted to make phone calls, nothing else.  We even  had everything blocked so we did not have to pay for someone texting us (unfair in my books).  Apparently they did not seem to understand this. I would check my bill, and low and behold there was the charge for the data package.   We would go to the store and have them take it off and credit our account.  No problem they said,.  Next billing cycle, no charge for a data package.  Next billing cycle, low and behold, there it was again. When our contract was up, we switched to Verizon, and have not had one single problem.  My monthly bills are pretty much the same every month.  It is a shame you are having so much trouble.  However, I would think twice before switching to "them". 

[ipos]

I have never experience the problems with any other company that I have had with Verizon. Their customer service reps do not know what they are doing. Every time I talk to one I get a different answer. You can never get back to the same service rep so every time you call in you have to start over and explain your issues with the new one. They tell you all you have to do is e-mail me and I will return your call. I have yet have one call me back. Since I'm a business account I have an account rep that has made promises that have never been kept. Know she will not return my calls. I ask for a new rep which they assign me but when I called him he was about as rude as you could get and he told me in no certain terms that he was not my account rep and would not have anything to do with my account. He suggested I go back to my old account rep. Something needs to be done with this company to knock them off there high horse.

[EmilyShaffer]

 I just live chatted with a rep for like an hour. I specifically stated that I wanted a touch screen slider with a physical QWERTY keyboard and no data plan. So what does she suggest? A flip phone. After I say that’s not what I’m looking for, she suggests a phone with a data plan. I tell her NO I just said I can’t have a data plan. Then what? She suggests another flip phone.
.  Then I asked if Verizon would work if I purchased a phone from another plan; she said yes. I asked about like 10 phones and none of them were compatible. I’m like ok which ones ARE compatible and DO fit my criteria?? I repeated my criteria ONCE AGAIN with more detail and she named off like 6 or 7. Three of them cannot be purchased anymore, and two are flips. The others, I didn’t like. Besides, if there were only a few on the list, why the hell did she have me look up and list all those phones??? Why didn’t she tell me the ones that fit my criteria in the first place!!??! That’s like an hour I will never get back.
… I think I’m gonna switch providers. I’m tired of dealing with....wasting my time.

{post content edited for word filter avoidance and courtesy}

[budone]

Based on how you wrote your post, I suspect the rep will be more than happy to see you leave!!! That being said the LG Cosmos Touch has the two options you want and does not require a data plan.