Bill from CMR Claims Department for wire repairs

[rs1936]

Hi,

I have received a threatening bill from some company claiming to be working on behalf of Verizon in the amount of $196.05. 

I lost my cable/internet one day and the technician who came out (from Verizon) decided to pull a new cable and informed me that someone would come and install a cable in a new conduit as per the new procedure.

Someone did come and put a new section of conduit and wire mentioning that the earlier wires had just been placed on the surface of the ground.

The only work I had done in the front of the house where the wire was in a raised bed and no way could the wires have been damaged if it had been installed correctly. There was no work being performed anywhere in the yard when service disruption occured. 

Secondly, I was not informed that I would be billed for this, it was made to be part of normal service disruption. I was talking to Verizon around the same time for extending my contract by another two years and no one mentioned that I had an outstanding bill for this amount? The whole thing has been unpleasant,  to receive a threatening letter from a company claiming to be part of Verizon and demanding payment to avoid further action.

I sincerely hope someone can look into this, otherwise it does not inspire confidence to continue with Verizon.

Regards,
RS

[ElizabethS]

Hi rs1936,

Claims Management Resources (CMR) is a Verizon authorized vendor that provides invoicing services to recover Verizon’s cost to repair damage done to the Company’s facilities. This includes but is not limited to:
• Buried and Aerial lines
• Poles
• Conduit and vehicles
CMR can handle disputes of claims directly, and works with the local field office that performed the repair. If you wish to dispute a CMR claim, you may contact them by phone at 1-800-321-4158 or by email at bswcomplaint@cmrclaims.com.

[rs1936]

Hi Elizabeth,

Thank you for your response.

It is very strange to receive a letter from CMR (supposedly on your behalf)  stating that “as a result of my negligence our client has suffered property damages”  while in fact the property is mine and in no way was I responsible for any damage to anything on my lawn.

When the verizon repair technician came  he essentially said there is a cable fault and decided to lay out a new cable without ascertaining if there was a cable break. At no point did the technician or anyone else show me physical damage to the cables when you are claiming my "negligence".

Secondly, when the wire repair people came they commented on the fact that the wires earlier had not been laid out properly and were almost at the surface. they made it a point to tell me they were putting in thick conduit in the ground to bury the cable at a prescribed depth rather than at the surface. The only work I had done upto that point was on a raised flower bed (a few days prior to service being interrupted) which should not be a factor if the wiring was done properly and if you are claiming wire damage.

And lastly, the people who came to install the wires did not at anytime mention that I would be responsible for the charges, it would have been simpler for me to move to another provider considering the customer service I have seen so far.

And most importantly, sending me a threatening letter 5 months later claiming to be from verizon is totally false representation.

I must say that I have been extremely disappointed with your customer service and response so far.

 Regards,
RS

[jlrmhilton]

This is ridiculous.  Search for CMR and you'll see the same pat answer from CS....lovely huh.

[justdani1]

File a complaint with your local BBB and your county Consumer Affairs Dept for Cable Services.