Poor Customer Service - Why do I have to call in if I have my own router?

[batusboyus]

So, I finally decided to go with Fios.  My cable company was growing old and I was very excited to upgrade to fiber.  I did my research and found an awesome deal with Verizon.  I began order my new service until I got to the point where it asks if you want to rent or buy a router from Verizon.  Well I don't want to do either when I can get a Verizon router much cheaper elsewhere.  So I click the link "Already have a router, check it's compatibility here".  A window pops up and says you must call in to the service center if you already have a router.  Even if it's a Verizon router.  Okay so I call in.  Guess what, they will not honor the internet price.  It's right there on their own website and they won't honor it.  Isn't that against the law (i.e. false advertisement)?  So after a couple phone calls I finally get to a representative that works with me.  I explain everything to him and he says, "Yes sir.  I can honor that deal."  So I proceed with the order get everything installed and am as happy as clam in a jewelry store.  Fast forward to my first bill, none of the deals are on there.  So, I call into customer service.  What am I told?  I cannot make any price changes to your account.  I explain to him the whole story, I go online and the deal is still there and he still tells me he cannot change my plan rate.  So, I cancelled my service.  The next morning (today), I order new service over the internet for the internet price.  I check that I will rent the router and am hoping I can get that taken off since I won't have any of their equipment.  We'll see.

But here is what I find so hard to believe.  Verizon is will to spend the extra money to have me ship my set top box to them, have another installer come out to my house (granted he won't have to do anything), and loose two weeks of service all because they wouldn't honor their price.  Yes I said honor their price.  A price I still get anyway.

I work for the federal government and people talk all the time about fraud waste and abuse of funds.  How on earth does Verizon make money when they are willing to dump money like this.  I would love to see what the cost of having an installer come to your house is.  Incredible.  And the stubbornness of the agents is amazing.  I pray they never go shopping and find that the advertised price not the REAL price.  We'll see how you feel then.  Charma.

Anyway, despite ordering service again, I plan to complain on many sites and wanted everyone here to know as well.  Be warned and do all you transaction online.  At least there is a paper trail.