Multiple Charges on Bill When Moving

[kro34]

My wife and I moved from our apartment back at the end of October to a new house that already had Verizon installed. I went through the moving process online with the understanding that all the fees would be waved, and after submitting it, she and I decided we only wanted internet and not cable, so I called in to update the order. The customer service rep told me that this wouldn't be a problem and that the tech would be out at the time I had scheduled to hook up our internet - keep in mind, we were bringing the router with us and our new home was already wired for Verizon. He came out thinking that he was going to have to install cable as well and then called in because there apparently were two orders for our residence - one for cable and internet and one for just internet.  My online order for just the internet showed all the cable-related items removed and just the internet and was showing a one-time charge of $99 for Fios setup, which I thought was supposed to be removed, and I didn't understand where the second order came from - maybe the customer service rep created for just the internet and never canceled the cable and internet one I submitted online, but I'm not sure.

Needless to say, when my bill came for what I was expecting to be around $50 for the internet service, it was $367, which included a $99 technician visit fee, $99 Fios setup fee, and $60 new jack activation - none of which I was prepared for. I called on 12/12 finally to address my bill and tried to explain that I wasn't told about any of these charges and wasn't expecting any of them - maybe the setup fee because of doing it online, but I'd expected that to be waived based on what I read going through the process. I didn't understand where the new jack activation came from because the residence was already setup for Fios and wasn't told about it ahead of time, and I definitely didn't understand the technician fee either. He spent more time on the phone with whoever it was he needed to clarify things with than he did walking out to my garage for a minute, coming back in, hooking up the router, and testing to see if it worked. The rep I spoke to in December was incredibly empathetic and helpful and told me she would make sure that the extra charges were taken off my bill. Because she was so friendly, she even got me to upgrade to a slightly faster internet which we probably don't need. She told me I'd just have to pay the $54 a month from there on out and that everything was taken care of. I was incredibly relieved and she did a great job at earning back my trust in Verizon (I've been a Verizon wireless customer for over 15 years and moved to an area where I could get Fios about three years ago). I'd been incredibly happy with the service up to this point, but this billing issue still isn't resolved.

Tonight I called in to inquire why the new jack activation fee and technician visit fee are still showing on my bill. The rep was more focused on the total balance of the bill and the previous balance as well as the $99 credit I'd received for what I would assume was the installation fee. I explained to her multiple times that the person I spoke to last month assured me that all the added fees would be waived and that the beginning balance in October should not have been as high as it was in the first place. I began to ask her to look at October's bill, and she started to interrupt me multiple times when I said, "Excuse me, I was speaking." She then began to act like she couldn't hear me and that the call was breaking up and that she would call me back. I'm not naive and have worked in customer service for years - I understand this was a tactic to try to diffuse the situation, but it was incredibly rude and unwarranted. Not once during my initial call with her was I rude to her or did I speak down to her or anything else that might necessitate her behavior. I wish I'd had the opportunity to provide a feedback survey after the call regarding her customer service skills. She called back immediately and told me that my issue would be escalated and resolved by Saturday. I don't understand how it needs to take until Saturday when I was told on 12/12 that everything had been taken care of, the additional fees I'd been charged would be waived, and my bill would be the $54 the previous rep had told me I would have to pay. I really don't want to switch to Comcast, especially now that I'm outside the 30-day window for my new residence, but my Fios billing issue still isn't resolved and I'm finding it difficult to stay with Verizon over these charges. I understand I'll have to pay the early termination fee if I leave, but at this point, they're already trying to get $367 out of me in charges I shouldn't have to pay, so what's another few hundred bucks to end the frustration and not have to deal with it again. Taking our $200 phone bill elsewhere might be worth it as well. Anyone else have these problems?

[LawrenceC]

Hi kro34,

Your issue has been escalated to a Verizon agent. Please check your Private Message Inbox for a message from Verizon_Support. You can find your Inbox by clicking on your username at the top right corner of this page. Please direct all correspondence concerning your issue to the agents who will be assisting you privately.