Consumer Complaint Filed - Verizon Makes it Ridiculously Hard to Cancel

[mjfoxtrot]

I filed this complaint today with the Maryland Attorney General's Office, Consumer Protection division. It speaks for itself. What a shame Verizon engages in such shoddy practices with its loyal customers.

Verizon, which does significant business in the state of Maryland, engages in unfair practices against consumers by making it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for a consumer to cancel their land-based phone service. I have called repeatedly in the last three days to cancel my land-based copper phone service, for which I have been a good paying customer for 31 years. The cancellation phone number that Verizon provides on their web site, 1-844-837-2262, immediately puts a customer on hold and does not even have a voice recording or any other audio cue that lets a customer know they are still on hold. The line just simply sounds dead. I went online and attempted to cancel through Verizon's online chat function, and a representative told me that customers can only cancel over the phone. The representative then provided me with the general phone number of Verizon, and when I call that and stated I wanted to cancel, I was simply put on terminal hold again. I have waited well over two hours in five separate phone calls in the last three days and no one has ever come on the line. I believe Verizon is disingenuously and fraudulently asserting that customers can cancel when in fact Verizon's only intention appears to be to prolong customers' current service so Verizon can milk another month of two in bills from frustrated customers, who have no real recourse but to keep paying their bills. If you visit Verizon's online forums, you will see several other complaints from people who have experienced the same issue, namely, being put on hold for hours in order to simply cancel phone service.

[LawrenceC]

Hi mjfoxtrot,

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.