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08 June 2005 — Verizon Sucks (136)

I hate big corporations. I really do. They're enormous behemoths that can't be fought. Or when you do try to fight them, it's futile; you get squashed. (Some of my previous complaints about corporate frustrations: Authorized Apple Service Provider, Credit Report (in which I complain about Sprint), and Customer Disservice.)

On January 12th, I received a phone call here at work from somebody representing Verizon SuperPages asking us to advertise in their phone directory. I have little memory of the conversation (because I have several similar conversations a month), but I'm mostly certain that the call ended with me saying something like, "I'm sorry, but I don't want to advertise with you." I have no memory of agreeing to advertise with any new yellow page company; we're pleased with our current level of advertising.

In March, we received a $37.20 bill from Verizon for advertising in their Portland/Vancouver SuperPages. I phoned Customer Service (what a misnomer!) and explained that we had no record of having placed any advertising with them — would they please remove the charges? They would not and could not.

They asserted that we had, in fact, placed the order. "We have third-party verification indicating that the sales representative spoke with you, Mr. Roth, and that you provided your taxpayer identification number. This is all the confirmation we need to verify your order."

The call ended with nothing resolved. A few days later, I received a letter from Verizon re-iterating all of this information. I contacted Dave. On his advice, I sent a certified letter to Verizon's customer service department stating that the business has "neither requested nor authorized any service from" Verizon, etc. The letter threatened legal action if Verizon continued to bill us.

Verizon continued to bill us. They billed us in April. They billed us in May. They never replied to our certified letter. Today I received a letter from Verizon's collection department. Enough is enough, so I phoned them again.

The woman in the collections department was nice enough, but she couldn't help me. Her department has nothing to do with resolving disputes, only with collecting on outstanding debts. She suggested I call customer service.

I called customer service, and though I was trying to be polite, I was, I admit, a bit confrontational. (No shouting, no cursing, just had my hackles up.) This conversation was frustrating to a degree that I cannot even convey. I went through the whole "we did not authorize this" bit, and the customer service rep (Makeesha — is that a real name?) went through her whole "we have third party authorization in the form of your name and your business tax identification number" bit.

"Look," I said. "My name is common knowledge, accessible from any database. And I give out our TAX ID number all the time. This is not proof of anything. I want written documentation that we authorized this, or I want an audio-recording."

"I'm sorry, sir," said Makeesha, "but this is authorization."

Repeat ad infinitum.

Eventually, Makeesha gave me the address for Verizon's legal department, though I'm certain any correspondence sent there is destined for the same old dead letter file that my former certified letter reached. (Actually, to be fair, the previous letter has been scanned into Verizon's computer system. They have the letter, they just don't care.)

Have you ever gone through anything like this? How do you cope with the awesome might of transnational corporations? How can the individual hope to have his voice heard when the transnat will not admit error? How can this be resolved to my satisfaction?

Yes, I could just pay for the add — $40/month is peanuts for Custom Box — but I refuse. It's more than a matter of principle. If megacorporations can collect money because they say you owe it, where does that leave us? It's insane!

Comments
On 08 June 2005 (10:54 AM), Anthony said:
If megacorporations can collect money because they say you owe it, where does that leave us?

It leaves you paying them, I say. Or going to the poorhouse for debt gained from legal battles.

See, JD, I always oversimplify, but it seems to me that

(1.)Megacorporations push us around because they can.

(2.)Megacorporations can push us around because we need them (If we don't do their bidding, our houses will burn, our spouses will cheat, our communication lines will be cut, we will be unprepared for death— in short, megacorporations are currently protecting us from every danger and hardship known to man, all of which will instantly become reality and destroy us if we don't let the corporations run the world.)

(3.)If we didn't need them, they couldn't push us around anymore. (by way of analogy, a letter recently arrived at our house from the New York State Department of Health. It warned us that Alice, our pet mongrel, was due for her (state-required) rabies vaccination. Well. We live in Tennessee now, and Alice is dead. We put the letter in the trash and did not answer it. The point is, if I ain't gotta dog, ain't a man on earth gonna give it shots and bill me.

My (wonderfully simplistic) hypothesis is that we get to take our pick; we can live without many of the services supplied by the corporations, or we can obey the corporations.

I know of groups of people who are enjoying good food, health, recreation, and social life, and who, because they don't use phones, never get bills from Verizon or anyone else for services not requested. The never have to pay fraudulent insurance charges, because they buy no insurance. Gasoline price fluctuations affect them very little, because their horses are grass-powered. They have escaped the mega-corporation tyranny. And they are as happy to have escaped it as you would expect.

But most of us have a deep desire to be normal. And the corporations have made it very abnormal to disobey them. So here we are.

I hate big corporations too.


On 08 June 2005 (12:53 PM), Tammy said:

Well said nephew. And condolences on the loss of your mongrel.


On 08 June 2005 (01:36 PM), Johnny said:

Dear Anthony-

For the record, I have never not cheated on my spouse because of pressure from a megacorporation.

I have, however, cowered in fear in my basement and prayed for the intervention of Citigroup, General Electric and American International Group to protect me from aliens and the depredations of the government.

Just felt the need to clarify that.


On 08 June 2005 (02:08 PM), Drew said:

Complain to the BBB. If they have done this to you, they are doing it to others. Create the paper trail and hope for a class action lawsuit down the road.


On 08 June 2005 (04:41 PM), Dave said:

Pay in pennies. Or stamps. Both are legal currency and can't be refused as tender.

My rule: If you can't beat 'em, make 'em wish they'd left you alone.


On 08 June 2005 (04:51 PM), Mom said:

Your dad and I had a big problem with a huge corporation (Sears) when you kids were small and we were struggling financially. We wound up dealing ultimately with a guy that just didn't seem to have a heart. Steve finally asked him how he could sleep at night. Apparently that got to him because he did an about-face and showed a more merciful side.

In this situation above, I think you have done all you can. Alternatives are legal action, and it's not worth that, and negative publicity at our hands for Verizon, and the amount doesn't justify that. If they in their turn threaten legal action, we may need to just pay and make sure that they know in no uncertain terms how we feel about them if they ever attempt to contact us again.


On 08 June 2005 (05:41 PM), Lawyer Dave said:

Actually, postage stamps aren't legal tender in the US. Only US coins and currency are:
31 U.S.C. 5103: United States coins and currency (including Federal reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal reserve banks and national banks) are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues. Foreign gold or silver coins are not legal tender for debts.

And the downside to paying in pennies/nickels/dimes is that the postage is a b***h on $40 worth of coins.

For more monetary entertainment, see: here. This includes the $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 notes as well as the fractional paper currency issued during the Civil War.


On 08 June 2005 (06:01 PM), David said:

I suggest you check out the Fair Credit Protection Act at the FTC web site:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/fdc.htm

Can you stop a debt collector from contacting you?

You can stop a debt collector from contacting you by writing a letter to the collector telling them to stop. Once the collector receives your letter, they may not contact you again except to say there will be no further contact or to notify you that the debt collector or the creditor intends to take some specific action. Please note, however, that sending such a letter to a collector does not make the debt go away if you actually owe it. You could still be sued by the debt collector or your original creditor.


On 08 June 2005 (09:11 PM), Michael Moore said:

I think David is right on. My experience with companies that insist on billing you for things you didn't authorize is that you don't have to take any legal action against them. The Fair Credit Act allows you to notify them that you dispute the charge and will not pay it and you are subsequently protected from collection action by them, except that they can sue you.

Of course, (in my opinion) they would never sue because (presumably) they're wrong. They just have no interest in discovering that they're wrong since it's easier for them, at this point, to just keep pestering you rather than look into it. And, if they sue you, they would have to provide the recording or written authorization. So long as you refuse to be intimidated, the system is designed to protect you, I think.


On 09 June 2005 (08:23 AM), Lawyer Dave said:

Unfortunately, although the Fair Debt Collection Act is a useful tool in many circumstances, this isn't one of them. The FDCA applies to consumer debt, not to obligations allegedly incurred by businesses. From the website listed above:
"What debts are covered?
Personal, family, and household debts are covered under the Act. This includes money owed for the purchase of an automobile, for medical care, or for charge accounts."

JD's situation is neither personal, familial, or a household debt. It's a business debt.

Second, what usually happens (even in business situations) is that the alleged creditor will simply take your FDCA notice and send you a letter saying they're going to turn you over to a collections agency if you don't pay. This has a negative impact on your credit rating and most people prefer not to have that happen. Yes, the creditor cannot report false information to the credit bureau, but they believe the information is true and therefore claim that they're not reporting false information. After all, they're just reporting that they believe you owe this debt.

Once the credit reporting agency gets ahold of it, it simply stays on your credit report. Sure, you can challenge it, but what happens is that the credit agency (when they recieve a challenge), writes to the original creditor and says, "Why do you think they owe this?" The original creditor says, "Because they do and we have a note here that says that they do, otherwise we wouldn't have reported it to you." The credit agency writes back to you and says, "Gee golly, Creditor says you owe it, so we conclude it's a founded obligation and we won't remove it."

Sometimes this results in negative things for the credit agency (such as the $5.3 million verdict against TransUnion in Portland a couple of years ago and, more recently, a Portland man's $210k verdict against Equifax), but for the most part it's easier for them to simply report what they're told regardless of whether it accurate or legally justified.

I'm almost to the point with credit agencies that I'm ready to tell clients to simply file suit against an agency for reporting inaccurate information (a violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act) and seek a declaratory judgment against the agency and the original "creditor" to have a court summarily determine the validity of the "debt". This immediately puts the obligation on the creditor to prove the debt in court. If they can't, then you have a judgment saying that you owe nothing. I haven't had anyone want to put this to the test, however. A small claims action could be a pretty good way to test this on the cheap.


On 09 June 2005 (09:14 AM), jenefer said:

Now, this is a really useful blog posting. It also highlights why many businesses do such an annoying job of screening calls. We always require that callers tell us what client they are calling about so that we can "pull the file." For sales calls we always request the proposal in writing, never do anything verbal over the phone. Sometimes we even resort to hanging up. Usually putting the salesperson on hold for four or five minutes solves the problem. We will have to be even more careful about Verizon, it seems. I will notify the receptionist/phone answerer.


On 09 June 2005 (07:35 PM), soelo said:

I work for another big telco, and I would suggest one more call to Customer Service and if they refuse to adjust the bill, ask for a manager. Sometimes that manager can do things the reps can't, or will be under pressure not to have the escalation go further and decide the $300 a year is not worth the hassle. If you can't beat them, cost them $36 of their employees time each month.


On 10 June 2005 (11:40 AM), J.D. said:

Nick just pointed out this amazing article from Willamette Week: One Woman's Qwest, which covers another case of a telcom screwing somebody.


On 27 June 2005 (03:10 PM), Vanessa said:

I have some information that can help you below (I think). I'm going through the exact same thing with Verizon at the moment with my company account! They are billing me $737.73 because I closed my account with them (due to lack of service for a MONTH) and they claim that I had broken a service contract with them. What service? Where's my signature? Where's the phone recorded message saying I did? None to be had but their representative noted it so it must be so.

I don't know where you are, but my company is in NY. If you go to www.oag.state.ny.us/telecommunications/phone_billing.html, it states that if you send copies of your letter of complaint to the following agencies, by NY law they must mark your account "in dispute" and they should withhold sending your information to a collection agency, etc. Useful places to CC: Informal Complaints Branch, Federal Communications Commission 2025 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20554; Consumer Services Division NYS Department of Public Services 3 Empire State Plaza, Albany NY 12223; Bureau of Consumer Frauds and Protection, NYS Office of the Attorney General 120 Broadway, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10271.
If you are not in NY, check out your state's attorney general office's website and do a word search under telecommunications to see what you can do in your state.
Hope this helps. Good luck to you, I know I need it against these idiots!


On 27 June 2005 (08:52 PM), brandon atoch said:

I'LL TRY TO KEEP THIS ONE SHORT.I GOT MY WIRELESS
SERVICE IN FALL OF 2003.I GOT TWO PHONES.A MONTH LATER I GOT THE BILL.AND IT WAS OVER 200.00 DOLLARS.I DIDN'T EVEN PUT A ENOUGH MINUTES ON THE PHONE.TO DO THIS,THE PHONES SHOULD ONLY HAVE BEEN MAYBE A 100.00 DOLLARS.I CALL VERIZON,I GOT THE(TWO HOUR)RUN AROUND GAME.SAID I HAD PUT THIS AND ON MY SERVICE,PLUS THEY WERE JUST DOING A 45 DAY BILLING CYCLE.I JUST HAPPEN TO BE ONE OF THE CHOOSEN FEW FOR THIS.SO I HAD TO PAY THE MONEY.BUT THAT ISN'T THE END OF IT.TWO MONTH'S LATER,I DROPED IT IN A PHONE MANHOLE.BROKE IT FOR GOOD,BUT I THOUGHT I WAS THE SMART ONE,HAVING INSURANCE ON MY PHONE WHEN IT WRECKED.BUT I CALLED IT IN,AND THEY TOLD I HAD TO GET A FUCKING POLICE REPORT.THE COP SAID IT IS NOT A CRIME TO SCREW UP YOUR OWN PHONE.AND HE SAID TO GET CIVIL WITH MY PHONE COMPANY.I GOT CIVIL ALRIGHT.I CALL THEM BACK AND TOLD THEM WHAT WAS TOLD.AND THEY TOLD ME TO MAKE UP A STORY SO I COULD GET A NEW PHONE.I TRUN THEM INTO WASHINGTON STATE UTC,BUT THEY BELIVE IN THE COMPANY,AS BELIVE IN A FARIY DUSTER.I GUESS FRAUD IS HOW YOU GET AHEAD OF GAME,THESE DAY'S.SO I MOVED INTO A COUNTY WERE THEY DID NOT HAVE SERVICE,AND
THEY WERE UNHAPPY THAT THEY COULDN'T GET THE 300.00 DOLLARS OUT OF ME FOR ONE PHONE TO DO EARLY CANCLATION.I TOLD THEM I'LL GO THROUGH THEM AGAIN WHEN A SHRIMP'N'BOAT CAPTIN.NO ONE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO HAVE CHANCE WITH SUCH A OUTSTANDING COMPANY AS VERZION,THE A-HOLES THAT NEVER STOP WORKING FOR YOU.


On 29 June 2005 (11:23 AM), Dixie said:

Verizion has done it to me too. I had phone service for 2 weeks and found a better deal. I canceled verizion and received a bill for $354.00. I couldn't beleive it. I called customer service, had all but $96.00 removed from the bill. I paid the $96.00 and 6 months later a collection company calls for the (You got it). I paid this again to keep it off my credit report. 6 months later Verizion sends me a check for $96.00. Today this is on my credit report as if I owe them and never paid. I disputed it. The dispute came back REMAINS on Record. This one little thing dropped my score 267 points. I have spent many hours on this and do not know what to do next.. ANY IDEAS?


On 22 July 2005 (06:38 PM), Rather not said:

I "think" I signed a advertising contract with the local yellow pages.

The balance due is > $11,000.

I have taken ill (Found out I have a terminal illness 2 yr ago) and I have no idea what year this ad might have taken place. I do remember there was a ad we had that had a mistake and we wENT into a "Dispute Mode" Wrong address etc.

I assume this is the account the creditors now seek funds for.

I am in Florida and I am worried the creditors are after my car and my RV.

I just got a letter today 7-22-05 they we going to take action (sue me).

I did not know I could be sued for a intangables and I am still not sure if I will be served.

I learned the hard way to NEVER IGNOR a debt. Not just the obvious reasons, your credit rating etc but for a experiance I had as a younger lad.

When I was in my 20's I wanted to buy a new car. I found a new 1979 (note the year) Ford Thunderbird. The dealer told me I would need to place 1,000 down and I could take delivery the same day. In retrospect my eyes were bigger than my wallet.

I went to my local bank and took out a personal loan for $1,000 (note the amount)

I bought the car and for various reasons found I could no longer aford it.

I did not finish paying off the $1,000 I borrowed for the down payment either.

The car got repossesed and I assumed that was the end of it.

9 1/2 yes NINE and ONE HALF Years later I answered the door and greeted two sherrifs and one tow truck driver.

That year I started doing well in a business I started and had a different car parked in the front yard paid in full.

I got handed some papers and the tow truck picked up my car.

The papers said that I took out a loan for $1,000 9 1/2 years ago at 18% interest and in order to regain my car they towed away I must pay a county collector $3,600. [Loan plus 18% over 9.5 yrs plus]

Although it was not the same car I had no choice but to forfit the car or pay the amount in full in order to get my car back. The $3,600 was well below blue book on the car so I elected to pay the debt in full and retrieve my car.

In essence this collection company harassed me year after year. They kept calling and I never had the money. A couple years went by and I never herd from them again. I assumed they just gave up.
Nope, they were just waiting for me to obtain (title or register) something of value that they could go after.

They had obtained a "Writ of Execution" after obtaining a judgement against me. Judgements are good for ten years.

They waited until the last moment to grab my assets and therefore got top dollar in interest.

The moral of my story is obvious, always answer a court summons despite you may be very broke at the time the summons arrives. My thought was you cant get blood out of a turnip.

Now I know better. This turnip got eaten up when the blood was fresh and best.

Likewise I feel this is the strategy being used by the collection agency the yellow pages has tunred this debt over to.

I was awarded a rather nice sum when I got my social security (disability age 47) and I went out and bought a RV and a newer car. But that was three years ago.

This yellow page ad had to have been before 1998 or 1999.

It appears to me the collection agency is going after me all over again however this time for a business debt. A debt that as in dispute and never resolved.

Onviously that is besides the point, I assume once the collection agency has it there is not much I can do but go before the judge "THIS TIME" let the judge know my financial condition, my health that there was a dispute/claim and if in deed this is what I am being sued for to see if the judge will allow me to pay off the debt over time. When your on Social Security your not in a position to come up with those type of funds.

Maybe it is my imagination but I get a feeling when a debt is subtatial that they purposly allow the interest to pile up.

From my understading the debt is sold to the collection agency for a percent 5, 10 maybe 20 Then the collection agency OWNS the debt. The Yellow Pages marks it as a loss.

It is in the collection agencys best interest to lurk and wait until your near the end of the statute of limitations to act. In theory had I not aquired assets they could obtain a judgement and lurk 10 more years and move in for the kill.

The interest rate was likely high back in 1998. Imagine what they will hit me up for $11,000 @ 12 to 18% or more a year plus cost etc.

I am going to send a certified letter to the attorney representing the collection agency denying the debt and hopefully they will be able to produce a signed contract so I know what I signed and the terms.

I don't know the statuates for a debt itself (how long they have to file a judgement) however as you can tell I am aware of how long a judgement can be enforced.

In my wildest dreams I never thought anyone (except IRS) could take away a fully paid off car that had nothing to do with the origonal financing but now I know better.

Oh Lord, I hope they can't obtain a judgement and a writ without my knowledge, otherwise I will see a repeat with my RV and or car?

Learned the hard way and still learning...


On 22 July 2005 (07:03 PM), rather not said:

I did the prior post about the Judgements and Writs.

When I ran across this (old 2004 post) I could not help but remind myself of the first poster that got hit with a $37 a month ad that he did not order. Form what this gent says that was common for Verison to AD SLAM!
====================================

Yellow Page Advertisers - Read This! As a former employee of Verizon Information Systems (VIS or Verizon Directories; former GTE), I have just about seen and heard everything. Customer satisfaction and integrity are the backbone of any company. VIS seriously lacks this with its customers as well as its own employees. They care about one thing only: MONEY. Many a time have I seen customer service choose not to give an adjustment to a business owner’s ad that was wrong. There have been times when I thought that the mistake was great enough to warrant a 100% adjustment, only to see customer service warrant a 50% adjustment – and it looked like a 1st grader drew up the ad. Naturally, the business owner refused to pay for the ad. And there were times that I had to get involved to make sure the right thing was done for the business owner. Isn’t this the job of customer service? And when someone refuses to pay for an ad & Verizon is the phone carrier, watch out! They can cut off the phone service. Billing for the ad usually goes on that business’ monthly phone bill. When this happens, the monies that are paid by the business owner go to the phone company side first. Any remaining monies then goes toward the unpaid balance of the yellow page advertising. Usually, the business owner is pissed about the ad & only pays for the phone bill and the advertising balance goes delinquent. The account (at VIS) is then flagged so that the business cannot advertise on that phone number until the balance is paid. Usually, it goes to collections and then reflects negatively on that business’ credit. There were times when all of this probably could have been avoided if customer service would have done their job - which is looking out for the customer instead of looking out for the company itself. If Verizon is not your local carrier then they cannot have your service shut off if you do not pay your bill. All they can do is send it to collections. The business name and number is still flagged in their (VIS) system so that future advertising cannot be done. One way some business owners would get around a delinquent account is to advertise on a cell phone & change the business name that is being advertised. Some business owners would have the billing sent to a bogus address and get out of paying altogether. Sometimes, business owners would get lucky & get a rep that didn’t care about policy & would place advertising under several different phone numbers & business names. In order to cancel an advertising contract, you must do so within 14 days of signing the contract. Verizon will not budge on this. We were instructed that under no circumstances were we to let someone cancel after 14 days and/or after the first close date of the directory. After doing this for years, I could tell when someone was lying and when someone had a legitimate reason to cancel. Verizon did not care what the reason was – if we let someone cancel past a deadline, we got ripped up one side and down another – from our own manger, from her manager (the GM) and sometimes from the regional vice president (RVP), which is who the GM reports to. And this is where the old 80’s style of management – FEAR – came into effect. The only time that we could cancel something after a deadline was if the business owner threatened to go to the RVP. Or further up the ladder. I have also heard reps flat out lie: guaranteeing a certain amount of calls each month from an ad, how much money will be made off of the ad, the numbers in a particular industry (auto repair, for example) and how many references are made each month from the yellow pages for that industry and being able to cancel an ad at any time (lying about deadlines). You used to be able to check the closing of a directory by looking on-line at verizon.superpages.com/prodserv/Dirsel.jsp. You can then look at each state, and then all of the directories for that state. If you are going to purchase yellow page advertising, here are some tips: 1) Try to advertise in an area where there is not half a dozen directories or so. This is easier said than done. The fewer the directories, the better chance you have on return on investment (ROI). 2) Utility directories (Verizon, SBC, PAC BELL, ALLTEL, etc.) cost more than independent publishers. Don’t be afraid to save some money and go with a reputable independent (TransWestern, Area Wide are two in the southwest). I highly suggest this if this is your first time to advertise in the yellow pages. 3) Here is a safe way to get an idea of what you can afford & what to expect from a DISPLAY ad: from top to bottom, figure out the average dollar amount that a customer would spend with you (your most popular service or item). Now, take that dollar amount & compare it to the monthly investment of your program: if the program is $100/mo, and the average customer worth is $50, you would need 2 SALES per month to break even (4 for a 200% ROI). If it takes you 2 CALLS to get a sale, you would need 8 CALLS per month for a 200% ROI. Don’t let the sales rep confuse you between sales & calls per month. The next thing to consider is the size of the ad & the size your competition is doing. Will this sized display ad get you close enough to the front to get you the required number of calls each month? Display ads are placed by size & seniority. Keep in mind that there is a SMALL percentage of the population that are frugal with their money: they think that a large, full color ad will have a higher cost for a good/service than the smaller ad at the back of the pack. Don’t base your advertising campaign on this, though. 4) Keep this in mind: there can only be two half-page ads on one page and there might be eight small ads on another page. My point is if you go with a small ad, chances are there will be many other small ads on that same page. To get more calls, you should have color in the ad to make it stand out from all of the other small ads. If you went with a three quarter page ad, well, no other display ads can probably fit on that page, and you can probably save some money by not having color in it. Color is an enhancement – use it when you need to. 5) In-column ads are placed alphabetically (these are the small boxed ads & vary in height). If your business name starts with an “A” or “B”, but your sales rep is pushing you towards a large display ad program that has a high monthly investment, consider doing an in-column ad with color - sometimes the in-column ads will start before the display ads. If your business name starts with an “S”, your ad will be in the back with the other businesses that start with the letter “S”. You might want to consider a display ad. 6) Overall, display advertising is the best way to go. But consider all of the facts before deciding on a display ad over in-column; also consider having color in it, what your competition is doing and what your ROI is. 7) Shop around for rates & call the advertisers from the directory that you are considering going in. But I might not call those that are in the same line of work – they might lie to you so that you won’t come in on their market! 8) NEVER, EVER LET ANYONE GAUARANTEE YOU WHERE A DISPLAY AD WILL FALL! THEY ARE PLACED BY SIZE AND SENIORITY; IT IS PURE SPECULATION WHRE YOUR AD WILL FALL VERSUS THOSE WHO RENEWED THEIR ADS FROM LAST YEAR AND ANY NEW ADS PLACED BEFORE YOU PLACED YOURS! TWO ADS OF THE SAME SIZE, WITH CONTRACTS SIGNED ON THE SAME DAY, WILL BOIL DOWN TO THE TIME STAMP ON THEM! EVEN IF YOU TAKE THE GAURANTEE AND PISS AND MOAN UP THE CORPORATE LADDER ABOUT WHAT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GET, NOTHING WILL BE DONE! 9) If it’s your first time to advertise, ask about discounts. With independents, you can usually get a buy one get one free, or at least a free ad that is half the size of the paid ad. With a utility directory, there are usually discounts for being a new advertiser, discounts for certain headings, discounts for having one or more colors in an ad, etc. The following year, if you renew, you can usually get some incentive (free ad or a discount) for upgrading the ad program. 10) If advertising with an independent, you will have to put down a deposit. Most utility directories don’t ask for a down payment. With a utility directory, most businesses get a line a credit; if your ad program is more than your line of credit, they WILL do a credit check! If the credit check shows something bad, you might have your credit limit lowered, you might have to put a portion down or you might have to prepay for the whole year! As for the employees, well, we were managed by fear. Rewards too, but plenty of fear. We worked on budgets (for example, to sell $100/month of new advertising each day) and there has been numerous, numerous times that reps have written fake contracts & have had fake ads drawn up so that they could make their budget for the two week pay period. New reps, veteran reps, reps with families, have done this. It was rampant. There is one small directory in southern part of the U.S. where over half of the yellow page ads were bad. This was usually done by purchasing a pre-paid cell phone & using the number on the contracts. Policies for the employees were not followed verbatim day by day. Writing fake contracts is grounds for immediate termination; some were fired right then and some were given the benefit of the doubt three or four times. Management does not police themselves. They do not hold themselves accountable for anything. Towards the end of last year, from what I understand, the company offered an employment buy-out of all employees. It ranged, I was told, from $15-$30,000, depending on the tenure/position and any benefits/retirement plans available. This started in the Northeast (former Bell Atlantic) when the union had some grievances; mediation sided with the employees. I was told that this was initially started with the telephone company side, and that when the judgment was made, Verizon decided that it should offer it company wide to keep things fair. I guess if one part was offered this and the other wasn’t, then it would be an HR nightmare. As far as I know, still to this day, the former Bell Atlantic is still union and former GTE is not union. Would a solid company have half union and half non-union?

- Friday, February 06, 2004 at 18:10:13 (EST)


On 13 August 2005 (05:42 AM), Virginia said:

Never get angry... just get even. I contact every govt agency including the SEC about how Verizon sucks. I blog regularly on the same theme. One NYC organization I belong to even has a Verizon VP assigned to them because everyone complained consistently and often.

Megacorps suck and the only way we mosquitoes can get to them is to bite them hard, often and where it hurts the most - their stock price.

Contact your local press... organize a press/blog/buzz campaign.

Verizon sucks


On 21 August 2005 (03:47 PM), JON C. said:

Verizon Wireless Services, is a division of Verizon who currently provides Cellular Services to millions of people throughout the United States. It has been known to be one of the WORST Cellular providers in the nation and really doesn’t care about its customers because they believes if they could make a buck providing horrible services the executives will get paid. Verizon also is known to make false, misleading representation on how good they are. Its time we fight back and do something about it now before it is too late and Verizon scam some other innocent person.

August 21, 2005 - Have you ever owed a bill to Verizon Wireless for services not received, not up to perfection or for something, an associate at Verizon said you would not be charged for? If you answered yes then please rest assured that you are not alone. Millions of people throughout the United States have complained that VERIZON WIRELESS has overcharged them, ripped them off and have made up charges for services they did not receive. One advocate by the name of Jon is fighting back via the internet and has just launched the newest website to hit the World Wide Web - VerizonWirelessEatspoop.com

After dealing with MANY Associates at Verizon Wireless, Elizabeth Sturgis from Verizon Wireless Executive offices he is encouraging everyone to fight back by doing the following:

(1) If you do NOT have any services through VERIZON do not join them, your better off going to another service provider like Cingular Wireless, TMOBILE or Sprint/Nextel

(2) If you are experiencing any billing issues With VERIZON WIRELESS IMMEDIATELY Contact the Federal Communications Commission via their website or via mail and complain about them.

(3) File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau

(4) Contact your Attorney generals office

--- MOST IMPORTANTLY LOGON TO OUR WEBSITE AND FIGHT BACK NOW!!!!
http://www.VerizonWirelessEatspoop.com[


On 04 September 2005 (08:48 AM), American said:

Check out Verrizon's new scam on their web site. Here is what they're promoting
"Unlimited IN Calling AND Night & Weekend Home Airtime Minutes". The term "Unlimited IN Calling" is used here to mislead people to believe that they can receive calls for free when in fact it just only free when calls are placed between Verrizon's customer.

Their Customer support representative are rude and not professional. Their phone only work in America and only on their network (another reason to get you stuck with their service). Once they got you as a customer they don't care about the service. All the promotion are only available to new customer.

The image of corporate American are full of cheat, lie, and greed. This is typical behavior of corporate America. This trend is not going to stop any time soon so get use to it.


On 04 September 2005 (09:08 AM), Michel said:

I found this post from Michel and would like to report it. Apparently, even within Verizon network it may not be free at all.
--------------------------------------------------
Verizon wireless is the WORST cell phone company ever! Our cell representative talked us into using the "in" plan and getting our family around the country to sign up w/ contracts. Then, over a year later (after lots of overage fees) we find out non of our family was "in" because they were not in our calling area!

My mother calls me at least everday, sometimes 3 times and it was using my minutes! My bill was $487 last month! So, we called Verizon and the rep told us "that was our own problem". We tried to discuss our options, and he told us we were "out of contract, so cancel if we like." So we canceled the next day.

Now Verizon is billing us early termination fees! Their customer service is soooo screwed up!

Our contract we signed was a one year and it ended June 11, 2005. Now they are trying to tell us because we added "in" calling in July 2004, that it automatically extends our contract w/out us knowing. Then, I changed from National calling to local (since I stopped traveling) in November 2004 and now they are trying to tell me that because I made a change to my plan, it re-extended my plan a year from that date! I asked them to show me the signed contract and they said that since I used the phone after switching the plan, that is considered a digital signature and that they sent me a package (which I never received) after the fact that told me a change in plan extends my contract! That is crap!

I changed my plan minutes/coverage every few months with my old providers and it never changed my contract? Since when can a company extend a contract w/out consent of the customer?

Also, why did the rep tell us we were out of contract and to cancel??? We will never figure out these large companies. And the worst part is you are helpless! They can put it on your credit and you can't do anything about it!

Michel
Maitland, Florida
U.S.A.


On 10 October 2005 (05:02 PM), JON C. said:

Thanks for all!:) yeah i know verizon is getting worse. wait till they complete the merger between Verizon & MCI *URGH*

http://www.VerizonMCIsucks.com


On 10 October 2005 (05:10 PM), JON C. said:

Hey Michel & American can you please post this on my website.....??? I want to tell more of the world how bad Verizon is. Also do you mind me advertising what you both said on my site also.?
I did do a press release but anyways.

Thanks


On this day at foldedspace.org

2007 — My Comic Book Conundrum   In which I cannot decide how to collect my comics.

2004 — I Am Interviewed By Toto The Cat   In which I am interviewed by Toto the cat.


Comments
On 09 November 2005 (11:30 AM), jec said:

Verizon Wireless: America's WOST Unreliable wireless network -

Thousands of people a day report that Verizon Wireless is scamming its customers and doing illegal activity.

Maybe Verizon is up to the same tricks as other big companies committing fraud??
Do you have a Cellular phone with another provider and looking to switch? You might as well NOT even go close To switching to Verizon Wireless unless you have a thousand dollars, a good lawyer and want your credit destroyed.

Verizon Wireless has been providing customers with horrible service and making people pay outrages fees for Services they have not asked for or even ordered. According to many reliable sources Verizon associates are trained To LIE, Mislead and rip off its customers.

If you’re with Verizon right now and want to switch to a MORE RELIABLE SERVICE PROVIDER you might as well As stick with VERIZON at least for the time being. This giant corporation has been will turn around and placing negative and derogatory remarks on peoples credit report and then not remove it under Any circumstances even if your found NOT GUILTY Of such charges.. MR Scharnikow from the executive relations department at Verizon Wireless even came out and said that even they are in the business of assisting "WEALTHY PEOPLE" and that if an account is charges off it will reflect on that Persons credit report even if the amount is $1.00. Mr. Scharnikow even admitted that Verizon Wireless wont even discuss payment arrangements because that is not their reasonability Elizabeth Sturgis another representative with the executive relations department is just as rude as all of the other associates. Mrs. Sturgis has even threatened to press harassment charges against one Jacksonville, FL resident because he has Contacted VERIZON FOR A LEGIT COMPLAINT. “If you contact us one more time we will press harassment charges against you” she said.

If your looking for a JOB with this giant company you wont actually be speaking to a REAL RECUITER at Verizon Wireless when they call – they actually outsource their
hiring department to a company by the name of “National Recruitment center” who of course have NO PRIOR Management or Human resources skills. They actually work at a call center that is managed by ordinary people like you and I.

If you’re having problems with Verizon we encourage you to visit a NEW ANTI VERIZON WEBSITE. On this new And improved website you’re now able to purchase official "VERIZON STILL SUCKS T-SHIRTS" Please visit the following website
for more information or to file your complaint

http://www.VerizonStillSucks.com


On 06 December 2005 (02:34 PM), Houftie said:

I've had some of the worst experiences with Verizon than you could imagine. That's why I made my site about Verizon, some place everyone can post their compaints about this company and learn the truth.


On 12 December 2005 (08:47 AM), bd said:

Yet another reason verizon sucks: It is now December. I moved in August. I am still receiving bills from Verizon and I have been on hold for over 11/2 hours with Verizon billing this morning waiting to get someone who is willing to deal with the problem.

bd


On 22 December 2005 (10:19 AM), Dr. Tom Hudson said:

I have made it a mission to tell people of just how REALLY BAD Verizon is! Despite documented evidence of paid credit card receipts for "webpay", Verizon continues to bill me for these same months! If you are hearing impaired, then you will not receive the "free" advertised wireless phone - you buy your own. I you want to take Verizon to small claims court in your jurisdiction, Verizon corporate will not provide you with a name for service, as required, in your city. Verizon will double bill you, proceed with collections, note your credit reports, and will not respond to your letters. FCC is useless as well and the State Attorney General for WA. is also a joke. In short - good luck and "I don't hear you"


On 24 January 2006 (10:47 AM), laila said:

URGENT URGENT URGENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My heart goes to the people who have been ripped off by Bank Of America and their Employees

I can not explain in right words what Bank of America has done to me
They have ruined my life; this Bank is full of CIRMINALS. Employees are looting, and those! BIG SHOTS are just watching and doing nothing.
We the people who put our trust in them to protect our valuables.
“WHAT A SHAME” Please raise your voice and join me. I will be holding Press Conference within two weeks. Send me your Email for the date and time.

Please go to my website for details regarding Bank of America!!!!!!!!!

www.bankofamericaextortioninsidejob.com
lailasltn@yahoo.com

Thank You


On 01 February 2006 (07:07 PM), Erin hates Verizon said:

I had a yellowpage advertisement with verizon that sent me zero new customers; so I was waiting for the advertiement to finish out its term of one year. But, come January I am told that I am responsible for another year of advertising as the contract is indefinite and that I was sent a renewal notice telling me of this indefinite renewal (never received).
customer service is a joke! when you look to them to resolve this, even after they admit that the "renewal" letter was sent to the wrong address, they reply that their hands are tied. I guess mine are too if I have to keep paying this stupid bill.

How can a contract go on for over a year without anything in writing? When you ask verizon this, they mention some junk about 3rd party verification. third party verification of what? A contract for the rest of my life! How can this be legal? Where can I dispute this? Help


On 09 February 2006 (07:40 AM), Shelly Mender said:

Yes..Verizon does suck !!I beleive their customer service people purposely put you on hold for long periods of time just to run your tit through the wringer so to speak with the hope that you will give up.


On 09 February 2006 (07:41 AM), Shelly Mender said:

Yes..Verizon does suck !!I beleive their customer service people purposely put you on hold for long periods of time just to run your tit through the wringer so to speak with the hope that you will give up.


On 24 February 2006 (08:22 PM), ex yellow rep said:

Verizon does suck-they harken back to the days of Ma Bell-they're bread and butter comes from phone lines-not from ads-so what do they care?? A long while back I worked for Tranwestern Publishing-one of the books I represted was an "overscope" book (one that cover more area than Verizon) I was appalled at the prices that Verizon was commanding from their customers. A good advertising rep should inform their customers that being in every yellow page publication in the area is the best idea for getting the most return for their investment. Hell, you never know which book a potential customer is going to open. Our book covered 8 different Verizon books -ridiculous in the area I live in. Many businesses were paying the same price for simple listings in Verizon that would allow them a sizeable ad in any of the local independants(thus garnering more calls) They could not possibly be getting any return on the money they spent with Verizon-ridiculous considering that ads should in essence pay for themselves and then some. I would highly suggest that anyone looking for yellow page advertising to enlist an established independant. (Transwestern, Yellowbook, Easybook, Talking Yellow Pages) The coverage is often much better and the prices much lower (based on return). Most offer one year only contracts that allow you to try it out without making a longterm commitment. Plus independants have more to loose with poor customer service. Some like Yellowbook make customer serive a top priority. (disclaimer I haven't sold yellow pages in a while, but this what I hear from people still in the industry).......


On 08 March 2006 (06:16 PM), vince weathermon said:

Wow; happened to find your post about your yellowpage snafu; please feel free to post on my site "Screwed By Your Yellow Pages Forum" because I'm hopping mad about being ignored AND charged.


On 12 April 2006 (04:36 PM), Mark said:

Verizon SUUUUCKS

I called on 3/29/06 to sign up for DSL service. They said that a DSL modem would be sent within a week. I called on 4/5/06 to check on the status of the delivery. I was told that I will receive the modem on Thursday 4/6 or Friday 4/7.I called on 4/10/06 to check on the status of my delivery and was told that my modem was delivered on 4/4. I hung up the phone and called the gatehouse at my condo and, of course, it wasn’t there. The manager at the gatehouse had never heard of the name I was given for the person that signed for the package. I called Verizon back and I was told I was being transferred to Teleproducts. I was given a number in case I was disconnected. I was then transferred to the same number that I had just called. I tried called the different number that I was given and it went to the same automated phone tree.
I waited to speak with another Verizon rep. I was given a different number this time. I called the new number and it was Teleproducts! Oh joy, they were closed! I was able to use the automated phone tree to find my UPS tracking number though. I checked my order status at the UPS website. To my surprise, I saw that my package HAD been delivered…back to the warehouse in the wrong state. I called Verizon to relay that my delivery had gone back to the warehouse and not to my home and arranged to have a new modem sent. I wasted 40 minutes on the phone to sort out Verizon’s problem for them. They thought that I had received my modem. I asked for compensation for the time that I had spent on the phone and the time that I don’t have my modem. I was told that I would need to call billing, which had closed while I was on the phone straightening out the delivery situation. On 4/11/06 I spoke with a person at Verizon Billing and was told that I would receive a 2 week credit on my next bill in the amount of $16. Wow, my time is cheap. I called Verizon on 4/12/06 and I was given a new UPS tracking number and told my page was in transit. I checked the number and this delivery was made to the wrong state too. It showed my package as “delivered”. It was a different state than the first delivery. Verizon is getting closer! Maybe they will get it to me eventually through process of elimination. After being on the phone for 30 minutes I was told that I would need to place the order again by calling Verizon back and asking for Teleproducts. Oh, them again. I called back and Teleproducts was not an option on the phone tree. I tried to select orders, new and equipment but the voice recognition program would not understand the work equipment. I was connected with tech support instead. I asked to speak with a supervisor. After explaining my situation and spending 20 minutes on the phone he told me that he couldn’t help me. I would need to call back between 9-5pm and speak with Teleproducts. I spent 1 more hour on the phone with Verizon tonight.


On 26 April 2006 (12:39 PM), David said:

Verizon sucks. No doubt about it. We moved our business to a new location, verizon assured us that DSL would be up and running, one month later we still had no internet service. Talk about a company with absolutely no accountability, they are a bunch of mid level paper pushers and liars whose jobs will soon be sent to India. No one was able to do anything, they gave false names, when we called back they said no such person worked there. Recently our entire organization had their email blocked because we were whitelisted by verizon as being spammers. We are not, we are a charity, we advertise via fax, (you can do that when you are a charity, it's legal) No notice, not even an email that we would be suspended. Time until review; aproximately six months, to even have the matter reviewed. Needless to say as soon as a viable alternative is available, we will not be using verizon.


On 04 May 2006 (06:38 PM), Gizz Master Zero said:

verizon does suck i had it and they fucked with me and i had to pay large bills and shizzle yo ne way they suck


On 14 May 2006 (07:01 AM), Nick said:

I got 2 RAZR's from VZ and one of the phone does not charge. I changed batteries and chargers and nothing works. Had to go to VZ 3 times so they could run the tests. They dont use their brains and run all tests when you leave the phone for testing. After day one they gave me a new battery. Day 2 they gave me a new charger. Day three they want me to buy a new phone. The phone is under warranty and they still will not replace the phone. They treat you like idiots, how many hours did you charge the phone, was it plugged in properly, why did you leave it overnight, overcharging kills the battery, we gave you a new battery. I think that the customer service people are taught to treat customers as people who just came over the ice ages. Customer are dumb and treat them in that way. One manager was nice and we got talking and he carries a TMOBILE for his family. Imagine that, you work of VZ but dont trust them for your family.


On 17 May 2006 (01:39 PM), Jonathan said:

I just wanted to take a moment to give my scenario with Verizon Yellow pages.

After signing for Advertising for a full page of advertising in their book. They guaranteed me a copy Proof to verify that I had everything I wanted in the advertising.

They didn't provide it and when the book came out Some of the information was incorrect and stated that we not only provided services that we do not, but also that we were a particular reseller that we are not.

After spending WEEKS trying to get a straight answer I finally resorted to Legal action. My attn. Sent them a letter disputing the information saying too bad so sad.

So the moral of the story is that you owe the money and too bad that we messed it up.

What can you do in a situation like this?

Feel free to drop me a line @ Jduggan@1stcallcc.com


On 12 June 2006 (02:06 PM), Scott said:

Verizon... Can you hear me now?

no no no...

Verizon... Can you hear us now? Yea, that's the sound of us fucking you over!

ahh, the new catch phrase. I really hate this damn company and will never do business with them again. I have a no roaming plan seeing as how I seem to move every few years. Lived in Florida, Tenn., New Hampshire and now North Carolina. So I've lived in NC for a few months and got a bill saying I owed 700 plus dollars for roaming. Excuse me? I have a national plan that inculdes roaming. I have never been billed a roaming charge in 4 years. Why now?

Well, of course I've spent everyday of the last two months contemplating how i can persuade osama bin laden to destroy the verizon headquarters next time and talking on the phone with their apparently mentaly handicapped employees. Nothing, matter of a fact, I have been told many different reasons why my bill was so high. reasons different than the ones that are on my statement. So do they really know? Or do they just randomly charge people money and that day just happened to be my turn? Long story short... I have gotten nowhere.

RESPONSE TO THE TALK TO THE MANAGER COMMENT

No, that doesn't work. Even the supervisor told me that it was my fault. Supervisors are just their to back the lower employee up. There is no checks and balances at verizon. I have talked to a lawyer and they basically said I am screwed. So the only choice is to keep complaining which is futile.

My ex-girlfriend works for verizon in the collections dept and she doesn't use a verizon phone. Why? because she says the customer service is complete crap. They give her a discount on phone service and she doesn't use it. That is saying something about the #2 cell phone company.

Verizon opperates as verizon but their real name is Cellco.

Mr Ivan G Seidenberg
Verizon Communications, Inc Chairman & CEO
1095 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036

ivan.g.seidenberg@verizon.com

complain away


On 24 June 2006 (09:34 AM), Rob said:

I just received my latest Verizon Business telephone bill with a new$5.50 monthly charge ($66/yr) for advertising in my local directory (I'm in Southern California). I ALWAYS tell solicitors of advertising that I'm not interested, so there is no way I authorized this. My guess is these Verizon weasels add minor advertising charges like this assuming it isn't worth our time to fight the charges. But I'm one of those guys who will fight to the end to make a point (which, admittedly, makes my life more difficult). But reading the above, it's scary to think they could threaten dinging my credit as a strong-arm tactic... Is it worth the fight? How do you arrange a Verizon Class Action Suit? Anyone else have totally unauthorized Verizon Directories Corp charges?


On 28 June 2006 (06:55 AM), Jay said:

As you can see, the Verizon reps could care less. I have had the same problems many of you have had. Here's a tip. Everytime you have to call them get a $50-$100 credit for your time. I have free service for months plus a $100 credit. Let them laugh - who cares? - because now they're paying you! Also, Verizon is a regulated company. So, file a complaint with your state's telephone commission. That really gets their attention. After playing their games for a while, I filed a comlaint with the state and told Verizon about it. I had Verizon people fix my problem within 1/2 hour after that, including a tech coming to personally see me (within that 1/2 hour) who told me how bad Verizon really is, and he gave me his cell phone number for any future problems. My own personal "Verizon Bitch" - PERFECT. Of course they suck. They have a$$h@les working there who don't care. "Ohh...we screwed up and you don't have phone service.....ha ha ha......wait another month.....ha ha ha....and by the way......because your pissed at our incompetence we're going to screw up your service more....ha ha ha........ hey BillyBob this guy's pissed.....watch this, I'm really going get him going.....ha ha ha....... ." GET MONEY EACH TIME YOU CALL AND FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE STATE (then get cable or VOIP).


On 29 June 2006 (08:23 AM), E Jones said:

I have had Verizon DSL for forever and decided to upgrade to FiOS this month. Verizon not only cancelled my DSL immediately upon ordering the upgrade, but they cancelled the FiOS order and never set up an install date. When I tried to get my DSL turned back on in the interim (as it is supposed to be a seamless, undisrupted process), I was told I couldn't for any multitude of reasons. I am now completely without Internet service, they told me I would have to pay for an interim dial-up line (which isn't fast enough for the web work I do anyway), and I have no other options because Comcast isn't in my area yet. I have spent hours and hours, talked to fifteen different representatives and supervisors, and in the end, some high-up officially rejected my pleas, saying I had cancelled the DSL myself, decided I wanted it back, and it was not Verizon's error. The official words used in my account report were "customer had a change of heart--not Verizon's mistake". I have never been so furious, not to mention losing so much work and business because I work from home. Am doing the usual--letters to corporate, BBB, state... but just so furious that they could do something like this and I have no way to fix it.


On 05 July 2006 (10:16 AM), DT said:

My dad had a business with a yellow pages ad through Verizon. He retired, and canceled the ad. He was still charge for another year of advertising. ($697) Financally, he is not well off, so he moved in with me. He was in Verizon's collections before he moved in, and when he moved in with me, they added MY name to his collection letters! Yes - I have a phone and the only phone service is Verizon. Of course, that's were they got my name, but holy cow! I had absolutely nothing to do with his business. He just lives with me now.

So I called up the collections agency to have my name removed from their records. THEY erroneously put me on their records, but they want ME to prove to them that I have nothing to do with my dad's business. At least I'm not the only person who thinks Verizon Sucks.


On 05 July 2006 (10:18 AM), DT said:

My dad had a business with a yellow pages ad through Verizon. He retired, and canceled the ad. He was still charge for another year of advertising. ($697) Financally, he is not well off, so he moved in with me. He was in Verizon's collections before he moved in, and when he moved in with me, they added MY name to his collection letters! Yes - I have a phone and the only phone service is Verizon. Of course, that's were they got my name, but holy cow! I had absolutely nothing to do with his business. He just lives with me now.

So I called up the collections agency to have my name removed from their records. THEY erroneously put me on their records, but they want ME to prove to them that I have nothing to do with my dad's business. At least I'm not the only person who thinks Verizon Sucks.


On 13 July 2006 (09:52 AM), Terri said:

I've had many problems throughout the years with Verizon. Unfortunately they are the only local provider in my area. I use another long distance carrier because I detest Verizon. I've found that they only respond to one thing.I've written them many letters with copies to my attorney and reported them to consumer affairs, better business bureau etc etc.............. WRITE A LETTER TO THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION (PUC). The PUC will fine them.


On 14 July 2006 (09:50 PM), Spike said:

I hate Verizon. Last February I went into a Verizon store to buy 3 new phones. We have the family plan and I wanted to upgrade our crappy phones. The jerk working there told me I didn't qualify for their special deals. I told him I didn't care about their deals, I just wanted to get 3 new phones. He kept telling me I couldn't buy 3 new phones. (This guy obviously rode the short bus to school). I had my 2 kids with me and was getting upset because I wanted to buy the phones and was willing to pay full price, not the stupid special deal where you buy one crappy phone and get 2 crappy ones free. After arguing with this idiot I asked him how long I had left on my plan. He looked me up and said my plan was up but that he would work with me on getting the 3 phones at the special rate. I was so pissed at this point that I walked out of the store with my kids and went to cingular. At Cingular I purchased a family plan and 3 new phones. This is just the beginning of my sad tale. You probably guessed what happened next. When I got home from the Cingular store I decided to call Verizon and find out for sure if my plan was up. I found out that I had 3 more months and that Verizon would be sending me a bill for 750.00 for early termination of my account BUT if I came back to Verizon within a week or so I would not have to pay the termination fee. DUH. I immediatley went to the Cingular store where I bought the phones and plan, told them what happened. They were so nice. They canceled my new plan with them and took back the sweet phones. Back to Verizon hell.....So, we signed back with verizon and I thought everything was ok. NOT SO. Within 3 days I had a bill for over 800.00. I called Verizon and explained what I had done and how I had signed back up. (By the way, signing back up locked me into an additional 2 years of Verizon hell). The verizon employee explained that everything was fine, all had been taken care of. She assured me that she took the 800.00 off and I would get no more bills. I don't want to bore anyone but this went on for 3 months. The bill would come, I would call, they would lie. (Did I mention that when I had to sign back up they also charged a 25.00 reactivation fee per phone). Ok, like I stated above this went on and on for several months. I finally filed a report with the better business bureau.(This was of no help). I went to different Verizon stores in person. This only made things worse. Finally I found some corporate numbers somewhere on the internet and called. I happened to get a real human located in the US who spoke English. He apologized and said he took care of the problem. I didn't really believe him because they all said this but he actually cleared it up.

Well, almost. I kept getting bills with a 4.00 credit. I ignored them and they finally went away. I have no idea whatever happened to my 4.00 credit, I never got a refund check.

I hate them and am counting the days until I can dump them. I actually get physically ill when I have to go into a Verizon store now.


On 16 July 2006 (07:14 PM), Patti said:

Hate Verizon - let me count the ways! Two years ago I decided to move from a modem to DSL and had received advertisements weekly from Verizon. I called and made an appointment to sign up when I would be on vacation. Modem and Installation disc arrived promptly - so far so good. When the day came to install my husband and I spent an entire evening trying to get connected but were unsuccessful. The next day spent about three hours waiting for customer service (?) on hold and being passed around and around. They told us that our computer lacked Ethernet even though it was a brand new computer. After checking with Best Buy who told us we did have Ethernet, we called Verizon back. Another 3-4 hour deal. Needless to say this went on for the entire week of my vacation with Verizon telling us we were idiots who didn't know how to use their equipment. I made at least 40 calls to Verizon and was finally told by a supervisor in the Midwest somewhere that I had "bundle wire" problem that my local Verizon would have to fix. Turns out after two of the most frustrating weeks of my life that Verizon DSL was not available yet in my area. Imagine that! I was the one who was supposed to know about that little glitch. It took exactly one hour to contact Comcast and get hooked up to cable. Their customer service is super and they even sent a tech to put in a dedicated line for my computer at no charge. As soon as I can convince my husband to go with Comcast for our home phone I will say adios to Verizon forever.


On 17 July 2006 (03:11 PM), Moe Youssefi said:

We recently changed phone service from Verizon to Comcast (another Mega-Corporation that sucks). The Comcast rep assured me that I did not have to do anything additional to cancel with Verizon and that they will take care of it. Well guess what when they gave us a new phone line they never disconnected the old one. Now neither one will take responsibility and we are stuck for about $80 in charges. I called Verizon to see if they have some compassion and it was like talking to a mean cold machine. Comcast and Verizon - You Both SSUCK !!!


On 17 July 2006 (07:33 PM), frustrated customer said:

Verizon dsl business service is a DISASTER. They will delay your order without telling you, leave you on hold when you call, charge you extra for the slightest thing, never know anything when you call tech support, and always have a chip on their shoulder. The best part, though, is their attitude! You suffer and they give it to with a sort of bewildered grin.

Verizon + Business Customer = LOST REVENUE


On 26 July 2006 (07:45 AM), dave said:

Help Stop VerizaRape. [ed.: This is not a porn site -- it's a site about bad service from Verizon.]

http://VerizaRape.com


On 28 July 2006 (12:24 PM), Steve O said:

Verizon customer service, especially their billing department is the worst. They routinely make mistakes which are always your fault as far as they are concerned. Their reps do not assist you but spout the company line. I wculd not recommend any product or service associated with them to anyone in good conscience.


On 02 August 2006 (10:29 AM), annarama said:

I HATE Verizon pricks. I have had a Yellow Page ad for 3 years. On June 26,2006, when away from the office, I recieved a call from a YP ad rep (dick) who told me that the contract that I had renegotiated on May 5 (for a lessor amount than I had been paying, because I called to cancel my ad and they offered me a deal) was no longer valid and that my records reflect that a sales rep had left me a message to that effect on the previous monday!! Needless to say, I did not have a message re same. Since when can a party "cancel" a contract that is not to their advantage??? and, to top it off, the dick told me that the ad deadline was an hour and a half away and that I had to commit by that time!

I had the recording confirmation no., sales rep # and my id # written in my records. dick told me that the prior sales rep was no longer there and that the negotiated terms were not available.

I flipped out, called the "rep" who left me the "message", called other "managers" and at last got a woman who was confused because the ad deadlines were 10 days away...long story short, I renegotiated, re-recorded my so called contract and we'll see what happens from here. of course the managers I left messages for re their employees cut-throat, highly unusual sales techniques never called me back. at the end of the day I did recieve a call from the first lying rep who called me taht day, saying that she could do an ad for me at 1/2 the amount that I had a contract for on May 5th!

I am making complaints to all that I can and hope to see verizon sales reps burn in hell. Every year I get a new rep who is always a DICK!!

I'm in on a class action suit. Bait, switch, lie, cheat and steal! what do we do to get one going??


On 17 August 2006 (05:16 PM), Carol said:

Verizon customer service sucks, it is a living nightmare! We signed up on a 14 day promtion to try two phones and service from Verizon. If we decided to not keep it, we would be credited 100% except for the per day phone usage charges.

We tried it, but we got poor quality service. First attempt to turn them in the salesman performed an "upgrade" and said try them for a couple more days. We did but the service did not improve. On day 9 we took them back, have a receipt and have recevied credit for the phones themselves $106.99 on our credit card.

However, we are still being billed for phone service plus setup charges. Third month of billing and we now owe $650.00 We have received threatening letters and calls that we will be turned over for collection.

Everyone we have talked to has been unresponsive and we have acheived nothing. Finally last Monday eveing I spoke with a fellow that I thought was sincere and was going to be able to help. He called the Verizon dealer that we dealt with who confirmed that we had indeed turned them in and then I faxed to him a copy of our receipt where whe had returned the phones. Verizon was not able to directly send him any paperwork. He promised to call me on 8-16-6 to let me know that the bills were taken care of and we would receive a final bill for 9 days usage.

Did he call? No. Is it resolved? No. All though I had the full name of the customer service fellow that seemed to care, no one knows what state he is in, so I couldn't talk to him tonight. However, they could send him an email. The gal I spoke to tonight would not even attempt to help me. She was sorry I had a bad experience. She stated that it does take three months to clear up problems. It has been three months, it will soon be four!

When will my Nightmare with Verizon end? What are my options? I am frustrated. I hate Verizon. Wild horses couldn't drag me away from Cingular.


On 20 August 2006 (02:45 AM), Mark B. said:

I certainly hate Verizon. With a passion! In February of 2005, I signed up with a one year commitment for the "discounted" rate of $29.95 a month. They furthur enticed me by telling me my first month was FREE! Whoooooohaaaaa. Anyway, I got a bill for that first month and when I called them they said I had to pay it and then they would give me a credit for the $29.95. If I didn't pay it, they would report it as unpaid to a credit bureau. The customer service lady told me about 25,000 people had accidentally been charged this - their mistake, but they couldn't revert the charges because they were already in the system. Then I found out about their spyware - Motives in my computer and I was suppose to get a free year of MSN Premium. I never got it to install properly and never used it. About ten calls to support did nothing to fix this. Then my modem didn't work right and I logged over 30 calls to support before they finally sent me a new one. I told them it better be "gratis" after all the hassel so they sent it - and billed me for it but gave me a credit on my bill for 50 bux. Between March 2006 and May 2006 I logged another 23 calls to tech support about their crappy modem and finally cancelled Verizon altogether and now I am on slow as a cold turd in January on AOL. Verizon DSL is the only game in the remote northern Maine town I live in, but I am moving south and getting Time Warner High Speed. One last thing I'll mention is after they finally shut of my DSL, I tried to get AOL working and my modem would'nt work. I tried 4 different modems in 2 different computers, called Verizon, asked for a supervisor and she informed me it wasn't them. After I called AOL for the fifth time about this, I finally found out that Verizon still had a DSL line coming into my house. So....I called them back and actually got someone to admit that a company called Telco provides DSL line service for Verizon and that it would be reverted back to a standard phone line in five business days. Because of their ineptness and outright lies, I formatted my computer thinking something was wrong with it, called 2 technicians I personally know and now I have to reinstall all my programs at a rate of about 1.5 -2 kb/sec. Took 4 hours just to install my printer. Thanks Verizon. You Suck the big green one and I hope all your stockholders have heart attacks and can't get through on the phone lines because some idiot turned off a critical switch.


On 23 August 2006 (11:56 PM), chere farr said:

verizon has retalliated on me for persisting in trying to hold them accountable for their agreement with the aol/verizon bundle package i got in december 05 to the tune of actually having my telephone turned off and my basic services of voice mail and call waiting interrupted. denying that they have done this as well as overbilling an american express card and disabling dsl service then terminating the account six months into the one year agreement. one executive denied that there was even such a thing as an aol/verizon dsl bundle package stating that she's worked for the company for years and would know.

i told her " "Lady, I don't really care how long you've been sitting in that chair...the fact is, there was an AOL/Verizon DSL Bundle Package I got for a Christmas present in December 05 and I'm not going to waste time arguing with you about it."

I have begun filing with the public utilities commission about Verizon and spoke on the phone with our state's governor's staff official today.


IMAD
INDIVIDUALS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
SO LOCALLY-SO GLOBALLY

Chere Farr


On 27 August 2006 (12:14 PM), william said:

Yet another reason why Verizon sucks...

Verizon Wirless will conveniently send you a text message when your phone bill is past due but are strangely silent when you have exceeded your plan minutes. I recently received a bill for over $750 for one month. They are rubbing their hands together in glee about all those overage charges.


On 18 September 2006 (01:38 PM), Rufus said:

March More than $400
April More than $1000
May More than $1100

On a 4 line home plan on a $110/month agreement. AutoBillPay delayed realization of the excess fees until after the second bill.

Problems with Verizon:
1) No auto notification of excessively excessive fees.
2) No fraud protection against high bills.
3) No cap on individual lines so you can actually control your kids phone usage without taking their phone away (after bill hell has already attacked).
4) Verizon makes a big deal about "in" calling and "free mobile-to-mobile", but my bills show THOUSANDS of minutes between phones on MY PLAN billed at Peak Rate!???
5) Customer service is a joke. Store sites claim they can't help you. Corporate sites won't help you. Verizon management only wants to rob you.
6) For $20/month more ($130 plan) I could have had 1200 more peak minutes and eliminated almost $1300 of the charges. Proof that the charges are all gravy to Verizon and a total rip-off of Verizon customers.


On 07 October 2006 (09:05 PM), anne said:

Yes, Verizon SUCKS!

I'm too upset to go into detail, but you are not alone in despising Verizon.

I was just robbed blind by Verizon. They claimed that unlimited nights and weekends only applied to one of the three phones on our family plan and that the other two phones went over to a tune of $500. What robbers, what crooks, what liars. How can three phones all on the same plan have different features???

We're counting the days 'til our contract ends so we can take our phone numbers and get the hell out of Verizon.

Thanks for letting me vent.


On 14 October 2006 (05:41 PM), david lanham said:

ever hear of verizon unlimited access broad band for laptops? unfortunately I signed up for this joker service. supposedly $79 per mo. well my first bill was over $340. the speed of this thing is a joke. they should call it slow band! when I called to dispute the bill customer service told me "some people have had $2000 bills on this service" I got a divorce from verminizon! now I get statements from this sick company for $440 every week. they must be on crack rock! Iwork very hard and am a student and a family to support. I hope this company folds before it spreads more misery. Ithink I will keep my money. they will have to rob someone else for the $440


On 19 October 2006 (07:32 PM), Diane said:

Want to get a little revenge? When you send your bill in, staple your check/mo to the bill and any note you may want to send. They have to do those bills by hand because the machine can't handle the staples. I know this because I worked for them at one time. When they remove the service I don't want and give me credit, I'll stop the staples. Until then, pay for employees to do the billing by hand. YAY! for me!!!


On 09 November 2006 (02:06 PM), Vinnie said:

Yeah, so you make some poor sap who has to deal with working for these companies suffer because the CEOs and people who actually make decisions wont give do right by you. Pretty intelligent plan. Good luck with that!


On 15 November 2006 (05:50 PM), MXR said:

Haha this the Fun part, even thou I dont' work at verizon no more let me tell guys some thing. When I used to do my jobs it's not to serve you, it a matter of how quick I will get off the phone with you if I stay longer to help you I will lose my job simple and easy so please take it easy on the tech Support person .....


On 16 November 2006 (05:31 PM), Robert said:

Verizon, the mega-rip-off corporation of America. Never, ever purchase a wireless contract with them, or you will be in their grips of fraud and dishonesty forever. Fight back---Do not pay your bill, and watch how fast they respond. Otherwise, they will do nothing for you.
Simply write a letter to all credit reporting agencies, stating why you have not paid the bill. The letter must be attached to all inquiries asto credit.
Write your state senator and request a complete investigation. If enough people write, watch how fast verizon changes it's illegal practices, including fraud.

Do not be afraid of this corporate giant. its time to bring the giant to its knees


On 16 November 2006 (05:31 PM), Robert said:

Verizon, the mega-rip-off corporation of America. Never, ever purchase a wireless contract with them, or you will be in their grips of fraud and dishonesty forever. Fight back---Do not pay your bill, and watch how fast they respond. Otherwise, they will do nothing for you.
Simply write a letter to all credit reporting agencies, stating why you have not paid the bill. The letter must be attached to all inquiries asto credit.
Write your state senator and request a complete investigation. If enough people write, watch how fast verizon changes it's illegal practices, including fraud.

Do not be afraid of this corporate giant. its time to bring the giant to its knees


On 26 November 2006 (05:08 PM), Rock said:

I am a Verizon employee and I will tell you first hand, the company sucks. The corporate executives make absurd amounts of cash while workers struggle to keep pace with the rising cost of living. Promotions are granted only if you have a "hook" who can pull up the ranks (I have 7 years field experience and they paid $45,000 for my M.B.A and never promoted me). I have had managers who were alcoholics, convicted drug traffikers, old secretaries with no experience in my end of the company who don't know how to splice a wire if their life depended on it, depressed and suicidal, unexperienced college grads, or have sued the company into promotion (sexual harassment in the workplace). Bear in mind, these first level jobs start at around $80,000 with a bonus in December. Foremen (first level management) comes out in the field on a daily basis to intimidate unionized employees with petty suspensions (having untied work boots for example). Corporate greed in its ugliest form, CEO Ivan Seidenberg is loathed by employees and must walk around with armed bodyguards. I do not use Verizon in my house or as a cell provider. I encourage all who I know to use the cable company and other cell phone providers. I refuse to give a nickel to a greedy corporation who tramples on it's employees. Verizon improvised an illegal lay off in December of 2002, while the CEO granted himself a $13 million dollar Christmas bonus. Seidenberg should have been handcuffed while spending the holidays behind bars wearing an orange jumpsuit. Union protection is an absolute must when dealing with this unreasonable corporation. Your thoughts and questions are welcome.


On 26 November 2006 (05:09 PM), Mr Anonymous working at Verizon said:

I am a Verizon employee and I will tell you first hand, the company sucks. The corporate executives make absurd amounts of cash while workers struggle to keep pace with the rising cost of living. Promotions are granted only if you have a "hook" who can pull up the ranks (I have 7 years field experience and they paid $45,000 for my M.B.A and never promoted me). I have had managers who were alcoholics, convicted drug traffikers, old secretaries with no experience in my end of the company who don't know how to splice a wire if their life depended on it, depressed and suicidal, unexperienced college grads, or have sued the company into promotion (sexual harassment in the workplace). Bear in mind, these first level jobs start at around $80,000 with a bonus in December. Foremen (first level management) comes out in the field on a daily basis to intimidate unionized employees with petty suspensions (having untied work boots for example). Corporate greed in its ugliest form, CEO Ivan Seidenberg is loathed by employees and must walk around with armed bodyguards. I do not use Verizon in my house or as a cell provider. I encourage all who I know to use the cable company and other cell phone providers. I refuse to give a nickel to a greedy corporation who tramples on it's employees. Verizon improvised an illegal lay off in December of 2002, while the CEO granted himself a $13 million dollar Christmas bonus. Seidenberg should have been handcuffed while spending the holidays behind bars wearing an orange jumpsuit. Union protection is an absolute must when dealing with this unreasonable corporation. Your thoughts and questions are welcome. I will respond only at this website.


On 27 November 2006 (12:53 AM), Lonnie said:

Well said!
I have been in BILLING HELL with Verizon for a year and a half now. After spending hours with them on the phone, having my credit score ruined (which I has been immaculate since I was 18!), and it's still not over.

I've resorted to going public with my issues at http://zippybackflash.com/blog/?p=63 in hopes that I'd hear from others with similar problems.

Horrible company!


On 03 December 2006 (07:26 AM), Nelson said:

verizon disregards american citizens with disabilities in the state of new jersey.
even after showing the /disability/card the verison wireless office in the county of cumberland refuse to give the entitlement.
permament disable and the verison land phone and the horizon wireless phone are now 2 corporations with the same face of younster with dark hair.
So 2 bills i receieve with no help either way.
Disability Qualifications matters not @Verizon.


On 25 December 2006 (05:51 PM), Deb said:

I also am a Verizon employee. My Christmas gift this year from the company was to get RIF'd (Reduction in Force). Yes, this company really does suck.


On 30 December 2006 (12:53 PM), Richard Feldman said:

Verizon has made errors in my billing, held me financially responsible for their errors without informing me, and continued to hold me financially responsible after they verbally admitted their error to me and after I had informed Verizon’s CEO, Ivan Seidenberg of Verizon’s admitted error. Verizon also double bills their customers who elect to have their billing automatically debited from their credit card (be warned!).

I had been a Verizon home phone and DSL customer for several years. I used to receive a consolidated billing statement for both of these services and had elected to have these payments EFT deducted from my checking account. This service was problem free!

In 09/06, I traded my Verizon home phone service for Verizon cellular service. At that time, my EFT payment option ended without Verizon communicating this change to me, and before Verizon completed billing me for home phone service. So, unknown to me since September, I owed Verizon for one month of home phone service.

On 11/15/06, I received a call from Shirley Harp from the NCO Financial collection agency who informed me I was delinquent in paying this bill to Verizon.

On that same day I tried to correct this problem with Verizon DSL representatives Sheri Johnson and “Doreen” from Verizon’s collection department. According to Sheri Johnson on 11/15/06: “without Verizon informing me, my last bill for my home phone was processed ‘after’ my EFT was disabled”. This outstanding bill should never have been brought to a collection agency without Verizon first informing me that my EFT option has been cancelled and that I now had this pending payment.

Doreen informed me she would contact NCO Financial that same day, 11/15/06, to reverse collection proceedings. Doreen also told me she would mail a letter to me indicating Verizon’s error and the correction to my account. Doreen neither contacted NCO Financial, nor mailed me any letter.

Regardless of the many hours I wasted speaking and writing to various Verizon personnel, on 11/20/06 I received a collection letter from NCO Financial indicating I still owed Verizon payment, which I did not. Verizon and NCO Financial continued to harass and threaten me for billing that I do not owe, regardless of all the effort on my part to correct this inaccuracy.

Additionally, Verizon double bills their customers who elect to have their billing automatically debited from their credit card, where they are both debited and manually billed. Even though Verizon debits my credit card for my cellular billing, they are additionally requiring me to mail them checks for the same amount for the same time period.

After having six regulatory agencies contact Verizon, Verizon finally put me in touch with James Haskell, Verizon Manager, Receivables Management Call Center. I left a voice mail for Mr. Haskell on 12/19/2006 and I called and made contact with Mr. Haskell on 12/21/06 and 12/22/06.

I told Mr. Haskell on 12/19 that earlier that day I spoke with Verizon representative Felicia (extension 1826), who told me that I have a “past due” balance of $60.54 and that I was a “cash only” customer, meaning I am required to mail Verizon paper checks for cellular bills.

The fact is, I should have NO “past balance” and I am NOT a “cash only” customer as my credit card is correctly billed for cellular payments. However, Verizon still mails me paper bills requiring me to mail them a check.

The message I left with Mr. Haskell on 12/19 requested that he email me so we may converse in writing so I have documentation concerning Verizon’s problems and hopeful solutions. I then called and made contact with Mr. Haskell on 12/21 and 12/22 where Mr. Haskell informed me he is not able to send me an email and requires permission for some other department in order to converse with me over email. I find the inability of a Verizon manager to simply email a customer preposterous.

To this day I have neither received an email from Mr. Haskell, nor a phone call informing me of the status of his ability to email me. I believe Verizon has now forgotten about this problem and no further attempt will be made on their part to contact me in writing over email to resolve this problem. Certainly no indication has been given me to prove otherwise.

Today, I received a notice from Verizon incorrectly telling me for the second time that I owe this fictitious $60.54 and that as a result, my “service will be interrupted” meaning my phone will be turned off regardless that I have paid my bills in full. Additionally, Verizon is telling me there will be a $15 reactivation charge.

I called the office noted on this letter and spoke with Michelle, extension 6174, at the Charleston Call Center. I asked Michelle to please get in contact with the department that intends to turn off my phone to call Mr. Haskell so Mr. Haskell could stop my phone from being disconnected.

Michelle flatly refused to contact either Mr. Haskell, the department that would turn off the phone, or anyone else who could contact either of them. All Michelle was interested in doing was collecting payment from me and offered no other help and refused to connect me to anyone else. Verizon's customer service is reprehensibly irresponsible.

Besides mailing avery consumer regulatory body I could find, I am now mailing the FBI and assorted local and State police agencies charging Ivan Seidenberg, CEO, Verizon with attempted robbery and extortion. Mr. Seidenberg, acting as Verizon Corporation’s principle agent, is knowingly and willfully attempting to steal money from me by attempting to double bill me each month for cellular telephone service. Mr. Seidenberg has been aware of this attempt at double billing for two months, but has refused to stop it and continues to do so. Mr. Seidenberg has now threatened extortion by telling me he will turn off my cell phone if I do not submit to his attempt to take money from me that does not belong to him. I believe these circumstances are defined as robbery and extortion.

I doubt these charges will stick, but perhaps Verizon will finally take notice and put me in contact with a capable representative who has the ability to actually email a customer. I know that’s a revolutionary thought, but I’m an optimist.


On 24 January 2007 (10:18 PM), Jeff said:

I don't have any billing issues with Verizon. i have an issue with their crap Wireless Internet service. I use the v620 modem in a laptop and it is a nightmare to get anything to work right.

Never installs correctly, never installs the driver, combined with the fact that Windows is a piece of crap makes for a wonderful nightmare from hell getting the damn thing to work.

I never had any issues using Cingular. Setup was a breeze, even on a Windows based platform.

But the lack of support and the inability of anyone at Verizon to rectify the problems is what really counts. Verizon sucks. They want your money and could care less about the quality of service you recieve.


On 05 February 2007 (12:46 PM), Zak said:

Verizon Wireless has the WORST business care department I have ever had to deal with. I placed an order for 50 odd PDA phones in May 2006. Each user was to be assigned a phone number, and sent a bill to their address. Four months later, one user in New Mexico received a bill for $48,000. It