Verizon Consumer Reviews - Page 12

CLIFTON, NEW JERSEY -- The customer service they have is sucks. I went to buy me a cellphone on my birthday 27-2014. That was the only thing I wanted, but the sales person was very rude so I left and tried to call the 1-800 # and it was exactly the same unprofessional service. They told me one price upfront and then they change it, that's why I couldn't get it. My parents just gave me exactly what they told me when we went to see it a couple days ago.

We've been Verizon customers for about 3 years. We relocated to another country 5 weeks ago and we made sure we closed the contract before moving out of USA. They (Verizon store) said everything is okay, they closed the contract, we paid our last bill. But today we got a bill and when we called the customer service they told us that our account is still open. We are very disappointed. We never used our Verizon phone since we moved out of country. And we have to pay for a service we didn't use!!!

NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- I canceled my service in March 2010 and paid $120 to get out of the contract. I asked for a receipt but they said they couldn't give me one. In June I realized they were still billing me so I sent several emails with no response. In July I called again and paid $110 to get out of this contract. Again they refused to give me a confirmation #. Sept 16 2010 I checked my account and realized they were still billing me! This is beginning to feel like criminal intent of theft. I was furious. Spoke to "Patrick" who would not transfer me to a supervisor. He said they are not allowed to transfer for this reason. He said he would cancel the account and I said "But I have already done this."

What proof do I have that you won't continue to bill me? I kept him on the phone for a while insisting I get a supervisor. I told him I felt sorry for him because he worked for such a badly run company. He said "I know" and then said "Hold on let me see what I can do." He came back and someone would call me in 48 hours. No one ever called me. BTW: their fees some months were $300 and I never knew why. This is THEFT. Anyone want to put together a class action? 'Rule the air' is their tagline. Close but it should be 'Rule the customer'.

My Tour 9630 was damaged because when using it to speak to a contact on a hot day, my ear and face emitted a small amount of sweat that then seeped into the LCD display. Water as they say is not covered by the warranty and therefore damage caused by sweat from my ear is not covered by my warranty.

I seriously and maybe stupidly thought that because you need to bring a phone to your ear to use the phone in those cases when you don't have an ear piece, the phone would be replaced. Well... it will not be replaced. What's worse is that BB Customer Service said that if I have a sweat problem that I should use an ear piece. Great advice... and I agree. However, if a phone is damaged during the normal course of its intended use, shouldn't it be covered? I didn't go deep see diving off the coast of Panama... I used the phone on a hot day.

I ended my service at the end of my contract (after 4 years with Verizon) because I was unhappy with the customer service during the final year. When I called to end it, I specifically asked if I was doing everything right so I didn't get the early termination fee (in case I was one day early, or something tricky like that). I was due a credit and declined to pay my final balance with a credit card (I never pay with my credit card over the phone).

The service rep. said they would report to the credit reporting agency! I said, "for not paying with my credit card right now?" I said I would be very happy to pay my bill in full when I received the final statement. Two months later (after September 13th), I got a call from a collection agency trying to collect $288.00 (my final bill was $113.00). I said I would of course pay but I needed a statement. He had no information & said to call Verizon directly. He also told me that this non-payment WAS REPORTED TO ALL CREDIT BUREAUS.

I immediately called Verizon customer service. It took HOURS on the phone, first to get to the right person (you have to explain EVERYTHING to EVERYONE you get on the phone, then get put on hold to wait for yet ANOTHER rep, over & over & over), finally John, from the Wilmington Call Center, told me I had a $175.00 early termination fee because I terminated early.

I explained the details (I did NOT terminate early) and he said I needed the original contract from Verizon to prove it because his computer said otherwise. Luckily, I found a Verizon form letter stating my one year contract ended on September 13, 2005. I had to hang up the phone in order to fax it to them.

Tracy (supervisor) was supposed to call me back either way -- if this was acceptable or if she found something else disproving my claim. She did not call. I faxed the letter a second time and left another message for her to PLEASE call me. She finally called 5 hours later to leave a message that they NEVER received the fax! (I have the "receipts" from the fax machine showing they went through OK.)

I KNEW when I cancelled that the representative was going to cause trouble. I believe she changed the terms of my contract on VERIZON's computer records. I have the form letter from Verizon outlining the terms of the contract. I'm glad I have that! I faxed it a third time and they have not yet responded. KEEP ALL paperwork from Verizon for longer than you think you will need it. Better yet, use another wireless company, if possible. Verizon does have good phone service but if anything goes wrong (if you lose your phone, etc), this is NOT the company you want to have to deal with.

PORTLAND, OREGON -- I am so angry about yet another problem I've just encountered with Verizon cable/phone/internet services that I want to warn others and air my complaint. I would prefer to just be able to call a person at this company to resolve the issue but they make this virtually impossible to do. This company is too big, too disorganized, and too unfriendly to customers. Does reputation mean anything? Even their own local reps speak poorly about the larger company and the difficulty resolving issues. (Those who aren't trying to sell you services.)

I had had difficulty with Verizon phone services (landline, not cell phone) in the past. When the new Fios service was offered in our area, I was enticed into trying again with this company, hoping the service had improved. Big mistake. Within 2 months I had multiple problems with the installation, equipment, and service, and when my former cable/internet company "invited" me back, I jumped at the opportunity and had my Fios service disconnected (by calling and returning the equipment to a local Verizon).

In my experience, it is extremely difficult to resolve problems with this company. They have a labyrinthine automated telephone system that takes large amounts of time to navigate even for the most simple problems. Also, on multiple occasions, I have had the problem "resolved" only to find out later that what I was told would happen did not.

For example, when I disconnected service (due to this poor customer service) and called to get my final bill. I was told that my account was closed with no outstanding balance only to get a bill a few months later claiming that I was overdue for my final payment and threatening to send me to collections. I immediately called to get this settled, went through over an hour of transfers from one unhelpful representative to another before getting a (very unsatisfactory) explanation/clarification. I asked for a copy of the final bill that I had not received and they sent me 3 copies and charged me $15 for this "service".

I don't have time to recount all of the numerous other problems I have had with this company in detail but I want to warn people, do not trust this company and if you can avoid using their services, do.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA -- Are ISP's allowed to be deceitful in their billing practices? I am getting sick and tired of being taken advantage of by ISP's. I was following up for a friend of mine regarding the Verizon DSL Security Suite. When he originally signed up for Verizon DSL, he was told that in order to protect his computer he could sign up for the Verizon Security Suite for an additional $4.99 per month. He did and has been paying a total of $21.99 per month which includes the Verizon Security Suite.

A notice from Verizon was received on November 22, 2008 via email that the current Verizon Security Suite would no longer be supported and that he would need to get another Security Suite if he would like to protect his computer. They did not say anything else. To follow-up on this, I called Verizon to find out what was going on. They told me that there was an upgraded 'NEW' Security Suite that may be purchased for $5.99 per month additional to the monthly DSL fee. With that said, I un-installed the then Verizon Security Suite that day (11/22/08) and opted to install one from another vendor.

I have been trying to get in contact with the billing department of Verizon which has been an abominable experience. Email address for the billing department has been a bogus one. Emailed, emailed and emailed! The many, many emails to Verizon kept coming back as 'MAIL DAEMON' as none deliverable. I then finally contacted Verizon via the Verizon Billing Number on the Verizon bill. I reached a customer support representative named Puppa in India of which there was no resolve, as there was a connection and language barrier. Before closing our more than frustrating telephone conversation, he did say that he would email me his resolution to the matter.

I never received an email from him. I have finally reached someone at Verizon in their Customer Support Division. I told her that we wanted a credit of $4.99 as this is what we were paying and we were charged by Verizon to maintain the Security Suite. She said she could not find any billing for the Security Suite. I told her, Verizon did or does not break-out the charges just for the reason that they can keep it on the bill, not give a credit and that we wanted a credit.

What these companies are doing to get money from their customers is an atrocity and I'm tired of it! I have kept copies of these email errors and responses from Verizon if anyone would like to view them. No one at Verizon will admit that there IS a fee for their Security Suite. However, if you speak to their customers, this is a fact.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND -- My son, a college student, recently moved into an apartment off-campus and contracted with Verizon for their Freedom Essentials package offering phone, TV (through DirecTV) and internet at a discounted rate for all 3 services. He was contacted by Verizon and DirecTV to install phone service and TV service within about a week (DirecTV even moved up their install date by 5 days to get it in even faster than anticipated). He was also told that equipment would be shipped for DSL after the phone line was installed.

Just 2 days after installation he was notified by Verizon that they could not provide him with DSL...that there were too many people in his area that had it already. Now the discount on his other 2 services would be lessened and he would have to get internet elsewhere at a higher rate. As his finances were limited, he was forced to cancel and opt for Comcast Triple Play which was installed with no problem. Now DirecTV is charging an early termination fee of $150.00. Let's not even get started about DirecTV, whose customer service consists of many robotic humans saying, "I'm sorry, you owe the money".

They have even gone so far as to send it to collection after only 2 months. We feel ultimately this is Verizon's responsibility as they initiated installation of the service without knowing whether they could in fact deliver all services in the package. I have spoken to supervisor after supervisor. One tells me they will reimburse us for the termination fee, only to have the next supervisor overturn the decision and never let us know. The last telephone call, I was told that I could talk to that person's supervisor and they would call me within 24-48 hours. It's been a week and a half.

I've tried the local TV news stations, and am in the process of filing the myriads of paperwork for the attorney general and the public service commission. No one seems either surprised, or cares to help. Someone has to stop this company from lying about the service they can provide and then letting the poor consumer foot the bill for their mistakes.

BRIDGETON, NEW JERSEY -- Last month, I noticed on my Verizon phone bill, I was being charged $1 a month for the Sensible Minute Plan (in-state toll calls) and $2 Shortfall charge for long distance service. Previously, both of these were free plans. I can afford the extra 3 dollars a month but I do not like having to pay for services that I do not use. Today, I called Verizon to complaint about these charges since I rarely make toll calls (only about 5 calls per year to make vacation reservations). I asked if I could get service without a plan that has a fee or no plan. Since I do not make very many toll calls, I would not mind paying extra money per minute when I used the service.

She said she could give me a plan where I paid one price for unlimited service. I said to her, well that would cost me more than I am paying now, right to which she replied yes. I said "Why would I want to do that since I am NOT using the regional/long distance service now? That would not make any sense since I am trying to get my bill lowered not increase it." She then said, in a negative tone (like I was wasting her time), "Is there anything else I can do for you today?" I replied, "No, I will start shopping around for phone service."

If she had just said "I am sorry but you have to have plans and you currently have the cheapest plans available." that would be one thing, but to try to get someone to spend more money when they plainly stated they are trying to lower their bill did not make any sense to me. This is just another example of a big company trying to squeeze more money out of the working people. Consumers need to be on their guard at all times and not fall victim to large companies trying to sell them products and services that they do not need.

Finally 02/07/06 a "billing supervisor" agreed to waive the fees once and for all. She even gave me her private number! Then the debt collectors started to call. I've tried for 1 week to contact the "supervisor". I can only reach her voicemail. I've left several messages of course. The harassing debt collectors are endless. They threatened "litigation" and I BEGGED them to take me to court! I feel violated by the sarcastic and nasty tone these jerks use when calling my house! I just can't believe they can get away with treating their customers this way.

Write your State's attorney's office! Hopefully there is power in numbers. Make them listen!! There is NO WAY this could possibly be legal! There MUST be some recourse! I plan to file a case in small claims court if necessary. Spread the word though internet and word of mouth. Damage their reputation and business as much as possible. This is the best weapon of all. I plan to post my progress with this fight. Hopefully we can figure out a way to resolve these types of injustice. If anyone has any advice, please post it.

And thank you, I find comfort in knowing I am not alone in this. It helps so much to know there is a place I can be heard and understood. I never thought I would become one of those complaining, vendetta types, but THIS MEANS WAR! Also, see my other posting "Hurricane Francis" for my other Verizon horror story. Thanks.