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Verizon - Process Matters
International Calling Rates - Complaint
Review by ani2307 on 2013-01-26
Rating: 
FREDERICK, MD -- My story...
I have had a Verizon bundled package for years. For convenience I signed up for auto-pay and to be environmentally friendly I signed up for paperless billing. Since I make international calls, I enrolled in one of the Verizon World Plans with a flat monthly billing with unlimited calls. Everything was fine and dandy for many months. So far, so good.
One day, when I was checking my bank account, I was shocked to find a Verizon charge for almost $870 as opposed to the $200 (approximately) that I usually pay for the bundle (home phone, internet and Direct TV). Upon further investigation, I found that Verizon changed my international package without my knowledge.
Every dispute has two sides. To be fair, I want to present a totally balanced view.
Instead of sending me separate correspondence about the changes in its international calling plans, Verizon included the information on the last page of my bill as fine print. In the bill Verizon indicated that it would be changing plans beginning the following month. I didn't read the small print as I wasn't expecting an announcement about plan changes in my bill. Plus, paperless billing, auto pay and years of no billing hassles made me too complacent.
My dealings with Verizon customer service were the most troublesome part of the story... Dropped calls, unusual wait times, getting the runaround, being transferred again and again, rude customer service reps, I can't tell you how much time and energy I spent on the frustrating experience in wanting to let Verizon know of my displeasure about the change in my international calling plan. I called Verizon not to get a total refund of the extra charges, but to let them know of my feelings of bate and switch and of my upset at not informing me of the change in a separate email and letting me choose one of the new plans instead of automatically choosing a plan for me. I also hoped for a partial refund or credit of the over $500 I paid for additional voice services.
Every story is a morality tale. Here are my lessons.
Read every bill from beginning to end, even the small print.
Check your plans regularly. Verizon changes its plans at its whims and has a poor way of notifying its customers.
Credit card payment for autopay is better than payment linked to your checking account if you need to dispute your billing.
Verizon customer service SUCKS!
My message to Verizon: customer service matters. Process is important. Procedural justice (fairness of the process) is as important as distributive justice (fairness of the outcome).
Thank you for listening. I wish all of you only pleasant experiences with companies and lots of patience with customer service.
I have had a Verizon bundled package for years. For convenience I signed up for auto-pay and to be environmentally friendly I signed up for paperless billing. Since I make international calls, I enrolled in one of the Verizon World Plans with a flat monthly billing with unlimited calls. Everything was fine and dandy for many months. So far, so good.
One day, when I was checking my bank account, I was shocked to find a Verizon charge for almost $870 as opposed to the $200 (approximately) that I usually pay for the bundle (home phone, internet and Direct TV). Upon further investigation, I found that Verizon changed my international package without my knowledge.
Every dispute has two sides. To be fair, I want to present a totally balanced view.
Instead of sending me separate correspondence about the changes in its international calling plans, Verizon included the information on the last page of my bill as fine print. In the bill Verizon indicated that it would be changing plans beginning the following month. I didn't read the small print as I wasn't expecting an announcement about plan changes in my bill. Plus, paperless billing, auto pay and years of no billing hassles made me too complacent.
My dealings with Verizon customer service were the most troublesome part of the story... Dropped calls, unusual wait times, getting the runaround, being transferred again and again, rude customer service reps, I can't tell you how much time and energy I spent on the frustrating experience in wanting to let Verizon know of my displeasure about the change in my international calling plan. I called Verizon not to get a total refund of the extra charges, but to let them know of my feelings of bate and switch and of my upset at not informing me of the change in a separate email and letting me choose one of the new plans instead of automatically choosing a plan for me. I also hoped for a partial refund or credit of the over $500 I paid for additional voice services.
Every story is a morality tale. Here are my lessons.
Read every bill from beginning to end, even the small print.
Check your plans regularly. Verizon changes its plans at its whims and has a poor way of notifying its customers.
Credit card payment for autopay is better than payment linked to your checking account if you need to dispute your billing.
Verizon customer service SUCKS!
My message to Verizon: customer service matters. Process is important. Procedural justice (fairness of the process) is as important as distributive justice (fairness of the outcome).
Thank you for listening. I wish all of you only pleasant experiences with companies and lots of patience with customer service.
Comments:
Posted by trmn8r on 2013-01-27:
I refuse to be "green" until they make me do it. I'm afraid something like this will happen - something important buried in an email I don't read or don't read completely.
Posted by At Your Service on 2013-01-27:
I agree to the importance of using a credit card. Autopay to a checking account is inviting troubles.
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