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Idearc Media Complaint - I will never use them again! - Yellow Pages Advertising
Yellow Pages Advertising - Complaint
CALIFORNIA -- I don't know how a reputable company like Verizon could turn their advertising customers over to a bad outfit like Idearc Media. For years Verizon Yellow Pages was the only place I advertised. I had just one bold listing, and it brought me enough business. Then they turned their advertising sales over to Idearc Media. Late last year, one of their reps convinced me to take out six small ads in the 2009/10 edition. She was so pleasant and called and emailed me all the time. That is, until she'd firmed up my contract. After that, it was impossible to reach her. She had promised to send me proofs which I never received. Out of frustration I left a message for her supervisor. But he never returned my call either. Finally, I spoke with someone in Customer Service. Shortly after that, I got a curt voicemail from her saying that the phone books had been delayed and that I'd be getting my proofs shortly. I never did. When the phone books finally came out, they were of appallingly poor quality - cheap, thin paper, blurry printing, binding so far to the inside that parts of some ads are unreadable (like when a used book has been poorly rebound). But, my main complaints are that the 2009/10 small, companion book, which is used at least as much as the larger book, is just a copy of the 2007/08 edition. My six ads aren't even in it. Yet, I'm being charged as much as if the ads were in both books. Also, there's a problem with the ads themselves, which could have easily been corrected if I'd seen the proofs in advance. I certainly won't ever advertise with them again them unless Verizon takes back the Yellow Pages. With all the complaints against Idearc Media, it seems that customers should have recourse of some kind.
Company Response:
We are never pleased when one of our clients is unhappy. Please give me the opportunity to review your issue. I promise someone will get back to you within 48 hours with an update. Please provide me with the following information and e-mail back to me at: customerservice@idearc.com Your full name and title: Business Name: Business Telephone Number: State in which your Business resides: Your contact number: Best time to call you: E-mail address: Brief complaint description:
Comments:
Posted by imo on 2009-10-23:
You are assuming that Idearc is a different company than Verizon, and that is the source of their corporate misbehavior. Having been employed as a sales rep there for over a decade, I can tell you that the only difference between Verizon & Idearc is the name. A short history: Bell Atlantic merged with GTE around 2000 to form Verizon. The new corporation placed Kathy Harless in charge of the yellow page/internet advertising division, and she proceeded to single-handedly destroy that part of the company. Around 2005, Verizon decided to sell off the yellow page advertising division, but couldn't find a buyer at the $14-$19 billion asking price. So they engaged in some Enron accounting, spinning off that business as a separate entity called Idearc Media, and shifting approximately $9 billion worth of debt to the newly formed company. During all of these maneuvers, the staff and offices have remained the same, except for a few heads at the top. It is essentially the same company, following the same misguided policies.
Through the 1990's, Bell Atlantic had some level of business ethics, and its mission was to try to help its clients build there business through advertising. After the GTE merger, the overriding concern was to drive up Verizon's stock price - at any cost. Ethics & morality were swept aside as so much dust. A wide path of disenchanted employees and abused customers was left in the wake of the pursuit of sales numbers.
Today, Idearc is floundering around in an attempt to survive the consequences of its tattered reputation. Its employee morale is at an all time low, as are its customer relations. My understanding is that, once it comes out of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it will once again change the corporate name. The idiots at the top must think that a simple name change will help it escape its ugly past.
The bottom line - Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg and his cohorts are the ones who created this mess to begin with. It is a mistake to think that a return to the Verizon days would make any difference whatsoever.
Through the 1990's, Bell Atlantic had some level of business ethics, and its mission was to try to help its clients build there business through advertising. After the GTE merger, the overriding concern was to drive up Verizon's stock price - at any cost. Ethics & morality were swept aside as so much dust. A wide path of disenchanted employees and abused customers was left in the wake of the pursuit of sales numbers.
Today, Idearc is floundering around in an attempt to survive the consequences of its tattered reputation. Its employee morale is at an all time low, as are its customer relations. My understanding is that, once it comes out of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it will once again change the corporate name. The idiots at the top must think that a simple name change will help it escape its ugly past.
The bottom line - Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg and his cohorts are the ones who created this mess to begin with. It is a mistake to think that a return to the Verizon days would make any difference whatsoever.
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