Verizon Tells Customer To Get A Lawyer & A Subpoena To Get An Itemized Bill
from the judge-tells-verizon-to-get-stuffed dept
I’ve noticed in the last couple years that major telcos have really ramped up their customer service. I’ve had very positive exchanges with folks at Sprint and AT&T — two companies, which used to have reputations for horrible customer service. Sprint, in particular, appears to have made it abundantly clear to customer service agents that they should bend over backwards to help customers. Apparently, Verizon has gone in a different direction. A woman, who called Verizon to try to find out about the $4.19 she was being charged for six local calls, was told by Verizon reps that the only way it would provide her an itemized bill was to get a lawyer and have the lawyer get a subpoena to force Verizon to disclose the information.
Instead, the woman went to court (by herself) and a judge told Verizon to hand over the itemized bill info.
It is a basic matter of fair business practice that a consumer should be able to contact a utility about a charge on a bill and learn what the charge is for and learn that the charge was correctly applied. The only verification that Verizon’s witness could offer that a charge like [the customer’s] $4.19 measured use charge was accurate and billed correctly was her faith in the accuracy of Verizon’s computer system. The only way that Verizon would offer any information about a past charge in response to a consumer inquiry was to require that customer to hire a lawyer and subpoena their own usage information. By no reasonable standard could this be considered reasonable customer service.
The judge has also suggested Verizon should be fined $1,000 for its failure here, and that suggestion will be reviewed by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
Filed Under: itemized bill, subpoena
Companies: verizon
Comments on “Verizon Tells Customer To Get A Lawyer & A Subpoena To Get An Itemized Bill”
What is Verizon hiding in their bills?
Makes you wonder what Verizon is hiding in their bills to make it so difficult to find out the details on what is being charged.
Re: What is Verizon hiding in their bills?
They actually call this “margin in mystery” and it’s a standard, intentional, practice.
Re: What is Verizon hiding in their bills?
Everyone knows that Verizon is secretly funding its own black ops through de-itemized phone bills!
Re: What is Verizon hiding in their bills?
It’s not a matter of hiding. It is the simple cost of mining the data. I was 4th level engineer on several verizon platforms in the past. Getting at customer call records is always somewhat labor intensive and is usually not readily available to a call center rep. A request typically went from the call center, to a Project Manager, to an engineer, and then back.
I will agree with you that the process should be flatter. But since it isn’t, the cost of providing the service is real, at least with the way these systems are designed today and the requisite engineer’s time. I doubt that verizon will agree to incur these costs and not pass them along to its customers.
I will also point out that if you sign up for monthly itemized billing, the fee is much less than the $40 one-time charge (perhaps only a couple of dollars a month, I don’t really remember exactly). It is when you agree to non-itemized billing that the data remains upstream and needs to captured for a request.
Re: What is Verizon hiding in their bills?
im 50 now so about 8 yrs ago every one was yelling and laughing at the ceo on 6o min or 20-20 when this 17-18 year old kid asked him to read and explain how does the monies isend in to verizon get broken ceo said what just break it down in percentiges %% ok the young man sayes can you just read my bill to me ceo duh duh not raally he sayes.. well he sayes to the ceo you pay all the taxes to the goverment/irs etc .great he sayes now i pay about 10 diff. taxes here some . 30 .40 .22.but some are 1.50 2.35.. the ceo repelies i dont know where witch one goes to or at what %%% ill have to get back to you.tall suited ceo masters dagree worked there 40 yrs running the show for verizon he also doesent know how to read his electric billthis is sad so verry sad also this is scarry what is happining to our once beloved usa worst yet bp oil comertal singing and dancing like they picked up every last gallon of cruid oil really/really whers not that dumb
addiem
the really bad part is that verizon is charging her $40.00 plus 2 cents for each entry on her requested bill…the judge had no problem with this… sad
Re: addiem
Well that was part of the terms she accepted when they slipped a notice into her last real bill, in 2 pt font saying do x to keep getting a real bill or we will charge you this.
That or maybe Verizon is enjoying all of the money they are making doing records lookups for the shakedown lawyers, and decided that was a good way to make money.
Re: Re: addiem
im 50 now so about 8 yrs ago every one was yelling and laughing at the ceo on 6o min or 20-20 when this 17-18 year old kid asked him to read and explain how does the monies isend in to verizon get broken ceo said what just break it down in percentiges %% ok the young man sayes can you just read my bill to me ceo duh duh not raally he sayes.. well he sayes to the ceo you pay all the taxes to the goverment/irs etc .great he sayes now i pay about 10 diff. taxes here some . 30 .40 .22.but some are 1.50 2.35.. the ceo repelies i dont know where witch one goes to or at what %%% ill have to get back to you.tall suited ceo masters dagree worked there 40 yrs running the show for verizon he also doesent know how to read his electric billthis is sad so verry sad also this is scarry what is happining to our once beloved usa worst yet bp oil comertal singing and dancing like they picked up every last gallon of cruid oil really/really whers not that dumb
So let’s get this straight… It’s easier for law enforcement to look at your account, your personal info, than it is for you, the customer to see parts of your bill…
What is wrong with this picture?!
Re: Re:
But… TERRORISM!
Why do you hate America?
Re: Re: Re:
And it’s For The Children!
Re: YES, like everything else, you don't 'own' your own data...
i have bitched about this a couple of times on techdirt and elsewhere: had a problem with a state bureaucracy where they claimed i did not try and contact them during a certain period of time, which i WAS DOING 5-10 times A DAY for almost a month…
okay, no problem at all, i’ll just get my phone records to prove that i was calling at those times, not getting answered, leaving messages, etc, etc, etc…
as an aside, the particular bureaucrat INSISTED that, even if you could not get a hold of him (which was purposefully impossible), then to leave ONE AND ONLY ONE message…
i call “my” phone company, and A. it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to access a human being, PERIOD; B. it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get a hold of *ANYONE* who knew anything about this (phone records? what you mean kimo sabe? billing? okay, one second… *click*); C. after numerous tries over numerous days, i finally learn that i can’t access MY OWN PHONE RECORDS, i have to “subpoena” them ? ! ? ! ? !
WHAT.
THE.
FUCK.
i blew a fucking gasket, but it still took a BUNCH of calls to a BUNCH of company droids (and i contacted my kongresskritters about this, but i’m not sure if it had any effect or not) to FINALLY get a copy of MY OWN DOG DAMNED CALLS…
(which went on to ‘prove’ my case and get it resolved in my favor… i EVER catch up with that state bureaucrat, he is NOT having a pleasant day…)
again, i am agog and aghast that this has come to pass, but that is the korporate state we live in now…
ONLY non-corporeal, monied, legal fictions we united citizens call korporations ACTUALLY have enforceable legal rights; all the rest of us stupid -you know- “people” didn’t bother getting the korporations to sign *our* one-sided EULAs, so we don’t count for shit…
art guerrilla
aka ann archy
artguerrilla at windstream.net
eof
Re: Re: YES, like everything else, you don't 'own' your own data...
and yet journalists seem to have no trouble at all.
Class action
in 3,2,1…
Necessary
That’s a necessary charge that mobile carriers are allowed to put on bills as it’s needed to fight online child pornography. You see, children are being exploited all throughout the world, and people are using their mobile phones to spread it. There’s so much that it costs $4 from each of the 100 million customers. Now, $400 million sounds like a lot, but it’s needed to fight child pornography and counterfeit purses coming over the border.
By putting the $400 million into executives’ and board members’ pockets, they can concentrate their efforts to find child pornography and snuff it out as soon as they discover their networks being used to spread it. That’s also why they’re getting rid of the unlimited data packages. Think about it. $4 charge to all customers, broadband caps on data usage, *and* removing the Hot Spot feature they advertised before but have since been removed, FIGHTS CHILD PORNOGRAPHY!!! Without it, child exploitation will spread like wildfire and nobody will be safe from it.
Sweet Sister Mary Francis!!! Can’t anyone else see this???
Re: Necessary
Sweet Mary Francis is right! Thank you so much kind soul for clearing up this obviously no-way-to-get-around-it-good-for-all, especially the children – charge!
Re: Necessary
Hey, smart guy.
This article is about Verizon, not Verizon Wireless. Two separate companies, brah.
Get your story straight before you flip out.
Re: Re: Necessary
Doesn’t matter. They’re all crooks who only want to gouge the American people for as much as they can for as long as they can. And if they can’t, they’ll hire lawyers, judges, and Congress to make you think differently.
And if they’re so different, perhaps one side should sue the other for trademark or even copyright infringement in using the name ‘Verizon’. They’re all crooks.
Re: Re: Re: Necessary
> Two separate companies, brah.
All modern companies are lots of different interlocking business units. Its not just so they can give customers the run-around, its a way of losing revenue (so a large chunk of it turns up in an entity like “Verizon (Cayman Islands) Ltd.” that’s primarily responsible for licensing the Verizon name and trademarks to the other units). (Note that this isn’t a real example, I haven’t the faintest idea what the real Verizon hydra looks like.)
They are a bit of a nightmare to deal with because as a FiOS customer you have no idea how the TV bit relates to the phone and Internet bit. I rather naively assumed that it was just one company…..silly me….
Re: Re: Necessary
Yeah, never mind the fact that Verizon owns a 51% controlling interest in Verizon Wireless, and that makes one just a subsidiary of the other.
And never mind the fact that his whole comment was just tongue-in-cheek anyway.
And never mind the fact that opposing Smarta is a clear vote in favor of child porn.
The Internet Comment Rules Of Engagement state that any humorous comment must be 100% accurate and factual, and correctly aimed at the right subsidiary of the corporate parent. Sorry, Smarta, we don’t make the rules, we just play by em. Way to go, Jke! Keep fighting the good fight.
Mike said it this week… if there were more competition, they simply couldn’t afford to do this. Since there is pretty much no competition whatsoever, they can do what they want, how they want, and a-la-MAFIAA they can pretty much make up their own rules, assuming people will be scared to sue because of monetary investments.
But how is that not the United States known throughout the world? Things haven’t changed, and if they do, it’s likely for the worst.
Re: Re:
Bullshit. There are SEVERAL alternatives. More than in most industries. You just don’t LIKE the others because you are a spoiled little 5 year old who not only likes the shiny…but you think you are ENTITLED to getting a shiny new gadget free every two years. Otherwise, there are VERY reasonable pricing plans available by some of the smaller non-major providers. You just can’t get an iPhone (though you can get a Droid on some) and you have to pay for it yourself.
Re: Re: Re:
It’s good to see people take the high road in their response to comments they do not like – bravo.
Re: Re: Re:
“There are SEVERAL alternatives”
Yes, all derivatives of AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon to look like there’s a healthy market.
Re: Re: Re: Re:
I use Virgin Mobile. Unlimited text, data and 300 mins of calls for 26.75 a month, all taxes and fees included. For 53.50, I could unlimited talk, text and web but I don’t use my mobile that much for talking.
Sure, I use a relatively obscure phone compared to the iPhones and Droids (an LC Rumor Touch) but I get good service at a price point I can afford.
If you’re willing to use an off brand phone, then you can get great deals. Just because Virgin uses Sprint’s network does not make me liable for Sprint’s BS.
Re: Re: Re:2 Re:
It’s not about the price of the service. It’s about the customer service and transparency. You shouldn’t blame the customers’ problems on themselves, but on the ones not providing the customer service and transparency, to which the customer should be entitled if any common sense were to apply.
Re: Re: Re:
When the entire argument is based on the illusion of competition, your argument is weak.
The only thing we care about its your happiness.
Re: Re:
“We only want to help you… You can not survive outside the city shell…”
Understandable, in a warped sort of way. But still wrong.
I’m a retired telecom engineer (just a few years retired). We used to say that well over 50% of the bill my company was getting from the telcos was the cost of the bill itself. It’s expensive for telcos to create bills and send them out to customers, regardless of whether they are actually doing per-unit billing. Clearly, some warped instruction to the customer service folks was an attempt to save Verizon that cost.
Having said that, to refuse an itemized bill to a customer is just wrong. The other thing we realized over the years was if we DIDN’T ask for a detailed bill (preferably electronic – you can imagine the size of a paper bill for a large multinational) we usually ended up paying much more than we needed to be paying. We actually used companies who analyzed our telco bills for errors, saving us much more than the actual cost of the service.
After a while, we just agreed with the telco to chop a fixed percentage off every bill, and call it good. it fascinates me that some people will just pay their bill without actually looking at the details.
And THAT is yet another reason I’ll NEVER have Verizon again. I REALLY like T-Mobile (none of this sort of crap) and hope the proposed “merger” (spectrum grab) with AT&T gets canned. It is NOT in the best interest of consumers or T-Mobile shareholders.
Went through similar with comcast
My wife is from Canada and I from the US. One of the things we had to do to get her green card to come to the US is prove we have a relationship and that we did not just get married, apparently there is a lot of marriage fraud. One easy way to do this is to show phone records at the interview to get a green card. So for two years prior to getting married we were constantly on the phone for hours at a time – plus it was on my dime since I had unlimited calling and she did not. I called Comcast to get my calling records thirty days before the interview. They told me the same thing I needed a lawyer to request the records. I did not see why as they were my records about my calls. I told them if the Govt. called asking about me I am sure they would give them every bit of info about me. Growing up we always got an itemized bill because my parents would always question each other or me if there was a strange number on the bill. After much fighting and losing my mind I finally got connected to a person in Mass. who told me she would get me the records in a week. Two weeks no records. I called again and was moved into the escalated call center – initially thinking this would resolve my issue only to find out later this is where they send irate and unmanageable customers. I admit I did lose my mind after being polite for weeks.
The records never arrived before the interview date. We were stressed. If you have never been in a situation like this each time crossing the border is a crap shoot. They can suddenly decide to not let my wife in if they think, key word Think, she will not return to Canada.
All went well at the interview and she has here green card. Two weeks after the interview the records arrive. NOT the records of all the phone calls I made – but a copy of my bills from Comcast for the past two years.
The other sad part about this is I can’t switch to another carrier because there isn’t a comparable one in the area. No competition.
Re: Went through similar with comcast
You do have an option just get a SIP phone and use any one of dozens of VOIP providers. I use onsip and you won’t believe how much you will save compared to comcasts rates
Re: Went through similar with comcast
The reason why all bills were itemized in the past is because no one had unlimited calling. If you still have a phone service where you pay for long distance, you still get an itemized bill.
As for there being no competition…sure there is. You just don’t WANT what the others offer. But that is an absurd leap from “no competition” That is like saying that Burger King has no competition because you prefer a Whopper and no one else offers one.
Re: Re: Went through similar with comcast
“That is like saying that Burger King has no competition because you prefer a Whopper and no one else offers one.”
No – it is not like that at all. Possibly you misunderstand the definition of the word competition.
Re: Went through similar with comcast
If you have a good internet connection, then there are plenty of other options. I’ve been with Vonage for several years, can review and download itemized bills for every month since i’ve been a customer and have unlimited calls to US/Canada included in the $35 month price. Not to mention all the bells and whistles that most telcos nickel and dime you for (3 way calling, call waiting, etc).
Wrong Section of this Site
Hai Mr. Editor Guis.
This wasn’t Verizon Wireless, it was Verizon… the “We’re not Wireless and Our Customer Service Sucks” guys. Shouldn’t be in the wireless news tab.
They’re two different companies with two different customer service departments and philosophies.
Re: Wrong Section of this Site
As was previously pointed out, Verizon owns controlling interest, so it might as well be the same company. Policies aren’t really all that different between them, are they?
Re: Re: Wrong Section of this Site
It’s not about whether Verizon owns controlling interest. Nothing about the case was related to wireless, AFAIK. It dealt with land-lines. So why is this categorized with wireless?
Just to be sure we are all on the same page. Jake is correct here. Verizon Communications did this, not Verizon Wireless. I know some of you have had issues with VZW before, no company is perfect but I work for a third party company that represents VZW on several fronts and I can tell you, I’d be fired for telling a customer to lawyer up to see her bill. I have no doubt of that.
Even on the inside I’m not always happy, VZW has made some greedy-ish moves I think, but they do try. Example: I just underwent extensive re-training to support to a new billing system that is being built for CUSTOMERS. The new internal support for this external bill is going to make my job much much harder, but the bill will be much easier for customers to understand and read. Check out http://www.vzw.com/newbill for a preview of it or if you think I’m just trying to defend them.
Having said all that, I’m going to re-state, this article was about, Verizon Communications, the smaller, still growing, home services company that offers Fios to like, 20% of the U.S. It was not, in fact, about Verizon Wireless, who shares part of the name, but is a different company.
Re: Re:
When I go to Verizon.com I see the options for
Wireless> Residential> Business
The paperwork may show them as “different” companies, but they use the same logo and share the same website. For whatever legal conveniences calling them “separate” provides, they certainly don’t attempt to make that apparent in the public eye.
If Verizon Landline is different from Verizon Wireless, get a different logo and get a different website and stop acting like one company.
Re: Re: Re:
It is a different logo. One says “Wireless”, one does not.
It is a different website. One is verizon.com, one is verizonwireless.com. Click on “Wireless” at verizon.com, it redirects you to the other.
It is a different company. One is public, one is not. They have different boards, different CEOs, different customer service departments, different guiding principles, different everything.
Just because your brain can’t separate the two doesn’t mean they’re not completely different entities.
Re: Re: Re: Re:
“Just because your brain can’t separate the two doesn’t mean they’re not completely different entities.”
You had a good point until this line. Was that really necessary?
Re: Re: Re:2 Re:
“You had a good point until this line. Was that really necessary?”
Nope. Is any of it?
Re: Re: Re: Re:
That may be the dumbest comment of the week. Verizon is Verizon except when it’s not Verizon. If they are indeed as separate as you say, why not simply change the name of one or the other and alleviate problems like this?
Re: Re: Re:2 Re:
Reading comprehension fail.
Re: Re: Re:3 Re:
Translation: I can’t possibly answer that, so it must be your failure at asking cogent questions.
Re: Re: Re: Re:
@Jake, if Verizon and Verizon Wireless are completely separate companies, then which one gets to sue the other over trademark infringement?
Re: Re: Re: Re:
“Headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey,[4] the company is a joint venture of U.S. telecommunications firm Verizon Communications and British multinational mobile network operator Vodafone, with 55 and 45 percent ownership respectively.”
Would seem to me that you are at least partly wrong. Please hold on the personal attacks. They aren’t doing you any favors.
Re: Re: Re: Re:
Seriously, do you think a completely different company can use the Verizon graphic with the red corner check and the stylized red Z in the name Verizon and then put a different word under it like say “Haircuts” and not get sued?
Or would Verizon.com put a link directly to Verizon Haircuts on their main page just as they do to the Wireless company. Which is a completely different company as well.
While they are on paper different, they try and appear as separate divisions of Verizon. At Verizon.com the first link is to “Wireless”. Maybe that explains why I have trouble separating the two: shared graphics, shared website style, shared links, bundling services together on a shared bill.
Looks completely different to … no, actually. It doesn’t.
Re: Re: Re:
im 50 now so about 8 yrs ago every one was yelling and laughing at the ceo on 6o min or 20-20 when this 17-18 year old kid asked him to read and explain how does the monies isend in to verizon get broken ceo said what just break it down in percentiges %% ok the young man sayes can you just read my bill to me ceo duh duh not raally he sayes.. well he sayes to the ceo you pay all the taxes to the goverment/irs etc .great he sayes now i pay about 10 diff. taxes here some . 30 .40 .22.but some are 1.50 2.35.. the ceo repelies i dont know where witch one goes to or at what %%% ill have to get back to you.tall suited ceo masters dagree worked there 40 yrs running the show for verizon he also doesent know how to read his electric billthis is sad so verry sad also this is scarry what is happining to our once beloved usa worst yet bp oil comertal singing and dancing like they picked up every last gallon of cruid oil really/really whers not that dumb
Charged for a local call?
Sounds strange, how does that work?
Re: Re:
Do you really not realize that there ARE people who have such a basic phone plan that they get charged for all calls made? Including local?
Re: Re: Re:
Wired service is not known for this type of billing.
Verizon Comm are a bunch of crooks. I had their internet service for a year and before I left the apartment I was using it in I cancelled it. Six months later I got a bill in the mail from Verizon for 300 dollars. I called customer service to complain and reiterate I canceled the service months ago. They’re reply was they didn’t see it in the system, but they would settle for 50. I told them to go fuck themselves. Its been 5 years and I’m just now getting the three credit bureaus to recognize that the claim by Verizon on that account is just as fraudulent as a identity thief.
people are the problem
the people in many corporations do suck BUT will do the right thing when shown the law.
I showed Verizon Wireless corporate liars the law and they relented their decision against me quickly enough.
Re: people are the problem
Until they can get the law changed.
TIME TO DUMP VERIZON ON IT'S ASS
TIME TO DUMP VERIZON ON IT’S ASS!
FIND AN ALTERNATIVE, PEOPLE! GET IT, YET?!!!
TIME TO DUMP VERIZON ON IT'S ASS
TIME TO DUMP VERIZON ON IT’S ASS!
FIND AN ALTERNATIVE, PEOPLE! GET IT, YET?!!!
I have been happy with Verizon Wireless and have disputed a few charges and have not had any issues. AT&T on the other hand would not fix false charges, would not honor their own contract, would ‘auto renew’ me without giving me the option to get out..and when I did try to get out I was told to do it over the phone in my contract, when I called they said you have to go on a web site and do this, could not find the website, was told it had to actually be done by snail mail…sent it in and then actually got a letter back that said my post mark was too soon to have canceled my service. They sent me that letter AFTER they had auto renewed me. This was 6 years ago..I had signed up for Verizon thinking my AT&T was canceled. Stuck with two carriers I went back to Verizon and they said – no problem, come back when you can and took my phones back and didnt charge me for the service I had been using for the 5 weeks even though they had only a 3 day backout clause in the contract. A year later AT&T had been taken to the state utilities commission along with Suncom and were told to cut that crap out. Been with Verizon ever since…well documented issue and I was a repeat victim of the practice. So go back to ATT because they have improved if you wish, I will wait to actually get burned by Verizon before I go anywhere else.
Re: Re:
This goes back to the point that was made earlier: that Verizon Wireless operates independently of the other “Verizon” services. So while Verizon Wireless seems like it does alright with its customers, obviously the Verizon Home (or whatever the heck they call it) is terrible.
FWIW I think trying to capitalize on the name Verizon has made for itself in wireless to boost their sales of their “Home” stuff is going to fail. Pretty soon the owners of the Verizon name are going to have to step in and fix this crap before it starts giving Verizon a bad name (oh look, it’s already happening…). And while yes, they operate independently, no they are not independent of each other: if Coca-Cola starts putting poison in the Diet-Cokes, you don’t keep buying the Classic.
Re: Re: Re:
Verizon Communications owns the name and 55% of Verizon Wireless, so I’m not sure how they’re going to ‘fix’ it…
Billing is probably wrong
In my experience, both from dealing with several telcos and from working on billing software for another telco, there’s a good chance your bill is wrong
All common carriers are already required to maintain toll
records for a period of at least 18 months under the Commission?s existing rules, see 47 C.F.R. ? 42.6.
Cramming a new / old thing
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/products/pro18.shtm
$1,000 dollar fine?? pfffffff!! they should lose their business license.
Re: Re:
HAHAHAHA
If they take away their business license they’ll just get their purchased congressperson to fix it.
This country is owned lock stock and barrel by corporations like Verizon. This is why NOTHING makes sense in the US right now.
Re: Re:
HAHAHAHA
If they take away their business license they’ll just get their purchased congressperson to fix it.
This country is owned lock stock and barrel by corporations like Verizon. This is why NOTHING makes sense in the US right now.
Uhhhhhh
You can view this info on their website… seriously??
The thing missing here was if the customer was actually the account holder. If they contacted Verizon for info on a bill and they were not verified as the actual account holder, Verizon could be fined by the FCC for violation of CPNI (Customer Proprietary Network Information).
Nowhere in the article does it state that the person that contacted Verizon was in fact the actual account owner.
Re: Re:
“If they contacted Verizon for info on a bill and they were not verified as the actual account holder”
or a journalist
Re: Re:
Since the judge identifies her as the consumer, i.e., the account holder, your argument seems to be a non-starter.
as a verizon customer service agent, I just wanna say that that is false information. use your my verizon account, click print bill, voila. itemized billing.
Re: Re:
Assuming one has an Internet connection. (Yes, there are people out there w/o web access)
Wow that's sick
Its amazing how the big and greedy companies in america can get away with amoral behavior like this.
Alltel doing biz in Sin City under Verizon
I quit Verizon/Alltel in Las Vegas in the early 2000’s.
Service with Alltel paid it in person at Verizon store.
They could never furnish a itemized bill back then.
Then through the grapevine heard that Verizon legally could have service in Las Vegas as a parent company to Alltel
Still wonder is if I can get money back.
Correction could’nt have service in Las Vegas using Alltel.
Next Up
In related news, this week Verizon will be signing over all copyright authority of their printed bills to Righthaven who will then sue Verizon customers under the DMCA for circumventing copyright protections by opening the envelope.
Re:
“Just because Virgin uses Sprint’s network does not make me liable for Sprint’s BS.”
LOL! This goes directly to what other folks are talking about in their comments.
Virgin Mobile doesn’t just “use Sprints network”, it is a WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY of Sprint (in the U.S.).
So, in actuality, you ARE liable for Sprint’s BS.
Still think there are alternatives??
Re: Re:
just because you fill your cars gas tank with bp gas does not make me liable for the oil/and pollution so the assholes at bp knowing and told many times it was not safe so in actuality you would liable as the biggest asshole around . when there so many other places to by gas
Um, everyone, calm down.
Local calls have never been detailed on bills, not since time began. This judge, and this customer, need to grow up. Verizon needs to refund the charge and cancel the account.
Verizon
Verizon sucks when it comes to customer service. the Company I work for has dropped all Verizon cell phones for it’s employees because of their customer service, the phone service was fine, but any time they had to deal with customer service is was such a head ache they decided to drop them as a carrier.
Get it together Verizon.
every month I have an on going bill, no matter how much I pay. when you try to call verizon fios you cannot get threw to a person, hours later when you do get a person, Im sorry you have the WRONG DEPARTMENT!!!! Back to CABELVISION for me and my other family members!
Verizon cable 200.00 "refundable" deposit joke
Verizon charged our son 200.00 deposit to provide cable service in the Warwick, RI area, over a year ago. Told him after a year if he paid on time it was refundable. They failed to give the refund after the time they said they would. He called several times and was told it takes 3 to 4 months after the date goes by. More than that has gone by and now they say because the cable was turned off for 3 hours recently when he was moving and needed it switched and was late to pay the bill on time that now they won’t give the deposit back.
Verizon sucks
Verizon sucks They are charging $3.50 a month to have your number unlisted. I never asked that it be listed in the first place. This is an action that at most takes one stroke on a keyboard. Verizon is holding people hostage and raking in many millions for absolutely nothing.
Deb- The 200 deposit is refunded after 12 monhts as long as a customer is not late more than 2 times in that 12 month period. If they are the 12 months start over from the next on time payment. If a customer disconnects it will be refunded. We do not keep deposits.
Verizon Communications
I have worked for Verizon Communications for 10 1/2 years. I genuinely care about my customers, well most of them. If you call in needing help most of us are more than willing to bend over backwards to help you out. I’ll be the first to tell you our billing system isn’t always perfect every now and then it isn’t right and we can fix it. However it is not always over charging. I have had many customers who have had a very low bill or we paid them for services. Verizon is a business and is out to make money. We provide a service and there is a fair and reasonable charge for services provided.
GET PHONE RECORDS
I HAVE A REACHOUT WIRLESS PHONE THAT I USE BACK IN OCTOBER TO CALL A BILL COLLECTOR. AFTER THAT I STARDED GETING CALL BACK EVERY DAY I SAW A LAWYER ABOUT THIS I TOOK THE LAWYER THE PHONE THEY RECORDED WHAT THE CREDTOR SAY ON THE PHONE AND THE DATE I WAS TOLD BY THE LAWYER TO GET THE RECORD FROM VIRIZON I HAVE THE DATE AND TIME MY CELL NUMBER 12484975109 THE DATE I NEED 10-4-11 10-7-11 10-11-11 10-12-11 10-13-11 10-17-11 10-18-11 DO TO MY COMPLANT AND MY CASE WITH MY LAWYER LYNGKLIP/ASSOEIATES CONSUMERLAW CENTER
I cant believe it!!!
this does not surprise me due to the fact that you’re not allowed to review the notes that the Verizon customer care specialist takes when your tying to resolve an issue. A Verizon Customer service agent said the same thing to me. They told me that I would have to get an lawyer to see my own account notes, they told me that it is because it is a liability, and i might use the information against my wife and/or another person. Mind you the notes that they take are always different then what is repeated back to you. I know this how? Try calling back and asking the new rep what is in the notes from last time….. I like the fact this lady took the bull by the horns and won one for the little guy…. I now believe that Verizon and the other cell phone companies are not out of people’s reach anymore because she won…I will keep you informed as my battle continues with the customer service care specialist….. and the inconsistency that they seem to have,…..
Rude Manager
I have been a customer with Verizon for several years. I have always paid my bill on time. I ran out of checks due to the bank error on not re-ordering, so they gave me some checks to get by on until my checks come in. I went in person to Verizon in Greenwood, SC to pay my bill several days before it was due. The clerk tried to run the check and the machine would not accept it, so I asked to see the manager. I explained the problem to him and he asked the clerk about it and came back and said there was nothing he could do. When I tried to talk to him about it, he rudely told me to get out of his store. I feel if he has handled it the right way, he would have give me some other option to pay my bill. In other words if the machine doesn’t work they don’t know how to handle it manually.
Verizon Customer Service
I am very upset with the way Verizon handles customers. I have had continuing problems with my internet service. I have called repeatedly and the problem is still not resolved. When I call for a supervisor I am kept on hold forever. This time for 35 minutes. Can you believe that!!!! Need I say I will find another provider?
I am having a problem with verizon right now. they say I signed a contract in which they can see I clearly did not.
Verizon
I too have noticed the drop off in CS. One of the reason’s I moved from ATT to Verizon was CS and coverage. Looks like I will be moving to Sprint because of the unlimited data. Not that I use a lot of data, it’s the fee grabbing with Verizon that I don’t like.
misrepresnting ability to provide bundle
through comcast my provider of a “bundle” my phone # was transferred to comcast. no trouble, have i got a bridge for you. after reporting several times while still with “them” that my internet speed was just a wee bit better than the old dial up, they sent a tech out. after several hours trying to do anything including placing an amplifier on the line. he showed me the real problem.i was beyond the range of dsl. he showed me the footage max, the order said i was out of range, misrepresentation,i learned another name.they were so sorry they unbundled $120.and charged full price. what a wonderful solution for their snafu.my last bill for the $99. bundle was over $170. please verizon let us talk this over with a judge.i wonder if he will feel the goodwill
Re:
i don’t think verizon hates america as the last writer suggested. they are just one of many very large and to the gov’t profitable companies. i used their site to communicate my problems,i heard from no one. i used their e-mail site to seek management help, not a word. i wrote a letter to the ceo, not even a dismissive form letter. i wrote to his secretary, you guessed right. i can only conclude that lobbying how many $$$$$$$ breeds a type of hubris us po hoi peloi ain’t used to. thanks for another reason, for your popularity w/att at the bottom of the barrel
Are you seriouse? I got my phone 3 weeks ago and my 1st bill is for $237.00. $137.00 is correct, $35.00 for activation fee, I have no clue what the other $65.00 is for. They have the nerve to put “other charges”. What the f**** is that. When did companies stop explaining what the charges were for? And get this!! $10.00 for taxes!! Taxes?? I pay my bill in delaware!! I swear, I should have done my homework. And the new store on rt. 4, 1 guy working, the managers to good to help you, he says”have a seat”. Then stands there staring into space! I guarantee someone cusses his a** out by the end of the week. That shit ain’t gonna fly around here..
verizon
I noticed a increase in DSL service and called them.
My question:
What is the reason for the increase?
Their reply:
“verizon reserve the right to increase fees”
My reply:
But you didn’t tell me what the reason is”
their reply:
“verizon reserves the right to increase fees”
my reply:
“but you didn’t tell me what the increase is based on”
their reply:
“we could go around in circles on this”
my take:
their customer service is terrible and verizon misleads their customers ….
Cellphone insurance
If you are considering insurance on your iphone from Verizon make sure you understand what you are paying for…With PROTECTCell your first claim has an “Administrative fee” of $150 and the second is $200. This is after the initial fee of $199. Be a smart buyer.
trying to locate daughter verizon keeps selling her phone packages same with son also curious as to why judge say phone company should be charged 1000.00 why that particular amount
Verizon Customer Service
None of the complaints about Verizon’s terrible customer service and caviler attitude toward the needs of their customers surprise me. I have been a Verizon customer for over ten years because their coverage serves my needs best, but I would change carrier’s in an instant if there were a competitive alternative that met my needs. Simply stated, Verizon’s customer service has been deplorable.
Most recently, I ordered an iPhone 5 that was not delivered on the date promised and after making contact with customer service eleven times and being promised any number of remedies, I am left with a customer service supervisor today who could only apologize once more, tell me how much they value my business and essentially blame Apple for not making enough phones.
Mind boggling to say the least. I would be embarrassed to represent a company that treats its customers that way.
Verizon and Tmobile
Verizon has horrible customer service, screwed up on subpeona requests, switched voicemail contract so not compatible with Media Player etc. Ex violated protection order, I had parental guards and asked for records for blocked numbers, took forever to get recording of voicemail message, Verizon only sent a few records of calls only, not texts. Each time I had issues with phone or service, I was on the phone for an hour or two. I am pissed so I go to Tmobile. Big mistake. Huge issue with reception, billing, etc.. I agreed to buy myself and my daughter $150 Samsung phones, paying $15/each a month for the phone. So after 10 months I find out, our $150 phones are $399 & that Tmobile told me I wasnt eligible for a corporate discount on phones, I was, but only if I called and ordered them. I feel that Tmobile should have disclosed that.I was also told by tech I was in a known problem service area. When I signed up, they should have told me that too
Say what you wish….it may have BEGUN as Verizon Comm (not Wireless) telling its customer to lawyer up but just 3 days ago (November, 2012) I was instructed that if I wanted my own data records by Verizon Wireless, I needed to obtain a subpoena first! Otherwise, all charges stood on my plan. All I requested was to see the date, time and every website visited for a brief time period bc things don’t add up. I truly believe with all the recent complaints as of late, Verizon Wireless is in for an uphill battle with consumers. They are having many erroneous charges on bills from all I’m reading lately.
no phone
my phone is down again, the past 6 years you get stactic all the time. they came to fix it and left the line laying on the ground, making it harder to hear. im a disabled person who has been sick and close to dying by a day or two. im home all alone with no phone I called Verizon and they told me that it could be up to three days to get it back up. when u dial my number it goes to another house, no big deal right, wrong the line they messed up is an elderly woman is on life line and a whole lot worse off then I am. if she pushes her button life line will then try to call my house as well as send help, but to my house. I asked the little man on the other end of the line, what if I die tonite do I sue u or the whole company? he tells me to take what ever action I wish. pissed off I then tell him I cant because im fucking dead because I have no phone to get help. he hung up sorry for the words that offend
PROBLEM ANSWERED !!!!
A LONG TIME AGO , I CAME UP WITH THE ANSWER , TO OVERPRICED( OVER RATED ) SERVICES. SUMMER WILL SOON BE HERE , AND WE CAN ALL CALL UP , AT THE SAME TIME AND CANCEL OUR SERVICES ON JUNE 1, 2013. I AM QUITE SURE THEY WOULD BE OFFERING ALL OF US THE SAME SERVICES , AT 1/2 THE PRICE , AND STILL MAKE A HANDSOM PROFIT !!!
I’m having a similar situation. I purchased an I-Phone by Verison and it stated I had 14 days to change my mind before the early termination fee was clausable. Well in five days I returned the phone and representative refunded my money for actual purchace of phone and stated I would receive the deposit for contract in the mail in five to seven days. Instead I received a bill for #$350 early termination fee. No one in their right mind would take the phone back only to have to pay that astranomical amount for termanation. In that case I would have kept the phone. Now Verizon of course has been calling me 3&4 times daily,and I tried to explain-did no good. Now I’m getting private calls from them and it’s now been turned over to collections which is destroying the credit I have been working so hard to get back. I’ve been to Verizon and another place,they gave me sound advise and a print out on the 14 day policy. So I refuse to sit back and let this ride. I will be fighting back. Total waste of my time and energy for something not even legel by their terms,but be sure I will get the messeage out there and they will have no more of my business or family and friends. WHAT A SHAME!!!! One unhappy customer,Dione:(
pissed off
Ive waited two weeks for someone to come out and checkmy phone line to see why my internet is not working i had enough of verizon . A lady schedule someone to come out come to find out she never schedule then she had da nerve to hang up on me
What is Verizon hiding in their bills?
All any customer had to do is to go online to VZW.com and get there bill and detailed billing. You can also request a bill reprint and it comes with detailed billing. That rep misinformed the customer that’s all. Verizon has very strict rules to protect their customers account and follows FCC laws.
Response to: Jay on Jul 15th, 2011 @ 7:24pm
Verizon was the best. I’ve spent the last 2 months being my own investigator. Why? The employee s are rude. Treat me like. I’m iggnorant and don’t answer my question s. I was asked to leave store or the employee would call police. I’m a sweet soul. But wtf? They know exactly how to fix my phone but ignore me. I’m exausted. Angry. Unable to spend my time elsewhere. Hacking they pretend it my fault.
Verizon Service or lack their of.
Try canceling a line even at the end of the contract. I have just spent 20 hours of phone time and actually going into what is titled Verizon store to finally get rid of a line I don’t use. Then I tried to pay an early termination fee for data line I don’t need anymore and because for whatever reason, because I just discontinued one service I have to wait another 4 days and countless hours again on the so called customer service line before I can do that despite the fact that I was going to pay the ETF. It’s all a scam!!! When I asked to speak to a supervisor could not do that, when I asked for the name and number of the President of Verizon, or someone higher just to share with them my experience no luck. And I was pretty nice I think compared to what I should have been. My next call will be in four days but I am telling them, I will be recording the call for my legal purpose. I suggest to everyone, Do Not Get Sold This Free Phone Shit. Nothing is Free! I believe we should all ban together a get their attention with postings and bring it to court.
Verizon wireless sucks !!
Verizon should be fined 10 million dollars a day for every day that it failed to provide this woman a bill, plus 1 million dollars for suffering that she incurred. The entire executive should be fined an additional 10 million dollars, be prohibited from working at the corporate executive level for 25 years, and should probably each do 1 year community service. If we do not punish accordingly corporate fascism will spread and destroy civilization.
Understandable, in a warped sort of way. But still wrong.
A bill costs nothing but a few milliseconds of a computer’s operating costs to generate. Many companies generate hundreds of thousands of invoices overnight, EVERY night. It is not difficult. There is no excuse for Verizon’s behaviour. My father’s company, which handles about 100,000 invoices a month, uses a single computer, and about 20 minutes to generate an entire end of month series of reports, including reports for each customer, updates to inventory, new inventory orders, and a bunch of other data. 20 minutes, and the computer is only 1.8 ghz. NO EXCUSE VERIZON.
Verizon Communications
I spent over an hour on the telephone with at least 7 different “so called” customer service reps in areas ranging from web techs, financial services, even collections (god only knows why collections)!!
I logged on to my verizon email and found a strong message all over the screen that my bill was overdue!!! I paid early and correct amount send to my bank on an ebill. I pay my verizon bill at my bank payonline but before I do I get an email from my bank saying it is going to be due (about a month before it is due) I can then view,pay on a scheduled date. I always pay on time and correct amount.
The bill had harrassing messages everywhere on my verizon, no email but messages that could not be avoided!!!!! I am not past due since I paid total bill on :these are from verizons website:
Paid $133.15, 4/12/15.
Paymennt (past due) $133.27
Payment due: 4/12/15
Late fee notice that I would be charged if I did not make a payment prior to April 20th!!!!
Harrassing and verrrrrrrry upsetting since my husband saw the messages as well and caused some strees since no one could see what I see (crazy wrong info on a site where people put money down for payment) I made copies of the errors and was not helped by anyone (transferred, put back to menus and basically was hungup on) 7 VERIZON STAFF told me it was because it was billable on a WEEKEND(tomorrow) and was not updated because of upcoming bill which is NOT DUE for more than a month away!!!!
EVERYONE AGREED THAT I AM PAID IN FULL>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Verizon SUCKS!
Verizon LIES! This is my story! http://homefreekids.com/2015/08/06/verizon-wireless-so-many-lies/
Re:
Don’t forget the Satanists-they’re behind every bush, trying to get child protection involved; and social workers; and psychiatrists; and lawyers; and judges; and; and big sex hysteria hoax paaaaaydaaaaay for ‘organized society’
You may be subject to a $ 1000.00 fine for not providing me with my own information. I have already contacted my attorney. Could there be a possibility of fraud? Out of principal I WILL go to the limit. My husband is dead so there should be no privacy concern Because of you this is not helping me to grieve.