Dave and I are at it hammer and tongs with Verizon…again and are entering Month III. We’ve had intermittent phone “service” -and I use the word lightly- since January 11, 2010. Some days we’ve spent four and five hours on the phone with Verizon representatives who assure us, “I’m sorry and we’ll resolve your problem immediately.” Liar, liar, pants on fire…did you ever say that as a child?
Now it’s common knowledge, because I’ve said so time and again, I was raised in a rather black and white environment. As children, if we told a “fib” it was called a lie. If we told a “little white lie” it was called a lie. If we lied, we got a spanking. So, if a + b = c then Verizon employees have been telling lies like there’s a prize for telling lies because we’re still having phone troubles. As in…no dial tone, dropped calls, static so bad on the line you can’t hear and this is annoying, frustrating, anger inducing and just plain mean of Verizon employees. I’m reminded of II Timothy 4:14 where it says, “Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works”. You make the leap from “Alexander” to Verizon, won’t you?
How bad is it? Well, I’ve kept written records but suffice it to say when now we call…as we’ve done earlier today…to report the problem…AGAIN…Verizon says, “we have no record of any problems going further back than a couple of weeks” yet three Verizon employees have told us we would “receive a credit from 11 January for lack of service”. Earlier today, I contacted the Verizon “Customer Advocacy” representative who told us she would place an order for service but we wouldn’t receive a credit until service had been restored. She, like most Verizon employees with whom we’ve dealt since January 11 was rude, belligerent, kept interrupting and passed the buck. Status quo, Verizon.
So, I’m doing what Verizon suggests on the back side of their monthly bill. I’m writing a letter to the State Corporation Commission and filing a complaint. In fairness to us, Dave and/or I have spoken with, at the bare minimum, a dozen Verizon employees who ALL, save for James, a technician,and one woman, share the same problems as the “Customer Advocate” Miss C., and, save for the two mentioned, ALL will receive poor marks regarding their attitude, rudeness, lack of communication style, interrupting rough shod while the customer, me, was trying to speak and for being belligerent. Then, I’m copying my letter, putting it into a blog entry AND making hard copies and taking to all my neighbors to suggest they go and do likewise. You see, we’ve ALL had problems with lack of phone service since the same time. We’ve also had problems with our rural mail carrier and feel embattled on every side by those who are being paid for services NOT provided! We were even told by a Verizon employee that when we called in a service problem, once that report was turned over to a technician, Verizon records would drop the initial complaint so that it was no longer on record! Suuweet! NOT!
Verizon, nor any public utility for that matter, does not like their customers to write letters to the State Corporation Commission. If a company, such as Verizon, receives too many letters of complaint, they are fined and it goes against their public record.Also, if you write a blog entry, such as this one, use the company’s name as much as possible as it comes up high on engine searches. BTW, written letters are ever much more effective than a telephone call or e-mail. Earlier today, Miss C., “Customer Advocate”…anyone see the oxymoron here?…told me, “If you do send a complaint to the SCC all they will do is forward it to me and I’ll have to take care of it.” Miss C. also said, “Credit cannot be attached to your bill until the problems are corrected and no, we won’t stop your service for not paying the bills in question.” The flames of Hades are being fed and are growing hotter and hotter with each telephone call to a Verizon employee. I just finished speaking with a woman at the VA SCC and she said, “No, the complaint comes to me and I’ll handle it; it doesn’t go to Verizon.”
If one does a search with the words “Verizon service complaints” you could live to be a thousand and never have time to read them all. It appears Verizon is the absolute King of nasty companies who, it seems, trains their employees in the ways and means of saying, “I’m sorry…” with absolutely no sincerity whatsoever; trains their employees on how to, effectively, lie; trains their employees on how to, effectively, get the customer off the phone as fast as possible. Hey, I’ve not even been in one of their training sessions and bet I’m batting a thousand!
Lest you think I want special treatment, I do not. I want Verizon to tell the truth, fix the telephone line, give me the credit they have promised and to play nice. In short, do what they say.
VA State Corporation Commission
Division of Communication; Attn: Terry
P.O. Box 1197
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Some suggestions if you’re having difficulties with a public utility or other company. There are several places on the i-net where one can obtain the actual telephone number to speak to a human being at various companies! No, really, it’s true! Get Human, Dial A Human and Talk to a Human are three places to find numbers to speak to human beings and not get thrown into the computer loop. Be polite, but FIRM; keep records, take names, dates and times and follow through.
Then pray for them as did Paul for Alexander.
P. S. Verizon just called and said, “the problem isn’t with your phone but with the line” to which I replied, “that’s what I’ve been telling you for two months”. The Verizon representative went on to say, “the line will be fixed by Wednesday” to which I replied, “so you say”. The Verizon representative went on to say, “I understand you’re thinking of writing a letter to the SCC” to which I replied, “No, I’m not”. The Verizon employee said, “Oh, you’re not?!”
“No,” said I, “I’m not thinking of writing a letter, I am writing a letter, am working on it as we speak and have already spoken with the SCC representative and she’s expecting my letter this week.”
Hmmmm…and just think…Verizon gave me the idea when I looked at the back of their bill.
Thanks, Verizon!
Until next time,
Blessings ~ websites that assist in getting humans, not computer loops ~ the time and means to file complaints against companies wanting to be paid for services not rendered ~
Thanks for visiting Thistle Cove Farm,
Sandra
diana says
i have had some bad experiences with verizon also that happened about 6 months ago with and awful echo in my voice while talking with other people and how annoying is that and yes Verizon did say they would have a technician take care of the problem after two weeks of echo and calling from a landline to find the problem it was in their service but as you were saying liar, liar pants on fire and trying to get a credit from Verizon, hmmmm!
Sandra Bennett says
Hi Lea – you're right…pull Their hair out! -grin-.
Hi Misha – I'm gasping over your ordeal and think you win a prize for being so patient. I wouldn't have gone six months; three tops before I'd start lawsuit procedures or, at the minimum, talking to a lawyer.
Hi KathyB – the world is spinning out of control and we're all going to fly off one of these days soon.
It's amazing how companies treat those who pay their bills. Seems like deadbeats get a free ride while those of us who are honest, pay our bills ON TIME, are not treated with any respect whatsoever. I told Verizon they wouldn't know the truth if God spit it in their eye! No response but no surprise there.
Hi Alice – you're right, it's all big companies and some small companies. Everyone is in need of help.
Hi Katherine – I've learned the public utilities are deathly afraid of the SCC. If the utilities receive too many SCC complaints, they are fined Big Time. They hate fines -grin-.
Hi Jen – you're right, it is dangerous. We can't get cell phone coverage in our valley either because it's so rural.
Jen Chandler says
Eep! How FRUSTRATING! I have not (as of yet) had any trouble with Verizon but knowing what I know now, I hope I NEVER have any trouble with them.
I do hope you are able to get your phone communication issues resolved soon. It's a pain at any time to be paying for services and not receiving any. It's doubly awful that you guys are snowed in without a way to communicate. That's dangerous!
Blessings,
Jen
Katherine Aucoin says
I hope your phone problems get resolved for real. sounds like you may have gottentheir attenion. I dread calling our phone service people for anything becuase it's always a long and exhausting ordeal.
Wobegon Cottage(alice) says
It seems to me it isn't only Verizon who have excepted these business practices….we experience this type of thing almost everytime we have a problem or concern with any company. GOOD LUCK
KathyB. says
Sandra, how frustrating ( understatement of the year,huh?)I immediately bookmarked all your "get a human" links, and then just felt angry for you. Right, get a human in the Verizon bankroll and you get oy#@%*&#@?, pardon my whatever.I have spent many hours on the phone waiting for help and eventually got the very best help ( sorry patriots) from out-sourced helps in who knows where. The people with foreign accents were polite and actually helped me, and often had to be very patient with ME, the techie dummie.
So , now I know the Verizon commercials lie, and lie well. I just might have a future blog in mind regarding this, and I think I should make sure Verizon is noted …for the right ( wrong) reasons….bad , bad business.
I do make sure that when I call regarding any issues of importance I ask ( and write down) just who I am speaking too and also note time and remarks. I address them by the name they give and repeat what they have said to me. This seems to make a difference for the better in the way i am spoken to and the result I get. Hope this is resolved very quickly!
from my front porch... says
Sandra, I feel for you! Since moving here to the mountains, it seems every time I turn around I am fighting with some service co.
For a while it was Earthlink. We paid one full year in advance. Then when the following month came around, they debited $800.00 out of our acct! I bounced checks all over creation! We could not get Earthlink to credit us…It went on and on with them owing us $800.00!!! The following month came, while were still waiting to be credited, and they pulled another $800.00 out!!!!!!!!!!
At one point they said they could not credit us the money! After months we finally closed our checking acct. so they couldn't pull out more on the 1st of the month. Then they said we were trying to make payment on a closed account!They charged US a fee for a "bad" check! OMG! Finally after 6 months and one attorney it got settled. Earthlink is one crappy company with employees trained like Verizons!!
Keep us posted. I am really interested in this!
misha
myletterstoemily says
how frustrating for you!!!!!
we have had similar treatment with a
master card acct. makes you want to
pull your hair out…or even better, their
hair out! 🙂
hope you get it all straightened out.
blessings,
lea