17 August 2011

My Verizon Story

Rachel and I left my house yesterday around 11:30 a.m., and my internet worked then.

When I got home at 6:30 p.m., it did not.  After trying various things, I gave up and called Verizon technical support, whereupon I was informed that because of the Verizon strike, I could not a technician to my house until 01 September.  I told them that was unacceptable because I have a job that requires me to be online every day (granted, it's a volunteer job, but it's one that takes several hours of my day, and one that I take very seriously).

I was told that to try to get an early appointment date, I would need to call a different number.  I asked about a credit on my bill.  For that, I need to call billing.  That was when I asked to talk to a supervisor.  I talked to a man I will call C.  He informed me he would take care of both of these issues for me, and he would call me back within 20-30 minutes to let me know if he could get me an earlier appointment.  We hung up at 7:50 p.m.

At 8:30 p.m, he called back, asked me when I was available tomorrow (today) and Thursday.  I told him.  He said he was still working on it and would call me "right back."  I called him back at 10:10 p.m. and he stated he was still working on it and would call me back when he knew something.  He called me back at 10:40 p.m., and he said that no appointments were available sooner than 01 September, but he kept that appointment for me (so I wouldn't lose it), he was leaving a notation for the say supervisor to call me in the morning in case an appointment the next day (today) opened up.  He promised the day supervisor would call me between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m.

I waited until 9:54 a.m. and called.  I spoke to a man I will call A.  He said there was no such notation in my account from C that I was to be called.  Further, he had no idea who C was.  And he isn't sure who C was talking to last night since scheduling closes at 6:00 p.m.  I asked A if he could try to get me an earlier appointment.  No, because he's tech support.  When I kept pushing, A changed to "I COULD call, but I know what they'll say."  When I kept pushing, he changed it to "I'll call and keep you on the line so you can hear me."  Then he came back and said that they didn't even answer the line, which is why he didn't patch me through.  But that he would keep trying.  And he would make sure my bill was credited for 15 days.  I pointed out that I would be without service for 16 days.  He said the most he could do without calling Billing was 15 days.  I suggested he call Billing, then.

I also pointed out that I've had Verizon for less than three years, this is the third time I've had to have a technician to my house, and the first time, it took them nearly two months to right the problem.  He tried to look it up in my account, but conveniently they've switched to a new system, and my first problem with them is no longer in their system.  Interesting.  I also informed him that while he's working on trying to get me an earlier appointment and get my bill credited, I'll be working on checking out other ISPs because I'm tired of all of these shenanigans.  Clearly, either he or C is lying to me, and I don't feel like paying a company every month who employs people who can't tell the truth to their customers, especially when those people are at the supervisory level.

Suddenly, A says, "I've been looking at your account while we've been talking, and I think if I work with the Status Department, I can get someone to your house by 26 August."

I decided at that point to call Customer Service to let them know about what was going on in this office (which is an office not in this country but very nearby).  After being transferred four times, I finally got in touch with a lovely woman, S, who actually is based in the Philadelphia Field Office.  She had no record of any of my calls to tech support (although she readily admitted that tech support may use a different system that she couldn't access), so she couldn't really track my calls to/from C and A, but she did record my version of events and that I had been told two ENTIRELY different things by two different supervisors.  But she did transfer me to Scheduling so I could verify my appointment.

Apparently, I had an appointment for 26 August.  I asked if I could be moved up.  I was given the number for Dispatch.  I explained that I needed an earlier appointment for a job.  After another hour, I got an appointment for some time between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. this Friday.

And Verizon can still bite me.

4 comments:

  1. While you would have to pry my verizon cell service from my cold dead fingers - i have optimum online.... for a reason.

    And as an aside - they haven't run the fiber optics for fios in my neighborhood yet. Still they are willing to "supply" Fios and charge for fios, while using copper. RIP. OFF.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, and I will bring my tablet not my laptop with me - at least I know the 3G will work.

    ReplyDelete