RANT: Verizon, Thou Are No Friend

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