There should be a 'kick me' sign on my back. Why did it never occur to me that a major company like Verizon FIOS would have had pages of complaints about their product and practices on the Internet which I could have checked had I thought of it? When my TV had a segment on the evening news about their 'bait and switch' techniques, it was already too late...I had signed a 2 year contract with them. When my neighbor told me how they cheated her out of the free HD TV they had promised her, I believed it was because she had ordered online and had no paper work while I had a salesperson go over everything carefully. After I had signed all sorts of papers I was left with one that had my signature on it and little else. She also told me about the bait and switch she had received after I had signed with Verizon.
Others have lived through the interminable phone maze, promises and lies. I made it through the first promised delivery date that never showed, and made it through the installation by a very pleasant and personable tech. It was clearly not his responsibility that FIOS had made no provision to adapt to existing peripherals like DVD recorders which require their own TV Guide to program timed recordings. After all, they offer monthly rentals that work for a gouging price.
But the major problem was a promise (apparently a verbal agreement that never made it into the final contract which was rushed in front of my eyes. The salepersons were not permitted to enter my home (by Verizon rules, they said) while I had to stand, freezing on my front porch, as we negotiated. Today. three weeks after installation, I received a letter in the mail that promised me $100. (not the $200 I had been told I would get) at Circuit City, I was given instructions to get it. Since I wanted to talk to a live Service Representative, I found a time in my day that would leave me open-ended and dialed the number listed. There, a Monica, told me that she could do nothing about my situation, she could only handle the $100 gift cards. She gave me a second number to call and I wasted another several minutes through the phone maze after speaking with the sultry voiced lady robot. The second customer service, after much holding and delay, on and off, said she could not do anything for me and would have to transfer me. I then got to speak with someone who must have teethed in the business as a debt collector. He was smooth and heartless. His name was Chase and he was probably well-named. We chased each other in circles. He first told me that in order to have received the $200 I would have had to order the 20/20 speed Internet for $10 a month extra. I said I didn't order it because I do not need a fast upload. Over and over he kept telling me that he could do nothing for me. Whatever the salesperson had said and the tech, who verified that it was written on my contract, Chase insisted he could only give it to me if I ordered the 20/20, knowing that I neither wanted nor needed it. I would have been buying my $100 in ten months for $100 and gotten a speed I didn't need nor would really use. In those 10 months, Verizon would have saved the $100 promised me and made another $100.
I asked chase if he went home with indigestion after taking many calls like mine. Chase told me he loved his job. He added that he had many people with my complaint this very day which certainly came as no surprise other that he was confirming it was a frequent scam of Verizon customers.. His tone of voice indicated that he had no problem lying to people. I told him I thought that was horrible business practice and terrible PR. He added the token, "I'm sorry" and I suggested that I seriously doubted it from his tome of voice but that I was sorry he had to lower himself to this behavior to earn a living.
I immediately wrote to my Senators and Representatives nationally and in my state. I plan to add my voice to those shouting to the wind. I still retain the hope that this country will start noting the bad business behaviors that these business are leading into monopolies. There are more emails and letters to write and many complaint boards left to rant to on the Internet....
No comments:
Post a Comment