To all of you who are doing research and thinking about getting Verizon FiOS, I implore you, I beg of you, and I pray you will never get Verizon FiOS service. On about May 25, 2010, I called to cancel my Verizon FiOS account. I was never that thrilled with the service. The box locked up regularly, voice and picture were sometimes off, and the menu's left a lot to be desired. My local cable provider, whom I had left for FiOS one year earlier, had given me a quote that was a little less and included many more HD channels. I had completed my one-year contract with Verizon and was clear to turn off the service.
The first person I spoke to, even though I had already navigated their irritating voice recognition menu to get to the Cancellations Department, said they couldn't help me and they had to transfer me to the right department. It turned out that the person I was transferred to was not able to cancel my account either, but she was conveniently able to offer me an upgraded package with all the HD channels I wanted. It was a long conversation, but in the end, Mrs. **, as she identified her self, assured me that I would get everything I wanted, and my bill would only go up from $172.61 by about a dollar per month.
The package included a "special" $30 per month credit to keep the bill down and for staying with Verizon. While the bill is in my name, I have roommates who pay their part, and therefore, I have to answer to them. They agreed that the deal sounded good, and we would go ahead and stay with Verizon.
This was one of the biggest consumer mistakes/regrets I have ever made. Of course, you never get your "problem bill," until after the 30-day cancellation window is over.
For over a year, I paid every bill in full and on time. When the June bill came, it was for the same $172.61, and I paid it in full and on time. I assumed that the bill was the same, because of how late in May I had called and made the changes. I figured the July bill would reflect the new plan and amount. When the July bill arrived, there were definitely some differences. Not only was the charge over $250 dollars, but I even had a new account number, and of course, there was no sign of the promised discount that made me stay with Verizon in the first place.
What was worse was that there was a "carry-over" charge of $135. Since I had always paid every bill in full and on time, there was no reason for any carry-over charges from a past bill.
The First Problem Call: 7/6/10 -- Duration 20:31. The first person I spoke with said that they couldn't help me and that the bill was right. He couldn't explain the charges and couldn't make any changes. I asked to be transferred to Cancellations, because I was angry and too busy to be bothered by terrible service. I had to explain the entire situation again only to be told that this was not the Cancellations Department again and that she would have to transfer me. I was hung up on during the transfer.
The Second Problem Call: 7/14/10 -- Duration 48:05
The next time I had the chance to call, I figured I would try the Billing Department to see if I could get anywhere or at least an explanation of the charge. The first person I spoke to also could not explain anything and could not refund the charges. Mind you, this is not a general customer service; this was the Billing Department. And they still could not give me any real answer as to where the charge came from, only that it was from a past bill.
Again, I asked to be transferred to Cancellations. When the lady answered, she identified her self as Mrs. E**. Of course, I asked if this was the Cancellations Department, and she said no, and that it was Billing. I wanted to scream. She asked me to once again explain the situation, because she wanted to help. I don't even know if they have a Cancellations Department. And all I wanted was my situation resolved, so again I explained it.
She sounded concerned and appeared to be helpful. She said that Verizon had recently changed billing service providers, and it looked like my last payment had posted part to the old account, but the part that was supposed to be posted to the new account never was, even though the whole amount was deducted from my checking account. She even used three-way and called an accounting person to try and get it resolved.
She sounded like she was fighting for me. In the end, she said she would have to get a supervisor involved, and either her or her supervisor would call me back within 72 hours with a resolution. She said she made all the notes on the account and that it should be resolved soon. She also said it looked like the $30 discount per month didn't go through, but she could put on a $40 discount per month for all my trouble.
When I hung up, I felt comfortable that my situation would be addressed and corrected. I felt like customer service had been achieved by Verizon. I was wrong. I never heard back from anyone, and nothing changed on my online billing. The bill was due on the 19th.
The Third Problem Call: 7/21/10 -- Duration 33:52. Now my bill is late for the first time, and the changes that I was promised have still not occurred on my online bill. So, I called again. This time, I spoke with only one person. I explained the situation, and she said she saw some notes on the account and that she would like a minute to review everything and get back to me.
After 17 minutes of listening to bad music, interrupted by Verizon commercials that I now know to be lies, she finally came back on. She cannot explain anything to me and cannot say where the charge came from. Finally, suddenly and inexplicably, she seems to discover that there is a credit for the exact amount I am over-charged. She said it won't post until the next bill. "Okay, great," I said. "So what should I pay now?"
We did the math, and both agreed what my bill should be after applying the credit. I said thank you, hung up, and immediately went and paid the amount we agreed it should be, even though my account showed a larger amount due.
Yesterday, 8/2/10, I got my new Verizon bill. Can you guess what it was for? I'm sure you guessed correctly. No credit, no adjustment, no change. Just a past due amount and a huge bill.
Verizon FiOS Customer Service is an oxymoron. It is a unicorn, the Boogeyman, or Bigfoot. It simply doesn't exist. In my estimation, 60% of them have no idea what they are doing and don't want to help anyway, 30% know what they are doing but couldn't care less and also don't want to help, and 10% really want to help but have no idea how to. I guess they are just new and will shortly be indoctrinated into the ways of Verizon. Either way, 100% of them will tell you whatever you want to hear to get you off the phone with them. They lie to get you to sign up, they lie to keep you, and they lie about fixing your problems.
Obviously, I am going to have to pay my bill in full to avoid credit issues, and I am now locked into a 2-year contract with them. So again, I implore you, I beg of you, and I pray you will never get Verizon FiOS service. That is the least I can do to help my fellow consumers. It doesn't matter to Verizon either way; they couldn't care any less.