Once bitten, twice shy
Written: Mar 31 '02 (Updated Mar 31 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good connectivity
Cons: Horrendous customer service
The Bottom Line: I would not recommend it - it's not worth the risk. It's likely that if you have problems, you'll be trapped and customer service will be of no service.
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| cnsmer's Full Review: General Reviews of Verizon Customer Service |
I signed up for Verizon for their technology. It's great -- I get clearer calls and fewer of them are dropped (vs. Cingular). One thing that will be dropped, however, is my service with them (as soon as my contract is up).
Why? Because the few calls I've placed to Verizon customer service have led me to hate the company. These calls needn't have been a big deal, because the concerns about which I called weren't all that large. But, without memorable exception, the person to whom I spoke was extremely rude and stubbornly refused to be of any help. It appeared almost as if my calls were a nuisance to them, particularly since I was trapped -- quitting before my contract is up would cost me a whopping $175. Guess what? As soon as I'm no longer trapped, I'm jumping ship.
I have a very good friend who also had Verizon, but was forced to move. Verizon told him that they offer no service in the area to which he was moving, so he had to cancel. $175. When he was later told that the company does, indeed, provide service in that area, he complained, saying that he wouldn't have cancelled were he not given erroneous information by the first customer service agent. Their response: it doesn't matter why you quit -- you did, so the $175 is not refundable. Later, still another customer service agent disagreed, saying that Verizon does NOT service the new area, and that regardless of the service availability in the new area, a cancellation fee of $175 still applies.
The most serious concern I have with the company is downtime. Recently, service when down entirely in my area. It's been down for two days now and the company refuses to give any estimate as to when it will be back up. Since I now appear to be paying for a service that I am not receiving, I called customer service again. I explained that I would like a pro-rated refund for the time that service is unavailable. The customer service agent cut me off mid-sentence, barking "We are not giving you any credit." I asked why and was told, "because the service outage is not our fault." When I asked to speak to a supervisor, she put me on hold for time eternal.
Customers of the competitors are still able to make calls, and I am still paying for a service I am not getting. So what if the downtime is not their fault -- ought it not be their problem? Theoretically, would it be my fault if Verizon were to not receive my payment because the post office lost my check? No. Is it my problem? Of course, and Verizon would not, I am sure, hesitate to penalize me for it.
We made an agreement -- I pay them, they provide a service. They are not currently providing anything, however, other than rude responses and monthly bills.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 35/mo
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Epinions.com ID:
cnsmer
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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