cell phone rant: those Verizon bastards!!!

[NikPreviousAcct]

A few weeks ago, I called to change my call plan.

Before, I had 350 anytime minutes and 4000 nights/weekend minutes. I saw an advertisement on the Verizon site about $5 extra per month for unlimited nights and weekends. I thought to myself "what the hell" and signed up for it. A few days afterward, I didn't remember whether my anytime minutes limit had changed and I wasn't near a PC to check online - so I called the Verizon support line to find out. The lady told me that my call plan change included one thousand anytime minutes. :Q I was fairly shocked that I'd get that many minutes for such a cheap price, but that's fine. I asked again for the lady to verify that I had 1,000 minutes, and she said that's what she saw. I'd also asked about additional ringtones for the Motorola 120c, which she said that she used to have and knows personally that the phone doesn't have the feature to add more ringtones to it (even though I can make my own and save them

). So I made changes to my calling routines accordingly, calling like crazy per having about a half hour every day to spend on my 1000 anytime minutes.

Well, two nights ago I thought I would call their automated system to find out what my current bill is (again, after work waiting for the bus along the highway - no PC available). Good thing I did. Instead of the system giving me an automated response, I got to a live tech. She told me that my current bill is $70 something dollars...wtf - my bill is supposed to be $45/month. The tech then told me that I had gone over my anytime minutes substantially. The tech also told me that I have 350 anytime minutes and unlimited nights and weekends. Uh... okay. I asked her to check any notes on my account as to my calling in to verify the last time I spoke with them, and, sure enough, the last lady didn't leave notes and hence no proof that I was told about the 1000 anytime minutes. :| :| :|

So I'm sitting here in disbelief. I knew it. Nothing ever goes smoothly with my life, and my cell phone was getting to be too smooth for comfort. I knew something was going to happen. So I asked her if there was any way to verify the previous call via recording or system notes, and she said no. She offered me 200 extra minutes this month, and I laughed. I couldn't care less about the damn minutes. If I have 350, I'll plan for 11 minutes per day. If I have 1000, I'll plan for about a half hour per day. I told her that I didn't want to get used to spending 550 when next month comes around. So what does she do? She offers, for another $5/month, 750 anytime minutes. :| No. I don't care. I'm spending what I want to spend every month, and I want the service that I'm paying for -no more. I asked her flat out that if there was no sort of monitary credit or compensation that I would just deal with it and look into another service.

Haha - I do know how to work them down, though, don't I. She offered "out of a show of good faith" to split the bill (about $13 and change) for credit. So, now, I'm only paying half of the other tech's fsck up. Fine. I got something, I'm surprised that I got that, I'm still not happy but atleast the lady was kind enough to pull some charges off the account. I was told that it would be best to pay the bill in full when it gets here and to let the credit roll over to next month to avoid some sort of billing software issues which I totally understand. Hey, I do billing here at work and I've seen some seriously messed up accounts. I don't want to go through fixing it. No biggie.

But I can't believe someone told me that I had a thousand minutes, didn't log the call, and the system has no way of proving it. Makes me, the customer, look like a bastard of sorts -I know what it's like to argue with a customer who thinks they're right when I can't find any proof to substantiate their charges. It's quite frustrating on both ends. Now I know what it's like to be the customer :|

nik (quite disgruntled)

 

[loup garou]

Cliffnotes Version:

nik changes his plan.
Verizon fscks it up.
nik gets overcharged.

(Just saving trouble for all the people saying the post is too long)

 

[bonk102]

verizon has always sucked out here in buffalo, me and all my friends avoid them like hte plague

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: werk
Cliffnotes Version: nik changes his plan.
Verizon fscks it up.
nik gets overcharged. (Just saving trouble for all the people saying the post is too long)

HAHA

 

[PsychoAndy]

wow, you can tell nik is pissed! he didnt tell what song he's listening to.

BTW, that is one long post. werk got it right.

and nik, whenever i call someplace to check info, try and get a name, extension, employee number and call center. if you get conficting information, it helps out having a refrence.

<---spent 40 minutes on the phone with amex last night cause of bad info 3 different CSR's reported

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Andy,
I was told her name, but not anything else and although I've been asked the same stinking questions, I didn't think to ask. I didn't have anything to write on or with either, so it wouldn't have mattered.

nik

 

[ratkil]

You can check your bill online? How?

edit: nm figured it out

 

[XZeroII]

I had Verizon like 4 years ago when they were PrimeCo. After they changed to Verizon, I relized that I didn't use my phone much anymore so I was planning on cancelling it. My phone was then stolen, so I cancelled my account w/o any huge bills or anything. For the next year or so, they kept sending me a bill for like $.17. A stamp costs more than that, so I just let it sit there and figured they would realize how stupid it was to require me to pay this. After a half year, I tried actually paying it, and I got another bill for like $.25. I tried paying that one and I got a bill for like $.30. Well, I was sick of it, so I paid a whopping $.50 to them and now I get a letter from them every month saying that I have a balance of -$.20. Grrr, they won't go away. I figure though that if they can charge me interest if I don't pay, I should be able to charge them interest if they don't pay. I'll wait for a couple years, then call and demand my $.20 plus interest.

 

[ElFenix]

sprint has done stuff like that, or so i've heard. but not to me. the only problem i had with them is that i gave them my card number and told them to just card it, and they turn off my phone 3 weeks later, saying i was overdue. i was like, wtf, i gave you my damned card number!

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

I purposely didn't setup autopay via my Visa because I want to see the bill each month. I want to know exactly what I pay and be able to call if I need to before they pull the money from the account.

nik

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: PsychoAndy
and nik, whenever i call someplace to check info, try and get a name, extension, employee number and call center. if you get conficting information, it helps out having a refrence.

You nailed it. You'd be surprised at how many people don't realize large corporations have several call centers around the country (or world). Just getting a first name is NEVER enough. You should always try and get the first name, last name, ID/badge number, extension, direct phone number, what city they're in, etc. This is the first thing I learned when I started working at my bank 8 years ago, customers would call and ask why they owe $300 in interest on their car loan? They thought they paid it off. Turns out they only paid the principal amount owed not the actual payoff (principal, plus interest, plus fees if outstanding), I asked them WHO quoted you this payoff, they usually don't even have a first name and try to describe the CSR's voice (LOL). One customer was mis-quoted a home mortgage payoff, the CSR read them the principal amount owing not the interest on a rather large mortgage, fortunately they kept records of which CSR they spoke with. The customer was misquoted information, she told us which CSR, we reviewed their payoff sheet and sure enough they screwed up. So the customer got a nice $8,000 discount and we lost $8,000 in interest, the CSR got into some deep trouble.

I experienced a similar situation that nik did with Sprint PCS. I asked to change plans which at that time offered 350 mins weekday anytime and 1,650 night and weekend minutes ... they confirmed my account has been changed and will be effective the next day. Jus tin case I made note of who I spoke with, the date, time and what was said. A month later I received a cell phone bill for $450, I called Sprint PCS bitched out 5 supposed managers (they were probably all work leaders not actual managers) until I actually got a manager, she thanked me for keeping such good notes, reversed my entire bill, sent me a free $50 Sprint PCS GC and waived my next month's $39.99 bill for the inconvenience caused.

 

[Adul]

well at least it wasn't worldcom wireless. You may have been told they owe you money only to later find you owe them 2x the amount they owed you

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: Adul
well at least it wasn't worldcom wireless. You may have been told they owe you money only to later find you owe them 2x the amount they owed you

Well, actually, that's exactly what's going on. Basically, I was told that I would owe $45 by staying under 1000 and now they're telling me I owe almost $80 ($78.xx). So nyah.

nik

 

[Adul]

Originally posted by: ffmcobalt

Originally posted by: Adul
well at least it wasn't worldcom wireless. You may have been told they owe you money only to later find you owe them 2x the amount they owed you

Well, actually, that's exactly what's going on. Basically, I was told that I would owe $45 by staying under 1000 and now they're telling me I owe almost $80 ($78.xx). So nyah.

nik

not quiet.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: Adul

Originally posted by: ffmcobalt

Originally posted by: Adul well at least it wasn't worldcom wireless. You may have been told they owe you money only to later find you owe them 2x the amount they owed you

Well, actually, that's exactly what's going on. Basically, I was told that I would owe $45 by staying under 1000 and now they're telling me I owe almost $80 ($78.xx). So nyah. nik

not quiet.

I think you need to learn your place, woman...

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: XZeroII
I had Verizon like 4 years ago when they were PrimeCo. After they changed to Verizon, I relized that I didn't use my phone much anymore so I was planning on cancelling it. My phone was then stolen, so I cancelled my account w/o any huge bills or anything. For the next year or so, they kept sending me a bill for like $.17. A stamp costs more than that, so I just let it sit there and figured they would realize how stupid it was to require me to pay this. After a half year, I tried actually paying it, and I got another bill for like $.25. I tried paying that one and I got a bill for like $.30. Well, I was sick of it, so I paid a whopping $.50 to them and now I get a letter from them every month saying that I have a balance of -$.20. Grrr, they won't go away. I figure though that if they can charge me interest if I don't pay, I should be able to charge them interest if they don't pay. I'll wait for a couple years, then call and demand my $.20 plus interest.

Hahaha...PrimeCo did the same thing to me when I cancelled their service. They kept on sending me a bill for 3 cents. Finally, I got fed up and taped a nickel to the bill with a note that said "keep the change." Never got another bill from them.

 

[melly]

I just find it funny because you Americans pay so much for cell phone service! $45 USD?

Conversion : $67.10 CAD [exchange rate: 1.4890]



That's insane!

 

[MWink]

I'm not the least bit surprised. The chance of getting the truth out of a Verizon rep is less than 50%. When I got my phone the rep outright lied to us. It ended up costing us a lot of money. When my contract expires (1.5 years left :| ) I am changing to another provider. I HATE VERIZON!

 

[sheselectric]

Verizon's that bad? I was thinking of switching to their service when I move to the East Coast (I have Cingular now.) Which one would you guys recommend?

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: caramel
I just find it funny because you Americans pay so much for cell phone service! $45 USD? Conversion : $67.10 CAD [exchange rate: 1.4890] That's insane!

It's about 7.8% of what I make per month. I can afford it.

nik

(edit) oops, that's only 7.8% of one paycheck. I get two checks per month. Therefore, that's 3.9% of my monthly income.

nik