Verizon Wireless

Filed in National by on November 12, 2008

Update:

I recieved a call from Verizon Tonight! 

They said F-off.  You signed a contract.  Instead of the $175 cancellation fee they would waive…are you ready?….they would waive $5 a month for each month I have had the line.  12 x 5 = 60.  Not sure how $5 a month equals $175 though.  They did also offer to allow me to suspend my account for 90 days while I got my shit back together and hopefully could repay them again.

So….on to the Email Bomb As suggested by Mark H. 

Unreal. 

Previously….on 11/08/2008 I wrote:

So, in an effort to curb some bills I contacted Verizon Wireless hoping I would be able to cancel one line to save maybe $20 a month. I am currently jobless (had an interview Friday) and am trying to get ahead of bills before they can pile up and I could possibly fall behind.

Last year for Christmas, I added a line for my daughter and thought at the time she could handle this luxury item and maintain a decent grade point average. A bad report card and being out of work are 2 perfect reasons to shit can one phone line and save some money.

I called Verizon Wireless and asked them if I could cut the line due to being unemployed and needing to cut back on bills.

NO.

There wasn’t even room to wiggle. But they were nice enough to offer me the option to change my minute plan, but that would result in renewing my contract I believe….

Well thanks for trying. I’m half tempted to stop paying Verizon altogether. But first I will be writing them a letter explaining how idiotic a policy they have to not allow a customer to cancel 1 phone line, that has been with them for 7 years, never been late and currently has 4 phones, 5 actually if you count the house line and I am Direct TV customer.

Gotta love 2 year contracts. I am no contract lawyer, but it seems to me that a decent customer rights advocate should be able to rid the people of these excessive bonds.

FROM THEIR WEBSITE:

Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., Verizon Wireless has the largest number of retail customers in the industry and is the most profitable wireless company in the U.S. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD).
Customers: 70.8 Million
Employees: 71,000
Annual Revenue: $43.9 Billion
 

 

 

 

Verizon Wireless built and operates the nation’s most reliable wireless network. It is the only major carrier with a 30-day network test-drive pledge that pays for calls if a customer isn’t satisfied and switches to another carrier.

 

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Comments (23)

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  1. anon says:

    We need massive consumer contract reform.

  2. Dana Garrett says:

    The marketplace really isn’t stacked in favor of the consumer. I recently had to wait 5 months to get an initial appt. for my son w/ a specialist. And I thought that sort of thing only happened in Canada.

  3. it doesn’t really happen in Canada either…

  4. anon says:

    your customer service rep was wrong.

    you can cancle the service, there will be an early termination fee. (which is designed to cover the cost of the phone they “gave” you)

  5. I meant to word it that way…she said I could cancel, but I had to pay $175….

    which defeats the purpose of someone calling in that says they are unemployed and may have trouble paying their bill, was my overall point.

  6. Unstable Isotope says:

    I am not sure you have to pay this fee. I just read about a settlement of people with Sprint about these cancellation fees.

  7. Susan Regis Collins says:

    I’m with #1. Will someone please start one of those online petitions……

    Verizon is doing its voodoo in the city of Wilmington right now…..bet they cut a better deal there than w/donhoni.

    Just like Delmarva gives business, government, etc. ‘reduced’ rates due to volumn use…..i say cities, counties, developments, etc. should get reduced rates too–at least on ‘off hours’ (6 pm -6 am)….could be very cost effective.

  8. Miscreant says:

    Strange, I’ve been with Verizon for several years and have never had a problem adding or canceling lines. Don’t worry about it. Obama will take care of your phone bill now.

    Trust me.

  9. Truth Teller says:

    Watch out for the fee they charge to cancel they tried to get me to pay over $375 for what they said was my failure to notify them. If you don’t renew at the end of your 2 year contract they renew you after 30 days. My problem with them started in Lewis Delaware when i tried to renew and they refused to give me new phones as promised. i was lucky to have a friend who is high up in the company to resolve this problem after attempting to get it resolved for over 2 years without results. I am now with AT&T

  10. X Stryker says:

    If you’re willing to be a pit bull, I’m willing to bet they will settle if you escalate the matter. Believe me, someone there has the power to cancel the fee. Do make sure to remind them that you are Delaware’s most outspoken blogger, but also an excellent customer as you mentioned.

  11. Sky says:

    Petitions and calling companies to complain won’t do it!

    We as consumers must realize what we can get into with these contracts. this is especially true with cell phones. Must we really be in constant contact with others? Not really the only way that we can make a difference is to stop signing these contracts!

    It cost me $5.00 a month out of pocket for my cell phone. I have to laugh each time I see a person on a cell talking to a friend and paying between 50 and 100 dollars a month to do so.

    Sky

  12. TT,

    where is Lewis De? hehehehe

    Sky,

    thanks for commenting don’t think we have seen you here before…

  13. the cajun says:

    I’m with sky. My opinion is dump Verizon wireless. Keep the home land line, get Tracfones purchase the minutes you need. It’s a bit more expensive per unit, but you’ll find out really fast, how much you DON’T need that cell phone. I use mine in emergencies and only give the number to people who know that it ain’t always on and who know of other ways to reach me.
    I’ve saved a shitload of money and even more aggravation dealing with Verizon.
    Just my two-cents…plain.

  14. getting away from a contract is the key I agree

  15. Mark H says:

    Don….Every time Verizon changes it’s fees (texting for instance), you generally have a little grace period to either drop a line or cancel without termination fees as most of the Verizon Wireless contracts have an out if the change the Verizon made is”materially adverse” ,which of course, raising a texting fee is. A search on consumerist.com may help you with this. At worst, you could launch an EECB (Executive Email Carpet Bomb) at Verizon. The site I mentioned above will help with this.

    Good Luck

  16. thanks Mark H,

    I did send them a 1000 word email telling them what kind of a customer I am and the options they have.

    We shall see how short sighted they are…

  17. Mark H says:

    http://consumerist.com/365404/man-escapes-verizon-etf-via-eecb

    This post on the consumerist covers what I had said before plus gives you the email addresses that COUNT when dealing with Verizon

  18. Truth Teller says:

    Here’s a tip that I found worked well while dealing with these bastards. They sicked a fly by night collection agency on me. When they called which was about twice a week and ask for me by name i would tell them that the owners of the house were on a world cruise and won’t return for a year. This seem to confuse them and they then would try to get me to give them an address where these folks could be reached i started out giving them dates of ports of call in South America.Finally i got the problem solved and my credit restored but only thru a friend at virizon

  19. anon says:

    Looking for work…interested in working with people in community group homes?

  20. You mean working with retards?

    I love those goofy bastards! Do you put them in cages?

  21. Mission Accomplished says:

    What a great post! You read my mind, Verizon is so retarded. My wife dropped her phone in the pool in AUGUST. They are still charging me for her stupid ringback tones. Everytime I get a new schlep on the phone they dont get it, it’s at the bottom of the pool for 3 months now, but keep on charging me that’s fine $250 a month for 1 phone that seems reasonable…Plus how about, at least in PA, the dirty little tax secret. It’s like an extra $25 a month just because.

  22. Noverizon says:

    Signed up for triple bundle (I know, bad move!) in about May. Wanted only what comes with the package. Verizon signed me up for some sort of extra at $5.99/month. EVERY single month I called them, told them I never requested that item and they removed the $5.99 from my bill, assuring me they would handle it. EVERY single month that charge appeared and I called. Finally told them, given my options (which I don’t have because one signs up for two years) I would immediately cancel their service. The rep was ‘so sorry’ and again, assured me that it would be handled. Last month it finally disappeared from my bill, but I am quite certain something else will occur that will annoy me no end about Verizon. They are definitely not ready for prime time.

  23. Duffy says:

    Skype + Touch = iPhone but cheaper.