Misleading Verizon Customer Serivce - Beware
I am here unfortunately to share a bad experience I had with Verizon. I am very disappointed in their customer service.
I signed up on Nov 9th. I was told I had 15 days to try out the service. I was also told that my minutes would not be prorated, and I had the full 450.
I cancelled Nov. 12th because I tried several phones, and none of them worked at my house. I was told I would pay a portion of my contract month.
Well, I then get a bill that includes the early termination fee, plus a $50 overage fee. I called up customer service, and was told they would credit the termination fee, but the minutes went over the prorated minutes I had been given for three days.
First, the early termination fee should never show up, an...
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UH well I signed this paper that they told me was a contract and I did not read what the terms and conditions of that contrat were. And I do not think I should be responsible to know what I am signing my name to. The guy just told me to sign here and I did. Man now that I think about it good thing that sales guys didnt say give me all your money, I probably would have done that too.
I think I am going to start a Better Customer Beurea. I will sell my services to any company that wants to know the background on there customers before selloing them a product. Maybe it will be come standard along with the credit check.
Example:
Sorry sir/madam your credit check has come back jsut fine but I se...
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nccell said:...
Hi!
I am here unfortunately to share a bad experience I had with Verizon. I am very disappointed in their customer service.
I signed up on Nov 9th. I was told I had 15 days to try out the service. I was also told that my minutes would not be prorated, and I had the full 450.
I cancelled Nov. 12th because I tried several phones, and none of them worked at my house. I was told I would pay a portion of my contract month.
Well, I then get a bill that includes the early termination fee, plus a $50 overage fee. I called up customer service, and was told they would credit the termination fee, but the minutes went over the prorated minutes I had been given for three days.
First, the early termina
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It seems to me the reps in the stores (or at least my store) don't understand how the 15 day proration works.
Second, I wanted people to be aware that they will be charged for fees that will need to be waived at a later date.
nccell said:
I was hoping to alert people about the 15 day period when you can cancel your contract. The reps in the store market it as a "try us for 15 days, and if you don't like it, you only pay for a few days of your contract".
It seems to me the reps in the stores (or at least my store) don't understand how the 15 day proration works.
Second, I wanted people to be aware that they will be charged for fees that will need to be waived at a later date.
I'm sorry you had a bad experience, sometimes I find it tough to believe some stories in here. I have been a customer for six years and haven't had anything but outstanding customer service time and time again. It's very important that peop...
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gunny said:
I'm sorry you had a bad experience, sometimes I find it tough to believe some stories in here.
Interestingly enough just two days ago I had two different reps at my local Verizon store explain that Verison prorated the charge for the first (partial) month of a contract but that you always got the full month worth of minutes regardless of whether the partial month was 1 day or 29 days or anywhere in between.
I don't know how that would be treated in a under-15-day-cancellation situation, but the "you get a full month of minutes while paying for a prorated partial month" is still exactly the story that Verizon reps give out.
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nccell said:...
Hi!
I am here unfortunately to share a bad experience I had with Verizon. I am very disappointed in their customer service.
I signed up on Nov 9th. I was told I had 15 days to try out the service. I was also told that my minutes would not be prorated, and I had the full 450.
I cancelled Nov. 12th because I tried several phones, and none of them worked at my house. I was told I would pay a portion of my contract month.
Well, I then get a bill that includes the early termination fee, plus a $50 overage fee. I called up customer service, and was told they would credit the termination fee, but the minutes went over the prorated minutes I had been given for three days.
First, the early termina
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However, on the verizon web site, I found the following:
Satisfaction Guarantee
You may terminate service for any reason within 15 days of activation without incurring an early termination fee. You will be responsible for all applicable fees, prorated access charges, taxes or other charges that accrued to your account through the termination date and equipment return date.
(emphasis mine).
This can be found at the following URL:
http://www.ve »...
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When both a friend and I ported in and then out and were charged the ETF under 15-Days this I was told happens alot by a VZW Rep and advised you must call to have the ETF removed.
As for the minutes used, you will be charged for any minutes used during those 15-Days. Our invoice was correct regarding the minutes and taxes.
The only wireless company I know of that you paid after you used said minutes was the former AT&T Wireless. Now I believe everyone pays 1-month in advance.
Wow. Just wow.
I know a lot of people that have Verizon and it doesn't or barely works at their house. They have a house phone and deal with it.
Vatothe0 said:
If it didn't work so well, how did you use so many minutes? In 3 days you talked 135 peak (non-"IN") minutes on a phone that didn't work?.....
Wow. Just wow.
I know a lot of people that have Verizon and it doesn't or barely works at their house. They have a house phone and deal with it.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE people that call in and say that have dropped calls EVERYWHERE and get NO SIGNAL and their service SUCKS. Then I look at how many minutes the customer used that month compared to how many dropped calls they have w/in that month (because we track all dropped calls in the system). Amazing. People expect to have perfect signal on their phone EVERYWHERE 24/7. Right. 🙄
Your minutes would not be prorated, had you kept the service for your first bill cycle month. You started on 11/9. Lets say your bill cycle date was the 1st. Had you continued with your service, you would have had a full 30 days of an air-time allowance, even though there was not 30 days in your first month. However, you canceled your service within 1...
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1.) Yes the termination fee shows up. You've terminated your service before your contract expires. It is then credited when the phone is returned. It's computer generated so it sometimes shows up. It's been credited for you, so it's a non-issue.
2.) "Clearly, verizon is just hoping you will pay." This is just stupid. Please.
3.) You do have the full allotment of minutes during your first month. You do have 15 days to try the service. Both are the benefit the customer, but if you don't keep the service, your minutes are prorated. If you're able to run up that many minutes that quickly, the phone seems to have been working.
4.) I know people hate to hear this, but no, Verizon at this point does not...
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2.) "Clearly, verizon is just hoping you will pay." This is just stupid. Please.
Nice.
5.) There's plenty of places to file a formal complaint. I'm not sure what you'll find however. We gave you a phone to use for a week at no cost. You have no activation or termination fee, and we've only charged you for your usage in this short period. What shoddy business practices!
What do you mean we? You mean Verizon.
...
Possible future customers: With Verizon Wireless you have 15 days to try out your service without incurring an activation fee or a termination fee, you'll only pay for your service during those days you are active. We will also fully credit your phone purchase
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They all offer trial periods from anywhere between fourteen and thirty days
They all offer cancelling with no ETF within that time but there is a (see above percentage) chance it will remain and require a call to customer service to rectify. (This is where cust svc could've saved the day and said, "sorry 'bout that, all set." but didn't
They all (carriers) have fine print included in T&C as to not go willy-nilly in usage during trial period and use the complaint it didn't work here (but it sure as hel* worked over there) speech
Bottom line: If you go with a CDMA carrier in your area, chances are it's ...
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dca said:...
There is a 71.23946% times pie chance that this would've happened with whatever carrier you selected for a trial run:
They all offer trial periods from anywhere between fourteen and thirty days
They all offer cancelling with no ETF within that time but there is a (see above percentage) chance it will remain and require a call to customer service to rectify. (This is where cust svc could've saved the day and said, "sorry 'bout that, all set." but didn't
They all (carriers) have fine print included in T&C as to not go willy-nilly in usage during trial period and use the complaint it didn't work here (but it sure as hel* worked over there) speech
Bottom line: If you go with a CDMA carrier i
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dca said:
Sorry, couldn't think of anything else funnier to say at the time... 😁
It works for me 😁 have to always consider pie
lol
Second, please allow me to offer a possible solution. As Verizon Wireless is willing to compromise on billing issues (usually), give this a try. Call back in to Customer Service and offer to pay for a full month of service on a plan that would cover your usage (as an example, pay $39.99 for a month's service of a 450 min plan if that would have covered your usage). Granted, you may not have been completely informed of what would happen if you cancelled your service, but you may have and just didn't understand or listen (I'm not here to judge). My basic point here is offer a REASONABLE solution to the problem...
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Second of all, no carrier is going to be able to guarantee service inside your house or any other building. There's a lot of things that prevent signal from being able to reach you inside that house or building structure.
Lastly, as far as the pro-rated minutes...if you had kept service with Verizon Wireless and stayed through the end of your first billing cycle, you would have had the full 450 minutes. Say for instance your billing cycle was the 10th of every month and you star...
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VZW's billing system ALWAYS generates an ETF if you cancel service, but an AUTOMATIC credit to waive the ETF is not possible.
You are right about the customer service -- the CSR's do not have the authority to do whatever is necessary to take care of a customer's problem. With Early Termination Fees, the CSR ALWAYS need management approval to apply those credits. The same applies to any other kind of credit
VZW Customer Service at the Elgin, Illinois Call Center informed us they'd remove the ETF of $175.00. We were also advised that this does go on invoices and customers need to call and have the ETF removed. Nice to admit something that shouldn't be.
The problem now for VZW is I understand the State of Illinois' Attorney Generals Office has received many complaints and is now investigating.
If I'm not mistaken a number of years ago four (4) wireless companies (VZW, ATT&T, Cingular & Nextel) settled out of court with the Attorney Generals Office from 32 S...
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captoza said:...
I live in Illinois and both a friend and I had the same problem with an ETF showing up on a final bill. We both were at Day 10 and the $175.00 ETF still ended up on said invoice.
VZW Customer Service at the Elgin, Illinois Call Center informed us they'd remove the ETF of $175.00. We were also advised that this does go on invoices and customers need to call and have the ETF removed. Nice to admit something that shouldn't be.
The problem now for VZW is I understand the State of Illinois' Attorney Generals Office has received many complaints and is now investigating.
If I'm not mistaken a number of years ago four (4) wireless companies (VZW, ATT&T, Cingular & Nextel) settled out of court with the
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If you read the post, you will see that I first talk about the ETF being on invoices regardless if it was within the 15-Days and complaints regarding said information now possibly being investigated by the Illinois Attorney General's Office. (This is the issue)
FIRST PART OF MY ORIGINAL POST:
>>>>>>I live in Illinois and both a friend and I had the same problem with an ETF showing up on a final bill. We both were at Day 10 and the $175.00 ETF still ended up on said invoice.
VZW Customer Service at the Elgin, Illinois Call Center informed us they'd remove the ETF of $175.00. We were also advised that this does go on in...
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If you read the post, you will see that I first talk about the ETF being on invoices regardless if it was within the 15-Days and complaints regarding said information now possibly being investigated by the Illinois Attorney General's Office.
FIRST PART OF MY ORIGINAL POST (This is the ISSUE):
>>>>>>I live in Illinois and both a friend and I had the same problem with an ETF showing up on a final bill. We both were at Day 10 and the $175.00 ETF still ended up on said invoice.
VZW Customer Service at the Elgin, Illinois Call Center informed us they'd remove the ETF of $175.00. We were also advised that this does go on invo...
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captoza said:...
I live in Illinois and both a friend and I had the same problem with an ETF showing up on a final bill. We both were at Day 10 and the $175.00 ETF still ended up on said invoice.
VZW Customer Service at the Elgin, Illinois Call Center informed us they'd remove the ETF of $175.00. We were also advised that this does go on invoices and customers need to call and have the ETF removed. Nice to admit something that shouldn't be.
The problem now for VZW is I understand the State of Illinois' Attorney Generals Office has received many complaints and is now investigating.
If I'm not mistaken a number of years ago four (4) wireless companies (VZW, ATT&T, Cingular & Nextel) settled out of court with the
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These alleged complaints regarding the ETF showing up on VZW Billing Invoices when service is terminated within the first 15-Days still must be investigated IF complaints were filed. That's how our tax $$$$ are wasted!!!
See we caught it on the VZW Billing Invoice and called VZW Customer Service and they removed it. No harm done. Now I'm back with VZW Service and love it and wish I hadn't left the 1st time.
Illinois is getting like California in many ways. For example; California has made it difficult for wireless carriers ...
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I bought a car and didn't read all the loan terms though. I'll just stick to making the payments when they are due and I won't have to worry about the other 90% of the contract.
buying cellular service will become just as complicated as buying a CAR or a HOUSE.
Everyone allready forgot what ETF was all about.
It's to recoup the cost of EXPENSIVE equipment that is sold to you at a evidently lesser PRICE such that you can make a commitment to SERVICE during which the cost of the difference is re-couped.
If you stop service prior to that, then
the Carrier has a right to re-coup such damages right from you, that's wat ETF is all about.
This is why every single GSM phone can be either Locked or Unlocked from (Asiapac to Americas), since GSM phones are switchable between carriers. Not only in the states.
However most carriers are now confusing this with "Commissions and Commitments"
Try...
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1) Apparently their system is tuned to charge to ETF no matter what. Even if you're dead or a sample customer. Clearly what they're hopeing is that you become a Contract Customer (1 year, 2 year) not that you'd pay the $175.00. (Their system was done by ACCENTURE aka ANDERSEN ACCOUNTING aka ENRONS PEOPLE) So for that month they could report +175.00 in earnings until credit was issued.(Its all about total numbers and "aggressive accounting practices... its not about your $175.00 its about 100,000 peoples 175.00 held for a month or two on their...
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1) YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE SYSTEM SHOULD SHOW UP - UNLESS YOU WORK FOR THE COMPANY OR ARE HAVING INFORMATION FEED TO YOU - TRUE IF THERE IS A CONTRACT ON THE ACCOUNT AND A LINE IS DISCONNECTED AN ETF WILL AUTO POPULATE - IN NO WAY IS THIS MEANT TO DECIEVE THE CUSTOMER. IF THE CUSTOMER/SALES REP CALLS IN TO DISCONNECT AND WE HAVE VERBAL VERIFICATION FROM SALES REP THAT PHONE IS BACK INTO THIER POSSESION WE CAN CREDIT - NOT CANCEL OUT - BUT CREDIT THE ETF - SOMETIMES THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN IN ERROR BY THE CSR. AS THIS IS AN INCONVIENCE TO ALL ITS A REALITY IN THE CUSTOMER INDUSRY.
2: HERE IS SOMETHING YOU SHOULD REALLY LOOK INTO
VERIZON ADMINISTATIVE FEE
IT IS SOMETHING VZW STARTED TI IMPOSE IN OCTOBER 2005. ...
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DKVZW said:
2) Yes CSR can be misleading, More misleading are the sales reps at the locations however. Since they're the ones getting commisions. CSR is usually misleading due to a bad day, poor training or just general dislike of you. Sales reps are misleading on purpose this is their JOB.
HOWEVER: There are a few good up-front transparent sales people, and csr reps that actually care about the customer.
More than a few, I'd say. Every single CSR rep I've talked to has been polite and helpful to me. I'd say the bad ones are the exception, not the rule, as you seem to imply.
Verizon would do well to remove some of the layers in their CS procedures that hinder good customer service.
Verizon has a great product/service offering & can be sold successfully on it's true merits.