matstars
@dsl.net
| Verizon screwed me over... what can I do?
OK. I am a happy Verizon FIOS Internet customer - recently their TV service became available in my area, so I set up a date to have it installed (9/15/08, yesterday). I had my friend, who had the day off, come by and keep an eye on my apartment and let the guys in to install the service. I also told the super to keep an eye out.
I spoke to Verizon and they said that this setup (me not home, but my friend/the super being around to take care of it) was no problem.
I called Verizon twice during the day, and my friend numerous times (I had a busy day at work yesterday go to finance.yahoo.com to see why). I did not get any updates. Finally at 4 PM I called Verizon and they said that nobody was home when they came. What they did was call the # I gave them... what that was, was my cell # which they transcribed incorrectly (inverted two numbers). They never rang my bell, never did anything but call my cell phone.... which if they had correct I would have take care of the situation (i.e. have my friend go outside and let them in).
Wonderful.
So I speak to them and calmly explain the situation - which they tell me the next available date is November 3... I say that's unacceptable, blah blah blah. They say I will get a call by noon today.
Noon comes and goes, so I excuse myself and give them a call. I jump through about 5 or 6 hoops, the first support person i spoke to was really friendly, and finally get to a manager. She is pretty nasty with me saying that they cannot issue any over-rides and the next available is November 3... they can't do any over-rides because they already overbooked installations. She says they couldn't over-ride an installation because of a faxed doctor's note.
I nicely say that that's all good and well, but Verizon screwed up, made the mess, so Verizon should clean it up. I only want it installed on a Saturday (I want to be there and I can't take any more days off this year.) I said this or next Saturday would mitigate the situation and I'd be fine with that.
She says she will call me back by 5 PM and when I try to confirm that she has the right number (remember what happened yesterday), she hangs up on me.
Wonderful.
BTW, I see I have a voicemail, received during my phone call saying "Sorry we can't install your phone service until November" double wonderful - good idea to call me back after I start calling... great timing !
I call back and am on hold for about 20 minutes and finally get someone and I explain the situation and he says he will contact that supervisor. I wait and wait and wait... 30 minutes later he says she isn't responding. I say no problem I can wait. Magically when he realizes that I am not going anywhere she responds to him. How's that for timing? She says that she thought I hung up on her, I say whatever, misunderstanding I guess (she clearly hung up on me, but I'm not here to start fights with people) and gives me her direct # and tells me she will call me by 5PM tonight.
It seems like there's a slim to no chance of getting an installation date this Saturday... I want the TV because it's a lot cheaper than Time Warner... but I'm pretty irate about this whole situation... I don't know what to do... what do you think? |
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chewypgh
join:2007-12-17
Pittsburgh, PA | reply to matstars
Re: Verizon screwed me over... what can I do?
Welcome to Verizon customer service!
Chances are:
1. You will not get a call back.
2. You will not get installed this Saturday.
3. You will not get installed before Nov 3rd.
For your sake, I hope I'm wrong. Good luck. |
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joe01880
join:2007-10-26
Wakefield, MA
 ·Verizon FIOS
| reply to matstars
1. You should have made sure they had the right number
2. You should have been home to take care of your own busin ess or set the install for a time that you could be.
3. If you think your having problems now, wait till your bill gets screwed up |
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lets456
join:2008-01-21
Hainesport, NJ
| reply to matstars
I would call back again and get hold of another supervisor and if your not happy with that keep trying. Eventually you'll get a favorable response...keep trying, you'll eventually get connected to the right person...I got mine moved up one week. Just be calm and keep your cool no matter how nasty they may get.
If you don't get anywhere in the next day or so, you better grab that November date before it turns into January... |
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aaronwt
Premium
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA | reply to matstars
Try for a Sunday. They do Sunday installs in my area. |
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Hajman
join:2001-12-17
Phoenixville, PA
| reply to matstars
I get that they screwed up the install appt. Sadly, this happens all too frequently in various walks of life including cable, directv, appliance repair, etc. I think you are just going to have to accept 11/3 as the next appointment given your Saturday only requirement rather than waste time and energy trying to get pushed into another Saturday slot. After all, if they are overbooked as it is, the odds of them actually completing the TV install on an overbooked Saturday is probably pretty low. |
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effin
@cogentco.com
| reply to matstars
If you really think you have been treated unfairly, contact a consumer protection agency.
I had a very difficult time getting FIOS installed. I won't list all of the details, but after 2 months of phone calls and missed dates I still had no service and no scheduled install date. The crux of the problem was getting the subcontractors to dig the driveways to lay the line. I finally wrote down all of the details and filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Consumer Protection (BCP), which is part of the attorney general's office. (Note, the Public Utility Commission does not regulate television service.)
Shortly thereafter I received a call from Verizon acknowledging the complaint. Within 2 weeks they had dropped the line and done the install (on a Saturday). I also received what I consider a reasonable credit for my trouble.
YMMV |
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Uncle Stevie
Premium
join:2008-05-28
Bloomfield, NJ
| reply to matstars
Verizon / FIOS is way overrated administratively. They cannot handle the load and are quickly becoming the most feared and hated service organization around. I am on the phone monthly with their billing department for errors in billing. They do not ever know why errors happen and it takes sometimes 4 months to get some positive correction. They just cannot do the job. They are mired in their own muck. Not to mention the 10-15 minutes or more it takes to get to talk to someone every time you make a call. |
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Claude M
join:2008-01-22
Oradell, NJ | reply to matstars
I know hell will need to freeze over before I get their "service" again! |
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amejr999
Eric
Premium
join:2001-01-13
Fair Lawn, NJ
clubs: | reply to matstars
Call 800-483-7988 option 3. |
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Tested
join:2008-01-19
Plano, TX
edit:
September 17th, @12:18PM
| reply to matstars
I will say this: I had worse problems with Comcast (which is now Time Warner in my area.) I almost had a huge problem when Verizon came to install as well (narrowly avoided.)
The people who run these companies do not understand how bad their employees are at these jobs. It's why so many companies farm out call center jobs overseas. (I don't believe Verizon has done that) The point is they just see it as an expense, not a service. They all know that every company does a crappy job at customer service and don't feel any pressure at all to improve.
Were I in your shoes, I would do several things:
1. Cancel the install for Fios TV. As much as I love my TV service from them, if I had been treated this way I would never do business with them ever again. You can get television service from other sources.
2. Cancel your internet service with them. (see above comment) You can get high speed intenet from other sources.
3. Cancel any cell or home phone service you have with them. (again, see above comment) You can get cell service from other sources and many people no longer even have home phones or get that service from things like Vonage.
4. Write down your experience and mail it (not e-mail but real snail mail) to as many executives at Verizon as you can. Let your local paper know about it too. It's your way to vent and let others know just what a horrible job this company does at customer service.
Frankly, these companies need to create a job that's similar to what some newspapers have: an ombudsman. Someone whose sole job is to represent the consumer inside the company. Someone who can challenge the company to do a better job at customer service and take problems like this all the way to the top.
I see two big reasons why customer service is so bad at these companies. First, the call center staff is overworked and underpaid. There is no incentive to do a good job. They're just struggling to handle the staggering number of calls they get. Frequently they don't understand the questions you're asking and likely don't have the service at home to even know how it works. The companies also frequently consolidate these call centers in one building in one part of the country. You'll have 700 people in Phoenix (for example) taking calls about TV service in Delaware, Texas and Indiana. It's understandable that they might not quite understand the problem you're having.
It's my opinion that in the case of cable TV service they should have an adequately staffed call center in each market or at least in each region of the country. They should also provide all these call center employees with free cable service so they have some idea of what the company offers. They should also pay them enough so that they can attract more intelligent applicants who can communicate with the consumer well.
Second, most of the installers and repair people for cable companies (and Verizon Fios) are independent contractors. Yeah, they may run around in Verizon trucks, but they don't really "work" for the company. It makes them less accountable. It also makes it harder to schedule them and keep up with demand. This is particularly true of the crews that do the line drops for Verizon Fios. (which is why I almost had a huge problem with my install) These companies would be well advised to hire these people and make them full time employees. They would also then be able to hold their feet to the fire better on how they do installs.
It was my observation at the time Fios was installed at my house that Verizon was unprepared for the kind of demand they had for the service. That was more than 2 years ago. It's apparent to me that as they expand they have been unwilling or unable to correct this problem. They just need to hire a lot more people to do installs so you don't have to wait 2 months when they make a mistake.
Verizon (and other companies) would say that my suggestions for fixing customer service are too expensive. I would argue that what they're doing right now is costing them far more money in lost business. They are investing billions in infrastructure on the promise that it'll deliver to the bottom line in a few years. They need to protect that investment with far better customer service than they're getting now. |
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rocky01
Premium
join:2002-04-24
NE
| reply to matstars
Try as I might it seems to me you were demanding and wanted VZ to jump through your hoops first and very quickly escalated things in order to get snappier service. They have lots of installs and it's common to have to wait. I waited weeks. VZ is quite capable of disappointing you on thier own without you trying to help!  If and when you decide to calm down, you might find fiber worth it. I would ignore the reactions you got and follow up afresh, but it's up to you. I certainly don't think it's worthy of complaining to consumer watchdog agencies because of this mixup. |
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Robotek
join:2008-06-06
Brooklyn, NY
| reply to matstars
I dont know how things work down there in TX, but Tested sounds way off base, Stop guessing that the way things are done in your little neck of the woods are the way it works everywhere else!
Rocky hit the nail on the head!
I get to see things from a very insightful position of having an inside view of how Verizon's system works and being the face of verizon, the only actual physical contact a customer has with the company...Your Verizon technician.
Let me just say; a simple typo can have catastrophic effects on any part of an installation. (computers dont discriminate)
Try your best to validate important information before hanging up.
a well hidden secret is that Sundays are availabe for appointments if enough people request that day.
Orders has to flow through an orchestra of departments before a commitment is truly made, many customers are called to reschedule and if you get the right person, an order can be squeezed in as some get cancelled or missed.
To answer your Question of what can you do?
Try calling again, be as nice as you can..the results are usually better. order placement is entry level, if you can get in as far as a dispatch supervisor, the time frame can be easily manipulated from there as they are in charge of the work load. If you can get in even deeper to the Technician's supervisors, you are now in position to exchange detailed information....who, when, where, even why |
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Uncle Stevie
Premium
join:2008-05-28
Bloomfield, NJ
| Robotek,
You make it sound like it is ok to be dumb, stupid, rude, non caring, inefficient, and just plain abusive. This MAJOR INDUSTRY GIANT is collecting our hard earned money and gives us a flimsy product without service. The worst part of it is they duped us into believing they were the coming of the Messiah. They are still advertising like they give you everything. How close to fraud do you have to come to be stopped in your tracks and right the ship.
At some point in time Verizon should be stopped from further expansion until they catch up to their problems and fix them. The government should step in and regulate them just like a utility before they screw the whole country.
VERIZON is indeed out of control and I do not believe they even know how to stop it themselves. Their upper executive management is fragmented in such a great way they each have no clue as to how they are hurting their clients and it is now apparent they don't care. The country is so HDTV crazy they will buy into anything. Before FIOS we all got along with a lot fewer problems and before HDTV we were in bliss. Now the technology outran the messenger. |
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Hajman
join:2001-12-17
Phoenixville, PA
| Uncle Stevie - nice hyperbole-fueled rant.
It is untrue that Fios is a "flimsy product without service". In my experience with Fios (which is years long at this point), the service is great. Picture quality is stunningly good and the channel lineup (even before the recent major realignment and add) is superior. I pay $57 a month for perfect PQ, a great channel lineup, 2 SD STBs and 2 Cablecards. Comcast and satellite were no where close to this value proposition the last I looked.
Of course, Verizon's billing systems are a major problem for many. That definitely needs to be fixed pronto. |
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sunsetter26
join:2007-07-17
Manasquan, NJ
| reply to matstars
I had a similar situation when my Fios service was installed. I took the day off from work, the tech never showed. I called that evening and told them to cancel the order and I'll stay with cable. They offered to reschedule, but I said I just lost a days pay for their screw up and Im not about to lose another one. They transferred me to retention and I received a $10 a month credit for 12 months and was promised a tech at my door by 8am the next morning. A tech and credits showed up as promised. |
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Tested
join:2008-01-19
Plano, TX
| reply to Robotek
Maybe I was a little unfair since the guy didn't check to see that they had the right phone number. It doesn't excuse them from not going to the home to knock on the door. I also think my overall comment about the way companies treat customer service is still right on the mark.
You seem to have a good understanding of how the company works. That's great information. The problem is that the average customer does not have this information. They don't know who to talk to and frequently feel like they're getting a run-around when they try to find out.
You talk about an "orchestra" of departments that have to handle an order to make something happen. That right there tells me that they have empowered few people to help the consumer. I think that's a problem. |
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North NJ
@verizon.net | reply to matstars
Yeah welcome to Verizon. No show installs. No apologies.
By the way always call customer service after the Americans have gone home. The outsourced folks are much more helpful. |
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Robotek
join:2008-06-06
Brooklyn, NY
| reply to Robotek
I do believe everyone's entitled to an opinion,
I do reconize a Hater's rant when i hear one.
No machine is perfect, if you compare the performance of the offered product to anything else out right now, i do believe it surpasses the competition on most levels:
speed, reliability, quality, price, quantity, customer service, etc.
The number of isolated incidents are monitored by verizon and kept in check as much as possible, The PSC still regulates Verizon and imposes hefty fines when the ball is dropped enough times. The general customer wouldnt see this.
The competition giants are trying their best to throw a wrench in the works, everything from marketing warfare to increased PSC enforcement. If they cant stop the demand for FIOS because everone else is pleased with it...
I doubt the request to halt expansion in this thread would make any impact |
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