Problem with billing will drive me from Verizon FIOS

[jacranford]

I have had a relationship with one part of Verizon or another, or one of the companies that preceeded it, for over 28 years. I recently made a billing change (dropped my Verizon Voice, and went with FIOS as a standalone product.) When I did, I called, and was given a new billing amount, and was thanked for my continuing with FIOS. Subsequently, I recieved a bill for a number substantially like the quoted amount. This is a bill, and invites payment by a certain date (in other words, in every respect, it's a bill, and I was given what I was told to expect.) So far, so good, right?

Wrong. This past week, I was informed, via an online popup, that my account was suspended. I called, and was told;

1. That it was impossible to have FIOS standalone; it was only available as a bundle.

(After I questioned this, I was told that I could have standalone service....)

2. That the only way to have this service was to bill to a credit card.

I questioned this as well, as I had been told that I would recieve a bill, in a specific amount, and I had already recieved this bill.

3. I was then told that it was not possible for me to have recieved a bill.

I questioned this, as well, as I already have a bill.

Given that I was leaving for a trip to Canada, I agreed, under duress, to put my account on my CC. Upon doing this, my account was restored, and service resumed.

While en route to my destination, I called the customer service 800 number; I was told that paper/statement billing was possible, and that the account representative I spoke to "could not see" where my account had been tied to my CC. I was advised to call "later," so that the CC could be removed from my account, if it had, in fact, been added.

I called later that day, and was told, by both an agent and a supervisor, that I couldn't have paper/statement billing. The agent told me that I could talk to someone from the "retention" department, but that they had no way to transfer me to them. The supervisor told me that no such department existed, and there was "nothing I could do."

Given all these inconsistent answers, and the unacceptable and rude way I have been treated, I am considering terminating my Verizon FIOS service.

Unless contacted by an appropriately interested, properly trained respondent, I will do so.

JACranford.