No new super duper router for me

[JVT1]

A few weeks ago, I received an email from Verizon alerting me to a new router that promises greater Wi-FI speed and reach for a mere $99 + $5.99 shipping. It started me thinking. I haven't been happy with my speed or reach. Last year, I upgraded to Quantum (50/25) but did not notice that my internet is any speedier. Also, I have a two-story house, and the router is on the first floor, but it has trouble reaching the second floor. To solve that issue, I've had to add a repeater on the second floor. So I was enticed by this new router but put off by the cost. A few days ago, I was at my next door neighbor's house. I wanted to connect to her Wi-Fi, and she told me to go upstairs to get the password off of her router. Well, call me surprised, sitting on her shelf was the new red-banded super duper router. I raced downstairs and asked her if she bought the router. No, she said, it came with her FIOS service, which she had installed on my recommendation after Hurricane Sandy last year. So, I thought, why did she get the new router when I, a loyal customer for many years, have to buy one. That didn't sit well with me.

Last night, I called Verizon and was connected with a customer service agent named Cheryl. I asked why I have to pay for a new router when my neighbor got hers for signing up. She said that everyone had to buy the new router. No, I said, my neighbor told me they did not pay extra. Well, she said, even if that was true and she's sure it isn't, YOU have to buy the new router. (NO NEW ROUTER FOR YOU!) Why, I said, do I have to buy when you're giving the new router to new customers. She said it was same thing as buying a new car. The next year your new car is an old car, and you just have to live with it. That just got me mad. It was such a stupid thing to say. When I buy a new car, I can service that car anywhere I want. I do not owe the dealership more money after the purchase. With Verizon, I am on the hook for $150 every month. I am locked into the service. If I have to pay for upgraded service, then I should have upgraded equipment, especially since other customers are getting the new equipment without charge. We went back and forth for awhile. Then she said, she was going to check to see if new customers are indeed getting the new router, which she claimed she doubts. After several minutes, Cheryl comes back on the phone and sheepishly tells me that yes indeed customers who got FIOS since the new router is out are getting the new router. Well, no kidding! Still she said, I had to buy and she's happy to add it to my bill and I can pay in installments. I demanded to speak to a supervisor.

Ten minutes later, the "supervisor" gets on. (Probably just another agent is my guess.) She repeats what Cheryl says except for one thing. She said I could get another router at no charge if Tech Support determines that my old router is not working properly. But, she said darkly, I probably won't get a new router because my router, she is sure, is working properly. How does she know? How do I know? An old car can drive, but is it working at that highest efficiency with the new fuel? Just connect me to tech support I said.

Another 10 minutes go by, and I am finally connected to Josh. I question him on the router. He said, yes, it's new and customers are getting it. He said if he determines that I need a router, it's only 50-50 that I will get the new super duper router; I would more likely get a refurbished model of what I have. He checked my equipment. Whoa, he said, he cannot replace my router with a refurbished one of the same model. It's not stocked anymore! It's so old that Verizon doesn't even want it back. He said that if my model was a "D", Verizon is at "I" already. He said he's not surprised that I haven't noticed any increased speed. Josh said that the router I have probably cannot handle 50/25. SO, for the last year since I upgraded to Quantum speed, I have a router that doesn't support it. I have been paying for a service that the equipment cannot handle. Verizon was happy to collect more money from me for "upgraded" service without upgrading the hardware needed to use that service. If I didn't get that email and called, I would never know that I am years and years behind on the hardware. But, I am told, I can get a new router if I pay for it. This is what I get for being a loyal customer for nearly a decade and paying a year for Quantum speed that isn't any more speedy than what I had. Josh was sympathetic to my situation, but he couldn't promise that I would be upgraded to the new super duper router. He said it's whatever the warehouse sends out. I could get a router that is slightly more advanced than what I have, but not necessarily one that could handle the speed I am paying for already and it would likely be refurbished. That's all he could do he said, but he said he understood my plight.

I AM LIVID! I am being punished for being a longtime customer. I am also being swindled to buy new service that my equipment cannot support. Verizon is happy to take my money for upgraded service that wasn't actually delivered. When questioned about it, Verizon is happy to sell me new equipment to handle the service that I am already paying for. I have one more year on my contract, and the way that I am being treated, I am looking to switch. I rather go with a company that perhaps offer lower quality of service but is upfront about it. I also don't like being treated like I am a nincompoop. Even though she got confirmation that what I said was true that new customers are getting the new router, Cheryl was cleared to tell me that YOU have to pay for it. What does she think? That I am dog responding to her command? Is this a way to treat loyal customers? Be warned, Verizon customers, this could happen to you.

[ElizabethS]

Your issue has been escalated to a Verizon agent. Before the agent can begin assisting you, they will need to collect further information from you.Please go to your profile page for the forum, and look in the middle, right at the top where you will find an area titled "My Support Cases". You can reach your profile page by clicking on your name beside your post, or at the top left of this page underneath the title of the board.
Under “My Support Cases” you will find a link to the private board where you and the agent may exchange information. This should be checked on a frequent basis as the agent may be waiting for information from you before they can proceed with any actions. Please keep all correspondence regarding your issue in the private support portal.

[Verizon_Support]

Hi HVT,

We hope you were able to get the new router set up and all is working great for you. We've closed your private support case, as we have not heard back from you on it in several days.

If you should need any further assistance, feel free to make a new post, and we'll be sure to address it. We're available 24 hrs a day.

Thanks,

Ali Adam