I learned today that I have been severely misled by Verizon over the past 5 years and it has cost me thousands of dollars. Firstly, let me state that I have been fiercely loyal to Verizon for my entire life and my monthly bills are approximately $400 per month. When I had FIOS installed about 5 years ago, I was asked whether or not I want "Copper" phone lines or "digital" FIOS phone lines. I opted for the copper phone lines although the cost would be significantly higher I was led to believe that there are many upsides including not losing the line in a power outage.
Last week I placed an order to have a third phone line installed. Once again, I was asked if I would continue to have the third line priced higher as a copper line or choose a digital phone line. Once again, I opted for the more expensive copper phone line. Today, I was having the third phone line installed in my home when the tech informed me that I do not have copper phone lines and that there was no such thing if you have FIOS installed. I asked him many times if he was sure that this is the case as I was told over the years that I have copper phone lines. I called Verizon while my tech was here and (on speakerphone so my tech could hear) they once again said I do in fact have copper phone lines; the tech merely shook his head and showed me how my phone lines run into the FIOS box and from there are only called "copper" but are not the traditional copper lines as one would expect. I have been paying over twice as much per month for what I believed were copper phone lines only to be misled and defrauded by Verizon for 5 years since my FIOS service began.
I spoke with a supervisor who informed me that what they "mean" when they say copper phone lines is really a "copper phone plan". My bill states "Freedom essentials" and not "Copper phone plan". I asked why the copper plan would cost so much and how the copper plan compared to the platinum and gold plans. It seemed odd to me that the "copper phone plan" would cost so much when there is essentially almost no benefit against the Digital plan. I asked to have this problem rectified and to my amazement I am told that there is nothing that can be done.
I am now, after being with Verizon for over 20 years, exploring options with their competitors. I have recorded all of my phone calls and the recordings are quite alarming. I am amazed that Verizon cannot do anything to assist me but after being on the phone with a supervisor tonight I am told there is nothing they can do. If I call tomorrow and ask to have a copper line installed I will once again be told "sure but that will cost a premium". This is clearly a bait and switch tactic and we are going to fight back against this type of fraud.
I am curious if anyone else has had a similar experience? If so, please let me know.
Kind regards.
Not sure why your phone bills are so high.
FIOS service was offered with Freedom Essentials. Sometimes they left it connected to copper but normally they should move it over to the ONT. When over the ont the service is optical and digital from the ONT out to the local office. When connected to the ONT you can lose phone service with a power outage after about 8 hours when the backup power supply runs out.
Fios Digital Voice is the other offering for FIos phone services. It was not offered in most areas at one time, but now is. It has some disadvantages, but offers some extra free options, and avoids certain taxes and fees. Before the taxes and fees it is close to the same price as Freedom Essentials. This is only available as optical and digital.
Tns,
You are asking great questions that only Verizon can answer; and until now they choose not to. My bills are so high because each separate dedicated "copper" line needs to have it's own separate phone plan. I confirmed this again through multiple calls last night. Over and over again, I am told that if I have "copper" lines then it is not running through my FIOS box and if there is a power outage it will have no effect on the line, which I have now learned is not true.
What amazes me even more is that last night I even spoke to the "technical" team at Verizon and they can only use words like "that's weird" and that "it shouldn't be that way" etc. If you listen to the recordings it's quite upsetting.
Last week I was sold a "copper" phone line at more than double the price of digital phone service...Apparently there is no technical difference in what product I received. This doesn't seem like the kind of product the phone company should be peddling given that it is the same thing at over twice the price. It is misleading and in many ways is a bait and switch tactic.
The reality is that if you think you have a "copper" phone line with FIOS what you probably have is a "copper phone plan" which is insulting to learn. I am finding on the internet now of other people who are having this issue and it is a serious violation of many sections of the Consumer Fraud Act and other statutes.
I have been fiercely loyal to Verizon (In addition to my home, we use it at my place of business) and it bothers me that they feel it is OK to mislead people in this fashion.
I've had exactly the same trouble today. When I signed up for FiOS, I specifically asked for a "plain old telephone service" copper line. I explained the reasons behind that choice, both to the cutomer service representatives on the phone and to the technician at my home. When I went to renew my contract today, I found out that I do not have what I asked for and apparently never had it. A manager is supposed to call me back tomorrow morning.
I was offered a $50 credit for their mistake. I told them they can keep the $50 as I wanted something that would be reflective of the pricing I paid over the past 5 years.
Start a new topic or ask questions in the open forum.
