Since our kids are always infront of the TV and once their attention is occupied it's hard to get them toanswer the home phone or some times their cell phones when they are on silence because all they do is text.  I was wondering if there was a way we could text a message to our verizon boxes from our cell phones to the Ip addresses of our digital cable boxes that will scroll across the screen and get our children attention that we are trying to communicate with them.  Or another sernarium if they are in the basement and you are upstairs and they have the television up loud and you are trying to communicate to them dinner is ready we can text a message to the top set box they are currently watching and it will steam accross the screen.

The last I checked, FiOS is a paid monthly service. Marketing your customers to advertisers is a violation of customer trust and indicates the arrogant disregard and contempt you have for customers that PAY for your service. FiOS is a product. An arguably good product that I invest considerable funds in. To SELL me to advertisers is disgraceful.

When a service is FREE, that service commonly finances itself via advertising revenue (think Google, Facebook etc.). When you don't pay for a product or service, YOU are the product. However I PAY for FiOS. It is completely unacceptable for Verizon to even entertain further monetizing a service that I ALREADY PAY FOR, by sharing demographical data so that I can be exploited by voracious advertisers. Disgraceful. Here are some excerpts of the email I received today:

"

Verizon won't share any information that identifies you personally with advertisers as part of this program.

What information are we talking about?
The program will use:

• Your postal address
• Certain information about your Verizon products and services (such as broadband and video service features), and
• Interests and demographics information provided to us by other companies (such as gender, age range, sports fan, frequent diner, or pet owner)"

Postal address is not personally identifiable? Plus gender and age range?

"You will receive ads whether you choose to participate or not"

Actually, no I won't, because I know how to avoid your schemes. But's it's sad because most people do not. Being subjected to advertising and sharing of customer data for a paid service is petty and insulting.

"Your privacy is important."

Laughable.

I'm guessing there was no copy editing on this email as it is filled with contradictions. This program has no merit and only succeeds in violating customer trust and loyalty. You all should be ashamed. Deeply, deeply ashamed.

Dan

Full email text below:

Dear Valued Verizon Customer, 

Verizon participates in a program that helps advertisers provide you with online ads that may be more interesting to you.

What is Verizon's Digital Direct Marketing Program?
The program will use information about the area where you live, your Verizon products and services, and your interests and demographics to determine whether you fit into an audience an advertiser is trying to reach.

Verizon won't share any information that identifies you personally with advertisers as part of this program.

What information are we talking about?
The program will use:

• Your postal address
• Certain information about your Verizon products and services (such as broadband and video service features), and
• Interests and demographics information provided to us by other companies (such as gender, age range, sports fan, frequent diner, or pet owner)

What does this mean for you?
Certain ads you'll see while browsing the Internet may be sent to you based on this information so that these ads may be of more interest. National brands and local businesses will be able to tailor their online offers, coupons, and other incentives to specific audiences.

What are my choices?
You will receive ads whether you choose to participate or not. But, under this program, the ads you see may be more relevant to you. If you do not want to participate in this program, please let us know by clicking here. Please note that you will need your User ID and Password to access the opt-out page.

How does Verizon protect my privacy?
Your privacy is important. Verizon's privacy policy describes how we collect and use data and how we protect your personal information. You can learn about Verizon's ad practiceshere.

For answers to Frequently Asked Questions, click here.

Thank you for choosing Verizon. We look forward to serving you.

Sincerely,

Your Verizon Team

The SEC athletic conference and ESPN announced a 20-year agreement to carry a new television network and digital platform called the “SEC Network.”  The formal name is the “SEC ESPN Network.”  The Network will offer SEC sports and sports-related studio programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  More than 1,000 live events will be available in the first full year across the television Network and its digital extensions.  This will include approximately 45 football games, more than 100 men’s basketball games, 60 women’s basketball games and events from across all 21 SEC-sponsored sports.

I would like to see Verizon FIOS carry the SEC Network in all markets. 

Fios you need to list episodes On Demand from most recent at to top of the list as opposed to my having to go through 5 seasons to get to last week's episode. Please.

Also, Please make it possible to change the start and end time of a show in either direction. Often the previous show will end at 10:02...and I have 2 shows recording to start at 10...It will not record one of the 2 as it thinks 3 shows are recording. I can only change the start and end times in the direction that does not help me resolve that issue.

Please add HD support for the Military Channel, Military History Channel . These are great channels, but watching in standard definition takes away from the experience. Thank you.

One of the things I miss about Time Warner's cable service was the ability to start a program over if I came into already in progress!  That was a great feature point they had that I don't see with Fios!  it would be a welcomed addition!

In another area where I think Time Warner has one up on Verizon Fios is their menu or user interface.  I find the Fiios user interface to be unattractive and clunky with a sharper learning curve than Time Warner's user interface!  it needs to be streamlined and made more user friendly!

And I can't seem to program my remote to control my A/V receiver and BD player; it only seems to have commands for the TV!  Did I miss something?  Again, your competitor outstepped you with a remote that was entirely backlit, not just a few keys as yours is ('OK', Vol/Channel, Play/Pause & number 5 on the numeric pad).  All keys on the remote need to be lit!  In a darkened environment, you need to be able to see each and every key on the remote!

I was hit with a DVR charge that I was not told initially, nor I did order it at all. The customer service rep told me, "You could have caught the charges 2 months ago, therefore there is no way I could credit you back the charges. Ripping off customers will hurt you in the long run, "treat them as they should be treated, not like trash." Eventually, you'll get hurt, and that day will be in the near future! I expected to receive an excellent customer service, but I am disappointed and will gradually take my business somewhere else.

More channels are needed for the Live TV App. Especially local sports channels like The YES Network and SNY. Is there any possibility that more channels may be added?

Please add live streaming to the iPhone and include every channel. Right now Verizon only offers streaming to the iPad only with a limited amount of channels. With cablevision you can stream all their channels on the iPhone or iPad. Time Warner Cable has had live streaming for years now and DirecTV also have this feature. This is long overdue since the FiOS mobile app was released in November. It's been 6 months since then and I'm not sure why an iPhone version wasn't created. Verizon is really behind the curve on this one and their competition is killing them in this sense. Thank you

Please add to all Fios channel packages  NRB (National Religious Broadcasting), CTN (Christian Television Network),  WHT (World Harvest Television).  We are living in perilous times, and people need help.  If the stations are carried people can avail themselves of them in the privacy of their own homes.

Hello, 

I have an intermittent problem with my FIOS internet.  I have the highest speed available and I am getting knocked off of Skype, Google Hangouts and my company VPN randomly but frequently.  

I have called support about 10 times.  The staff are friendly and see to be capable but they cannot find the issue.  Every time I call back I get another rep.  I have to re-explain.  The second rep has no context or frame of referent.  Deduction and elimination on a big scale are not possible with this model.    LIke Sisyphus, I push the rock up the mountain only to have it roll down again....

My only alternative unless I get some special help (Please!!) is to go to Comcast for my work internet and phone ( I work from home).  I pay a lot of money to Verizon and this I feel is unacceptable.

HELP