Complaint Regarding Services and Unfair Pricing Models

[JScaduto1]

Good Afternoon -

Earlier today I spent over 2 hours on the phone and through Live Chat with numerous different FIOS representatives/ tech services members regarding upgrading my 50/50mbps internet speed to 100/100mbps.  Currently I have a bundle in which I am paying $137.97 before taxes and fees and this new bundle with double the internet speed would only come to $134.99, effectively saving me $3 for better service. 

After calling my first sales rep, it was suggested to me that the ONLY way to get this upgrade was to upgrade to 300/300mbps (the only available service beyond 50/50 in my area apparently) which would prompt a sales order for a technician to come to my residence and install what needed to be installed.  After this, I would have to call again and request to be taken down to 100/100.  The problem with this is that the 300/300 upgrade is approximately $136 extra a month... not a risk I'm willing to take while I set up a technician to come BACK to downgrade me.  So decline this offer but find it outrageous that Verizon doesn't even have an option to just simply upgrade to 100/100.  Moreover, how unbelieveable greedy of them as a company to phase out the middle options so we don't even have a middle-gorund option.

After this first call, I reached out to a technician to see if this was in fact the case and they didn't understand my question so they forward me to ANOTHER sales rep who was ultimately kind on the phone until she put me on hold.  I waited on hold with this sales rep for over 45minutes "while she spoke to manager" until I had to hang up.  It was obvious she never intended to come back. Ultimately, it seems that this representative didn't want to answer my question so obviously decided just to not deal with it.

At this time, I tried Live Chat which ended up being a giant waste of my time.  This represenative basically only offered for me to upgrade to 300/300 and told me that any other upgrades were not available to me.

Finally, I called back another technical service rep and got an employee who was VERY helpful and brought in another sales rep to help with the situation and try a few work arounds.  This technician was very candid and let me know that he would do what he could but the system they have is "very retarded."  His honesty was greatly appreciated at this point!  So after another 45minutes on the phone with this gentleman and his sales associate we get mostly to the finish only for him to tell me that because Verizon's system has removed and/or blocked (whhichever is applicable... I don't know) any options in my area, he can't put in a service order through VERIZONS VERY OWN SYSTEM.  Again, the sales representative suggested I do the 300/300 work around with the caviat that I may get stuck with a month fee of $136+ if the technicians aren't timely (which they would reimburse - STILL not a risk I'm willing to take).  The technician apologized and told me that he knows it's unfair, etc. but there is literally NOTHING he could do.  This entire time his supervisor was working with us, etc. and apparently no one in their company has the ability to make a call or provide some sort of work-around for this upgrade to happen... It is 300/300 or bust apparently.

SO I just spent 2 1/2 hours with 2 tech reps and 3 sales reps to save myself a few $$ and get a better service which is apparently something Verizon Fios does not provide for it's long time customers.  I honestly don't see how a major corporate like Verizon does not have a system which allows for simple things like this.... it's absolutely bonkers!

What is more concerning to me however is that at the end of this, I asked my last rep on what options I have in the future to which he had no answer.  It would seem (and was confirmed by my last technician) that I am perpetually stuck as a 50/50mbps subscriber with Verizon Fios until 300/300 becomes affrodable.  And seeing as how it is currently $136 more a month for this service, I don't think this is any time in the near future.  I can't believe that it is this impossible to upgrade to a service that currently costs less than what I pay now.

100/100 speed is available in my house and I can't even upgrade to it because Verizons system does not allow it's employees to order it.  So now I am stuck PAYING MORE for a LESSER PRODUCT.  This makes zero sense to me. 

Over the years, I have defended FIOS to everyone I know and love the service but honestly, this may be the last straw and I am ultimately left looking for a different provider unless this can be dealt with.  Verizon's customer support is virtually non-existant and this is honestly just a last ditch effort to reach out to anyone at the company.

Please Help!

[smith6612]

If you have Coax between the ONT and the router, start off by running Ethernet between your ONT and the router. Once the Ethernet is in place, call Verizon and request to have the ONT switched to Ethernet.

Afterwards, try ordering 100Mbps again. If it cannot be ordered, I would try asking Verizon Direct at https://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzdirect about this  problem. Verizon's social media team there is pretty good at getting to the bottom of these issues.

Otherwise, you may need to order the 300Mbps, then call and downgrade it the next day. Verizon shouldn't charge you for 300Mbps if you do this, just a couple dollars more to offset the one day you had 300M service.

MAke sure your router is new enough. If it isn't at least an ActionTec MI424WR Rev. I, Verizon will be requiring that to be installed, if you don't have your own capable Gigabit router.

[brchickery]

This is 100 percent my exact situation. After 4 hours on the phone, I was so incredibly frustrated I tried to cancel my service. The retention department then promised me 100x they would upgrade me to 300/300 then downgrade me to 100/100 for the same monthly price effectively matching the best deal I could find. 

In my case, I was able to upgrade to 100/100 from 50/50 for $3 less per month with the new router as well. They did charge me a $150 installation fee but I plan on calling and getting that credited after they finish. 

It was an absolute no-brainer. Unfortunately now I have to try and get them to downgrade me to 100/100 and hope they don't MURDER me on my first bill. 

As a customer for 12 years, it was absolutely infuriating that anyone except me was eligible for considerably better pricing and equipment. My last idea which would have worked was cancel my service and sign up as my wife in my same location. That is an alternate solution. 

[Anthony91]

you got somebody that had 0 knowledge of how the network works honestly lol ,  

the only thing that will keep you from getting 100 is that the OLT or network CO around you is not built with the correct pon cards to support  because the network requiremeant for 300 is the same for 100 lol only 500/500 would require somewhat of special scenerio because that would mean nobody else could be on that pon card so them telling you oh there would be a network upgrade charge is kinda **bleep** most Fios Customers that can get 300/300 means you can get 100

As for you wanting to upgrade speeds  thats nothing more then a order being placed and a NT doing provisioning on your ONT the on network side and making sure you have a G pon ONT alcatel or MOTO G model

I would say call again and talk with another agent