Stuck in the slow lane forever (provisioning issue acknowledged by Verizon, but not fixed)

[Agita]

I have an interesting FIOS problem. One that, by now, every single person I have talked to at Verizon support (on both the tech and non-tech sides) agrees is 100% on their end, and is unable to come up with the fix. Long story short, it’s not related to wifi (same result even if you use an Ethernet cable), it’s not about our devices (Verizon has checked the line with the tech’s own laptop and phone) or Verizon’s infrastructure or equipment outside and in our house, It’s a “simple provisioning issue,” but after many, many calls and even tech visits, they can’t fix it.

My attempts to talk to a supervisor have been thwarted – either none is available just then, or they’re too busy and the wait is too long. So I sign up for one to call me, and when the time comes, it’s the usual automated system that calls me, and I’m connected to a regular support person, so the saga starts all over again.

Another running theme here is that whenever something is wrong, the company tries sell us higher speed at a discount price, ideally by replacing your ONT and router. And then, when everything is set up, they either never deliver the advertised speed or somehow the speed drops off over time. And I’m not talking inevitable reduction in speed due to device distance to router. We’re now on the 200/200 plan and our speed is 25/25 right next to the router via wifi, or connected via cable.

This started almost 2 years ago (Feb. 2019). We had the 15/15 plan (with a free upgrade to 25/25) and to deal with speed problems, Verizon recommended a higher-speed service (50/50). To do that, they would have to replace the ONT, router, and cabling (from coax to Cat6). The router was old (2012), so we took the deal. Other than the router and installation, there would be no extra charge. Come March, however, we saw that the monthly cost had jumped by $10. When we complained about that, they offered to upgrade to 150/150 instead, keep the higher cost but add credit for Netflix. Overall, a good deal, especially since we had gone through the wiring/router replacement already.

Through all this, apparently Verizon kept us in their system as a 25/25 customer (in other words, provisioning 25/25 to our residence, not 50, not 150). Big mistake: never checking our speed for over a year. I guess most of the time the devices were very close to the router and the speed was fast enough for everything, including streaming movies.

Then the pandemic hit. With three people using the Internet on 2-3 different floors, sometimes videoconferencing and streaming on different devices, we noticed for the first time that the speed we were getting was not great. And decided to address the problem after putting up with it for several more months. Until December 2020, to be exact. Tests showed 25/25, next to the router. By the time you were in the farthest corner, the speed was down to 5-10 Mbps or so. The very first call to Verizon, you guessed it, they tried to sell us gigabit service. Then they spent the next hour trying to convince me that our house was wired for only 25/25 and I needed to buy their gigabit plan, new router, etc. After bouncing around several departments, Verizon decided to send a tech, who the next day confirmed that all equipment/cables were in working order and set up for 150/150 and higher, except Verizon simply was not provisioning the speed we had been paying for since Feb.-March 2019.

It’s been 20 days since that point. Verizon has acknowledged the problem, their reps are unfailingly polite (and puzzled), I can’t get a supervisor on the phone, and there’s no follow-up on their end. My only alternatives appear to be (a) spending fruitless hours on the phone, talking to a different person each time, while continuing to pay for speed I’m not getting, and (b) switch to cable.

By the way, when the tech visited, he upgraded me in the system from 150/150 to 200/200, Verizon’s new minimum speed, and during subsequent support calls, desperate customer service reps “recapped the order” at least twice, hoping that a new order would kickstart the provisioning of proper speed. Didn’t help.

I really need someone to take ownership of the problem at Verizon and carry it to its resolution. In another month, I will have to give up and go through the hassle of switching to cable.

[LawrenceC]

Hi Agita,

Your issue has been escalated to a Verizon agent. Please check your Private Messenger Inbox for a message from a Verizon Support agent. You can find your Inbox by clicking on your username at the top right corner of this page and then clicking the envelope icon that appears at the top of the menu. Response times may vary and may be delayed at this time. Please continue to check your Inbox for a reply from a Verizon agent. Please direct all correspondence concerning your issue to the agents who will be assisting you privately.