Customer Service Fails Again - Where's my forwarding number?

[GS]

I was going to transfer my verizon internet and phone service to my new home, a mile away from my current place.

So let me go in reverse order with my customer service experience:

1) I cancel both services and customer care confirms that the number I give them will be given in my out of service message.

I just called from my office - and no, it just says this number is out of service three times in a row with no mention of changed number.

2) Each phone call to Verizon care - phone side- takes at least 40 minutes. This is not a joke. My decision to cancel service is fueled by this poor response time (typically 20 minutes on hold first) and customer care agents who make getting help harder because they refuse to listen to a complete sentences.

3) I was a Verizon customer (phone and internet) since fall 2004. The first year of service was a nightmare. Fees on my bill that shouldn't be there, including international service fees and constant billing errors because my two services weren't linked up and sometimes the internet wouldn't even be on the bill, changes in the billing dates etc. This led to a lot of time on the phone, and until this week I had forgotten the stress of that.

4) After the long call waits and less than professional staff I also learned that it would take a lapse in service to transfer my line - and only after a second call upon my asking them to disclose costs was I informed that it would cost me $40 to remain a customer.

5) All this after I tried to make transfer and service changes on the verizon website. But their pages would go out of service, or never allow me to access certain package choices in changing my services (even though you could read about all the plans online) and it's clear to see that they don't want the customer actually doing self-serve for a transfer or if your reducing your plan....hence the clogged phone lines which also results from staffing problems no doubt - staffing problems because in an effort to keep profits as high as possible they aren't providing the necessary agents that we all technically pay for. Apparently it's ok for each one of us to pay more for milk and gas and everything else, but Verizon shouldn't see a reduction in it's net profit.

6) So....I can't get good or timely customer service, I can't have access to self-serve changes on the internet, and I'm going to pay $40 to keep giving them my business? The beautiful thinkg about being an informed customer is that you don't have to take it. So, I upped my mobile phone plan by a simple $20/month and I got the new Compass Mobile wireless modem card that I can use anywhere and can watch streamed video on the internet and download large files (I'm a consultant), etc. That was a one time fee of $60 and the monthly service is $60 a month. Considering my Verizon Bill was $93 a month and I could only use the phone and internet at home, I consider this a great remedy for Verizon taking me for granted. I won't say which competitor my phone and compass are supported by because I'm not here to plug a company, I'm just here to say that I've been really disapointed by Verizon. We know the trends. You really have to shoot yourself in the foot for an incumbant customer to leave your ranks.

Verizon used to be the solution to Comcast, but clearly they have no interest in properly serving their customers either.

I finally have all my services with the cell company I've been with since 2000. Sometimes that company has annoyed me to no end - but they always fixed it, especailly when I asked smart questions. So the start up fee for my internet card was waived, the fee for transferring my account off of a group account was waived and so was some silly $3 admin fee for the prorated monthly bill. I simply asked - "Does it seem reasonable to charge a fee for people who don't start up a plan on the first of the month?"

It's true, no company is perfect, but being with a company that values it's customers is what counts and Verizon clearly breeds an environment where customer "service" clearly isn't what they offer. They maintain a network and execute tasks (often times incorrectly or poorly) and that isn't the same as customer service.

[SYGENITA]

I agree.

If this is how they treat their customers, wonder how they treat their employees?

Must be one of the worst places to work on the globe.

Treatment of customers is a very good indicator of how the employees get treated. It also comes right from the top down.

Regards,

[mark01]

I agree with you madam. the problem I am having is I also moved but to a different city and I transferred my services, Fios TV and internet, to my

new address 35 miles away. In the 4 or 5 months that I have had this service at my new address, I have called at least 1 time a month, 4 times in

the last 30 days, because when I moved, the made a new account and didn't change the address on my old account to read my new account. Every

 time I got an email with the bill charges at my current address, I paid it but all the money went to the old account. At first I was very nice to

customer service when they told me I didn't have 2 accounts. When I gave them both account numbers, they changed their story and told me they

 would close the old account. As of today, it is still open. I got the latest bill and it said I owed them $624.16. Once again I called a person who is

supposed to be my account manager and he said it would be straightened out last week by Tuesday. He also said he would call me on tuesday but

never did. I called him on wednesday to find out if this mess had been corrected and he said to log into my account and it should be fine now. I

have tried 3 times now because my bill is due today and it says they can't retrieve my bill. This time I used the online chat to try and straighten it out.

I also saved it into a text file for future use. I was told I could not pay my bill online, which I have used since I opened my account, I had to use their

phjone pay, which there is an extra charge because it is a 3rd party, or mail my payment in to them. I have worked in customer service for over 30

years and this is a 1st for me. If I treated my customers like they treat me, I would be fired faster than I can blink. I am 1 breathe away from telling

them to come and get this crap off of my property and change my cell service to somebody who really wants my business and shows me they really

do respect that I am their customer. One more time is all it will take for me to tell them off and rip their product out of my house and off of my waist.

[Paul]

Sorry to hear about your difficult time guys.  But since this is a user Forum, GS and mark01, you'll probably need to contact Verizon again. Contact Us

Good luck and sorry we couldn't be more of a help.