Terrible Customer Service on Land Line/DSL outage
JohnDoe
Newbie

This week, my copper dial tone and DSL service went out after a bad storm in our area. Took two days to get a repair tech out, then six hours later the problem occurred again. Had to get a supervisor involved before I could get them to agree to try to "squeeze me in" with a Saturday repair (another two-day wait and total five days of outage).

The problem is fixed, for now.

But, I don't appreciate being lied to by call center reps and supervisors. My second repair call, which occurred around midnight, was finally answered after a 30-minute hold. The rep told me he could tell from his computer that we had an area outage (lie #1), and someone would be working on it next morning. (lie #2)

When the problem wasn't corrected by midafternoon the next day (Friday), I called again to get status. Rep told me there was no sign of an outage ("I don't know why they told you that") and a repair order had already been scheduled for Monday, apparently by the rep I'd spoken to the night before.

I asked to speak to a supervisor, who at first said "they don't schedule repairs on the weekend" (lie #3). After I pointed out I was on the verge of switching to FIOS but hadn't yet, had a $2k a year account with DirecTV, and also had Comcast fiber on my street, she agreed to "see what I can do." She called back five minutes later saying she'd talked to our local service dispatcher and he would try to "squeeze me in" on Saturday.

Repair tech showed up at 1 pm Saturday, spent five minutes replacing "coppers," which he said were lightening and surge protectors, in my outside box. He also said he was on his way to my neighbor across the street for an appointment there. So much for "no Saturday appointments."

Verizon's repair service is a mess. Call center people don't know what they're talking about, have no clue what's going on in the phone system, they lie to you to get you off the phone (the supervisor said that's obviously what they did when they told me the "area outage" would be checked the next day), and then even the supervisors lie to you (no Saturday appointments) until you make it look like Verizon might lose an account.

I was seriously considering Verizon FIOS, but this situation has led me to do more reading on the web and it appears their FIOS service itself, and the repair service for it, is even more of a mess. No way I'll switch now. At least when my sat TV goes out because of rain it comes back in five minutes--not five days.

Verizon, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?????

0 Likes
Re: Terrible Customer Service on Land Line/DSL outage
Jan1234
Newbie

We have Verizon FIOS and the service for the telephone is faulty at best.  My account would validate that we have had phone outage at least once per month over the last year.  When you can reach what Verizon considers Customer Service, they send a technician out.  The service is restored.  The problem was unknown and the solution is documented as "service restored".

Please do not change your service.

I agree:  Verizon, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?????

0 Likes
Re: Terrible Customer Service on Land Line/DSL outage
larryw9999
Contributor - Level 1

If a technician is coming to your home to resolve an issue once a month, why don't you ask what the issue is? The technician will know better than an agent in a call center what problem was found and what was specifically done to restore your service. If it is a recurring problem, the technician is aware that the issue is a recurring problem, they may take a different action that will resolve the issue for good.

You may want to consider this the next time you have the problem.

0 Likes
Re: Terrible Customer Service on Land Line/DSL outage
Jan1234
Newbie

Yes, that is common sense isn't it?  So, yes we have talked to the technician. The last two times the problem reported to the technician by the agent in the call center was a bad power supply.  However, according to the agent in the call center - it is at the discretion of the technician to change the power supply.  Each technician (since we have never received the same one) has indicated that there is no problem with the power supply.  I truly believe that the technicians either 1) do not know what the problem is or 2) do not care and thus do nothing.  Either way - it is continued disrupted service.

Now, do I get into the "blame the other guy game" that we hear?

The solution is to change providers when the contract expires or sooner if possible.

In the meantime, I welcome any other suggestion to stop this circus.  We have our monthly service call scheduled for tomorrow between 9:00 - noon.

0 Likes
Re: Terrible Customer Service on Land Line/DSL outage
westom
Contributor - Level 1

@Jan1234 wrote:

When you can reach what Verizon considers Customer Service, they send a technician out. 


  Verizon has numerous business school graduates in management.  Therefore people who take calls have virtually no technical knowledge - can only follow a checklist of diagnostic procedures. Business school graduated view education and kowledge as an expense.  Spreadsheets never show better trained employees as an asset.  Anything a customer service rep can do to not roll a truck provides some kind of bonus points for that rep.

  Generally, when I call, I already know what the problem is.  And can even provide numbers that makes that problem immediately obvious.  Due to business school graduates, customer service often has no idea what those numbers mean.  Historically, then they would do anything necessary to unload my call - since it obviously required a truck roll.  Dump a truck roll on someone else.

  With a lineman, you have someone who knows something.  Ask him what the problem was, how to avoid that problem, how you might fix it, and why the problem exists.  Linemen - especially the older ones - tend to be honest because they actually know something and when business school graduates are not their boss.

0 Likes
Re: Terrible Customer Service on Land Line/DSL outage
westom
Contributor - Level 1

@Jan1234 wrote:

In the meantime, I welcome any other suggestion to stop this circus.  We have our monthly service call scheduled for tomorrow between 9:00 - noon.


  Power supply problems are immediately obvious with a 3.5 digit multimeter - a tool so complex as to be sold in stores that also sell hammers - for about the same price.  I have forgotten what those voltages are suppose to be.  But if you measure those power supply DC voltages, then report the number accurately to three digits, I might be of assistance.

 With no numbers or other relevant facts (symptoms), every post can only be "it might be this or might be that".

0 Likes
Re: Terrible Customer Service on Land Line/DSL outage
larryw9999
Contributor - Level 1

Sorry for the "common sense" suggestions, your previous post made no reference to speaking to techs and a possible bad power supply.

 

I know that there are fiber solutions center technicians that monitor the forurms to provide assistance. Unfortunately, this post is in the home phone (landline) section so it may not be noticed by the FSC techs who are on the forums.

I am going to private message you a way to contact me when the technician arrives at your home tomorrow. If either of the FSC techs that I can reach out to are available, I can have them try to diagnose the issue with the technician at your home and finally resolve the issue. So look for for a private message from me.

larry

 

0 Likes
Re: Terrible Customer Service on Land Line/DSL outage
DKinVA
Newbie

Since Verizon folks seem to actually read these forums, and there is no option to lodge a complaint anywhere else on the website, hopefully someone can make me understand the Verizon definiton of "Customer Service".

Since we moved into our house 9 months ago, I have had four trouble tickets on my landline.  The initial install took two trouble tickets and an addtional 20 days from the date i was given when I initially signed up for service, not including losing service for a week three days after it was established.

Ticket three was the best of the bunch.  We had static on the line, and it was so bad that the CS Rep I spoke with and I could barely carry on the conversation.  She got somebody out within 6 days (I called on a Friday, so not bad).  The tech that showed up was GREAT.  He fixed the problem in 10 minutes, and was honest in saying that the problem was with the wiring in the box and it could happen again.  I wish that I had a way to call him back.  He was one of those "been around the block" experienced techs who knew that the system was not perfect and just wanted the customer to get what they needed.

Ticket four takes the cake as the worst.  I called yesterday with the SAME problem I had in the previous situation, static on the line.  It has gotten so bad that it knocks the DSL modem off (I got disconnected just writing this).  When I called, I tried to explain to the CS Rep that I had the same problem previously, and give him in layman's terms (the best I could remember) what the excellent tech had told me (multiple unused lines in the box/grounding issues).  He started to argue with me that I must be mistaken, that what I was reporting was not a possibility.  I admitted that I may not be descrining it in industry terms, but I still needed help.  He started into his script about testing the NID, which I had already done (twice).  I told him that, to which he again challenged what I was reporting as a problem.  At this point the static noise on the line got so bad that he asked me to call him back on a cell phone so he could hear me (Irony...).  I finished the ticket via the automated prompts.

So, now that you know my soapbox story, here is in quesiton at the end of the tirade.  They scheduled me for an appointment on 7/16 between 8a and 7p.  10 days later with an 11 hour window.  Why? 

I understand that there is a wait.  I waited more than a week to report the problem.  But 10 days seems extreme.  I assume that I will be expected to pay the full price for those 10 days.  If I waited 10 days past the bill due date, you would charge me a late fee.  Irony...

David

0 Likes
Re: Terrible Customer Service on Land Line/DSL outage
westom
Contributor - Level 1

@DKinVA wrote:

So, now that you know my soapbox story, here is in quesiton at the end of the tirade.  They scheduled me for an appointment on 7/16 between 8a and 7p.  10 days later with an 11 hour window.  Why? 


That was answered in the previous post:


 Verizon has numerous business school graduates in management.  Therefore people who take calls have virtually no technical knowledge - can only follow a checklist of diagnostic procedures. Business school graduated view education and kowledge as an expense.  Spreadsheets never show better trained employees as an asset.  Anything a customer service rep can do to not roll a truck provides some kind of bonus points for that rep.


 Notice how reps on the phone are essentially useless - technically naive.  Notice how they make a truck roll so difficult.  Notice how quickly problems are addressed once someone who was trained - the lineman - is permitted to help you.  This is routine when business school graduates become management.  Not an exaggeration.  The untrained CS rep even argued with you rather than grasp what the lineman knew.  A reality we have seen routinely once we trace each problem to its source - management that does not come from where the work gets done - business school graduates.

0 Likes
Re: Terrible Customer Service on Land Line/DSL outage
DKinVA
Newbie

I see no reason to disagree with westtom's assessment of the problem, but I wish there were more possible solutions.  Westtom's analysis brings up the deeper questions of "Is there such a cost savings in not rolling a truck that it justifies the complete sacrifice of customer service?"  and, "if their role is to limit the number of actual service calls, why then does it take 10 days to get the tech out?"

I totally agree that the "gatekeepers" in these scenarios are the issue, it just confuses and frustrates me why they are scripted to do so.  I am not a business school graduate, and I can't say that I have ever run a business close to the size or scope of Verizon, but it seems to me that the basic principles should translate to any size business.  If your customers have to spend their time pleading their issues to other customers because your own customer service department is more painful than a trip to the DMV, you have a gone wrong in a big way.

The irony is that I actually like the price/product, it is just such a pain when the path to fix the parts you cannot control is so wrought with peril.  I just want my phone to work, and to not get knock of my "high speed internet" like it is dial-up.  Apparently my problems are TOO simple.

0 Likes