I have been so patient for so long, but I am really angry now.
mpendill
Enthusiast - Level 2

After about 3 months of terrible internet connectivity problems with our FIOS, hours and days on the phone with tech support, hours running tests, replacing equipment, trying new settings, slowing our work pace down to a snail's pace... after all this, I was still patient. I realize this stuff is not always easy or apparent. Finally a tech support guy who was probably at his wit's end -- he could see the connection testing badly and timing out on remote desktop and there was nothing left to check or try -- he suggested sending a guy out. I asked if we would be charged for it and he said only if the technician determined the problem was with our equipment... and that he would let us know before be incurred any charges because we'd have to sign off on them. So a guy came. He did a bunch of stuff, I guess, I wasn't watching. In the end he couldn't figure it out and he simply said sorry and left.

At that point I was trying to decide whether or not to find a new service. Up until that point, I was still happy with the customer service and the tech support, but we couldn't continue without a stable internet connection. My husband suggested upgrading to a higher spped line. I admit, I thought it was ludicris to pay more for a bad connection, but since there was a 30 day warranty, we tried it. Still no luck. Just before I was about to give, I tried these forums again. A tech called me. He spent about an hour on the phone, made some adjustments to settings at their end, and voila! It worked! I though he was a genius! While I had wished someone had done whatever he did about 3 months earlier, I was just glad it was fixed and I could move on with my life.

That was until I got my bill. An hour and a half of labor charges for the guy who came out! I guess he *thought* it was a problem with our equipment because he couldn't solve the problem. But he had never told us we were going to be charged. I was a little upset but I figured I would just call and when they saw that the problem had been resolved and it was on Verizon's end, surely they'd see the charge was an error. Right?

So I called and the representative I spoke to was not very helpful and he said he would submit it for investigation and someone would call me the following Wednesday. He took my cell number. Wednesday came and went, and a few more days passed and no on called. I contacted billing online and got a reply a few days later that no one had followed up with the investigation. Someone called and left a message to call back while I was out sick the following week. So I just called back to see how I could get this thing moving again only to be told that THE INVESTIGATION IS OVER AND THE CHARGES ARE VALID. Really?

I am still trying to figure out how what could be called incompetent on the part of the Verizon techs at solving a problem that was at there end the whole time has resulted in us losing many hours on the phone trying to work it out, 3 months of slow-to-no internet, a larger monthly bill, and now $137 in labor charges. This is wrong on so many levels. I am trying now to figure out if I have any options or if I can file a report somewhere. Had I been told I would be charged for the visit, I most likely would have cancelled my Verizon service then and found another provider. I can't believe this is how a long-term, loyal (yes, I was always speaking highly of my Verizon service) customer is treated.

~Very unhappy

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Re: I have been so patient for so long, but I am really angry now.
Nu2FiOS
Enthusiast - Level 3

Contact your local government regulatory body. This is what I do and I always get result right the way.

In the past I was always very patient and nice and gave the service providers plenty of chances to make amends. But most of the times, all I got were runarounds and inept supports. Now, after giving them a fair chance, I don’t waste times anymore and I’ll call the government agent.

Case in point. I had RCN cable internet before. For months they couldn’t fix the issue with my internet cutting off every night. RCN also blamed my equipment and charged me for supports even though they didn’t fix the problem. After months of this non-sense, I made one call to government agent and RCN “magically” fixed the connectivity problem the very next day and they took off the support service charge.

There were other occasions with other service providers that I had to contact the regulator before anything would get done. Sadly, this seems to be the only way to get their attentions.

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Re: I have been so patient for so long, but I am really angry now.
Anthony_VZ
Master - Level 3

I am glad to hear that everything is taken care of. It was our pleasure to assist you. Please reach out anytime you need our help.