Unauthorized Charges by a toddler

[ProudMomma2]

I am so angry. I have been a Verizon customer for a very long time...over ten years. My total Monthly Verizon Bill with Mobile, Fios/Cable is over 500.00 a month. I just called Verizon today because I noticed my bill keeps climbing every month and wanted to see how I could reduce it...after talking to the rep, she said their is an ongoing charge on my bill called Fox soccer that I didn't recognize or understand. After talking to the rep I was told this was for two dedicated soccer channels??? I was shocked. We are not a family that watches soccer. I am a single mom with two special needs (age 4 & 6)...I never authorized this charge and had no idea how it got on my bill. It was apparently charged via 'remote control' according to the incredibly nasty supervisor in the 'Escalation Center' out of Massachusetts when I finally reached her having no luck in getting this waived from the first rep.

Knowing that I didn't do this, I can only assume it was done by one of my small children. I kept questioning this, because I have my electronics set up with parental codes and passcodes so they can't charge accidentally. However, the rep informed me that there are no passcodes for 'adding a services' and its just a box that comes up on the screen and they can just accept it and it will automatically add the service. How is this LEGAL that there is no authorization required by an adult 18 or older and I am now responsible for these charges??? They agreed to remove it going forward, but I was further horrified when they refused to credit me for this and said that this was a legally authorized charge ???

The total cost to my family is over $365.00 that was billed and most likely authorized by a four year old. To make matters worse, this happened smack in the middle of the global pandemic. I had inadvertently being charged for this since July 2020....a horrific time in our families life as I had recently lost my job due to Covid, was out of work....During this time, I called their office to see how I could reduce my bill since I was on unemployment....They never mentioned this extra 'service' of soccer channels that we NEVER watched and never knew about. AND NOW, They say they have no record of me calling requesting to reduce my bill.....in in spite of me having ZERO income outside of unemployment. I am not a verizon bill expert...I did not know what this was. That said, I pinched pennies and never missed a payment. She said it was my responsibility to know my bill and if I paid it then I accepted the charges as valid and there is no reason for them to credit this. Heartless!!! I told her this just wasn't ethical or RIGHT.  How is that legal? I told her I had been home schooling my kids while trying to find a job in a pandemic and The really rude supervisor told me that was not her problem. I am horrified not only by the service I received, but that its totally fine for them to have services added without me having to sign off on it. Please tell me how this is legal? I tried to get her first and last name but she refused to give it to me...i asked her what office she was out of and she refused to give it to me...I asked for her employee code and she refused to give it to me...I asked to speak to her manager and she said 'My manager doesn't talk to customers'. What is going on at Verizon Fios that they have so little regard for their customers? I told her I was outraged to be treated like this as such a long standing customer and perhaps I should just cancel my service and she said 'that's fine, I can cancel our service right now if you want'. At this point, I have filed a complaint with the FCC. I can't believe they wouldn't just do the right thing and credit me the money. In the end, I hope someone reads this and does something to ensure small children can't add services to a bill without proper authorization. So angry. 

[LawrenceC]

Hi ProudMomma2,

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. 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.