Terrible, terrible Verizon service!

[acktroll]

I am posting this to tell others as objectively as possible about my recent Verizon experience, which had me cancelling my service as it was the only way I could get away from them!

The story started in April of 2010, when I signed up for DSL at $19.99 per month. My DSL account was piggybacked onto my landlady's phone line and billed directly and automatically to my credit card. Every month for the following months there would be a $19.99 recurpay from Verizon going on to my credit card, everything was working great and I was happy. 

In September I found out that I had been accepted to school and that I would have to move. 2 weeks before the move date I emailed and called Verizon and requested transfer of service to my new location, but because4 there was no active phone line in the new place I  would get dry loop service.No problem, they would take care of it and set it up on September 13.

Fast forward to September 20, my service is still dodgy after the technician has been there 3 times and the only real way for me to get online is by using another connection in the house.

Then I start noticing strange Verizon charges on my credit card, the oddest one being a$106.67 charge for early termination of service.

After hours and hours on the phone, being transfered from one person to another, to whom I have to tell the same story, it turns out that Verizon erroneously charged me an early termination fee, cancelled my account and started another account. Which they are charging $39.99 per month for plus charges for a new installment kit, shipping, handling and activation fees. Meanwhile they have not actually cancelled my original account, sp my charges keep running, and being billed to my credit card as well. By the time I discover and realize what's going on I have over $250 worth of over charges by Verizon on my credit card. When I call them to ask for a refund I'm being questioned as tomy right to a refund "since I did cncel my account after only a few months", and since" the $19.99 rate was not promised to me for my new service".

When I finally was able to speak with someone who admitted the wrongdoings by Verizon I was told that it was not company policy to refund anything, but that I would have the money as a credit on my account. When I said that I would rather have this money refunded back to me as they occurred as unauthorized charges to my credit card, which on an unemployed student status is a bit rough... I was told that no, unfortunately they could not refund me. And that is when I saw no other reason but to cancel my service altogether, so that I could get my money back. For service that was still not working after yet two other technician visits.

The final straw for me is that the $79.00 refund they owed me for my initial account was not refunded to my credit card as I was told it would. Instead it was made payable and mailed to my former land lady since the PHONE line was in her name. I did not matter that this was for the DSL line that I WAS BEING CHARGED FOR TO MY CREDIT CARD. Verizon refused to do it any other way and told me i would have to get the money back from my land lady.

My former land lady as it turns out is currently in the process of moving, she thinks she received the check but can not find it. So there I am.

I have in my possession approx 20 pages with logs and reference numbers, confirmation numbers, names og customer service representatives I have spoken with since this mess started in September of 2010, but unfortunately it is worth nothing. With few exceptions most people I have spoken with have been rude, refused to listen to me and told me a lot of stuff which in teh next phone conversation is being denied as valid.

I will never use Verizon again. Never. I am shell shocked by their unprofessionalism.  I am recommending all my friends, fellow students, neighbors and acquaintances to stay away from Verizon as a whole, as I have never been subjected to a worse service and lack of customer service with any utility company I have ever dealt with.