This morning my internet connection stopped working all of a sudden. I did all of the usual troubleshooting steps myself, to no avail, and then called Verizon.
After a 22 minute wait a tech support person spent 25 minutes walking me through various tests and running tests on her ends. Then she started suspecting that the problem was with my router and wanting to schedule a technician visit. I told her I really didn't think it was my router and is she sure there's nothing wrong with my account or in my area?
She then asked me where I lived. When I told her she apologized and said she just learned that their Internet service is out where I live, and no further information is available.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Issue #4 - Fun with IOBI and Call Assistant
When I called to cancel one of my two phone numbers I apparently caused a huge meltdown in Verizon's systems because the number I wanted cancelled was considered my primary number and they needed to make my other number primary before they could cancel one of my lines.
Michelle Weinberg told me that when this happened there would be no way to avoid temporarioly losing my IOBI service, which is a suite of internet tools that do cool things like email me when I get a voicemail or phone call.
She told me that once the switch was done it would take one phone call to get the new version of the service (called "Call Assistant") working. In fact, it took 14 calls.
What was most infuriating about this issue was how everyone I spoke to said the last person did it all wrong but now it was fixed, for sure:
My records show that on 1/23/09 James left me a message with an order number. Call Assistant would be active on 1/26/09.
On 1/26/09 and 1/27/09 nothing was happening and I hadn't received any email or calls about it so I called in. The rep said the order was done wrong and he would do it again and then I'd get an email when it was ready. It never came.
2 days later I called and the rep said it was done wrong and needed to be removed entirely and they couldn't add it by phone -- I had to do it myself from their website. He did that, gave me a confirmation number, and said I should wait 24 hours and then add it from their website.
24 hours later I tried to add Call Asssitant and got an error message saying I had to call the local business office. I called the business office and they said they don't handle that and don't know who does. After multiple calls and long hold times they say it is fixed now, I can sign up online in 2 hours. Guess what?
On 2/6/09 I called, spent nearly an hour, and wound up with someone at Call Assistant Tech Support who was very nice and said this is just crazy. He put in a ticket for the developers in Texas to look into it. He starts to say that someone will call me but really now, don't we all know better?
A few days later I call because it still isn't working and I'm still not able to sign up online. I call tech support again and the person says something like "well the last guy did this all wrong, let me just click this and you will be all set."
And I am.
Michelle Weinberg told me that when this happened there would be no way to avoid temporarioly losing my IOBI service, which is a suite of internet tools that do cool things like email me when I get a voicemail or phone call.
She told me that once the switch was done it would take one phone call to get the new version of the service (called "Call Assistant") working. In fact, it took 14 calls.
What was most infuriating about this issue was how everyone I spoke to said the last person did it all wrong but now it was fixed, for sure:
My records show that on 1/23/09 James left me a message with an order number. Call Assistant would be active on 1/26/09.
On 1/26/09 and 1/27/09 nothing was happening and I hadn't received any email or calls about it so I called in. The rep said the order was done wrong and he would do it again and then I'd get an email when it was ready. It never came.
2 days later I called and the rep said it was done wrong and needed to be removed entirely and they couldn't add it by phone -- I had to do it myself from their website. He did that, gave me a confirmation number, and said I should wait 24 hours and then add it from their website.
24 hours later I tried to add Call Asssitant and got an error message saying I had to call the local business office. I called the business office and they said they don't handle that and don't know who does. After multiple calls and long hold times they say it is fixed now, I can sign up online in 2 hours. Guess what?
On 2/6/09 I called, spent nearly an hour, and wound up with someone at Call Assistant Tech Support who was very nice and said this is just crazy. He put in a ticket for the developers in Texas to look into it. He starts to say that someone will call me but really now, don't we all know better?
A few days later I call because it still isn't working and I'm still not able to sign up online. I call tech support again and the person says something like "well the last guy did this all wrong, let me just click this and you will be all set."
And I am.
Issue #3 - Dead Outlets, Conflicting Answers, Ridiculous Charges
I recently discovered that when Verizon turned off my second phone line (at my request, to save money), half of the outlets in my house went dead. Including the outlets for the alarm systems and the Tivos.
When I called Verizon it took about 45 minutes to get to the right person who understood that when the second line was shut off the first line was supposed to ring on all of the jacks in the house. She said this would be no problem, they just had to do a cross-connect at the office and all of my phone jacks would work. She said it would be done that night.
Two days later I called again and was told that someone has to come out to my house to do something with the fiber box but there wouldn't be a charge. I ask to speak to someone else who told me that of course they don't need to come out -- they already came out and installed a fiber box! And, obviously, both sets of jacks are hooked up to the box. He will just make the change there and the outlets should work soon.
Three days later nothing worked yet so I called again and Mr. Pierce says I definitely DO need someone to come do an installation. After a long back and forth we agree on 2/14/09 as the install date but he says that every time he submits the order it "goes into error." After nearly 75 minutes on the phone he says that he will get back to me later that day to confirm the appointment. He understands that I shouldn't be paying for this but that isn't his department. He just makes the appointments and every appointment generates a charge so I will have to take that up with someone else later. (Oh boy.) He says it is almost certainly complex invasive running wires to jacks and in either case I am going to get charged a bunch by default. And even if not, it will be nearly $200 in charges because it is "working on two lines."
Will it suprise you to learn that he never called back and that no one from Verizon showed up on 2/14/09 and that when I called they said the installation was listed for 2/26/09? After much further conversation they said someone could come on 2/16/09 between 8am and 5pm. I asked do they really give a ten hour window? The answer: Yes.
As of the morning of 2/16/09, the window has been narrowed now to 1pm to 5pm and the rep who is doing the worked called this morning to touch base about timing, which I appreciated. When he gets here I can't wait to see what he says.
UPDATE: The Verizon technician arrived, walked to the box, and 2 minutes later was done and everything was working. He said someone did the ports wrong and he is not going to bill me for the visit since it was "a nothing." I thanked him and now we wait to see if any charges will show on the bill. Anyone want to bet?
When I called Verizon it took about 45 minutes to get to the right person who understood that when the second line was shut off the first line was supposed to ring on all of the jacks in the house. She said this would be no problem, they just had to do a cross-connect at the office and all of my phone jacks would work. She said it would be done that night.
Two days later I called again and was told that someone has to come out to my house to do something with the fiber box but there wouldn't be a charge. I ask to speak to someone else who told me that of course they don't need to come out -- they already came out and installed a fiber box! And, obviously, both sets of jacks are hooked up to the box. He will just make the change there and the outlets should work soon.
Three days later nothing worked yet so I called again and Mr. Pierce says I definitely DO need someone to come do an installation. After a long back and forth we agree on 2/14/09 as the install date but he says that every time he submits the order it "goes into error." After nearly 75 minutes on the phone he says that he will get back to me later that day to confirm the appointment. He understands that I shouldn't be paying for this but that isn't his department. He just makes the appointments and every appointment generates a charge so I will have to take that up with someone else later. (Oh boy.) He says it is almost certainly complex invasive running wires to jacks and in either case I am going to get charged a bunch by default. And even if not, it will be nearly $200 in charges because it is "working on two lines."
Will it suprise you to learn that he never called back and that no one from Verizon showed up on 2/14/09 and that when I called they said the installation was listed for 2/26/09? After much further conversation they said someone could come on 2/16/09 between 8am and 5pm. I asked do they really give a ten hour window? The answer: Yes.
As of the morning of 2/16/09, the window has been narrowed now to 1pm to 5pm and the rep who is doing the worked called this morning to touch base about timing, which I appreciated. When he gets here I can't wait to see what he says.
UPDATE: The Verizon technician arrived, walked to the box, and 2 minutes later was done and everything was working. He said someone did the ports wrong and he is not going to bill me for the visit since it was "a nothing." I thanked him and now we wait to see if any charges will show on the bill. Anyone want to bet?
Issue #2 -- More Overbilling, Broken Promises, and Awful Service
On January 26th, 2009, Michelle Weinberg in Verizon's retention department talked me out of switching to Comcast service by promising to lower my bill and fix my service. She told me that I was being over billed for my service because the bundle discount I was previously getting "somehow went away" and I had been over billed by $23 per month for many months. She said she would put me on a better bundle and would get me a big credit for the previous over billing but would need a supervisor department to calculate the number.
She promised to call me back within 2 days to let me know the credit amount.
After 3 days I called to check on the status. The rep I spoke with said Michelle was unavailable but would call me the next day. She did not.
1 week later I called again. Michelle was still unavailable and the order still showed as pending resolution and no one could provide any information.
On 2/6/09 I called again and the Michael said she was unavailable but he told me he was instant messaging with her and that she would call me at 11:30 am sharp. She did not call.
On 2/9/09, 2/10/09, and 2/11/09 I call and try to reach Michelle with no luck. No one can explain what the problem is. My favorite call was the one where I spoke to a rep who said he was instant messaging with her and she said she never promised to call me and doesn't know what I am talking about.
At this point I'm beyond furious and ask to speak to Michelle's supervisor. None is available but the rep I am speaking with promises to get someone from "escalation" to call me. I eventually get a voicemail from a mumbler in escalation who says she is calling me back and her phone number is 443-436-3959. Guess what happens if you call that number? That's right - no one answers and it doesn't accept messages. Hahahaha the joke is on me!
On 2/11/09 I got a voicemail from Michelle who said she was sorry that she did not call me back before and she is still waiting for an answer and completion from the supervisor department but the ticket is "still in the process" and she promises to call me back.
On 2/16/09 I called and spoke to someone who now says they see the order is still pending.
This issue remains unresolved.
She promised to call me back within 2 days to let me know the credit amount.
After 3 days I called to check on the status. The rep I spoke with said Michelle was unavailable but would call me the next day. She did not.
1 week later I called again. Michelle was still unavailable and the order still showed as pending resolution and no one could provide any information.
On 2/6/09 I called again and the Michael said she was unavailable but he told me he was instant messaging with her and that she would call me at 11:30 am sharp. She did not call.
On 2/9/09, 2/10/09, and 2/11/09 I call and try to reach Michelle with no luck. No one can explain what the problem is. My favorite call was the one where I spoke to a rep who said he was instant messaging with her and she said she never promised to call me and doesn't know what I am talking about.
At this point I'm beyond furious and ask to speak to Michelle's supervisor. None is available but the rep I am speaking with promises to get someone from "escalation" to call me. I eventually get a voicemail from a mumbler in escalation who says she is calling me back and her phone number is 443-436-3959. Guess what happens if you call that number? That's right - no one answers and it doesn't accept messages. Hahahaha the joke is on me!
On 2/11/09 I got a voicemail from Michelle who said she was sorry that she did not call me back before and she is still waiting for an answer and completion from the supervisor department but the ticket is "still in the process" and she promises to call me back.
On 2/16/09 I called and spoke to someone who now says they see the order is still pending.
This issue remains unresolved.
Issue #1 -- A Single International Call
After nearly three months of the worst customer service and numerous outright lies, Verizon has actually pushed me to create a blog where I will document an example of how they treat their customers.
Issue #1 -- A Single International Call.
Last month I needed to make a single (but long) call to Europe. Knowing that the "rack rate" for such calls is exorbitant, I called Verizon before making the call, to sign up for an international calling plan. When I spoke to the rep she set me up on a plan and told me that everything was ready and I was now on the calling plan and could make calls. I specifically asked her if I could make an international call right now that moment and be on the new plan and she said, "yes, of course."
When I opened my phone bill yesterday I expected to see a charge of $2.40 for that call but instead saw a charge for $82.32. I called Verizon just now for billing and after a long hold the rep said that she saw that I added the international plan on 1/26/09 at 9am and made the international call at 9:15am so of course they would "re-rate" the call for me. But, she said, only someone in the "toll department" could do that.
After another transfer, a lengthy wait, and another conversation, the rep "Drake" said that he sees the call and sees the order for the international plan. However, he says, they "will not re-rate the call" because it was not "put on my account" until the next day. I could barely believe my ears. He admitted that I called to go on an international call at 9am and that I made the international call at 9:15am and agreed there was no way I could have known of their internal delay. But still, he refused to fix the over billing and now I'm off to try to talk to a supervisor ... again.
Issue #1 -- A Single International Call.
Last month I needed to make a single (but long) call to Europe. Knowing that the "rack rate" for such calls is exorbitant, I called Verizon before making the call, to sign up for an international calling plan. When I spoke to the rep she set me up on a plan and told me that everything was ready and I was now on the calling plan and could make calls. I specifically asked her if I could make an international call right now that moment and be on the new plan and she said, "yes, of course."
When I opened my phone bill yesterday I expected to see a charge of $2.40 for that call but instead saw a charge for $82.32. I called Verizon just now for billing and after a long hold the rep said that she saw that I added the international plan on 1/26/09 at 9am and made the international call at 9:15am so of course they would "re-rate" the call for me. But, she said, only someone in the "toll department" could do that.
After another transfer, a lengthy wait, and another conversation, the rep "Drake" said that he sees the call and sees the order for the international plan. However, he says, they "will not re-rate the call" because it was not "put on my account" until the next day. I could barely believe my ears. He admitted that I called to go on an international call at 9am and that I made the international call at 9:15am and agreed there was no way I could have known of their internal delay. But still, he refused to fix the over billing and now I'm off to try to talk to a supervisor ... again.
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