COMPLAINT AND COMPENSATION REQUEST

Question

On July 8, 2014 my internet stopped working.  I eventually learned that my DSL number had been switched to another carrier (Time Warner) without my knowledge or consent.  This was not a case of identity theft; I called TW and the name, address, and SSN now linked to my DSL number were not mine.  I still don't understand how this happened.  If TW says it has the authority to take over a number, shouldn't there be a verification process to ensure that the person requesting the change is the same as the person who already "owns" the number?  
Trying to get my internet back has been a customer service nightmare.  I kept a record of all my phone calls and the conflicting information I received.  Although it's going to be painful for you to read through, it won't be nearly as painful as it was to live through.  I'm going to summarize what was often multiple calls per day.  At times I called back just to confirm information I received because I know that the "success" of a call is a direct reflection of the representative you happen to be talking to.  **Not once did I receive the same information twice in a row.**  Also, I am not going to document the many, many times that I was transferred to the wrong department or transferred to a department that was closed, "Please call back during business hours.  Good-bye."  Click.
7/8- Spent 2 hours and 15 minutes on the phone (mostly on hold) and was told I would need to wait until 7/22 to have service again.
7/10- Spent 1 hour and 10 minutes on the phone and was told that, if I cancelled the order to get my original number back from TW, I could have a new number and have service the next day.  A technician would be at my home the next day between 8am and 12 pm.
7/11- Spent 1 hour and 35 minutes on the phone when the tech didn't show up by noon.  The reps at noon and at 2:00 pm told me that the tech was running late, but there were no notes in the system about when s/he would arrive.  Was told to check 1-800-WheresM(yTech) to track ETA.  No such number or service appears to exist. The rep at 4:30 told me that the tech had cancelled the appointment earlier in the day because a technician was not needed.  **I waited for 8.5 hours for someone who never showed up, and Verizon didn't inform me of the change.  I run a small business from home and, since I didn't have internet and was stuck home waiting, I lost a day of work.**  Was told by a rep that the central office would have service turned on by midnight.
7/12- Spent 1 hour and 15 minutes on the phone because my service had not been turned on by midnight.  Went into escalation mode and demanded to speak to a supervisor.  I spoke to two.  Finally a rep came on the line and told me that there was no way to have service turned on until the account was active and a tech came to my home.  The account wouldn't be active for two weeks, and the earliest possible tech appointment was now 7/29.
7/14- Spent 1 hour and 5 minutes on the phone and was told that the central office could activate the account the same day.  I called back at 11:00 am and was told that a tech was scheduled to come between 8 am and 5 pm.  This was the first I had heard about the appointment, and I wasn't home at the time.  At 3:00 pm I was told that the appointment had been changed to the next day from 8 am to 5 pm.  **For the second time I waited for hours for a tech that never showed up, and Verizon didn't inform me of the change until I called.  More business time lost.**  
7/15- The tech called at 9:30 am, showed up at 12:45 pm, and now I have internet again.
Multiple representatives have told me that I will not need to pay for the days I was out of service.  This amounts to approximately $15.  I spent almost 7.5 hours on the phone, 12.5 hours waiting for techs who didn't show up, and 12.5 hours unable to run my own business while waiting for this to be resolved.  I received a truck-load of misinformation, and only have internet right now because *I* knew that this situation could be resolved quickly even though most of the representatives didn't know how to handle my situation correctly (Mark and Barbara gave me hope.  Bless you both, wherever you are!)  If I had taken the first rep's word for it, I wouldn't have internet for another week.  The fact that I have internet today proves that, if I had been dealing with fully informed representatives, I could have had internet service up and running on 7/9.  And for all of my wasted time Verizon is saying I don't need to pay $15? 
$15?!
If this is all that Verizon loses--and it's not really losing since it didn't provide service during that time--there is no incentive to improve customer protection, representative education, and overall customer service.  If significant compensation is required each time Verizon makes a mistake (allowing another provider to take over a number without even verifying that the customer information matches is a mistake) which results in loss of time and services to its customer/victim, I guarantee this situation will improve quickly.
I should receive one week of credit for each day of service lost (it should be a month of credit for each day lost, but I don't want to be greedy).  I was without service for 8 days and should be credited 8 weeks of service.  This is still only $110.  I think we can agree that this is the least--the very least--Verizon can do.  I look forward to your favorable reply.
P.S. At 4:23 pm a second crew of Verizon techs showed up.  Apparently internal communication is just as poor.  Get it together Verizon.

Answer 1

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