I USE TO BRAG THAT I WAS A VERIZON CUSTOMER...

Question

48 hours passed by with no call from a Verizon manager AGAIN. I am REALLY REALLY upset that no one wants to even talk to me about my issue. This is the WORST customer service I have ever experienced. I am really unhappy with Verizon . They have made a bad situation horrible by lying to me about getting a call from a manager. This is the point where no I am looking at other cell phone companies and thinking they look pretty attractive. I really honestly hate the way I have been treated and if this issue isn't resolved I will be spreading the news to EVERYONE I know and leaving Verizon forever. Luckily most of my family already has AT&T. I used to brag that I had Verizon and loved the service I received. That is no longer the case. I really want someone to make this issue right. I have been a loyal customer since 2006. I am being treated like a burden and not a customer.
On Verizon's website I found the Code of Conduct. In the code of conduct it stats the following: "Integrity is at the heart of everything we do. We are honest, ethical and upfront because trust is at the foundation of our relationships with our customers, our communities, our stakeholders and each other." It also states this: "Great companies are judged by what they do, not by what they say" So far I have seen the exact opposite!
This is a long story but I will try my best to explain it simply. My issue with Verizon began when they decided to do away with their unlimited plans. I understand the reasoning behind it, but what really frustrates me is that I was told I would be grandfathered in. As long as I didn't change my plan I would be able to keep the unlimited data. I was pretty good about not doing that until recently. I cannot believe that they make you pay the FULL UPGRADE PRICE for the phone or lose your unlimited data. It is not ok!
Last year I was in need of a new phone. I decided I wanted an iPhone but I did not have an upgrade available at that time. My girlfriend decided to be a sweetheart and let me use her upgrade. So she upgraded her phone and then we moved it over to my line. Then when it came time to upgrade her phone we had agreed that she would use mine. In order to do so we learned that we would have to pay the full price of the phone to keep my unlimited data or we could get a 2GB plan for the same price as my old unlimited plan. How could this be so if I was grandfathered in? I called Verizon customer support and talked them them about it and there was nothing they could do. Then one representative suggested that I could add a new line on for $10 extra per month and use that upgrade for my girlfriend and still keep my unlimited data. I was pretty specific about asking him if there were any other fees or taxes and I was under the impression that there would not be since we were to put a dummy phone on that line and not use it. So i did the math and decided that $10 extra a month for 2 years was cheaper than paying the full price for a brand new iPhone.
When I received bills after that I noticed they were MUCH higher than my original plan which was usually around $93.50 a month after taxes and fees. They ended up averaging $136 each month after the switch. I decided to call customer service shortly after this and had my case escalated to a supervisor. He couldn't help me resolve this issue about the extra money I am being charged so I asked to speak to someone even higher up. I was told that I had to wait between 24-48 hours for a return phone call from a manager. Well nothing ever happened. No call
I let months go by without doing anything about it mainly because I got distracted with life. I recently had to get a new upgrade because I dropped my old phone and it stopped working. I was told there was NO POSSIBLE WAY of keeping my unlimited data when I switched and hesitantly I did so because I really need a working cell phone, my life cannot function without one. I received my first bill and it was $167. I immediately panicked because it was so high. I was wondering what was happening so I decided to call a customer service rep and ask about. They said it was because of a $30 upgrade fee. I understand that and It is not an issue. I decided that it would be a good time to try and get my previous issue resolved that I was never called back about. I explained the story again to Jessica << Badge # removed >> Who tried to help but didn't have the authority to do so. I then asked to speak to her supervisor. I was placed on hold for a long period of time. The whole call lasted over an hour! Finally I received a call from Dell << Badge # removed >> who was not much help either and told me that I could not get the fee waived to cancel the line and that there was nothing I could do except pay the fee or keep the line. He informed me that my case had been escalated and I would receive a call within 24-48 hours. I mentioned to him that someone had told me that before and asked for a case number in case I didn't receive a call for the second time. (Case #xxxxxxxxxx). Now here I am 48 hours later with NO CALL... REALLY???!!!! AGAIN??? Verizon really doesn't care about it's customers...
Since I did not receive a call AGAIN I decided to call back and provide my case. Tonight I called and had to explain my whole story again with Kenya << Badge # removed >> who I truly believe did her very best to help me but she still could not resolve the issue do to her lack of authority in the company. She actually showed me a plan that could save me $10 a month which I accepted. But my issue is still here that I have been lied to about receiving a call from a manager twice and I still have a line that I can't close without paying a fee.
I have done the math and I have already paid an extra $298+ dollars since changing my plan in October 2012. I am not even asking for that money back. All I want is for my bill to go back to what it was before I started this whole mess and for that additional line (that I haven't even made single phone call on or ever connected a phone to) to be closed. I want my unlimited data back as well. I hate having to monitor my data so carefully every month wondering If I will be stuck with a fee if I go over. I am using very close to 2GB a month and I even had to shut my cellular connection off a few times this last month so I wouldn't go over.
I expect that if you really do care about your customers you will have someone resolve this immediately. Thank you.
Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

Answer 1

jhalderman wrote:
This is a long story but I will try my best to explain it simply. My issue with Verizon began when they decided to do away with their unlimited plans. I understand the reasoning behind it, but what really frustrates me is that I was told I would be grandfathered in. As long as I didn't change my plan I would be able to keep the unlimited data. I was pretty good about not doing that until recently. I cannot believe that they make you pay the FULL UPGRADE PRICE for the phone or lose your unlimited data. It is not ok! That is a choice you have to make if unlimited data is that important to you. If you TRULY need unlimited data, it is MUCH cheaper to pay the "FULL UPGRADE PRICE" for the phone than to pay for data on a metered plan. If you DON'T TRULY need unlimited data, then it is quite cost effective to accept the subsidy on a new phone. You have to look at each situation separately.
Last year I was in need of a new phone. I decided I wanted an iPhone but I did not have an upgrade available at that time. My girlfriend decided to be a sweetheart and let me use her upgrade. So she upgraded her phone and then we moved it over to my line. Then when it came time to upgrade her phone we had agreed that she would use mine. In order to do so we learned that we would have to pay the full price of the phone to keep my unlimited data or we could get a 2GB plan for the same price as my old unlimited plan. How could this be so if I was grandfathered in? You ARE grandfathered in, you just have to pay full retail for the phone. I don't see why this is so hard to understand.
I called Verizon customer support and talked them them about it and there was nothing they could do. Then one representative suggested that I could add a new line on for $10 extra per month and use that upgrade for my girlfriend and still keep my unlimited data. I was pretty specific about asking him if there were any other fees or taxes and I was under the impression that there would not be since we were to put a dummy phone on that line and not use it. So i did the math and decided that $10 extra a month for 2 years was cheaper than paying the full price for a brand new iPhone.
When I received bills after that I noticed they were MUCH higher than my original plan which was usually around $93.50 a month after taxes and fees. They ended up averaging $136 each month after the switch. I decided to call customer service shortly after this and had my case escalated to a supervisor. He couldn't help me resolve this issue about the extra money I am being charged so I asked to speak to someone even higher up. I was told that I had to wait between 24-48 hours for a return phone call from a manager. Well nothing ever happened. No call I don't suppose you actually took the time to look at your bill. Each and every charge on your bill is detailed and it would be very easy to determine what caused the extra charges simply by looking at your bill and comparing it with an older bill.
I let months go by without doing anything about it mainly because I got distracted with life. I recently had to get a new upgrade because I dropped my old phone and it stopped working. I was told there was NO POSSIBLE WAY of keeping my unlimited data when I switched and hesitantly I did so because I really need a working cell phone, my life cannot function without one. I received my first bill and it was $167. I immediately panicked because it was so high. I was wondering what was happening so I decided to call a customer service rep and ask about. They said it was because of a $30 upgrade fee. I understand that and It is not an issue. I decided that it would be a good time to try and get my previous issue resolved that I was never called back about. I explained the story again to Jessica << Badge # removed >> Who tried to help but didn't have the authority to do so. I then asked to speak to her supervisor. I was placed on hold for a long period of time. The whole call lasted over an hour! Finally I received a call from Dell << Badge # removed >> who was not much help either and told me that I could not get the fee waived to cancel the line and that there was nothing I could do except pay the fee or keep the line. He informed me that my case had been escalated and I would receive a call within 24-48 hours. I mentioned to him that someone had told me that before and asked for a case number in case I didn't receive a call for the second time. (Case #xxxxxxxxx). Now here I am 48 hours later with NO CALL... REALLY???!!!! AGAIN??? Verizon really doesn't care about it's customers...
Since I did not receive a call AGAIN I decided to call back and provide my case. Tonight I called and had to explain my whole story again with Kenya << Badge # removed >> who I truly believe did her very best to help me but she still could not resolve the issue do to her lack of authority in the company. She actually showed me a plan that could save me $10 a month which I accepted. But my issue is still here that I have been lied to about receiving a call from a manager twice and I still have a line that I can't close without paying a fee.
I have done the math and I have already paid an extra $298+ dollars since changing my plan in October 2012. I am not even asking for that money back. All I want is for my bill to go back to what it was before I started this whole mess and for that additional line (that I haven't even made single phone call on or ever connected a phone to) to be closed. You can very easily close that extra line, you will just have to pay an ETF of $350 which has been reduced by $10 each month since you signed the contract, so currently it is ~$270. You signed the contact in order to get the reduced cost phone. You now either have to live out the contract or pay the ETF.
I want my unlimited data back as well. I hate having to monitor my data so carefully every month wondering If I will be stuck with a fee if I go over. I am using very close to 2GB a month and I even had to shut my cellular connection off a few times this last month so I wouldn't go over.
I expect that if you really do care about your customers you will have someone resolve this immediately. Thank you. Good luck, but your chances of getting your unlimited data back are basically 0%.
Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator