| Author |
Message |
elric132
Posts: 3 |
 
Tue Jul 03, 2007 2:51 pm |
Hello all,
I tried to change my Verizon calling plan today to one that uses more minutes. I was suprised/upset to learn that they would not do it without resetting my 2-year contract.
I am starting to think I need to hire a lawyer to read every multi-page, minutely printed document I am supposed to read for any service I decide to purchase  .
I was asking to increase my service plan to one with more minutes. Verizon won't let me unless I agree to extend my contract to a full 2 years (the length of my original contract, which is only 4 months in). I have to ask, other than the possible motivations of pure unadulterated greed and a complete lack of concern for their customers, how does the company justify this?
I am trying to buy additional service. I am guaranteeing Verizon more revenue every month from me for another ~18 months. My customer reward for offering Verizon additonal revenue is to be penalized into extending my contract with them. Verizon customer service doesn't see a
problem with this. Its company policy after all, it has to be right!
Greedy, greedy, bas**rds. Does Verizon give any thought to how this makes them look to their customers? Do they care? Its like reverse marketing, I don't get it. I wonder if the corporate heads that came up with this policy gave any real thought to the consequences (both financially and image-wise) of such a policy? Maybe it is just easier for them to quantify the extra profits this policy generates versus the loses(sp?) generated by departing and disgruntled customers?
So, you might ask, what am I doing or considering doing at this point?
Personally, If I could get out of my contract at this point I would (and this is NOT something I am looking forward to financially as well as the time and inconvenience of setting up a new phone). I will certainly try. At the very least I will do my best to minimize my Verizon usage. I can cut the "extra" services I can live without. Maybe I can buy a disposable non-Verizon phone to use anytime I come near my minute usage for a given month.
More globally, I can post this sort of article anywhere and everywhere I can find on the internet where such a topic might be appropriate. I can try and let consumers know about my experience with Verizon and warn them of a potential pitfall Verizon has set for them.
In conclusion, if anyone has any reasonable suggestions (oh, in case it wasn't already clear or obvious, Verizon Customer support was "unable to help me") as to what other steps I could take please feel free to "respond" to this posting.
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alarcon_edward
Posts: 75 |
Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:53 pm |
I really wish people like you would pay a little more attention when they are being spoken to. In repsonse to your issue.
VZW does not make you extend your contract end date for changing your price plan to 2 years. The policy states that if you have less than 12 months remaining on your contract your contract end date will be reset to 1 year from the effective date of the price plan.
VZW will also backdate the price plan as long as you call in before 2 days before the ending bill cycle date. I am a csr at VZW and the policy is quite clear.
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elric132
Posts: 3 |
Wed Jul 04, 2007 12:27 pm |
| alarcon_edward wrote: | I really wish people like you would pay a little more attention when they are being spoken to. In repsonse to your issue.
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I really wish people like you were not so arrogant.
What an obnoxious way to respond to an upset customer. So exactly who are "people like you"? Oh, you must mean well educated, articulate customers that get conflicting answers from multiple CSRs during a single extended call. Amazing, that after I complained about the apparent arrogance of VZWs officers you post a reply that opens with arrogance. Even if (and I am not conceding I am) I were wrong, why would you start off a reply to a customer in this manner. I had no idea when I called VZW for help that I was being "spoken to". I thought I was having a conversation with a CSR that would "help" me resolve the issue. The way you state the situation you make me sound like a child that failed to pay attention to an adults' orders versus a customer seeking help with a problem from a vendor who theoretically wants to keep his business.
First CSR - Your contract will be extended ~4 months.
First CSR - 10 minutes later - oh, I was wrong, your contract won't be extended.
Customer - I'm just not confident in your answer, can I speak to a higher level CSR.
2nd CSR - Oh, she was right the first time, your contract will be extended ~4 months.
I think I paid very close attention to what I was being told. Unfortunately what I was being told was contradictory and confusing. Perhaps it was because "I wasn't paying attention".
| alarcon_edward wrote: |
VZW does not make you extend your contract end date for changing your price plan to 2 years.
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As I read this I could interpret it as you stating that I am trying to change the duration of my contract, that is, from some indeterminate period to 2 years. If this is what you are trying to say, it is incorrect and has nothing to do with my complaint.
Alternately, if you are/were trying to say:
VZW does not extend a customers' contract when the customer alters their calling plan.
This would at least be true to my description of the problem. But, it still conflicts with what I was told by 2 different CSRs on the phone.
| alarcon_edward wrote: | I really wish people like you would pay a little more attention when they are being spoken to.
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Maybe we could alter your quote a bit and give it back to you:
I really wish people like you would pay a little more attention when they are speaking.
| alarcon_edward wrote: |
The policy states that if you have less than 12 months remaining on your contract your contract end date will be reset to 1 year from the effective date of the price plan.
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Exactly what does this mean and how does it apply to me?
As I state in a few places above, I am only ~4 months in to a 2 year contract. I have about 18 months left on my contract. Does any of your reply actually apply to my situation? Did you actually read my complaint or just gloss over it? Oh, let me quote someone who recently wrote to me:
| alarcon_edward wrote: | I really wish people like you would pay a little more attention when they are being spoken to.
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Of course you were written to, not spoken to, but I think you understand.
| alarcon_edward wrote: |
I am a csr at VZW and the policy is quite clear.
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I love this closing line. Nothing like a nice, succinct bit of arrogance to finish your reply. Your policies, or at the very least there interpretation is apparently NOT clear or I would most likely not have gotten different answers from different CSRs. Alternately, at least some portion of your CSR staff just aren't up to the job. But I'm sure its the former.
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alarcon_edward
Posts: 75 |
Wed Jul 04, 2007 12:37 pm |
bottom line is you will not recieve any contract extension for changing your calling plan in this case. And the arrogance comes from knowing the information, and also dealing with customers who most of the time don't pay attention when they are being spoken to.
Again your contract end date will not change. if it does you have 30 days to change back to your original price plan and the contract end date will be reset to what it was previously.
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elric132
Posts: 3 |
Wed Jul 04, 2007 3:07 pm |
| alarcon_edward wrote: | | bottom line is you will not recieve any contract extension for changing your calling plan in this case.. |
Good news, happy to hear it, if it turns out to be true. You will have to excuse me if the 2 other CSRs answers that waffled back and forth leave me with some doubts.
Oh, if you have any doubt as to the truthfulness of my experience you are more than welcome to listen to any recordings VZW made during my call (I am assuming VZW records calls for quality control purposes). I would be happy to provide any information you might need to track such a recording down.
| alarcon_edward wrote: |
And the arrogance comes from knowing the information, and also dealing with customers who most of the time don't pay attention when they are being spoken to.
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So you admit you responded to my posting with arrogance and you continue to insult your customers. Great combination.
I think my willingness to have the phone recordings reviewed should offer some evidence that I am not lying and my description of my experinces are truthful.
With this stated, I am sorry you have so such a low opinion of your customers. Why should I as a customer accept dealing with a CSR that is arrogant towards his customers, acceptable? Again, even if I conceded for sake of argument that you were a CSR that "knows his information", please tell me, how exactly should a customer be able to seperate you from other CSRs that don't seem to "know their information"? If you are finding your customers aren't "attentive" enough for you, maybe it would be a good idea to re-examine your own communication skills. Maybe the problem isn't the customers listening/reading skills, perhaps you aren't doing as good a job of explaining yourself as you seem to think.
Finally, perhaps if you really believe this about your customers it is time to move on to a new career path where your customers are more "attentive" when you speak to them.
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alarcon_edward
Posts: 75 |
Wed Jul 04, 2007 5:19 pm |
I guess i don't understand where the attitude comes from. We treat all of our cstmrs even ones with only 1 line like they are our only cstmr. If you clld in several times and got wrong info from your end I understand your frustration. The same thing previously used to happen to me when I used Sprint pcs. If you need any further info I would be happy to answer any questions about policy and ways to work around them if possible to make experience as a cstmr as positive as possible. 
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bookishlass
Posts: 1 |
Fri Jul 06, 2007 1:24 am |
| Quote: | | the arrogance comes from knowing the information, and also dealing with customers who most of the time don't pay attention when they are being spoken to |
Arrogance is less than useful regardless of one's knowledge. Perhaps your response was a slip of the proverbial tongue—an inadvertent display of unintended attitude. Either way, I suspect that you can understand that a slightly different choice of words might have been more effective--or at least it might have been perceived as being something more closely resembling helpful.
That said, I have on two occasions been subjected to contract extensions as a consequence of my requesting changes to my Verizon rate plan (one resulting in a higher monthly service fees, and one resulting in lower overall fees). In one case, my contract, with less than 12 months remaining, was bumped to 12 months. In the other case, my contract was bumped back up to 24 months. Policy or no, I know from experience that it can happen. Because I have been a Verizon customer a very long time (since GTE MobileNet days), I hoped for better service. I too talked to several people before accepting the inevitability of the extension, but doing so was a waste of time.
My latest fun with Verizon was finding that, shortly after purchasing a new handset (with the requisite two year contract), I found that Verizon’s antenna coverage in the area of a new residence was almost non-existent. I live in a city with a 100,000+ population in a very large metropolitan area, but my new residence is about a mile further from the nearest major highway. Verizon used to have great coverage throughout this area, but apparently higher profits can be had by selling antenna sites than by maintaining excellent coverage. About 5,000 customers, by my own rough calculation, have horrid service as a result, but that apparently doesn’t matter. All Verizon would tell me was that they were aware of the issue and that it would be corrected within 3-6 months. A year later, my cell phone still gets no more than one bar at home. Would Verizon consider reducing my contract to “time served” in view of this so that I could switch to a provider with better service? Not a chance. Would Verizon consider allowing me to switch handsets to a brand which the Verizon service rep assured me would get better coverage (my current phone is a LG)? Sure—as long as I was willing to pay full retail price ($350+ with accessories) for the new set.
The real problem is that we (wireless customers) let Verizon (and AT&T/Cingular, etc.) get away with abusive practices. As soon as people start refusing to accept these practices, the companies will change their tune. My observation is that maximizing profit seems, for most businesses these days, the only thing that really matters. Of course it is not only the wireless carriers who operate this way. Remember $4+/gallon gasoline. Sure, we grumbled, but we still paid the price. Even with the producers earning insanely high profits, we pay whatever they post at the pump. We even sat by while the nascent administration gave these same companies billions in tax subsidies (ostensibly for research and development of alternative fuels).
So, you may ask, why am I still with Verizon? The answer is that while Verizon’s practices insult my intelligence, no wireless provider to my knowledge is really measurably better. You better believe though that as soon as unlocked phones are available at reasonable prices, I will stop buying hardware from Verizon. As soon as any provider starts providing truly customer centric service, I will switch in a heartbeat (contract termination fees or no). Verizon: “Can you hear me now?”
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alarcon_edward
Posts: 75 |
Fri Jul 06, 2007 4:24 pm |
I agree with you! More power to you. I don't think consumers will every slow down the use of wireless phones or buying gas for their cars but I agree with most of what you have said.
If you contract was more that 12 months and was extended their can be only 2 reasons for this.
1. If done in store, I have heard of store reps pressing the wrong button to get their cut out of it.
2. If called in to Customer Care their is, on rare occasion a system error that will change this to 2 years when the contract end date should not be changed.
As far as getting out of contract without paying the etf, it is possible. 1st steps are to call in from bad coverage area if possible and not be on your wireless phone. Talk to a tech who then can establish a trouble ticket. Lastly at this point the TECH makes the determination on if they will let you out of contract or not. You can always ask to speak to a sup after asking the tech how often you are getting dropped calls. If it's frequent enough that all you will have to tell the sup your are talking to. Keep in mind aso, all sups and techs have different perspectives on your issues. Some will make it really easy and some will make it like pulling teeth.
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getLitnow
Posts: 175
Phone Model:
Motorola MicroTAC Elite
Service Provider:
Phones R' Us |
Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:51 pm |
I like contracts, they benefit everyone 
They allow one party to provide a service to another party at a discount because of an agreement made between each other for a set period of time.
What a great idea!
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VerizonCust
Posts: 1 |
Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:54 pm |
VZW customer support!  READ THIS!
As a Verizon customer since 2001, I was on vacation in San Diego and called 611 to see about coverage and any costs to upgrade my existing plan so as not to have to incur "roaming charges". After authenticating my account, I was advised that I my existing plan would not have "roaming charges" within 48 states, etc. After reconfirming one last time. went on to have a great vacation!
THEN. while back in Colorado, the bill arrived from verizon: $215+ in roaming charges, plus related taxes!
Based upon the earlier 611 eggregarious disinformation provided directly from Verizon about my account (explicitly representing "my current plan coverages"), I absolutely refuse to settle for any portion of these charges and am in the middle of what appears to be a LOOOONNNNGGGG. escallation that should have been dealt with immediately!
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