Somewhere outside of Seattle there’s a guy who’s very happy with his new Verizon FIOS service, but is not at all happy with the company providing it. Andru Edwards got a new FIOS high-speed broadband account from Verizon eight months ago, only to realize that his online control panel had been set to another subscriber’s account. After a lot of calls (seriously, Edwards spends several paragraphs dealing with customer support at Verizon) he still sees this other subscriber’s credit card information, account activity and billing address. He figures that the technician who did the install switched his information with the other customer’s, and Verizon can’t or just doesn’t want to fix it. Horrible indeed.
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Switched at Install: A Verizon FiOS Horror Story
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Anyone who has a “billing problem” just needs to stop paying the bill and file a complaint with a the assistance of a lawyer. Painful problems for you are not painful problems for Verizon. Make it painful for Verizon, and your pain will go away.
Idiots simply bend over and take it like the ones bitching about it here.
The only idiot is the guy above me who recommends that you contact a lawyer to straighten out a billing issue. Why pay a lawyer $1200 to write a letter to Verizon for a $200 overcharge? Verizon has a whole legal department dedicated to handling this. They don’t feel any pain when your lawyer writes a letter. They fix the issue quicker, send you a coupon for a free months service and your $1,000 in debt to your lawyer. Who’s the bigger idiot?
i cant understand it, they said the bill would be $94.99 a month for Verizion Fio’s, i sware it hasnt been under $250.00 a month yet, and steady climbing, last month it was $413.58, and my electric bill is through the roof as well, its never been more than $150.00 a month, it was $980.68 for 2 month, is there a connection, can anyone clearify this situation?????????
I thought my story was bad until reading these posts. I have been a charter customer for some time now. A verizon rep came by and sold us on bundling internet, phone and cable. It was a little cheaper, but way more HD channels. It went downhill from there. The installer showed up late, only had 4 boxes when we ordered 6, disappeared for a couple of hours and then installed the remaining two. He looked in the back of his truck and only had one remote. One remote! The guy said he would bring the others the following morning, 5 days and 5 calls later I am still without remotes and I just got off the phone with tech support and they said they can get a tech out in another 3 days. Needless to say I am now on hold with the cancellation department.
BEWARE OF VERIZON/VERIZON DSL/VERIZON FIOS/VERIZON CELLULAR THEY JUST WANT YOUR MONEY.
I have a horror Story About Verizon., I had Verizon DSL service and telephone and we got a flyer in the mail about Verizon Fios. We called about it because the price seemed right. It was 39.95 for TV
39.95 for Internet and 39.95 for the phone. We got our first few bills everything was going fine. about 3rd or 4th Bill we got from Verizon they sent us a bill for the amount of $1,637.42 We tried to contact Verizon to try to find out why this bill was so high. When we got the bill there were no details in the charges. So they wanted us to Pay this amount. I called Verizon and spoke to someone in India or god knows where they were. They were rude as can be and unwilling to work with us. We called a few more times and nobody we spoke with sounded like they were willing to work out the MASS Billing error. WE Must have called have a dozen times the bills keep coming in the mail and nobody there supervisor after supervisor we spoke with kept telling us we had to pay this enormous amount. We cancelled the service and refused to pay the bill until those idiots figure out what they are doing. Verizon has to be the most innefecient company I’ve ever dealt with in my life. I hope that they go out of business. Those Incompetent *&^%*’s should be out of business for trying to screw their customers.
I have phoned I have written this company… it is insulated against any and all attempts to have meaningful contacts to resolve any issues. If you have Time Warner Cable or Cablevision or DirectTV or Dish Network… KEEP IT you are better off… I have tried all but Dish Network but a friend is very satisfied with the price and quality of the image… I can live with any of the other services (especially cable) but not FIOS. firstly the picture quality was not visibly better… same as cable. The FIOS internet …VS. and the Verizon DSL is
just as fast for web browsing (I have both Macs…always fast and the best and PCs… always a good bit slower whether FIOS or DSL) Yes FIOS is somewhat faster on downloads but unless unless you are an iTunes junkie… who downloads all the time… mostly you surf and Blog and e-Mail (and $17.99 for DSL vs. about $50 (or more) for FIOS is a waste of money. Now the Verizon Freedom Phone service through the large FIOS box now permanently screwed to the outside of my garage wall (I thank you and my religious wooden shingles thank you … well now they are holy holy holy…. thanks a lot!!) .. my old phone service with Verizon was fine… this new FIOS BOX phone service has all sorts of crackle and pops in the line and an annoying low rhythmic rumble….(proximity to electrical service??) If you look at the bright side this is a plus… this way you will only make very important calls… you know like my house is on fire…. All of that disaster is nearly meaningless… YOU CAN’T BELIEVE HOW BAD THE FIOS TV IS they take 4 hours to drill holes in your garage and attach several electrical devices and backs ups… which you have to bear the energy cost on….for what… for nothing beneficial. the man and his drill works right next to the main breaker and LIPA electrical service to your entire home… if they miss with the drill you are without electricity.. no big deal right??
the young salesman who went door to door told me my ACTIVATION COSTS (ABOUT $50) and would be reimbursed either through a $200 gift certificate at Best Buy or they would give me a Sharp HD TV… my choice of bonus… that will be 5 months ago in March 2008 … and they just about don’t acknowledge I even exist as a customer when it comes to a bonus… THEY DO however ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I AM TO PAY FOR FIOS SERVICE MONTHLY. Originally, the the young door to door salesman (who has nothing except a name tag…a sales ledger and a laminated photocopy of the basic channel lineup… which you can’t keep… there is no proof or paperwork provided about the sign up bonus … just his big mouth.. be smart …. slam the door in his face!). He told me that my cost for 2 years would be $94 a month. Plus $10 for the 2 extras boxes I ordered. My bills have been out of sight for the past several months about $162 for February…. $270 for January …. and $140 for December (APPARENTLY before they really got the “SIR CHARGE” BALL FULLY ROLLING)… unlike Vonage Phone service or Cable phone service… you have about $35 dollars in extra FCC line charge etc. etc… taxes minimum each month. Now as to the FIOS picture… because it is optics as opposed to good old copper cable… there are momentary lapses… in picture and sound delivery because of the either tinny Motorola cable box can’t keep up with the optic cable or the optic cable has small imperfections along the route.. which cause sound to break up (words to be lost) and pictures to glitch out (as if you had a defect or scratch on a DVD
you were watching.) This almost never happens with cable.
NOW I HAVE SAVED THE BEST TO THE LAST… AND BELIEVE ME… YOU BETTER BE READING THIS FAR!!!!. Effective April 2008 FIOS TV WILL BE ELIMINATING ALL THE BASIC BROADCAST CHANNELS AND EVERY OTHER CHANNEL FROM THEIR TV SYSTEM UNLESS YOU HAVE A BOX.. that’s RIGHT THE 40 CHANNELS I GET ON ALL MY TVS DVD RECORDERS VCR HDTV DIGITAL SETS…AS WELL AS THE OLDER ANALOGUE TV SETS …. GET WILL ALL BE ELIMINATED …3 months AFTER I signed up and THEY PROMISED ME I WOULD HAVE THEM…THIS SEEMS TO VIOLATE THE VERY CONTRACTS WE FIOS SUBSCRIBERS SIGNED… I WOULD HOPE IT OPENS UP A CLASS ACTION AGAINST THEM. Every set whether new HDTV or not will not work without a stinking little energy wasting hot to the touch Motorola box… they won’t even display what channel you are one… and gets hot as hell to fry an egg on… I currently have to turn my Motorola 2500 box and the 6200 box off at night because they get so hot during the day of usage…(and it is WINTER IN NY STATE !!!!) … you can’t even keep your hand on top of the 6200… (I can only imagine what a hazard they will present in July!!!). If you are unlucky enough to have a Motorola 6416 HD/DVR unit that box is so hot it can almost replace your Ronco Chicken Fryer…. the 80 gig hard drive is constantly grinding away and the fan always on to dissipate the heat but it is nearly useless.. except for the motor noises it makes. Unlucky friend of mine has one and his rental rate has gone up from $12.99 a month to over $15.99 now a month… just since Nov 2007 to February 2008 !!!! How do you spell RIP OFF… oh yeah V-E-R-I-Z-O-N and the hard drive FREQUENTLY JAMS OR DOES NOT RECORD when it is more than half full. Yes Sir. Now Every TV set will need a frying energy sucking hot cable box so that will be ….6 boxes for 6 sets in my home and each box is drawing energy. Friends three of my TV sets are less than a year old…. two are less than 3 months old … yet they are incompatible with Verizon starting in April 2008. A new 32 inch HDTV Sony Bravia … no good… a new 27 inch Samsung HDTV no good…a 12 month old 37 inch Sylvania HDTV no good… according to the new rules laid down by Verizon.,,, all will need boxes in order to get even a local channel. KNOW THAT BEFORE YOU ARE AN IDIOT LIKE ME AND SIGN UP.
Oh yes, all the Motorola boxes (every make and model) work on the same remote control signal… so if your are watching something on ABC and want to DVD record something on CBS at the same time you are screwed…. the same remote controls all 6 boxes… it will shut every box off and change every channel… god help you if you push one of the 38 incorrect buttons in the dark or by accident. it is over… recording screwed. Don’t think for one second you can switch over during a commercial on ABC to see how your show on CBS is recording… YOU JUST CHANGED THE CHANNEL ON BOTH BOXES… OR SHUT BOTH BOXES OFF …and you screwed up the DVD of the show you were recording… nice… really smart folks at Verizon. Remember these stupid little Motorola VT 700 boxes don’t even have a CLOCK or LED channel display to know where you are actually on.
P.S. It should go without saying I NEVER order Pay-Per-View …or any Verizon On Demand services …I have only the basic channels USA TNT Turner Classic Movies etc…. no HBO or even Encore or Starz. Oh yes.. more good news… starting in April 2008 … I am going to have to re-cable most of my house when I switch back to Cablevision Basic TV services for under $15 bucks a month… so I can provide non-box service to 4 older TVs and 3 DVD recorders and 3 VCR… and also basic TV to my 3 New HDTV sets for PBS Local News and Network broadcasts.. at times when I don’t need Cable stations (USA whatever) and want to cool down my 3 boxes…
As for the other 3 VT 700 Motorola cable boxes …which arrived yesterday (and which won’t activate… wait till you see the set of instructions Verizon sends you to self-activate these new April Fools Day 2008 boxes by yourself.. good-luck.) … Verizon can place these somewhere conveniently to their robust anatomy. So that will push my monthly cable up to about $160.
Oh, I forgot to mention how bad their FIOS on screen guide is… it is bad… and very jittery…it can skip 10 channels ahead and you won’t be able to go back very easy… my wife CAN’T GO BACK at all ..she gave up… it is possible… but you have to me a maestro of the remote and also have a bit of luck… your fall back position is to get the guide on each channel one channel at a time… when “Sir Jitters” Guide is in use !!! NICE !!! By the time you have done that the show you wanted to see is already on 10 minutes!
We have to keep our Internet TV guides listing set to Cablevision set up because none of the regular TV listings
AOL, MSN, YAHOO you name it… NONE OF THE REGULAR WEB TV LISTINGS BOTHER TO GIVE YOU THE FIOS CABLE LINE UP… CHECK IT OUT.. perhaps that was THEIR hint not to go with Verizon FIOS? Don’t be part of a small minority that is getting screwed with FIOS. Just because I was stupid don’t means you have to be as well. Yes, I am locked into a 2 year contract with tremendous penalties if I try to discontinue FIOS service…(my local cable does not do that)… the story never ends.. but my letter does…. good-bye. And here for all these years I thought Cablevision stank… it may have a slightly moldy smell….but wait till you smell the (Metaphorical) rot called FIOS TV.
PPS: My wife just walked in from work… she told me the house was cold… sure enough it is..
I had turned off my 6200 cable box and Sylvania HDTV late last night when I went to bed…and by God I forgot to turn them on (I have these units on outlet switches… so I don’t have to unplug them) . Going to power them up now to watch Judge Judy .. have a hot cup of tea ….and enjoy my Verizon FIOS TV Fireplace.
Was very excited about FIOS, now I’m getting wary about the whole verizon-providing-it deal. It seems that their customer support and organization for FIOS is extremely shabby. I ordered Verizon Fios before Christmas, they told me my apartment number isn’t built into the system (although the building was available) and delayed me a month. On my first installation date, jan 29th, no one showed up. They scheduled me to Feb 7th, no one showed up AGAIN. When I call them either “everything’s fine” or “please hold while we find out what’s going on”-only to never return from that hold. As much as I want to get fiber optics, I now have doubts is Verizon should be the company providing it.
I still get e-mails telling me of the status of someone else’s Verizon Wireless account. Apparently that person used to have that e-mail address — 6 years ago! It is a bit confusing, as I have a Verizon Wireless account too. Seeing the occasional e-mail about owing $300 (since the person doesn’t get the e-mails, I guess he forgets to pay, sometimes)freaks me out. I’ve tried to get Verizon to stop sending me e-mails about this other account 3 times, but not even an acknowledgment that they got my request. I just wonder why this other guy never bothered to change his account info himself. He does eventually pay the bills, so you’d think he would wonder why he never gets the e-mails anymore. I still get e-mails from his friends and relatives occasionally, too . . .
FiOS is a great product. The billing is ridiculously bad, though. I have frequently been not billed for either TV or Internet one month, only to have them make it up by billing twice the next month. Once they didn’t bill for two months, then had a triple charge the next month. They’ve never overcharged, but it’s just been absurd.
Technically, I’ve had no problems. The engineering is fine; the billing department awful.
I had a simular situation with verizon’s T1 buisness service. we continually got email intended for another buisness for months including all kinds of sensative data. we called for 2 months trying to get the issue fixed and ensure our email was not going to someone else before we just changed mail providers. It is an unbeleivable web of department switching with no one knowing what to do or who to call
A week or two ago I got a flier from Verizon advertising some kind of “double play” deal with their new FIOS internet and television. I’m happy with cable so I chucked it without really looking at it. Well yesterday I received a postcard from Verizon saying that the flier was mailed out by mistake, they have never offered such a plan, and please disregard it! Wow, someones head is on the chopping block.
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