From: "Rich Gauszka" 

In this day and age of the complaint blogs I wonder how firm bean counters
justify the cost of the negative publicity for a $99 item?


"Robert Comer"  wrote in message
news:44f4e07f$1{at}w3.nls.net...
> I'm not at all surprised, I had a run in with Verizon on my cell phone
> service -- a total pita.
>
> --
> Bob Comer
>
>
> "Rich Gauszka"  wrote in message
> news:44f4b6b8{at}w3.nls.net...
>>
>> http://weblog.infoworld.com/foster/2006/08/25_a441.html#a441?source=NLC-GRIP
E2006-08-29?source=NLC-GRIPE2006-08-29
>>
>> A Warranty Replacement, Verizon-Style
>>
>> A pattern seems to be emerging in the gripes I'm hearing about Verizon. A
>> few weeks ago (see Verizon Never Stops Lying to You) a cell phone
>> customer had promised free minutes snatched away when he needed them. Now
>> we hear from a Verizon broadband customer whose troubles began when a DSL
>> modem went bad while under warranty. See if you can spot the common
>> thread.
>>
>> "In the summer of 2004 we signed up for Verizon DSL in our computer
>> shop," the reader wrote. "We received a new DSL modem as
part of the
>> package we purchased, paying higher rates of course for the DSL service
>> because we had a 'business' account. We had trouble with the modem from
>> time to time, and eventually contacted Verizon while their modem was
>> still under warranty. Verizon kept insisting the problem was with the DSL
>> line or service, and even sent a technician to our place of business to
>> check the lines. This runaround went on for several months, during which
>> the modem went out of warranty. Eventually Verizon admitted that the
>> modem was defective, and agreed to send us a new one for no charge even
>> though it was out of warranty, because we had reported the problem within
>> the warranty period."
>>
>> In December 2005 the reader received the new modem along with an invoice
>> specifying that there was zero charge for the modem under
warranty. "The
>> new modem worked fine, and we felt vindicated since we had maintained all
>> along that this was a modem problem, and not a line problem. Our problem
>> was solved...end of story."
>>
>> Not. "Three months later, in March of 2006 we received an
addition to our
>> regular Verizon bill for $99 for a new modem," the reader
wrote. "I
>> called Verizon and they stated that after a careful review, they were
>> charging us for the modem because it was out of warranty. I was aghast,
>> and pointed out to them that the modem WAS replaced under warranty, and
>> that we even had it in writing stating so. I spoke to several Verizon
>> representatives and even a 'supervisor' over the next few days trying to
>> resolve the issue, without success. They insisted we pay the bill, or it
>> would be turned over to collections, with of course the implied threat of
>> service termination. We had to pay the extra charge or face loss of all
>> phone service, a death knell for any business."
>>
>> All Verizon would offer was a $30 rebate to knock the price of the modem
>> down to $70, so the reader decided to return Verizon's modem and buy a
>> generic one instead. "Now get this," the reader wrote.
"Verizon stated
>> they could NOT take back the modem because we had kept it for more than
>> 30 days. But we had thought it was a free replacement because Verizon did
>> not bill us for 90 days. In other words, they waited until their
>> self-imposed return period was up to inform us that we now had to pay for
>> it. Is this a scam or what?"
>>
>> The ridiculous turned to the sublime when the reader tried to complain
>> about this treatment. "We were furious, and asked to speak to customer
>> relations," the reader wrote. "They gave us an address
in Arizona to
>> write to, but we wanted to call instead since phone calls are harder to
>> ignore. The Verizon representative said 'they don't have phones in that
>> office.' Come again? Verizon, a phone company, has customer service
>> offices without phones? The representative repeated this preposterous
>> claim several times, so we finally drafted an angry letter and sent it
>> off to Arizona last March. And we all know what happened next. Nothing.
>> Nada. NO reply of any kind and it is now five months later. Verizon was
>> right, letters of complaint are a lot easier to ignore than phone calls.
>> And the thing that gets me is we still have the invoice sent with the
>> replacement modem stating in black and white that there was no charge for
>> it."
>>
>> The moral of this story of course is the same as the previous tale about
>> Verizon. Whatever part of the company you may be dealing with, the deal
>> you have with Verizon today may be taken away tomorrow. Or 90 days from
>> tomorrow. That's a pattern anyone who has a choice may want to consider
>> before signing up with Verizon.
>>
>>
>

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