Verizon was created through the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE, and the deception continues. ... more
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From BROADBAND REPORTS Forum:
"Verizon only has 27,000 towers with 60 million users. Sprint has 30,000 towers with 35 million users and are adding 4000 more towers this year on Nextel sites. This is probably why Verizon has a cap but Sprint does not." click here
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"We've consistently pointed out how Verizon engages in false advertising by proclaiming their EV-DO wireless broadband service is "unlimited", then capping users ..." ... more
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From CONSUMER AFFAIRS:
VERIZON shoots themselves in the foot - Tells customer that their "UNLIMITED" service has a limit.
"...... This level of usage is so extraordinarily high that it could only have been attained by activities, such as streaming and/or downloading movies and video, prohibited by the terms and conditions ...." Verizon said in a terse letter.
The VERIZON customer was CONSUMER AFFAIRS ... more
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What our company went through with
Verizon Wireless click here
(I guess all those Verizon service people were busy being stand-ins for their TV
commercials)
Now that Cingular turned on 3G in Florida, our downlink speeds range from 1100 to 1350 kbps
 |
Meet Mike. Mike is part of the Verizon Network. He has no problem refusing to serve customers who have the nerve to ask if someone shreds the fax containing images of their social security card and driver's license - both on the same page and faxed from the Verizon store. The customer was a CEO of another company, and she was concerned about identity theft and Verizon's lax security. Mike's courteous reply to the customer who had waited in line for over an hour with her two children: "There's the door." |
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Verizon Broadband Upload / Download Speed Test Results - click here
Caution: Verizon's VZAccess Manager software may cause your computer to crash.
Note: The number of hits on the "GOOGLE" search engine no longer reflects the number of hits for the same keywords several months ago. Could it possibly be that since VERIZON started paying GOOGLE for "GOOGLE ADS," the search engine has been "reprogrammed"?
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Searching GOOGLE
using the words "VERIZON BILLING PROBLEMS" produces about 2,000,000 results (2 million):
http://www.google.com/search?hs=sfQ&hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=Verizon+billing+problems&btnG=Search
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Searching GOOGLE
using the words "VERIZON SUCKS" GIVES OVER 1,000,000 results (over one
and one half
million)
http://www.google.com/search?hs=t05&hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=Verizon+sucks&btnG=Search
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Searching GOOGLE using the words "VERIZON CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS" GIVES OVER
300,000 RESULTS:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=Verizon+customer+service+sucks&btnG=Search
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VERIZON
users have even set up over 600 petitions AGAINST Verizon on the internet
on just one website: PetitionOnline.com . This does not include the
thousands of other websites against Verizon:
http://www.google.com/custom?domains=www.PetitionOnline.com&q=verizon&sitesearch=www.PetitionOnline.com&client=pub-5090005701884356&forid=1&channel=4432003626&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&cof=GALT%3A%230000FF%3BGL%3A1%3BDIV%3A%23333333%3BVLC%3A660099%
3BAH%3Acenter%3BBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BLBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BALC%3A0000FF%3BLC%3A0000FF%
3BT%3A000000%3BGFNT%3A666666%3BGIMP%3A666666%3BLH%3A50%3BLW%3A350%3BL%
3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.PetitionOnline.com%2Fimages%2Fpol_google_logo.gif%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%
2F%2Fwww.PetitionOnline.com%2F%3BFORID%3A1%3B&hl=en
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ANL Web100 based Network Diagnostic Tester (NDT)Located at the National Science Foundation; 1000 Mbps Gigabit network connection - 2.6.8.1 Kernel Web100 version 2.5 |
Hurricane Wilma tore through South Florida in September of 2005, and left 98% of Broward County (Fort Lauderdale area) without power. Phone lines came down with the power poles. Many cell phone sites and entire cell networks were not operating. Our Iridium satellite phone was the only way for our business to contact customers. Unfortunately, the Iridium phone's modem was limited to 2.4 kb/s.
Five days later, our T-Mobile cell phone service returned. An "EDGE" data card for internet access was purchased from a T-Mobile dealer for one of our laptops, and allowed us to access our company's internet remote server and email accounts. "EDGE" technology reportedly tops out at 384 kb/s, but T-Mobile appears to limit network download speeds to about 190 kb/s.
Erin made the fatal mistake of contacting VERIZON BROADBAND WIRELESS on their toll-free line to obtain wireless "broadband" internet service, with the hope of regaining a VoIP path for her company's toll-free lines.
Erin, CEO of a company that deals with customers ranging from DoD contractors, AT&T Wireless, NEXTEL (2 GHz Relocation), and television microwave systems, from network stations such as KABC-TV in Los Angeles, to SuperStatoins such as Chicago's WGN-TV, with whom she had recently concluded a contract, had good credit BEFORE she called VERIZON.
Within a matter of minutes, and without her knowledge, VERIZON blacklisted the CEO of TV TOWER, INC., and made a nightmare for her and our family, including me, who just happens to be a member of the American Bar Association, a former Federal Communications Commission Liaison Committee Member, and holder of other titles. Normally, I wouldn't bother with something like this, but because of irregularities, misrepresentations, and actually having Erin being refused service, and asked to leave a store with myself and our 2 young children, Verizon needs a little awakening at the corporate level, and feedback from an actual customer.
CAN YOU HERE ME NOW?
|
|
Meet Mike. Mike is part of Verizon's Network. He has no problem refusing to serve customers who have the nerve to ask if someone shreds the fax containing images of their social security card and driver's license - both on the same page and faxed from the Verizon store. The customer was a CEO of another company, and she was concerned about identity theft and Verizon's lax security. Mike's courteous reply to the customer who had waited in line for over an hour with her two children: "There's the door." |
So I called Verizon myself, asked for the location of other Verizon stores, and bought a Broadband card. The store did not have the Kyocera KPC650 Broadband Card that Verizon phone sales told me was in stock, and that I had determined was required for my area, so they substituted another. I returned the $200.00 "bait and switch" card they gave me a few days later after 2 crashes, unrealistic connection delays (I even turned off the firewall), and erratic and unpredictable operation.
I contracted for Broadband Service, but received "dial up" results. The software, which crashed my new laptop, was installed on my laptop by a Verizon agent at the point of sale.
Shaun, a Verizon customer service rep, told me my new Verizon software, which was installed in my laptop by a very helpful Verizon salesperson, was outdated. Verizon's website would not validate any of the phone numbers Shaun gave me to download the software. Shaun also could not initiate a download.
Broadband Speed ????? .... and this was NOT the worst. Verizon's software gives the supposed "maximum" speed, but the NDT Government Server reported an upload average speed of 21k, and a real world average download speed of 169.31k.
Broadband promises; "dial up" speed.
This was about the best speed I could briefly obtain ... just before it crashed my Windows XP laptop!
Due to poorly written software, provided and installed by Verizon, this is the first time this laptop has ever crashed, displaying the dreaded "blue screen." And yes, I did lose all my work. Thank you, Verizon.
Operating System crashes are unacceptable. A T-Mobile data card was inserted to report this Windows crash caused by Verizon's software.
The Verizon V620 broadband card next to the more reliable T-Mobile GC89 "EDGE" data card.
The Verizon V620 would repeatedly switch to the slower "National Access," then back to Broadband when idle.
Unfortunately for the customer, Verizon makes no provisions at invoicing. You are continually billed for a premium service which you may not receive.
Operation was erratic and unpredictable, including 2 crashes
Verizon Broadband connection problem - timeout 1
More Verizon Broadband connection problems - timeout 2
Still more Verizon Broadband connection problems - timeout 3
It took more than 10 minutes to re-connect, but not to Broadband. It connected to a slow "National Access" server.
Maybe not the fastest, but no "blue screens" (crashes).
How NOT to treat a customer:
The customer is Federally Licensed. After careful research, and looking at PCS signal strength on a calibrated spectrum analyzer, the customer tells Verizon's Wireless phone sales rep that he needs a Kyocera KPC650 Broadband card for his laptop.
Verizon's phone sales department gave me the address of a Verizon dealer in a mall, after I told them I wished to purchase a Kyocera KPC650 Broadband internet card. I was told there would be a $200 deposit. When I got there, they did not have the card I requested.
I was told the Kyocera KPC650 card would be in on Monday, and I was told that the Verizon V620 would work fine in my area. None of this was true, and the deposit was double what I had been quoted by Verizon Wireless phone sales. Instead of a $200 deposit, I ended up paying a $400.00 deposit.
------------ RETURNING THE MERCHANDISE ------------
It was Monday, about 2:14 pm. I was dressed in shorts, not a business suit. I returned the V620 wireless card to the kiosk at the Pembroke Lakes Mall. I had needed a Kyocera card with onboard antenna, but they only had a V620. I was assured the signal strength was adequate in my area, and broadband connection would not be a problem, but as can be seen from the signal strength indicator and speed tests above, this was NOT the case.
The Kyocera card was not at the kiosk, as had been agreed upon (the sale was contingent upon the receipt of a Kyocera KPC650 card).
KENYA, an agent for Verizon, saw the Verizon bag, appeared to assume it was a return, and ignored me. From 2:14 pm until 2:56 pm, I stood at the kiosk as she waited on other people who just walked up. This was quite a departure from Verizon's TV ad campaign which shows a large number of network people waiting to serve you.
At 2:56 pm, a very polite Verizon service rep by the name of Olga, entered the kiosk, and immediately waited on me. At this point I was through with Verizon, but did check to see if the Kyocera had been ordered and was there as promised - it was NOT. Thus ended my brief encounter with Verizon.
P.S. The "immediate" credit card refund for the interim V620 Broadband card was not seen until 3 business days later.
NOTE: An agent for Verizon had told me there would be a $200 deposit, but the $200 turned into $400 at the point of sale, which I consider unfair trade practice, (15 U.S.C. 45). This amounted to over $600.00 plus lost time. Further, the $400.00 deposit on this credit card purchase, was to be held by Verizon, and was to be refunded by check via U.S. mail, within 2 weeks.
------------ WHAT DEPOSIT ?? ------------
On Tuesday, December 6, one week after returning the EVDO CARD, I called Verizon (1-800-899 4249) to verify that my $400.00 deposit refund was on its way. Verizon, who announced that it will end pensions, had decided to keep my $400.00 deposit.
Renita, a sales rep on extension 3530 at Verizon's Tampa Florida location, informed me that Verizon's records indicated that I had received a full refund on November 30. I explained the timeline and events of this transaction, and Renita put my call on hold while she contacted Verizon's "treasury department." About 7 minutes later she returned to the line and stated that she would call me at a later date to let me know that everything was correct. She further added that a refund would now take 2 to 4 additional weeks. Again, Unfair Trade Practices comes to mind.
I then contacted VISA to report a fraudulent transaction by Verizon, and the case was assigned a check card dispute, reference #200534008251 at 4:15 pm, by Alicia White.
Verizon needs to examine the fraud their company creates. Had I not called, it appears that I never would have recovered my $400.00 deposit.
On December 7, a Verizon invoice arrived. They had subtracted the service I didn't receive, from the deposit they stated would be returned in full by 1). Verizon's agent, Renita (1-800-899-4249, ext. 3530), 2). the salesperson at the kiosk, AS A CONTINGENCY AGREEMENT, and 3). Olga, also at the Verizon kiosk.
Is this fraud? Yes.
Reliable ???
Even though the original equipment was paid for at the time of sale, and this account has been closed, VERIZON fraudulently charged our company for service it was not capable of providing.
This is neither an accident nor mistake. Computers are programmed according to VERIZON'S request, and I'm sure I'm not the only person in the country who has returned a broadband internet card, and encountered this willful and malicious fraud. Now punitive damages are in order, along with an FTC investigation.
On December 8, 2005, FIFTEEN DAYS AFTER THIS WHOLE THING BEGAN, I received a deposit demand letter, dated 3 days prior. Verizon has some serious communication problems between departments and customers. I also have a block on my credit inquiries.
It would be nice if they told the customer on the phone that the actual deposit would be $400.00, instead of quoting a $200.00 figure to get him into the store. This, together with the lack of a Kyocera KPC650 Broadband card not being in stock as promised, is nothing more than a "bait and switch" tactic by Verizon.
On Saturday, December 17, a partial refund check arrived, 19 days after the unfit merchandise was returned, breaching their return contract provision by 5 days. On calling Justin at Verizon Wireless extension 2175, at 4:20 on December 17, I was told that they had nothing to do with the sale (even though the entire $400.00 deposit went to them), and that I would have to take my request for a full refund back to the manager of the Verizon kiosk at the mall. I told Justin that I considered this fraud, and would file a fraud complaint with Visa instead.
In summation, Verizon is a company that could not deliver what it advertised; used bait and switch practices; informed the customer that HE must be mistaken, because Verizon does not have a deposit as low as $200; furnishes defective software (unfit for a particular purpose, and, since it was installed by the salesperson, the customer did not waive liability), that crashed Microsoft Windows XP twice; poorly maintained a website so as not to let even the support rep, Shaun, download software updates, let alone the customer; showed on their records that they had returned our company's $400.00 deposit when they had not; had to be asked to return it a $400.00 deposit; breached their contractual agreements; and then kept a portion of the money they promised to return in full.
Would I ever deal with Verizon again? NO.
attn Visa Fraud Dept. fax 704 590 6672 give email adr. and phone #
....... more to come
