Customer Service inadequacy - billing
jrerion
Newbie

I am posting this discussion as my last resort in getting feedback to Verizon management in order for them to improve their services. All "live chat" options on the support site seem to always have no available representatives at the time of day that I'm most able to log on, telephone support is lacking, and the "feedback" link on the site is merely website feedback.

I have been a loyal customer of Verizon for at least 4-5 years. Being a college student on a limited budget, I have not always been able to pay my bill on time in the past year, but I do always pay it within 1 month of the due date and have never missed multiple payments in a row. Sometime within the past few months, Verizon's logic to their programming deemed it necessary to begin calling me to remind me of a missed payment 2-3 weeks past the due date.

While I don't mind being reminded of my late payment, I do mind being told to hold by a mechanical voice that calls me and being expected to wait on the line until a real person is free to speak to me. After being told to wait by the number that had just called me, the representative who finally got on the line was very inappropriate - after I told her I fully intended to make my payment once I received a paycheck the following week, she persisted in asking me when I would pay and if I could give her a card number to make a payment with on that exact date. I told her that I fully intended to pay via the secure website on my own accord when I was able and she continued to badger me for a payment commitment over the phone. I could understand this behavior if I was over a month behind my payment, but for just a few weeks a polite reminder should suffice.

This was a few months ago, and I was very put off by this inappropriate treatment of a customer, so I refused to answer my phone when this number called me after my latest missed payment date. If I knew there would be a polite, respectful agent on the line when I answered, I would have answered. If a human had left me a voicemail message to return the call, I would have called back. But instead, this automatic number was programmed to call me multiple times a day to try to reach me. I never received any other communication other than a text message asking me to call a number to prevent "interruption to my service." Without any further warning, or any specific deadline being given to me that not only would be service be put on hold, but that I would have to pay a reconnection fee after, my service was disconnected (the due date was 2.5 weeks ago). I paid the past due fee and was informed of a $15 reconnection fee.

Nowhere in my account online am I able to find any specific information regarding my contract, how long after the due date to expect a hold on service, or that I would have to pay a reconnection after such an event. I can understand that I was late on my payment, but this is terrible business practice to treat a customer who always settles their account balance accordingly. Due to Verizon's failure to alert me of a specific hold date or the reconnection fee in advance, and due to their inappropriate phone practice and billing representatives, I will be cancelling my service as soon as my contract is over. I stayed with Verizon as long as I did because I was initially so impressed with their customer service. I see this is no longer true due to what seems to be their attempts to cut costs by automating processes and outsourcing customer reps. Yes Verizon, you do have a lot of customers who require support, but this doesn't mean you should automate everything because in the end you wind up with more customers requiring customer service and eventually in the loss of the disgruntled customers who are flooding this online forum.

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Re: Customer Service inadequacy - billing
Not applicable

The bottom line here is you are late paying the monthly billing invoice. You are angry that you were notified by machine and text message to your payment not being received? You are late paying but think it unfair that you get a late fee, and then a disconnection fee of $15 for not being late once on your bill, but on a continuing basis. Correct?

Well you can be disconnected one day after a missed payment, the contract is here:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/support/customer-agreement

You want to change providers because Verizon Wireless won't let you pay your bill anytime you like without penalty but have no qualms about to your using the service anyway.

NO provider will let you to continue to pay late, no service you join will waive late and reconnection fees.

You have a couple of options here. First pay your bill on time every time and this problem will not happen again. Secondly you can buy a Pre-Paid phone service. This way you load the phone, if you don't load the phone you have no service and no reminders to pay or any dealings with customer service.

Choose wisely.

Good Luck

Re: Customer Service inadequacy - billing
SuzyQ
Community Leader
Community Leader

jrerion wrote:

...  I can understand that I was late on my payment, but this is terrible business practice to treat a customer who always settles their account balance accordingly. Due to Verizon's ... inappropriate phone practice and billing representatives, I will be cancelling my service as soon as my contract is over.

Calling to remind you of a late payment 2-3 WEEKS after the due date is not a "terrible business practice" - it's pretty standard for ANY business.  Especially if it is a customer who is consistently late or slow in paying bills.  I agree with Elector - a pre-paid phone may be a better option in your situation.

You are still in college, and learning life lessons.  A valuable take away from this should be to pay your bills ON TIME.  You said you are a "college student on a limited budget" - and the cell phone bill was beyond the budget at times and you couldn't pay.  Verizon called to remind you, charged a late fee, disconnected service after multiple reminders and late payments, and expects future payments to be ON TIME, not late again.  If this is not doable, find a service that will work within your budget (prepaid or another carrier, perhaps).  And realize that every cell carrier (or any service business) will treat you pretty much the same way if you are consistently late or slow to pay your bill.

Re: Customer Service inadequacy - billing
jrerion
Newbie

Thank you for your input - I have no issue with paying a late fee, that is to be expected. My qualm lies in the state of Verizon's customer service and the treatment of their customers. All customers deserve to be treated with respect if a business wishes to retain them.

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Re: Customer Service inadequacy - billing
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

jrerion wrote:

Thank you for your input - I have no issue with paying a late fee, that is to be expected. My qualm lies in the state of Verizon's customer service and the treatment of their customers. All customers deserve to be treated with respect if a business wishes to retain them.

You expect them to give you respect? Respect goes both ways. If you respect them by paying for your bill on time each and every month, they will respect you by keeping your service active.

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

Re: Customer Service inadequacy - billing
rcschnoor
Legend

Refusing to answer a call because you suspect it is a reminder that you have passed your due date AND you have not yet submitted a payment is certainly a sign of respect.

Re: Customer Service inadequacy - billing
jroeder
Specialist - Level 2

Also, you said the machine calls you multiple times a day and you ignore the calls.......

So Verizon did try and warn you multiple times a day that your service would be disconnected for non-payment, yet since you did not answer you say Verizon did not give you fair warning?

If you were to say........sell someone a car in return for monthly payments and they paid late over and over you'd probably become more strict about the payments wouldn't you? And if you called them to try and get them to give you YOUR payment and they ignored your calls, you would probably want you car back wouldn't you?

That's how Verizon feels, you are a post-pay customer. So they give you service and you pay them later. Why would they want to keep giving you service when they aren't sure when you will pay or if you will pay them at all?

Re: Customer Service inadequacy - billing
ttipgem
Master - Level 1

Since when is paying your bill(s) 2 - 3 weeks late considered acceptable?  Welcome to the real world.  Time to grow up.

Also, you state that "Nowhere in my account online am I able to find any specific information regarding my contract, how long after the due date to expect a hold on service, or that I would have to pay a reconnection after such an event."

Right in the Customer Agreement it states:

ABOUT MY PAYMENTS

If you're a Postpay customer and we don't get your payment on time, we will charge you a late fee of up to 1.5 percent per month (18 percent per year) on the unpaid balance, or a flat $5 per month, whichever is greater, if allowed by law in the state of your billing address.

You may have to pay a $35 fee to re–activate Service if your Service is terminated , or a $15 fee to reconnect Service if it is interrupted for non–payment or suspended for any reason.

WHAT ARE VERIZON WIRELESS' RIGHTS TO LIMIT OR END SERVICE OR END THIS AGREEMENT?

We can, without notice, limit, suspend or end your Service or any agreement with you for any good cause, including, but not limited to: (1) if you: (a) breach this agreement; (b) resell your Service; (c) use your Service for any illegal purpose, including use that violates trade and economic sanctions and prohibitions promulgated by any US governmental agency; (d) install, deploy or use any regeneration equipment or similar mechanism (for example, a repeater) to originate, amplify, enhance, retransmit or regenerate an RF signal without our permission; (e) steal from or lie to us; or, if you're a Postpay customer; (f) do not pay your bill on time;