DESPITE RECEIVING AN IMMEDIATE REPLY TELLING ME I WOULD BE CONTACTED WITHIN 24 HOURS ON FEBRUARY 7TH. HOW CAN I BELIEVE THAT VERIZON WIRELESS IS SERIOUS ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE WHEN THIS IS THE TYPE OF TREATMENT YOU RECEIVE FROM THE TOP? I KNOW HAVE TO RESORT TO POSTING TO THIS FORUM TO GET MY ISSUE RESOLVED. UNBELIEVABLE!
Kevin Zavaglia
President, New York Metro Region, Verizon Wireless
Dear Mr. Zavaglia,
I just wanted to follow-up on my letter from Friday, February 6th. A customer service representative contacted me today in regards to my letter to you.
I basically wrote to you out of sheer frustration that I had spent so many hours on the phone SINCE NOVEMBER when I got a new iPhone and my service was changed. It has taken me until now (hopefully) to get it straightened out. I had to spend about an average of two hours on the phone each time I had to call which was at least four times - averaging once a month, to get my plan and billing straightened out.
When your representative called today, I explained as best I could the entire sequence of events. Although it was so Orwellian at points, I would have had to have kept notes in order to tell you all the different explanations I was given, the conflicting informations and the ways that instead of having my issues resolved, new problems were created that I then had to call back about to get fixed. It took me about twenty minutes to give her the condensed version to the best of my ability. But then we had to spend at least another twenty minutes trying to resolve my bad experience with no good results.
I was basically told that Verizon depends on its customers so that your company takes this issue very seriously and will use all the hours and frustration that I experienced as a "teaching moment" for your company. She then asked me what I wanted which I found insulting because I didn't write because I wanted something, I just wanted there to be some accountability for the really stunning amount of misinformation that I received from your customer service. However she volunteered to give me one month free. So then I started to think about it. And thought, what WOULD compensate me in a meaningful way for all the time and energy I had to put into getting my phone plan and bill straightened out. So I suggested that I be credited for the four months that I had to call customer service to correct my service. Considering I have the "loyalty plan" at $60 a month, this is not asking for very much. She countered "let's make it an even $100". I am not interested in bargaining with your company. I have a small company as well. If I sold you a product and you had continual problems with it and had to come to me four times over the course of a month to straighten out problems with it that my staff mishandled - I would NEVER bargain with you. And I would never tell you that your problems with my product were a great "teaching moment" for me and my staff. I would gladly refund you your money and probably do something beyond that. So when you representative asked me what I thought would be fair and then balked when I told her that four months credit seems more than fair, I just have to think that your company does not really care about customer service.
So I told her to forget it, don't give me any compensation at all. But now I am upset that I had to spend so much time again on the phone with Verizon customer service without resolving a problem. It makes me wish I never wrote you in the first place so that I didn't have to waste more time on the phone. So I actually would appreciate very much if you would honor my request for a credit for those four months of poor customer service and billing problems, I think it's a more than fair request. Otherwise, please just credit me for the amount to break my contract so that I can start all over with a new carrier. I have had enough. Verizon does not have a good customer service reputation and I have unfortunately had to find out the hard way why that is - simply by upgrading to a new iPhone!
Thank you for either issuing a credit for the four months that I experienced problems or for issuing me a credit to break my contract and switch carriers.
Best,
Katie McDonnell
