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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.