In March, I received an offer from my cable company to bundle my phone, cable and internet. So, I contacted Verizon (who was already my phone and DSL provider at the time), to determine if they had any comparable offers. They sent me to their customer retention rep. She offered me a monthly rate of $74.97, which was to include ALL of the following (I made her repeat this several times to ensure there weren't any hidden charges, and I also wrote it all down and read it back to her several times):
1. DSL at 1 Mbps.
2. Unlimited local and long distance telephone. I opted out of the extra calling features to save $5 a month.
3. DirecTV DVR Plus plan, 1 year of Showtime free, 1 DVR receiver, 2 standard receivers and local channels.
4. A $100 rebate in the form of a gift card. The rep told me this would have been $150 if I had opted for the extra calling features.
My first bill was high, due to the prorating that occurs, so I didn't really look into the individual charges. Upon receiving my second bill, I discovered that I was paying about $85 per month, not the $75 I was promised. I contacted Verizon, and they said that the extra $10 was due to the extra 2 receivers. I told them that their rep told me that the 2 extra receivers were included in the price, and that I confirmed that with her several times. They said that is a DirecTV charge, and there is nothing they can do about it. So, at that point, I'm out $120 - since I have a 12-month contract with DirecTV. So, I decided to ask about the status of my rebate. They told me that I'm not eligible for the rebate, since I was already an existing DSL customer - which of course the rep had to know when she sold me the package. Basically, she lied to me in order to make the Verizon deal sound better than the cable company deal. She baited me with the lower monthly rate and the rebate, and then once I signed up and couldn't back out, only then did I discover that I would be spending $10 extra per month and not receive the rebate.in all of my calls to Verizon (and we're talking a lot), they have never denied that their rep made this offer. They just keep saying that she mis-quoted me, and that she will be talked to about it. Great, how does that help me? I have already sent an email to one of the local investigative reporters. I suspect there are probably hundreds of other consumers out there who have become victims of the same scam. I'm hoping they run a story. Maybe it will drum up enough interest for a lawyer to file a class-action law suit against Verizon. Then, the $220 they scammed from me will cost them much more. I'm very disappointed, because I've had Verizon for my cell phones (4 of them) and my home phone and DSL for a long time, and I've never had any problems like this. I guess because of the fierce competition in the market and the likelihood that if the reps can't retain the customers they get disciplined or fired, this is what it's come to. One thing I have learned from this is that no deal is a deal until I receive it in writing and signed in ink by someone authorized to make the offer. And once my contract is up, I won't be dealing with Verizon for anything in the future.in fact, I'm considering paying the extra $6 per month to DirecTV that it will cost me if I cancel my Verizon services (which aren't under contract) and finding a new Internet provider. I don't need the land line, anyway - we have cell phones. And don't bother with the PUCO. They only govern the phone part of Verizon's business - not the bundles or the rebates. I'm also going to file my complaint with the BBB and hope that goes somewhere. Don't agree to an offer Verizon makes unless you get the whole thing in writing first. Record your conversations. Better yet, find a utility company with integrity and let me know who it is!
Roy
Brunswick, Ohio
U.S.A.
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