My deceased husband received two letters dated March 30 from Verizon Wireless stating that he had requested on March 27 "to add the discount or promotional offer listed below."
This said promotional offer added 1500 minutes to be used between dates 03/27 and 03/21. The penalty stated for cancelling said contract was to be $175 per telephone number.
My husband passed away on September 7 and so naturally could not have requested an extension of the contract he had transacted on 6/25 and then again on 10/11 both of which had been honored by him til the date required which curiously was not applicable.
I continued to use the telephone that I had used previous to my husband's passing and of course the company regularly took automatic payments from my bank account. When I was called about the offer, I explained that the phone was in my husband's name and that he had passed away. I was not given details of the plan beyond the minutes.
The salesman said that I would need to go to the Verizon Wireless store on Manhattan Avenue, Marrero, LA 70052 and bring a death certificate to transfer the phone to my name. I did not transfer it realizing that I had no use for extra minutes and also was interested in changing to a less expensive cell phone plan. Naturally, my finances are limited now that I have lost my husband's pension income.
I called the company through the number given on the letter explaining that my husband had passed away and so had not and could not have agreed to an extension of the contract. I was not intereted either. The first young lady I spoke to was polite and courteous. She put me on hold while she tried to find out the correct procedure. After a while, I was disconnected.
I called back and got another customer service lady who was abrupt. She assured me that my husband had definitely agreed to the contract on the date given as she had checked it out to be sure. She added that I had no right to use my husband's phone and that I would have to prove that he was really dead or cancel the contract that he had agreed to at a cost of $175 per telephone number.
I called back and talked to a young lady who said that I would have to Fax a death certificate to her in order to cancel the contract. She also seemed to be convinced that a contract that only the company agreed to was valid.
I drove to the local Verizon Store described above. There a young man was quite helpful stating that he had had another customer complaining that he had received a letter stating he had agreed to a contract that he knew nothing about. I gave him the death certificate.
Meanwhile a young lady began to tell me that I knew I had to pay penalties for stopping a contract I had taken out and the young man was able to intervene. She came back with the "contracts" with the message written on one of them "Customer wants to end contract-death certificate attached." She said it was taken care of and seemed somewhat miffed.
Today a bill came to my house charging my husband $425. They know now that my husband was dead on the date they are claiming that he agreed to an extension of the contract. My first inclimation is to tell them to contact him as they had on March 27. I might even be interested in the method they found for making contracts with dead people. But I do think it is important even for the employees own well being to let them know the definition of a contract.
I should add that several people even suggested that I had agreed to the extension of the contract as though I could make a contract for my husband but could not cancel it. I think anyone who deals in customer subject should at least understand the basic definition of a contract. They really can't be made with dead people.
In reading some of the complaints people have I notice that they do pay fruadulant bills so perhaps that is why this company continues to defraud their customers. Perhaps the elderly are easy targets since people of my generation sometimes have memory problems and new widows also are emotionally fragile.
Since I have been a shareholder in Verizon for many years I am horrified to learn of the lack of real customer service and illegal methods of selling the product, and harrassment of loyal customers.
Caroline
Gretna, Louisiana
U.S.A.
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