Verizon Uses Deceit and Fraud as a Business Model, Apparently

[JimBowie1958]

A friend chose to change plans on their Verizon bill. They went from unlimited data to one that the salesman said would save her $10 a month since she doesnt use enough data to really justify having unlimited coverage.

'How much would I have paid last month on this new plan?' she asked.

'You wouldnt have paid anything more, and would have saved ten dollars with a cheaper coverage plan. And if fo whatever eason you dont like it, you can always change back to your current plan.'

Sounds great, right? Whats the harm in trying something new?

No, people burn through data so fucking fast and they dont even realize it. A gig of data is nothing if you stream movies and music. And changing back to the first plan is NEVER a given assumption.

So her first bill was $40 higher than the previous bill, and she called Verizon and got changed back to the previous plan as the first salesman told her she would be able to do.

She gets her next bill, and SURPRIZE! She is still on the new plan and she paid another $40 more.

Furious she calls Verizon back and gets the run around. now the people at Verizon insist that the old plan is no longer available and there is nothing similar to it any more at all.

She is still on hold and has been talking to one Verizon lying bastard whore after another for over two hours.

Maybe they changed this over the years and I missed it but isnt it a CRIME to lie to your customers?

 

[uscitizen]

We don't need no stinkin regulations on business.

 

[xsited1]

According to this site:

Cell Phone Providers Review 2012 | Best Cell Phone Companies | Mobile Phone Providers - TopTenREVIEWS

Verizon rates #1. You just need to read the fine print.

 

[uscitizen]

Yeah they are the best of the worst.
Kind of like voting...

 

[JimBowie1958]

According to this site:

Cell Phone Providers Review 2012 | Best Cell Phone Companies | Mobile Phone Providers - TopTenREVIEWS

Verizon rates #1. You just need to read the fine print.

So do you know who these people are that run that site? Do you know if they have a business relationship with Verizon? When I went to it, the lower third of the page is loaded with Verizon advertisement, so you think they ae really impartial?

All I know is what I have experienced.

I got on the phone and went through the hoops, loops and obstacles they throw at you (including one dropped call accident) and it seem that there are two flaws here:

1. The salesman lied by omission. The plan my friend went to had 2 gigs all shared, which isnt nearly enough when each month they went through 7 gigs of data (which was on the computer screen for the salesman to see) and two of those users are young adults who text in their sleep. He was supposed to inform my friend that there was a FOURTEEN DAY window to make the switch back, so when my friend tried to switch back, the 'application' to switch back was denied because it was outside the window. A 14 day window is complete horseshit. How would a person know if the plan was not appropriate before their next bill?

2. The people who approve of the switchback 'applications' are completely insulated from the public. The call center supervisor can put their endorsement on the application, but the arbiters do not talk directly to anyone and so are in essence unempathetic and inurred to each individual problem.

Verizon has an effective monopoly on cell phone coverage that I thought we had laws to prevent. They feel like they can do business with the customers however they want because they think the customers have no real choice to do otherwise and wind up with a company that covewrs only a fraction of the country.

I must say that when I called for my friend and demanded to speak to a supervisor and got one, they were very polite and helpful. The guys that answer the phone are just reading a script and are a waste of time in cases like this. But the problem isnt with the people who run thecustomer support. The problem is how this whole thing is set up so that customer support has its hands tied and cannot respond appropriately in some specific situations.

Overall, this is a case of fraud, of a huge company that thinks it can walk over its customers that they abuse with incomplete information and advisements to do things that are more costly while presenting them as lower in cost.

In other words, the higher ups tell the salesmen to lie, prevent the customer support from being able to do anything about it, and put the customers through a bunch of obstacles to 'change back' when there is no real way to do it.

That is fraud, theft and a demonstration of the need to bust Verizon up like they did Ma Bell.

 

[Mr. H.]

Fuck these bastards.

Verizon recently held a promotion where if you buy an iPhone 6 and fill out some questions regarding the condition of your trade-in, they will send a $200 Verizon card to use in paying your bill or whatever...

My 4S was immaculate. It went straight into an OtterBox the moment it arrived. The thing was mint. I followed their directions explicitly... turn off "find my iPhone", delete all data, remove SIM card, etc. etc.

So today I get an email... "here's your $36 gift card"!

Fuck that. I did some searching and there are thousands of people who have gotten screwed over by this scam. One guy wrapped his phone in bubble plastic when he mailed it, and they told him the screen was cracked! Faulty charging port, headphone port, data not deleted, etc.... People are pissed about this.

I've got to wait until Monday to call the rebate center. It ain't gonna be pretty, folks.

 

[Avatar4321]

I find they lie through their teeth. It's a bad business practice.

but I have yet to find a phone or cable company that didn't. If I had the knowledge I would start my own company.

 

[Mr. H.]

I find they lie through their teeth. It's a bad business practice.

but I have yet to find a phone or cable company that didn't. If I had the knowledge I would start my own company.

Let's start our own company together! At least we have something in common- ignorance.

 

[Tresha91203]

I find they lie through their teeth. It's a bad business practice.

but I have yet to find a phone or cable company that didn't. If I had the knowledge I would start my own company.

Let's start our own company together! At least we have something in common- ignorance.

It works for running a country. Why not a business?

 

[theDoctorisIn]

Verizon stopped offering unlimited data plans a few years ago.

Sprint still offers them.

 

[Avatar4321]

then they shouldn't lie to people.

 

[amrchaos]

Come on!!

When is it sensible to rely on the advice of a salesman whose main objective is to make profits for the corporation?

We Americans love capitalism(I'm guilty of this!), but hate many free market practices.

Wake up! We are in a bad romance. Certain companies like to put the customer in certain positions which is clearly not enjoyable for the customer. Read the extensive fine print before getting serviced is the rule. Now with some organizations having the rights to change the agreement(Banks), the orgy is becoming a bit more untenable for the unwitting consumer.

I hope you like chains and whips on your wallet--taxes is just the missionary position in comparison to some profit making tactics.

Maybe I used to many sexual connotations in writing this post?

 

[JimBowie1958]

Come on!!

When is it sensible to rely on the advice of a salesman whose main objective is to make profits for the corporation?

We Americans love capitalism(I'm guilty of this!), but hate many free market practices.

Fraud is not a legit free market practice and every free market proponent for the past two centuries ahs strongly urged strict and harsh enforcement of contract laws in order to prevent said fraud.

 

[OZman]

A friend chose to change plans on their Verizon bill. They went from unlimited data to one that the salesman said would save her $10 a month since she doesnt use enough data to really justify having unlimited coverage.

'How much would I have paid last month on this new plan?' she asked.

'You wouldnt have paid anything more, and would have saved ten dollars with a cheaper coverage plan. And if fo whatever eason you dont like it, you can always change back to your current plan.'

Sounds great, right? Whats the harm in trying something new?

No, people burn through data so fucking fast and they dont even realize it. A gig of data is nothing if you stream movies and music. And changing back to the first plan is NEVER a given assumption.

So her first bill was $40 higher than the previous bill, and she called Verizon and got changed back to the previous plan as the first salesman told her she would be able to do.

She gets her next bill, and SURPRIZE! She is still on the new plan and she paid another $40 more.

Furious she calls Verizon back and gets the run around. now the people at Verizon insist that the old plan is no longer available and there is nothing similar to it any more at all.

She is still on hold and has been talking to one Verizon lying bastard whore after another for over two hours.

Maybe they changed this over the years and I missed it but isnt it a CRIME to lie to your customers?

Would filing a Notice of Dispute be worth your while?

 

[Mr. H.]

Yesterday I contacted the Attorney General's office for our state. I was encouraged to file a consumer complaint, which I did. Today it's the BBB!

I got hold of the Verizon Rebate Program, told the lady my situation, and right on cue she replied with the same thing I see posted by hundreds of others "the touch screen was non-responsive".

This is utter bullshit. I sent them a mint-condition perfectly-fine, working functional phone.

Here, read some comments for yourselves...

200 turned into 36 iphone 4s trade in for iph... Verizon Wireless Community

There are hundreds more of these cases reported across a variety of message boards.

 

[jon_berzerk]

A friend chose to change plans on their Verizon bill. They went from unlimited data to one that the salesman said would save her $10 a month since she doesnt use enough data to really justify having unlimited coverage.

'How much would I have paid last month on this new plan?' she asked.

'You wouldnt have paid anything more, and would have saved ten dollars with a cheaper coverage plan. And if fo whatever eason you dont like it, you can always change back to your current plan.'

Sounds great, right? Whats the harm in trying something new?

No, people burn through data so fucking fast and they dont even realize it. A gig of data is nothing if you stream movies and music. And changing back to the first plan is NEVER a given assumption.

So her first bill was $40 higher than the previous bill, and she called Verizon and got changed back to the previous plan as the first salesman told her she would be able to do.

She gets her next bill, and SURPRIZE! She is still on the new plan and she paid another $40 more.

Furious she calls Verizon back and gets the run around. now the people at Verizon insist that the old plan is no longer available and there is nothing similar to it any more at all.

She is still on hold and has been talking to one Verizon lying bastard whore after another for over two hours.

Maybe they changed this over the years and I missed it but isnt it a CRIME to lie to your customers?

sounds a lot like obamacare

--LOL