Tampa Tribune Highlights FiOS Billing Problems - Phantom charges, erroneous billing continues...
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Tampa Tribune Highlights FiOS Billing Problems
Phantom charges, erroneous billing continues...
(old news - 11:19AM Thursday Mar 27 2008)
tags: prices · competition · business · cable · telco · trouble · consumers · Verizon FIOS
Tipped by ispgeek
ispgeek sends in this Tampa Tribune article that explores Verizon's problems with accurate billing. As we noted last year, Verizon is an exceptional technical service marred by some serious support issues that continue to plague the product. The company consistently struggles at giving users the correct advertised bundle discount, but excels at recurring phantom charges. Verizon told us software upgrades were supposed to resolve these issues, but the problems persist in Tampa:
Sam Miller came so close to tossing his Verizon cable TV box to the curb outside. After signing up in November for Verizon's $99 a month deal for FiOS cable TV, Internet and phone service, Verizon was still sending him bills for $130 or more. He called to complain each month, but eventually his bill was stacked with $265 in extra fees. One time he called Verizon, "they told me we didn't have an account. I told them they could pick up their stuff at the curb," Miller said.
"When you have people breaking down the door to get your service, some will fall through the cracks," says a Verizon spokesperson in the piece. "Everyone knows that we're doing a great job with the product. We need to do a better job with the customer experience, training our people, educating the customer and a better job of resolving issues." Judging from the comments in the Tribune comment section, they've got their work cut out.

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anon @ 27th Mar 11:26AM:
"Educating the customer"?

How about educating the customer service reps?

Billing 101:
a) 2+2=4
b) actually track what each customer has and what they're supposed to pay for it

Why is this so difficult?
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TK Junk Mail @ 27th Mar 11:31AM:
Re: "Educating the customer"?

said by Meh37 :

How about educating the customer service reps?

And building IS backroom systems that actually work. I wonder if they program their own systems, or if they have outsourced it to some 3rd party?
--
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CylonRed @ 27th Mar 11:35AM:
If I had to go thru this type of crap...

I would have kicked them out in less than 3 months and the wife would have helped me.

If the back -end systems are so bad then they have no QA or any other testing of the app.

Justifies my saying I will never be involved in getting something this early in the gestation.
--
Brian

Free health care is 100% a misnomer - it is not free and never will be free.
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birdfeedr @ 27th Mar 12:51PM:
Tip of the hat to WC813 is in order.

With all due respect to ispgeek, this article was the subject of a short discussion here, yesterday.

Added: Glad it made it to the front page.
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blackstar @ 27th Mar 01:07PM:
what a difference a year makes....

Oh that's nothing. He only had 3 months. I had almost a YEAR of billing issues (11 months, 2 weeks) with only 2 of their services (TV and Internet).

And every month I would have to go through the same song and dance trying to explain to the (next) customer service rep my situation from the beginning only to have the following happen:

We cant find your account.
It's a known issue.
I'll forward this to my manager.
I'll call you right back.
That service rep no longer works here.
That should not happen.
Your account looks fine to me.
Let me ask someone please hold.
I'll forward this to the regional manager.
What is your account again?
It's a technical issue.
It's a software issue.
It's a hardweare issue.
It's a billing issue.
It's a collections issue.
Please hold.
I can't seem to find your account, what's your telephone number?
Etc, etc, etc.

And every time I would be talking (or on hold) for 1-4 hours only to be right back where I started with an unresolved issue and they would credit me the charge. 11 months this went on.... 11... months. And in all that time, the technical aspect of the service has been flawless. Too bad the human/billing/database aspect is not so well designed and implemented.

A big part of the problem is that ALL of Verizon's database systems regarding customer information all are based on a very old cellular phone system, so all information is tied to a phone number, and not all of the new systems talk to or keep the same information or are even compatible. And upgrading them is either not a priority, would be very expensive and time consuming, or both.

So until Verizon can get it's support up to the level of service the TV internet and phone are, they will have only gotten half the job done.

- Blackstar
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en102 @ 27th Mar 01:46PM:
Re: "Educating the customer"?

Probably outsourced/offshored
I had issues like this with Verizon Wireless and came to the point of calling the BBB against them. 3 months after I cancelled service (at their corp store no less), I kept receiving bills, and even one notice for collections.
Similarly, I never had Verizon landline service, but was charged for service
--
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ispgeek @ 27th Mar 02:35PM:
Re: Tip of the hat to WC813 is in order.

said by birdfeedr :

With all due respect to ispgeek, this article was the subject of a short discussion here, yesterday.

Added: Glad it made it to the front page.
And with all due respect back...this is an issue so huge it needs to be discussed until Verizon either fixes the problems or gets out of the business. Bottom line Verizon has been making promises it cannot and has no intention of keeping (in true Verizon fashion). This isn't an isolated incident..this is happening all over country where FIOS has been installed. People are angry, frustrated and more important they have been lied to. Verizon in the meantime has been engaged in an all out assault on their competition, choking the legal system and the FCC with outrageous requests. Verizon and their golden boy Martin (FCC Chairman) have used every means at their disposal to further Verizon's business plans with no regard for the consumer at large. I have no issues with fair competition...I do have major problems with bait and switch, outright lies and promises of bonus gifts if you sign up that never get delivered or are significantly below the standard as promised in writing. The bottom line is Verizon in their qwest to crush the competition and sell sell sell at all costs has proven once again to the consumer they cannot be trusted....should anyone be surprised? This has been SOP for Verizon since eternity...a rattlesnake is still a rattlesnake...even when the rattles are removed...
--
Can't find me here today? You can always reach me at »www.ispgeeks.com
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coaster @ 27th Mar 03:05PM:
glad this is getting press

This was front page news yesterday. Not surprised at all the continuing problems. Dumped Verizon DSL almost 2 years ago after ongoing problems. 2 routers and many hours on the phone because they wouldn't send a tech to my house to troubleshoot. I dumped my POTS line at the same time in disgust.

They never did get my final bill correct. Hours on the phone with the DSL and the residential side of their splintered organizations only lead to getting a verbal amount what the correct charge should be. They couldn't put it in writing because of their multiple billing systems. However, I kept getting printed bills showing the incorrect amount and Verizon sent it to a third party collection agency where it is still is today. The collection agency is of no help to get it corrected.

FiOS sales people do take the time to show up my door all the time. Wish I got all that attention when I was a Verizon customer. Brighthouse cable and their broadband service isn't going to lose me as a customer anytime soon. They have always sent a tech out when needed and their billing has been accurate for the 10 years I have had cable with them.
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anon @ 27th Mar 03:07PM:
Re: Tip of the hat to WC813 is in order.

"qwest"... is that a pun? :D

Contrary to all evidence, I am not a conspiracy theorist. But Verizon--as well as other phone companies--has a history of charging more than is due and then, eventually, applying credits, which makes me wonder... how many more thousands of dollars per day do they "earn" by simply mis-billing customers too much and accruing interest on the overage? (And that's only if the customer is paying attention and catches it.) It's a nice racket, huh.
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Claude M @ 27th Mar 04:15PM:
Tampa Tribune Highlights FiOS Billing Problems

To me the fact they could not find my account was the absolute most annoying aspect of their "service". I've had caller-id for over 15 years and it works fine. I can always tell who's calling me before I pick it up. I had their internet service for almost 2 years, no problems loved it. The big mistake for me was adding their TV "service". What a nightmare, I'm waiting for April 5th which is the day my wireless plan expires so I can leave them and not have to see anything with their name arrive in the mail anymore. Not a penny from me ever again.
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birdfeedr @ 27th Mar 05:07PM:
Re: Tip of the hat to WC813 is in order.

said by ispgeek :

And with all due respect back...this is an issue so huge it needs to be discussed
I'm in favor of having the discussion. You make valid points. Since I can't tell what the numbers are in terms of who's having problems and who's not, I recognize that much of the discussion falls into the category of what analysts call "anecdotal evidence."

In other words, the problem exists, but just how much it exists is not clear. Try to quantify the numbers of outspoken minority and the silent majority. Until a real investigation is done, no one will know for sure. And, as you pointed out, the FCC sure won't. Then again, maybe they will.

Just look at all the hoorah over Comcast's BT throttling. Enough noise has been raised and now they are moving slowly in the right direction. Pressure from the Feds and their customer base may be making the difference.

Remember, they are lumbering beasts, these huge corporations. They don't turn on a dime.

Just wanted to acknowledge WC813's contribution, that's all.
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coaster @ 27th Mar 05:29PM:
Re: Tampa Tribune Highlights FiOS Billing Problems

I feel guilty I still have wireless with them. I really hate giving Verizon any money after what I have been through. The wife gets a great corporate rate with them though.
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ispgeek @ 27th Mar 05:41PM:
Re: Tip of the hat to WC813 is in order.

I actually submitted this article yesterday. It took BBR all night to actually post it which frankly is fine with me because there have been 200 more examples of angry customers since then. (And really it doesn't matter...not here to gain kudos for posting things...just so long as it gets posted...is really all that matters)

The numbers are real...especially when you consider that this very same front page article has been printed in other flagship cities as well.

Remember...Tampabay was supposed to be Verizon's demonstration window into the future of internet and cable and instead they have given a stellar example of why NOT to even consider them as a viable provider. The issues Verizon customers have raised are not new to Verizon...in fact just the opposite. Verizon has a long and distinguished history of providing Florida and other states with sub-par service, support and horrible billing. Verizon dared yesterday to claim that all of these problems were due to the "incredible demand" for their FIOS service....so Verizon...if that is the case..then how do you explain the last 15 years of horrible service to the rest of your customers?
--
Can't find me here today? You can always reach me at »www.ispgeeks.com
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mach_six @ 27th Mar 06:07PM:
Re: Tampa Tribune Highlights FiOS Billing Problems

You can't educate a customer if the company has deceitful practices.

I asked for the $99 package as well but they put this extra channel line up on there which was free the first month and you won't see the full time till the next billing cycle so by that time you would have been charged a month for it. Since it had channels that someone in my household watches I decided to not complain about it.

But whatever you asked for initially will never be, I specifically asked for the $99 package only cause why the hell would I pay more than what I'm paying now?!

If you don't like them I would just see what your cable company has as a buy back. In my area they will pay the early termination fee which I won't pay since they still havent' given me the free gift claim letter going on 3+ months now and they have better offers...I left cause my rates were going up and they didn't have any retention plans so I said see ya! But at least now the competition is forcing cable to lower rates.

Only thing I can think of is to complain to gov't consumer agencies if your situation is that bad, they will straighten them out when they get fined...they should be subjected to the BPU just like cable is. One complaint to the BPU about my screwed up billing and you'll get a call back.
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birdfeedr @ 27th Mar 06:40PM:
Re: Tip of the hat to WC813 is in order.

said by ispgeek :

Remember...Tampabay was supposed to be Verizon's demonstration window into the future of internet and cable... [trim] Verizon has a long and distinguished history of providing Florida and other states with sub-par service, support and horrible billing.
I don't know the history of Florida telephone as the Bells grew again. And maybe I'm fortunate by living in an area that, while not trouble-free, has a fairly well established infrastructure. Verizon acquired Nynex which was split from Bell Atlantic, or something like that. In thirty years, the telephone has been predictable, reliable, maintained and now upgraded to fiber.

I acknowledge that their customer services, whether technical or billing, leave something to be desired and a lot to be desired, respectively.

I will however, stand up and be counted as fairly satisfied with overall service.

I've had problems, but they were fixed. I've asked questions, both before and after the sale, and they've been answered. Anecdotal until somebody can count the population.

I acknowledge I have choices. I can switch to another provider, Cox, satellite, even dialup. Or, I can turn off the whole mess and go somewhere else.
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OSUGoose @ 27th Mar 07:03PM:
Re: Tip of the hat to WC813 is in order.

Here fixed it for u:

And with all due respect back...this is an issue so huge it needs to be discussed until AT&T either fixes the problems or gets out of the business. Bottom line AT&T has been making promises it cannot and has no intention of keeping (in true AT&T fashion). This isn't an isolated incident..this is happening all over country where ANYTHING AT&T has installed. People are angry, frustrated and more important they have been lied to. AT&T in the meantime has been engaged in an all out assault on their competition, choking the legal system and the FCC with outrageous requests. Verizon and their PERSONAL SERVANT Martin (FCC Chairman) have used every means at their disposal to further AT&T's DOMINATIONwith no regard for the consumer at large. I have no issues with fair competition...I do have major problems with bait and switch, outright lies and promises of bonus gifts if you sign up that never get delivered or are significantly below the standard as promised in writing. The bottom line is AT&T in their ZEAL to crush the competition and OWN EVERYTHING at all costs has proven once again to the consumer they cannot be trusted....should anyone be surprised? This has been SOP for AT&T since eternity...a rattlesnake is still a rattlesnake...even when the rattles are removed...
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Technogeez @ 27th Mar 09:35PM:
Old news...

I wasn't shocked to read this in the Tampa Trib; they're famous for printing "yesterday's news tomorrow." These problems have been old news here on DSLR for well over the year I've been watching it.

Personally, I'm very happy with FiOS triple play, although as I've said, I haven't tempted the fates by trying to change or renew my triple play agreement.

It's still new techonology; Verizon's still a new cable provider. I'll give them some time to get their costumer service (you know, people masquerading as customer service reps) some more training, and maybe they can outsource their billing and accounting system to some other company that knows how to do it.

I probably shouldn't have said that...now watch my bills start going haywire... ;)
--
Read your contract and TOS before signing anything.
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dvd536 @ 27th Mar 09:42PM:
Re: what a difference a year makes....

said by blackstar :

And every time I would be talking (or on hold) for 1-4 hours only to be right back where I started with an unresolved issue and they would credit me the charge.
Sounds like my ordeal with qwest DSL, only they never kicked anything back to me.
--
You can never be too rich, too thin or have too much Bandwidth
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ltjordan @ 27th Mar 11:31PM:
Re: "Educating the customer"?

Do you have to ask? This is America. Home of the lowest bidder.
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tc1uscg @ 28th Mar 12:27AM:
But hey, It's Verizon so it must be good

What is pretty easy to see is with all the problems Verizon has, they always still come out smelling like a rose. I've read about billing issues, crappy customer service, nightmares for dealing with their wireless division. Think it's gets the same airplay as Comcast, Sprint, AT&T? No, gotta wonder why? I would bet if they ran sweat shops, hired sexual offenders and refused to hire blacks, people would still think their crap don't stink and Consumer reports would still put them on a pedestal.
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tc1uscg @ 28th Mar 12:40AM:
Re: Tip of the hat to WC813 is in order.

Gee, for a minute, my mind wondered and I thought you were talking about AT&T's UVerse.. :o
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ispgeek @ 28th Mar 12:43AM:
Re: Tip of the hat to WC813 is in order.

Dunno who or what that guys intentions were. He essentially took my post and changed all the Verizons out to something else. Oh well...they exist everywhere.
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birdfeedr @ 28th Mar 06:49PM:
Re: Tip of the hat to WC813 is in order.

said by OSUGoose :

Verizon and their PERSONAL SERVANT Martin (FCC Chairman) have used every means at their disposal to further AT&T's DOMINATIONwith no regard for the consumer at large.
I knew it was a conspiracy. The mega-corps are in it together. :o :o
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