Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Verizon FiOS headache!

Im regretting switching over from comcast (even though they are just as bad) ...getting FiOS has been nothing but a huge headache.. see my previous posts about the whole experience HERE

To update you:
-when I signed up I was told that for the $42.99 premier pacakage I would get 3 set top boxes
my first bill came in and Im gettin charged $5 for each box!!
- My first bill showed up with packages I never ordered like a "movies and sports"
- to upgrade to an HD set top box I have to pay $25 for delivery charge or go to upper marlboro??!!
-everytime I call they either cant find my account by my phone number,or even Name! or transfer me to the wrong department, get put on hold forever, or just get dropped...
I have been on the phone for an hour either on hold or calling back..
I have been trying to make a payment my bill says $36.12 but w\ the credits..they told me it was $18.53, then I log online and it says $17.64 ..then the guy says how long have you had us? you shouldnt have a bill yet!!!!???? they have no sort of accounting information at all..
they keep asking me what my name is or phone number about 3 times
verizon fios = disapointment..

27 comments:

gc141x said...

Couldn't agree more. That automated voice you get when you call their support number is even more irritating because it was obviously designed by a moron.

MD Gator said...

I have a similar experience. There has to be a way to warn more people about these guys. I have had FiOS one day and already regret leaving comcast. Tell ten friends and have them tell ten more and hopefully Verizon will just go away.

Sam Gonzales said...

thanks for the comments, there is definately alot of unhappy people but at the same time others had nothing but a great experience.
unfortunately they are not going anywhere..its fiber to the home and america will put up with it to get that broadband and digital tv...all I can say is stock up on beer (lots of beer) and tylenol

Unknown said...

we swithced over to verizon from comcast 2 months ago (big mistake!!) we were told we would have all the channels as before and free on deman movies. we were told phone cable and internet would be 99.00 after 2 months. the 1st 2 months would be regualar but would be the 3rd bill would be prorated. lies, lies, lies..... not the same channels, no free movies, we are told after 2 months that our phone plan doesnt qualify for the "bundle rate" b/c we have unlimited calling to canada. the girl we spoke to lied to us and assured us that we would have that rate even with the calls to canada. so now our bills are 171.00 a month when we were sold for 99.00???????
on top of that, verizon cut our comcast lines by "accident" when they were installing thier own. oh, yeah and my wife works from home and she is offline today with NO explanation!!! she couldnt work today and after we called 3 times, they said that a tech would com out by the "evening" tommorow, which would mean my wife couldnt do her job for a second day!! they dont even know what the problem is. the worst thing about all this is when you talk to them they act so helpless, like your just shit out of luck!
DONT SWITCH TO VERIZON!!!!!

Anonymous said...

verizon sucks because the new update looks pretty but does not deliver. it is a downgrade from the previous program. you will find out. some great funtions do not exsist. annoying popup during any frame by frame advancement can not be disabled.
VERIZON IS BETA TESTING THIS ON ITS SUBSCRIBERS. THEIR TECH SUPPORT IS LAUGHABLE AND HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO ADDRESS THE NEW UPDATE.

Anonymous said...

Verizon is a completely confused company. Each piece operates as if a seperate co. Fios internet/Fios tv/phone/dsl/etc

Different accounts numbers for all. And their phone support /menu system is horrific.

And too boot they wanted to raise my prices from 29.99 a month to 52. Good luck.. I cut the cord. Now the morons wont even come to pick up the settop boxes and I cant even get someone on the phone who can get this done.

Its horrible... pathetic. I just know a month from now Im going to fight some charge they put on my card for these decrepid settop boxes.

aaargh.

Anonymous said...

Was thinking about switching but decided to stay with Comcast. At least you can get through to Customer Service with one phone call. I called an 800 number on a VERIZON FIOS flyer and still had to be transferred 3 times just to get prices. Verizon is so screwed up as a company and difficult to deal with, I don't care how good their product might be. It's just not worth the headache.

Anonymous said...

I couldn't agree more. Fios SUCKS. We switched to Fios and after 3 weeks switched back to cable. All their promises turned out to be lies and, just like you, I spent HOURS and HOURS on hold trying to get any customer service. I've never seen anything like it. Here's a little sample of what I discovered immediately after agreeing to switch:

1- No HDTV boxes available for unknown amount of time, at least 2 months
2- No MSNBC.
3- The $99 a month bundle (which is was a big selling point b/c our cable bundle was $125) doesn’t include taxes and fees like cable’s price does so it’s actually $120, basically the same as what we had.
4- They said we would get a free HBO package for a year. Lie, didn’t get it.
5- They said we would get a $200 AmEx card and a $50 Target card. All we got was an offer for a $100 Circuit City gift card!
6- The Fios cable box makes a loud whirring sound all the time whether it’s on or not!! So there is a loud whirring sound in your living room 24/7!
7- The guide interface on the tv SUCKS. It takes up almost the whole screen so you can’t scroll through the guide while watching a program like you can on cable.
8- The DVR routinely cuts off the last minute of any show you tape. That’s always a nice touch!
9- And of course the capper is that when you try to call, email or go on a live chat to address any of these issues, YOU CAN’T GET ANY SERVICE!!

If anyone out there is thinking of switching, just be advised that I have spent the better part of the last 3 weeks on hold with Verizon and getting NOWHERE. An absolute disaster. The only bright spot is that everywhere I look on the internet everyone seems to be saying the same thing so at least they're getting some negative press.

Anonymous said...

I have had the exact same experience as the user above, including the bait and switch on the gift cards, etc.

My latest frustration: Wanted to catch the Stars/Ducks NHL playoff game on the Vs. channel. When I tried viewing the channel, the guide indicated it was subject to local blackout. We're in Rhode Island, so this didn't make sense. I called Verizon, and after the usual 30 minutes or so I finally reached an agent. The person there said there was nothing he could do, that they simply used the feeds provided. I looked online and found a phone number for Vs and figured I'd try calling them and was pleasantly surprised to get through to an agent in less than a minute. The person there said that the Bruins game played earlier in the evening was blacked out in our area as it was carried by NESN, but that the Dallas game should be available. She said she would look into it, and lo and behold, here it is early in the second period and the game is no longer blacked out.

The support provided by Verizon has been horrible. While they may not have been the ones blacking out the feed they should have had the sense to understand this was an error and contact Vs. themselves. What a joke.

Zul said...

I called Verizon FIOS to order phone, internet, and cable prior to my move in. My Consumer Order Summary was dated 3-28-08, and the scheduled installation date was 4-7-08. I reviewed the e-mail and all looked well. I move into my new house and install date comes. They setup an 8 AM-noon window. I already had the Optical Network Terminal unit (ONT) in my house, so I figured this would be cake for them. I am a Sys Admin at an ISP, so the internet stuff I could do myself with ease.

On install day, no one showed, no one called. I had my mobile with me at ALL times. So around 1:30 PM I called Verizon to see what was going on. If something came up, I had a week off to move in and if they needed to come by in a day or two, I was totally cool with that. After about an hour on hold I got in touch with a “state level” dispatcher. That said that there were “no facilities available for my order” and I was called. Nope, I wasn’t called; they did have my cell (which I had with me all of the time) in their records. I wanted them to come out later in the week if possible since I was home. They said that their next available time for me was 4-12-08, which was a day where I was going to a wedding. The next available time after that was at the end of the month, on a work day for me.

Basically because they did not show up, or even notify me with a reason, they put me at the back of the line. I was trying to escalate my request and the support only gave me unreasonable dates and that “no facilities available for my order” BS. I later wanted to get my copper line put back so I could at least get phone service, and after a long wait in hold they gave me the end of the month as a date. Basically I was being run around in circles and being shoved to the end of the line because Verizon screwed up my installation. I was told the only way I could get it sooner is if I “knew an installer who’d do me a favor,” and I was pretty much screwed with the window of time I had to get the service installed. The salesperson fed me a load of bull and the installer didn’t even call me with a reason. I tried to figure out what “no facilities available for my order” meant, and why this was such a problem since I already had the ONT in my house. Half of their work was already done.

The same day, I called a local cable company who installed my phone, internet, and cable the next day. They showed up on time and did the normal pre and post appointment verification. I unplugged the ONT in my house and let the battery go out. Verizon gave me such a lousy customer experience I swore I would never do business with them, and be sure to let other people know about their awful customer service and commitments they setup and do not honor. Verizon screwed up prior when they bought Bell Atlantic, and screwed up our perfectly find DSL service I had around 98/99. My money is going to a competitor, and Verizon won’t see if because they have abysmal customer service. I am certainly interested in fiber optic lines connected to my house, but so long as Verizon is the only provider, I will happily do without.

James
Herndon, VA

Anonymous said...

Ongoing nightmare in Catonsville, MD. Too many new customers they claim, so this is why we still are on copper for phone and have fiber for internet and TV. But the phone goes out every two weeks (no dial tone or 911, and they delete our account; we have to re-configure our voice mail, the whole deal) and on it goes: off then on. I am so sorry I ever even considered switching to FIOS.

Our next step is to go the MD Public Service Commission to get our complaints resolved.

Mr. Shreeve said...

Glad to see I'm not the only one. I was supposed to get a Target card and a tv, but still have received nothing. It's been about 6 months. I have called multiple times and talked to the computer lady that is "having trouble understanding my responses" for hours. On my 3rd call to a real person, this guy told me I needed some additional services to receive my TV. So he had me add some stuff to my phone service - still no tv. Finally got a person in the promotions department, who assured me she was having the tv sent, I would get it in 4-6 weeks. 7 weeks later, I get a message from the shipping department telling me I don't qualify!! Just lies after lies. It especially upset me that some guy would boost his commission (i guess he got something for having me add long distance and call waiting) and lie to me like that. Also was supposed to get one of my boxes free b/c I got the HBO package, they're charging me 15.99 a month for the box!!

I did have a lot of trouble getting the service to work at first, but it is working ok now. I just feel a bit foolish for expecting a company to fulfill their obligations to me.

Anonymous said...

Your customer service experience SUCKS because Verizon has it's FiOS support handled in the Philipenes and India (as well as their DSL support). The company makes billions and wants to save money by shipping technical offline work to centers overseas.

Next time you call, ask the person WHERE they are located (they have to tell you). If it is anywhere OTHER than America, DEMAND to be transfered to an American rep. You'll have MUCH better luck.

I do this with DELL too.

Anonymous said...

I agree FIOS SUCKS They charge you way more than you signed for in your contact then they credit your account but still charge you too much and when you want to watch TV the channels are currently unavailable what the F!!! I HATE VERIZON FIOS and try to speak with someone that has a clue on the phone I hope you have at least 3 hours because that is how long it took me to find someone that could give me my acct number so I was able yo see my overcharged bill online because you can't get a bill delivered to your house if you dont get phone through verizon

Anonymous said...

i like fios..think its awesome..all the same channels from comcast, and no hidden charges. Im not sure what any of you people are talking about.

Anonymous said...

Verizon FIOS customer service SUCKS! I was transferred a unbelievable total of 26 times before i finally found somebody who could provide my username and password just so i could log on to view/pay my bill! If you have any other option besides FIOS i would suggest you take it and avoid the headache.

Anonymous said...

i work in tech support for fios, and i am going to tell you it sucks, the management does not care about customers, if someone tells you they will callback, dont count on it, half the time, they accidetally" lose the file. they train us to get teh call, get off in less than 5 minutes, and ifyou are on the call longer, you get harrassed by supervisors. if you hve a choice, go with anohter company. the only reason i still work there is cuz the economy sucks and im not likely to find another job!!!

Anonymous said...

Verizon FIOS is a joke plain and simple. Customer service and the techs are equally a joke. If you have the miss forture of being a FIOS subscriber never ever attempt to contact customer service. The executive customer relations is also a joke. If you need to contact Verizon go to the top, the phone number is 212-321-8700, 212-321-8460

Anonymous said...

Verizon is crap. There "HD Channels" are worthless. They are repeats of the same channels. (false advertising) Let me call this weekend to get help because I work during the week and this service is slower than dialup. Sorry im out of luck Verizon sucks. Luckly my old cable company had a deal to buy out there contract. Im on high speed and way better service. SWITCH NOW they suck! Call your dish or real cable provider. Fios is a fraud. No wonder they are set for another layoff this year as well of reps. Wish this company would go under they are garbage.

Anonymous said...

Verizon cut my cable stating that they never received payment- however we paid on time and had the bank statement to prove it. They finally figured out what happened to my payment but now they cant figure out how to turn my cable back on and it's been 2 days of trying to figure this out with customer service!! I was transfered well over 15 times and no one could figure out how to simply turn my cable back on. On day two now and still no cable and no answers.

They are a bunch of idiots- my cable shouldnt have been turned off in the first place...im ready to cancel the whole thing!! DONT SWITCH TO VERIZON

Chinita said...

VERIZON SUCKS!! ESP. IF U DON'T WANT A LAN LINE B/C WHEN U CALL IN FOR HELP THERE ARE A MILLION DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS THAT HANDLE DIFFERENT ISSUES..THEY WILL HANG UP ON YOU WHILE TRANSFERRING YOU & MOST OF THE STAFF IS INCOMPETENT WITH VERY BASIC STUFF. WHEN IT WORKS IT'S GREAT & CLEAR HOWEVER ANY TIME THERE IS A STORM IT GOES OUT & ANYTIME U CALL THEM U ARE GUARANTEED TO STAY ON THE PHONE AT LEAST 30MINS. I COULD WRITE A BOOK ON THEM BUT IF U DON'T HAVE SERVICE WITH THEM DON'T BOTHER...U'LL HAVE THE BIGGEST HEADACHE OF YOUR LIFE.

Anonymous said...

Guy who claimed working for FiOS Tech... lies. the "AVERAGE" hand time is 13, and they try and keep it at about 12 minutes. Also, they rate on if the customer calls back on the same issue in the same month, if the customer does, it looks bad for the reps who worked on it. so get ur crap straight

Unknown said...

Hi,
I came across your blog http://samgonzales.blogspot.com/and think it looks great. I thought it would be good for both of us to do a content link exchange. If you are interested please mail me at davidwilsen@gmail.com.
Thanks,
David

Anonymous said...

I have had Fios for a week...and for 4 1/2 of those days i was out of town...so really 2 1/2 days. This crap is HORRIBLE. In the span of 24 hours my internet has gone out 3 times. The "help guide/channel" doesnt help with anything. The lag from the remote is so bad that i spend up to 30 seconds waiting for it to switch from one channel to the next and dont even get me started on the lag time if im trying to use the guide or on demand!
The salesman who tried to get me to purchase this mess in the first place did all but lat out tell me i was an idiot for still weighing my options between fios and upgrading with my then current provider as well as trying to hustle me into getting phone service because apparently i wont be able to rely on my cell phone- which i have with Verizon wireless. Because of that, i ended up ordering online (he wasnt getting commission off of me after trying to bully me around)
I am definitely planning on switching back to my previous cable provider!

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about the problems you’ve had! I’d never use FiOS for TV service after all the complaints I’ve heard. They charges $19.99 for their multi room DVR service fee, which is roughly three times what DISH Network charges! As an employee and customer at DISH, I know we now have 922 DVR receiver which is 3D compatible…but the sweetest thing about this receiver is you can get TV Everywhere on mobile devices like Smartphone's, Laptops, and Tablets. You can’t do that with FiOS.

Unknown said...

Yikes! What a horrible experience! I'm sorry you had to deal with stuff like that, but it's definitely not the first time I've seen FiOS do that kind of stuff either. I had my share of problems with them and ended up cancelling because of how unsatisfied I was. I jumped on the internet and looked to see what else is out there when I came across this site www.BestTVForMe.com and came to find that DISH Network was the best provider for me. Now subscribing and working with DISH I completely agree with the last anonymous comment; DISH Network has been the best TV provider I've had in a long time. :)

Anonymous said...

I switched from comvcast to Verizon and its been wonderful. I have 5family members who also switched and are delighted. Comcast was a nightmare tiling all the time poor channel choices I can't believe I actually paid for that crap. I know people who are willing to sell their house to get into a Verizon area. Verizon invested a ton of doughty get fiber to the prem while Comcast didn't and the results are fenominal. I think many bloggers here are Comcast employees trying to save their jobs.