FiOS Installation Woes: 5 Attempts In Almost Two Months
David and Jenn were sick of Comcast's unreliable service and decided to switch to Verizon FiOS. It only took 5 appointments and nearly two months.
On the plus side, the Verizon tech did not burn their house down... even once!
December 6th comes. They're scheduled to arrive between 8am and noon. They call and say they'll arrive at 10 am. They do. We are happy. They knock on the door and ask if anyone installed a fiber cable in the yard. They have not. They can't do the install because no one buried the cable. Ok. December 7th someone comes, digs up our front lawn, and buries the cable. We reschedule. Again. December 27th between 8am and 5pm. 5pm comes...and goes. No one shows up. Get back on the phone. They said they came but the cable wasn't buried. We tell them we've been home all day, no one has come, and the cable was buried on the 6th. They say they'll call us back. We call again the next day. They'll call us back in 48 hours. 48 hours comes and goes.There's a happy ending, Jenn and David did eventually get their Verizon installed, and managed to get their installation fee and a free month of service out of it. They were also pleased that someone from Verizon contacted them to apologize and ask questions about their installation.So I'm pissed by this point. It's been over a month, three appointments have been made. Furniture rearranged, time taken off work, etc. etc. I take a helpful tip from the Consumerist and e-mailed the CEO. That was a Friday night. Of course then customer service called and said they'd reschedule us (again) for January 10th. Monday morning came and we got a call from the executive customer service people. They rescheduled us (yeah, again) for January 3rd between 8am and 8:30am and waived our installation fee per my request. January 3rd came and went and no installer. I know, shocking.
She seemed quite sincere about this and I have no reason to disbelieve her. THAT really helps. To own up to the issue and try to make it better from here on out. Well, that and the waiving of the installation fee and the free first month of service we'll be getting after I spoke to the executive customer service guy again.
The Great FiOS Debacle -Updated [Jenn's Journal]
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
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Comments:
We also had FIOS installed and were promised gift cards that never arrived. Despite assurances that they should arrive in 60-90 days, it's been almost 6 months and still no cards.
@homerjay: It was just sitting on the lawn?
This is why I want FIOS. No one ever buried my cable cable! *sulks*
Okay, yet another Fios mishap does not make me want to switch to Fios. I don't care that it's faster. I'd rather have an intact home.
Ah, Verizon's lovely habit of making appointments and not showing up... oddly enough, that's the reason I switched to Comcast. (I know, I know, frying pan/fire...)
At least they didn't burn the house down.
This is the same story I had to go through when I got my FiOS installed! Eventually a Verizon ombudsman called out of the blue and said that they noticed the difficulties and will get everything straightened out.
Of course, it involved having another burial team haul ass from Virginia to Baltimore to do the job, but it's well worth it.
@STrRedWolf: Baltimore huh? See thats funny because I live in Baltimore County and FiOS STILL isn't available. Coincidentally, their construction schedule page hasn't been updated since November:
[www22.verizon.com]
Honestly, did we all somehow forget the basic playground rules like "sticks and stones" or "fool me once"? Sheesh. After that second time just go somewhere else.
(I'm the one that submitted the post from my wife's blog)
@smitty1123: We have two options for broadband here, Comcast and FiOS, so going "somewhere else" would involve remaining with the service we were currently unhappy with.
@Papa Midnight: My parents house in Towson is now eligible for FIOS so I don't know what to tell you. Did you try putting your phone # in and seeing if FIOS was available.
I would've switched but I'm not sure how much longer I'll be living with my parents so I don't want to sign a contract (we are still looking for a house). Also, I used the newly available FIOS to snag a deal from Comcast. Knocked $25/month off my bill and gave me 3 premium channels for a year. A small victory but I'll take it.
We're actually in Baltimore County. It became available in our neighborhood a few months ago.
I had FIOS installed at my house in Tampa, Fl and it was a breeze. They came out within a few days of calling and scheduling and appeared promptly when they said they would. The technician, Joseph, was extremely nice and knowledgeable. He installed the system over a couple hours (the phone battery back-up took a bit and I had 7 cable boxes to install). After that the system worked fine. A few days later there was an internet issue, the modem box was faulty, but I just called up Joseph and he came out the same day. Everything is working perfectly now... No complaints...
I had a great FIOS installation experience in the Pittsburgh area. The techs who came out were very polite and personable, even joked about not being allowed to sell us TV cause of Ed "comca$t" Rendel.
My best friend just sent me this article, and I just *had* to respond! I am STILL waiting on FIOS to be installed 5 months following my initial order request AND after multiple visits. Great news though: apparantly my final appointment is THIS Saturday, of course sometime between 8am and noon! So, how this all got started: A Verizon *contractor* came out and installed everything -- the box, hub, the works -- a couple of weeks after my initial order. After 5 hours of drilling, paint dust everywhere, and promises, he said there was no signal...the fiber optic line was not working "for some reason". He promised to be in touch, which was followed by no calls returned by him OR Verizon for MONTHS. I was then profusely apologized to by Verizon, followed by an appointment that was a no-show/no-call. I then received more apologies from Verizon where the customer service lady could not explain for the life of her what was going on. Heck, my work order was not even in the system anymore! They had NO idea who I was! So, finally someone came out to fix the fiber optic line in NOVEMBER people, and now this Saturday - Jan 12th - apparantly it will be connected along with my phone line (which is FREE with basic FIOS services, so what the heck). I did get 3 FREE months for the hassle, but was it worth it? Not really unless the service is better than sliced bread. I have been wireless incapable for 5 months because of this, and it has made me suffer with my job. No laptop at home? Ouch!!
I was told the installers would show up between 8-10. I went to work at 10. My wife called and found out they would be there at 1pm. I came home and waited. The installer showed up at 4 - on New Years Eve. Did I mention this is a 3-4 hour installation. I ran him off as we had a party to go to and I cancelled my installation. I'll stick with Comcast. Verizon sucks.
I know someone who had FiOS installed and the cable wasn't buried until 9 months later. Their policies are so weird...