Oh. My.

What a truly scary situation. And Verizon, I'm not a cusser...but WTF?!??

hmm, Verizon was certainly inept in this case, but I don't know that I would have spent so long on hold with a dying phone waiting for someone who obviously didn't know what they were doing.

That sucks dude!

I don't know if this would have helped you, but "Goog411" has worked for me in the past, but not with any crucial ran-out-of-gas-in-the-middle-of-nowhere scenarios! 1-800-goog-411 yeah, it's google

When you saw the Verizon CSR wasn't going to solve your problem, why didn't you call someone else right away, since you knew your phone was about to die anyway? And if it was just a fuel problem, I'm sure the local police could have helped you out (and for less than some random tow service)...they do in most places I know. Yes, Verizon is somewhat to blame, but it's common sense to call someone else when you see the one person is not going to be cooperative.

Tsk-tsk on OP for swearing out an innocent 411 operator who was only doing her job.

I don't have any direct experience with Verizon, but from what I'm reading perhaps they should read from their script less and listen more. (I could think of a lot of companies who could benefit from that, actually.)

Having said that, those are some lovely photos.

A humorous telling of a very scary story. Why in the world would they need a Zip Code? What's next, asking for Latitude and Longitude?

Verizon has great reception around here but their directory service sucks donkey testicles. I'm amazed when they can actually find a phone number for a business I'm looking for.

Oh gee, Verizon is inept when it comes to customer service? In other news, Clay Aiken is gay.

I'm sure there will be a charge on your bill for using Verizon roadside assistance. And while it's unlikely that she couldn't do anything without a zip code, she was probably spelling Cheyenne as "Chaiann" and the computer couldn't handle it.

It really sickens me that verizon would have roadside assistance that didn't take the calls seriously. I mean, it's not like dialing 911, but when someone needs help on the road, whether it's 22 miles from Cheyenne or stuck on the Jersey Turnpike, it's a dangerous situation. A voice mail to a phone you were TOLD WAS RUNNING OUT OF POWER (and probably ignored) that help wasn't coming is totally unacceptable. Fake help is far worse than no help at all. There are so many what ifs that could have made this story tragic (and likely never to be told) that Verizon should be ashamed of themselves, and close off their fake "roadside disinterest"

do they have triple A in Wyoming?

@BoomerFive: In hindsight, which is from where we're looking, I'm sure the OP wouldn't have either. But at the time that's just psychologically unlikely, because once humans are invested in a particular course of action we think we're trading a chance for a solution any minute for starting all over again.

That abandoned farm in the first picture looks like something out of a scary movie. Good to know you finally made it out there alright and that someone actually stopped to help. I would send corporate a letter about the situation. Thats totally messed up.

Oh, and 82001-82010 are all Cheyenne, Wyoming zip codes. It took me 11 seconds to find that out. She went for a smoke in parking lot or a poke in the ladies room.

I think, in this case, the swearing at an innoncent 411 operater was completely understandable. Extreme stress, and all. Verizon's response here is completely unforgivable, yet frankly I won't be surprised if your next bill shows some over-the-top "convenience fee" for this "service".

I would have called a friend or family member, told them my details, and have them do all the calls for me. With battery life, etc, you'll need someone else who can stay on the phone for that stuff.

@Roclawzi: There are so many what ifs that could have made this story tragic (and likely never to be told) that Verizon should be ashamed of themselves, and close off their fake "roadside disinterest"

If this would have been a pretty white woman and her kids, this story would be national news. Verizon is damn lucky it was a guy.

Seriously, AAA ftfw.

I remember breaking down about 20 miles outside of Baker, CA...I called AAA and must've lucked out dispatch-wise...within 10 minutes there was a truck there and in under 45 minutes, I was staring at the world's largest thermometer waiting on my car repairs to finish.

I've only needed to call on AAA a few times, but everytime they've more than delivered.

@floraposte: That's an excellent way to put it.

@zigziggityzoo:
And then altitude, wind speed, and the air speed of an unladen swallow.

If you call 1-800-THE-INFO you can use it like a yellow pages over the phone.... yourself!... no crappy csr.

@Bladefist: Or just plug the phone into the car charger.

@BoomerFive:
Yay -- Blame the victim in only the 2nd response! Woo hoo.

@Roclawzi: I agree. I would duly check both phone bill and CC bills. Since "roadside assistance" was not provided I would dispute any charges forthwith.

@GMFish: And lucky the weather was tolerable, too. That's the ad Verizon needs, a dead young woman frozen with one arm wrapped around her frozen dead children and the other arm holding a Verizon phone, her face frozen in a frustrated scream at the phone!

I had to use Verizon's Roadside Assistance once when I broke down. Tow was there in less than an hour and cost me nothing since I subscribed to their service.

Much better experience than when AAA left me stranded in the middle of Philadelphia on a Sunday afternoon when they "forgot" about me!

Bangalore, India to the rescue!

USAA roadside assistance! They are great. 26 minutes from when I called to when I was on my way home. No shit.

why not dial 911?

@B: Uh..."I had one bar left on the battery so I went looking for my car charger. I didn't bring it. I don't know anyone in Cheyenne, so I dialed 411."

Your blame the OP comment is FAIL today.

@B: From the article:
"I had one bar left on the battery so I went looking for my car charger. I didn't bring it."

I've been left out to dry twice by Verizon Roadside in urban areas! They have the worst roadside I have ever used. I highly recommend canceling the service and getting something else.

@floraposte: I see what you are saying, I believe though that I may have traded a course of action that clearly wasn't working for calling 411 and getting the number of the towing company, which is pretty much guaranteed to work.

@mbz32190: because at that point she could have come back at any second saying "help is on the way." If he had hung up and dialed someone else the phone could have died before he had even gotten to tell someone the problem. See floraposte's comment.

@ElizabethD: No, not the OP's fault Verizaon was inept, just thinking that I may have done things differently. Hard to say of course, as florapaste said, hindsight is certainly 20/20.

@RonDiaz: Why does it matter where they are? Get a friend, family member, or coworker on the phone and tell him/her where you are and that you need help. As long as they've got a phone, they can make the calls to get you help.

@mbz32190: Exactly what I was thinking, though florapaste has a great point as well.

Did anyone else notice how heavily armed the OP is? I mean, the story is sourced from "AR15.com."

I'd have been pretty furious too, for all those that tsked for him swearing. I even get mad when the first thing AAA wants me to do is give them my card number, which has like 5000 digits...usually I'm reading it by the brief bursts of light I get from the headlights of cars careering by at 90 miles an hour...seriously, it's not like it would do me any good to call them if I didn't have a valid card, so can we take care of this AFTER I'm out of trouble?

Roadside assistance's job is to deal with people who are having serious trouble. Instead of focusing on reading scripts, they need to make sure they're helping their customers.

I used to drive alot for work, and have used multiple roadside assistances.

Verizon, decent
CellOne - very bad. wouldnt bring me gas w/o a cc number, which I didnt have on me.
State Farm - Slow but helpful
AAA-Overrated. They complete screwed me twice. Then sent me a tow that wouldnt take me more then 5 miles without a hefty charge.

It's a good idea to reset your trip-meter every time you fill up, and get a good idea as to what kind of range your vehicle can get on a tank. I really don't trust fuel gauges at all...

AAA.

Saved my bacon three times so far.

That is an unfortunate story, with a very bad CSR from Verizon. I have Verizon roadside assistance added to my cell service. I have used it several times in various citys (never tried in in Wyoming) and they are always helpful and prompt.

@opsomath: Did anyone else notice how heavily armed the OP is? I mean, the story is sourced from "AR15.com."

...and? even those of us who could start a small revolution need roadside assistance sometimes.

@zigziggityzoo: Please, don't give them any ideas.

@TracyHamandEggs!: "Then sent me a tow that wouldnt take me more then 5 miles without a hefty charge."

I'm pretty sure that is AAA's stated policy. In the 80s I had a car with a short so every so often the battery would be dead. I called AAA about a couple times a week and, completely for free, they'd send out a truck to give me a jump. This went on for months. Finally, I got the problem fixed. I actually felt bad for AAA, that I was using the service too much.

One tip, I always reset my trip odometer when I get a tank of gas, that way I know how far I can travel until I run out without having to rely on the gauge. The guage in my jeep often gets stuck on either empty or full but I do this regardless of whether the guage is broken. It's just a good thing to know.

I kinda like that the OP could provide photographs, including that lovely one of his stranded 'Burb. Oh what, its 2008. GMC calls their monster SUV a Yukon XL. Jeesh.

Another note that even if you don't have an AAA membership, you can still call 1-800-AAA-HELP from pretty much anywhere. They'll charge you your firstborn, three limbs, and a pile of gold, but they'll send help.

CSR: "Are you at home?"
Stranded driver: "Yea, THAT'S why I'm calling roadside assistance. Idiot."

@half-beast: I hear that, I have AAA-Plus. People always say that the $65/year is too expensive. Well, one early morning abour 2:30 A.M. a few years ago, my water pump exploded in the middle of nowhere, 70 miles aways from my home. I called AAA and a guy was there in 20 minutes. Towed me right to me front door plus he stopped for coffee on the way too.