This happens to us a lot. FiOS won't come to our area (and apparently a year or two ago, our apartment manager asked Verizon if they'd come hook up our complex) but we get marketing materials for them several times a week, and of course there are the constant commercials.

It's a shame really, because we're stuck with Comcast as our only service provider and we both hate them and all their dastardly ways. If Verizon came and hooked us up, we'd drop Comcast for FiOS in a heartbeat.

I get mail from Verizon telling me how much money I could save if I move to their wireless phone service. Funny thing is, I'm already a customer.

I have FiOS and in my current bill received TWO marketing pieces advertising a deal on the tv/phone/internet bundle. Which I can't get because I wouldn't be a new customer. Their marketing department must be filled with mean people.

Amusingly, on one of the flyers, the offer of $79.99 per month for the first six months has fine print below that goes on to say "$109.99 a month for months 7 - 24 with a 1-year agreement." [emphasis added]

I've been getting the same flyers & brochures in the mail for the past few months as well. I called last Friday to renew my verizon dsl account and during the talk with the csr I asked about what the taxes would be for the Fios package so I could make an informed decision once my finances improved. When he looked up my address, the system came back and said that the service wasn't available yet. I asked him, but how come a Verizon truck was in front of my house installing Fios across the street from me as well as two houses up from me (on the same side of the street)? I had talked with the Verizon tech (He was parked in front of fire hydrant, so I figured I'd ask where he'd be in case I saw a ticket writer), so I knew what he was doing and he even pointed out the house on my side that recently had gotten the service.

So, if you really want Fios, see if your neighbors recently got it installed; maybe it's just a database problem?

Oh, by the way, with Fios, the set-top box is not included in any of the deals (something with how people connect to the service), so it's an extra $6 per month. And in NYC, he told me that he's seen the taxes to be about $25 on the $106 monthly price (the $80 would have less taxes). I didn't push him for the exact breakdown, so I'll ask the readers, if anyone here in NYC does have Fios, what do you see as the taxes?

Thanks in advance.

Kind of like those bastards that leave chimney sweep fliers on houses with no chimneys.

@larrymac: My flyer reads "$99.99" not $109.99. Otherwise, the same.

@larrymac: Verizon is not good with numbers..

I've seen leaflets for FiOS that come with the phone bill, but their own site says FiOS isn't available at my address/phone-number. BUT, I've seen people in my neighborhood (within 1-2 miles from my house) say that they have FiOS on Broadband Report's FiOS user map. If you want to make sure, call Verizon and ask for an operator. It's what I'm going to do when I have the time

They should also stop marketing to people that already have FiOs. I swear, if it wasn't for Verizon, I wouldn't get mail.

I often get junk mail asking me to open a certain type of credit card with Citibank, and I already have that card.

The reason this happens is because Verizon is not in the FIOS installation business. Verizon is a marketing company.

I have this problem as well, when I go to the FIOS website and put in my address and phone number I am told its not in my area yet. Yet I get flyers for this stuff in the mail, not that frequently but they do come.

Verizon lost my business when they sent me to collection when they actually owed me money. I had DSL and landline through them. I cancelled the landline and the DSL (it's 2 different departments, so 2 different trips through the retention people. They cut the line, but continued billing me for DSL. Took me 3 months to get it corrected. Got a call from collections 7 days after one of their fraudulent invoices was due. Needless to say, I called Verizon and raised holy hell. I'm pretty sure there is a phone rep and a manager at their call center that are undergoing therapy after I was through with them. I was not nice. Not in the slightest. The very next communication I got from them was a check for $53 -- the amount they'd overbilled me on the last invoice that I paid. I don't even get junk mail from them anymore.

@GMFish: Then they should stop marketing installation of a service that people can't even sign-up for.

Try to get them to stop sending the crap when you no longer live at the address. That's as bad as sending the fliers for services that are not available.

I tried, more than once, to get it stopped. I live in one state, the service was from a previous state we lived in. Five years later they still send us fliers for the old address trying to get us back as customers for service they didn't offer there and can't be gotten here.

I too dislike FiOS's advertising, particularly their advertising on my FiOS cable telling me how great their FiOS tv service is. I don't need commercials that can only be viewed if I subscribe to your service ON my service, because how else am I watching it.

I will ask if this is being "mailed" or inside a bundle of ads/flyers. That's a little different than being directly mailed as everyone in an area gets them delivered with their mail. I mean, I don't shop at Pathmark, but still get their flyer.

AT&T U-Verse service does the same thing, and Comcast keeps sending me things to sign-up for NESN (Red Sox Network)channel in CT, which unfortunately is part of New England, to everyone but MLB, which does not allow it.

both at&t and verizon send out mailers about once a month to my house about their internet (i doubt fios, just the regular kind) and neither offer service in my neighborhood.

@The Hedline: Amen.

We've had FiOS phone + internet for several months and have been quite satisfied, but the continued marketing for a service we already have is pretty obnoxious - in addition to flyers on a near-weekly basis, we've gotten two door-to-door reps trying to get us to buy FiOS. In addition, we get a new channel guide from Verizon at least once a month - and we specifically didn't get the cable package!

The only problem we had with the upgrade was a phantom $99 fee that we shouldn't have been charged - it was related to disconnecting Verizon DSL early, which shouldn't have been applicable, since we were upgrading to their own product - and which we recieved no notice of. The only reason we found out about it was when it went to a collection agency; a pair of calls to Verizon (one associate very helpful, one not so much) resolved the issue...

@GitEmSteveDave_WonAForeignLottery!: It's in the mail. My name is on the envelope & letter. And since I am a "valued Verizon High Speed Internet customer," they are waiving the $49.99 activation fee.

I want to get rid of my Optimum Online at $170 a month, but FiOS is STILL not in my area, and the fools won't tell me when it will be available, yet the banners and advertisements are all over the place where I live.

Their alternate "triple" packages impose a TWO-YEAR contract with DirecTV which I would have to pay an ETF should I ever want to upgrade to FiOS if and when it finally arrives. Screw that.

Here's the kicker for me. Where I used to live, Verizon took away the DSL capability and the only option was FiOS, so everyone had FiOS and every week, I'd still get at least two pieces of junk mail advertising for FiOS.

I wanted to sign up for FIOS, to get away from Comcash. I went to broadband.com, then I went to the FIOS website. I could not find out either place whether I could get the service. I called Verizon on the phone. At first, their rep couldn't tell, either. Eventually, some obscure corner of their vast information system yielded the fact that FIOS is not available here. A Big Waste OF Time.

This happens to us, they not only advertised it. But we actually BOUGHT a plan, at the time they were offering a free 25" (or whatever) sized TV. Then they called a couple days later saying that its actually not available in our area, I'm sitting there like "What the hell are these people doing, going door to door selling FiOS where it's not even available?"

=brett

@GitEmSteveDave_WonAForeignLottery!:
DirecTV what? Seriously, a huge number of commercials on DirecTV are for DirecTV. It annoys the piss out of me.

As for FiOS, I would kill for it. No, really. I would walk outside right now and kill someone if I could get it. Sure, I would be locked up shortly thereafter, but it would be good for a little while.

They've posted fliers in my apartment building, complete with name and number of a local rep, but FIOS is not available in my building. When I called to ask about the service, they said they hoped to have it available to us "soon!" They couldn't explain why there were posters in my lobby for a service we didn't get.

@b01000100:

This are just commercials on the channels carried by Directv - they're also seen by Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Dish etc. customers.

I live in Western Queens, bordering Willy-B, and since I remember hearing about Fios, YEARS ago, they have not made service available in my area. I mean years like at least 4 or 5 years since I first heard of Fios coming down the pipe. My friend has it Staten Island, and I know people have it on Roosevelt Island...so what's the deal !?

Time Warner banks nicely on their customer base, and are not going to give up territory on this one. I guess political red tape fueled by the dollar speaks louder than consumer choice.

I've been waiting for FiOS to get to my area for some time now, and they send 1 or 2 of these advertisements a week, but when I check online (or call them, which I suppose they use the same database) they say it is not offered in my area. I'm absolutely sick of RCN and would gladly change over to FiOS, but the carrot-on-a-stick game they are playing is starting to bore me...

"Does Verizon not have an internet connection? Couldn't they do this themselves ..."

"How many thousands (millions?) of these heavy card-stock, two-page brochures are being sent to households..."

Ding ding ding ding.

You expect them to go to the trouble of determining which people, precisely out of millions should be receiving their spam?

It's spam. Spam is like a water hose on full with no one holding it. if you have a mailbox, you're gonna get sprayed.

Not saying that's justified. I hate spam like the next person. But don't be so shocked that you're being mis-targeted by a SPAM campaign.

The nitty-gritty is... if FIOS did come to your area and underpriced and outperformed the competition... would this spam prevent you from ordering their service? If your answer is yes, then this is a big problem for them. If your answer is no, which it seems they've put their money on, they no doubt could hardly be roused to give a fuck.

@Etoiles: Actually, a friend of mine in the same situation called comcast and got them to price match verizion (guess they don't have a database of where they are monopolies).

Wow, and I thought it was bad that I got these things as a current Verizon customer.

I would just like to add my voice to the din.

I've been using FiOS, FiOS TV, Verizon Wireless and Verizon telephone service for almost a year now and Verizon sends me info about their latest deals for new customers 3-4 times per WEEK.

And when I watch TV, I see ads for Red Lobster even though there isn't a Red Lobster within 150 miles. I looked it up.

Both practices waste money and make you look stupid.

@heart.shaped.rock: I got tons of mail asking me to sign up for FiOS at my old apartment. Then I moved to into a house and get mail there asking me to sign up. I've been a FiOS customer for over a year.

They also sent me a certified letter yesterday demanding I setup an appointment to get my equipment inspected so they can comply with some state regulation. To my old address. Where they turned my service off and moved it to the new address months ago.

Inter-corporate communication fail.

@NeverLetMeDown: No, they're not. I will see some FiOS commercials either playing before or after commercials like this:

I DOUBT that USA Network or Spike is sending those out nationwide. I mean, sure the production values are almost pro quality, but I have also seen .5 seconds of the "real" commercials right after a FiOS one when a show is returning, and have had FiOS ads interrupt in the MIDDLE of shows. Missed some StarGate b/c of that once.

@heart.shaped.rock:

I'm in similar shape, I get Time Warner mailings all the time even though I have already internet and cable with them.

@heart.shaped.rock: I already have FIOS and I still get FIOS mailings with the "new customer only" disclaimers

I think there's a few things going on here.

1) The marketing companies just blast out the advertisements to every conceivable place on the planet. It's what they're paid to do.
2) Not being able to get the service may be a way to get grassroots movements to pressure local governments to allow FIOS into their areas.

What annoys me even more is the constant bombardment I get of offers to sign up for one of those "triple play" deals...from a cable company that does not even offer service anywhere in the town I live in.

@HRHKingFridayXX: It's not even the price, although it is obscene what our Comcast rate's gone up to. It's the service and general, constant aura of low-grade evil.

I started seeing those same flyers about 10 months ago. Three months ago unmarked white vans with large fiber optic cable reels were down the street. A month and half ago those white vans were closer to the house and workers were cramming fiber optic cable into the ground. A week ago I got a flyer stating technicians will stop by to install the new FiOS. If you see those indicators it may be a good sign...if you care about having the service. So much for Cox monopolizing my neighborhood.

I agree, they shouldn't spam you with ads that don't apply in your area. Yeah, it increases anticipation for when they DO offer service in your area, but it's also annoying as hell to be told you're outside the service area.

On a similar note, I've been getting those Sonic, America's Drive-In ads for a few years now. I checked when I got the first one, closest Sonic was 330 miles away. Years later, getting at least one ad a week...the closest Sonic is about 50 miles away.

Why do companies waste their advertising money and people's time sending out ads for things that don't exist in the place they're advertising in?

When you're driving North on I-5 out of Portland, OR, there's a big Comcast billboard that says "Verizon FiOS is pulling out of Oregon, Comcast is here to stay." Then the very next billboard is for Verizon FiOS. I gotta wonder who's lying. FiOS didn't have a very grand rollout in Oregon, but I'd think they'd stop advertising if they didn't offer the service anymore.

@nybiker: My sister couldn't get highspeed internet for the longest time at her house, but her neighbors on the next street over could. And, when hurricane Ike knocked out power in my neighborhood, my house recovered with power in 2 days while my neighbor was using a generator for over a week. It's a strange world of utilities. I don't understand why I can use Verizon's internet on my laptop in my house with no problem, but in my next door neighbor's house I cannot. And finally, Verizon DSL has been available at my house (and enjoyed because it beats satellite internet) for a few years now, but my same next door neighbor can't seem to get Verizon to set up phone, let alone, DSL in their home.
I don't know how much of this is legitimate concerns of limitations with service due to equipment, or failure on the part of the utility companies to know the areas in which service is currently available. I'd like to have Verizon FIOS too, but I live outside city limits so I bet we'll be the last in line. As for cable, I just use Dish because the local bumpkin cable co. (unless they've been gobbled up by Comcast or some other company), I have heard is horrible.

When I lived in Austin I had Time Warner cable and I was happy with it as well as with their Roadrunner internet. I wonder if they've gone down hill since then (3 years ago).

Verizon can't afford to hook my area up to FIOS 'cuz they spent all their money on direct mail advertising.

@G.O.B.: Come on!: I just posted a lengthy reply to someone else about that issue. Utility availability seems to be very inconsistent and/or the people who work for those companies are misinformed. Either way, it doesn't bode well for people who want their services but are told "no."

@budboyy2k: But you got to keep the TV as "our gift to you" for your trouble, right?
/sarcasm

@bishophicks: Yes, the ads for K-mart make me laugh because the nearest one to where I live is in Killeen TX which is a long, drive from Houston.