Here is a brief excerpt. Theories are proposed, and theories are refuted.

Maryjo Bacolod > May I just ask as to what voice prompt you are getting
whenever trying to dial a 603 number?

Brad_ > "we're sorry. due to telephone company trouble, your call cannot be completed at
this time. Will you try your call again later?"
Brad_ > Toll calls work fine. I can call my voice mail box in Seattle, but not my neighbor

Maryjo Bacolod > Also, to better look into your concern, can you provide me a specific
number that you have tried to contact using your phone service with us?

Brad_ > (It's a free, quasipalindromic box... it's cool).
Brad_ > I tried calling my pharmacy — 437-8100. Tried placing a reorder for insulin and I can't get through
Brad_ > I fear for my life if we don't resolve this problem.

Maryjo Bacolod > I really apologize for this.
Maryjo Bacolod > We have already checked here on our end and everything seems
to be working fine with your phone service.
Maryjo Bacolod > There are no current outages.

Brad_ > Then what's the problem?

Maryjo Bacolod > The problem could be with the phone provider of the recepient you are trying to call

Brad_ > Why can't I dial locally?

Maryjo Bacolod > But let me also check here on my end. i would need a minute or two for this.
I'll try to contact the phone number you are trying to access/ call.

Brad_ > I tried calling my parents, my cell phone, my wife's cell phone, the pizza place, a girl I dated
in high school, and the animal shelter. All within 603. Same bloody telephone company problem
error message
Brad_ > It's a problem with the telephone company, you. Not the good folks I was trying to call.
Brad_ > I won't sit idly by while you besmirch the name of the pizza place and the animal shelter, good madam.

Maryjo Bacolod > Let me try to dial it on my end so we can verify.

Brad_ > Please.

Maryjo Bacolod > Would you allow me two minutes for that?
Maryjo Bacolod > Thanks

Brad_ > Take three, they're small.

Maryjo Bacolod > I will try to make a test call to this number you have provided.

Brad_ > Aaaaaaaand....?

Maryjo Bacolod > Sorry for the long wait.
Maryjo Bacolod > I tried dialing your pharmacy's phone number and we can access it here on our end.

Brad_ > No problem. I thought you didn't take your torch and got eaten by a grue.
Brad_ > Cool. So what's messed up between me and them?

Maryjo Bacolod > When do you get the error message. Is it after dialing all the numbers?
Maryjo Bacolod > Or does it prompt you after 4 numbers dialed.
Maryjo Bacolod > or after dialing 603?

Brad_ > I dial the full seven digits, wait about 10 seconds, and instead of the ring, I hear the faux-British lady telling me the telephone company is screwed up
Brad_ > I'm in 603, I don't need to dial it for local calls
Brad_ > I don't think the faux-British lady is even faux-British. Probably Welsh

Maryjo Bacolod > I see. As per advice of my supervisor, the 603 area code has to be included during the dialing process.
Maryjo Bacolod > Can you try doing it on your end?
Maryjo Bacolod > Just to see if it works.

Brad_ > Why would I suddenly have to start dialing 603?
Brad_ > Why wouldn't I have been notified so I wouldn't lose close to two hours of my
life on this issue?

Maryjo Bacolod > I apologize for that.

Brad_ > IT didn't work. I don't trust you or your supervisor

Eventually the CSR agrees to schedule a technician. This is Brad's second chat — after he never received a promised follow-up call.

New chat log:
user Brad_ has entered room
Brad>Need to schedule support, I suspect a faulty modem. Can receive inbound calls, can make long distance calls, cannot make local calls.

analyst Michael has entered room

Michael>Hello Brad_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Michael. Please give me one moment to review your information.
Michael>I will be happy to assist you with that.
Michael>Since your account protection is a priority to Comcast, I need to verify some information before I am able assist you. May I have the full name,and phone number the account is under. Thank you.

Brad_>Sure, Brad Gagne, number’s [redacted]

Michael>Thank you, One moment please, While I verify that information, and I will be back with you shortly.

Brad_>Cool.

Michael>What lights are on the phone modem, Please let me know which are steady and which are flashing.

Brad_>Battery light is blinking green, all others are steady green
Brad_>Thursday night reps Katrina and MaryJo line tested the heck out of our setup, reset the modem remotely, but ended up scratching their heads

Michael>Thank you, One moment Please.

Brad_>And a promised call to schedule service never came
Brad_>*** WARNING *** I’m getting frustrated

Michael>Thank you
Michael>I do understand, testing indecated that I will need tor reset your modem.

Brad_>… and the seventeenth time is any different from the previous 16?
Brad_>Do you have the chatlogs from before?

Michael>I can only hope if it doesn’t work I will schedule a Technician and tell them to bring a new modem.

Brad_>It won’t do a bit of good, but go ahead
Brad_>Work the script

Michael>Thank you for your understanding,

Brad_>IS there any record of the two hours that I’ve already spent on this on your end?

user Brad_ has left room
analyst Michael has left room

Brad_>It’s back up, all green with a blinking battery
Brad_>Seriously… I got dropped again?
Brad_>Hello?
Brad_>Good acoustics in here.
Brad_>Just a small town girl… living in a lone-ly worllllld
Brad_>She took a midnight train goin’ an-ny-wherrrrre…
Brad_>Just a city boy… born ‘n raised in South Detroiiiit…
Brad_>He took a midnight train goin’ an-ny-wherrrrre…
Brad_>I power cycled it myself when your reset brought me nothing but pain
Brad_>Can you hear me now? (Sorry, that’s the other guys)
Brad_>[Tap] [Tap] [Tap] Hello?
Brad_>Michael? You there buddy?
Brad_>Michael?
Brad_>Miiiiichael?
Brad_>You still there?

Michael>Analyst has closed chat and left the room

We wonder how many times a day this exact chat is held with Comcast. Hundreds? Thousands? Eventually Brad did get a technician scheduled, but it took yet another chat session. Next time, why not try the services of Comcast's Twitter team? Tell them the Consumerist sent ya.

Comcast Can Kiss My Ass [GDSOB]
Comcast Can Kiss My Ass Round 2 [GDSOB]
Comcast can Kiss My Ass Round 3 [GDSOB]
(Photo: mojojornjorn )

Folks waiting in line for an iPhone 3G at the Legacy Village Apple store near Cleveland, OH are being told by Legacy Village (the complex, not the Apple store) that they can't wait in line on the sidewalk - even the sidewalk that doesn't have storefronts on it. This is made worse by the fact that today is an unusually sunny day in Cleveland and the sidewalk is the only place where there is any shade!

It's currently 82 degrees and sunny sunny sunny in beautiful Cleveland. Pack water and a parasol.

(Photo: TheeErin)

Here's her letter:

I am appalled that anyone can speak the word customer service at Comcast. I am so angry with Comcast right now that I am going to compose an email that will be sent to every investor, stock holder, news agency, better business bureau, and consumer protection agency. Allow me to explain why I am so irate; you at least deserve an opportunity to answer why a company that you run is so negligent with it's consumers.

1.)I opened my account via the web with a live web rep via chat back in April. Because I had heard the horror stories, and because I worked for a local telco, I asked very pointed questions such as "will my service have any down time due to number portability?" and "Is there anything I can do to make sure that this is a smooth process?". The chat representative assured me that the transition would not have any down time, and that all I had to do was follow the link provided and then fill out the "Letter of Agency" form. I did that and received confirmation for both numbers.

2.)Comcast Rep did not show up on scheduled date, instead, he showed up almost two weeks later on May 5th, 2008 unannounced. I figured the wait was because of the number and I did not say anything about it. The technician installed the service. The number on the ticket read [redacted]. I was very specific in my original chat that this was the number I needed. I explained that I have advertising on that number. The tech TESTED the line and assured us that everything was installed as ordered. What he didn't tell us was that we were assigned a Comcast Native number. I was able to access the internet and make outbound calls but my inbound calls were just ringing, never actually going through to my home. This was due to the native number being placed on the line.

3.)May 5th, 2008, at 5pm, I contacted 1-800-Comcast. They informed me that it was a simple mistake, gave me the native number and explained that the problem would be corrected within 24 hours.

4.)May 6th, 2008 at 5pm. My services went completely down. No internet, no phone, no dial tone. I contacted 1-800-Comcast again. They explained that the earliest appointment time would be May 7th with an all day appointment (meaning by 8pm). At 8pm, the rep had not showed so I called. The rep on the phone explained that the tech had attempted to call the number on the ticket being reported for no dial tone, did not get an answer, therefore, did not come. They must have dispatched him, because he did show up at 10:00pm. He said he had fixed the problem. I could now use the internet and make outbound calls with the number [redacted] showing up on the other persons caller id, but my inbound calls were still going to never never land, not being received in my home. The tech explained that he could not fix it, that it was a portability issue and said that he would have his boss contact me the following day.

5.) Steve never contacted me. I finally contacted him at 4:00pm. He explained that I was a complete problem and that "corporate emails" had been flying all day and that he or his boss would email me with resolution by the following day which was Friday. No email. I tried to call him all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday yet he never answered his calls, returned my calls or emailed me to this day.

6.) I had three spanish speaking individuals show up to replace wire I assume. They dug a hole THROUGH my patio, buried that wire, then left the entire 1/2 acre of line exposed for the dogs to chew...Brilliant! I tried to ask them to NOT dig through my patio, but they could speak English, No Comprende!

7.) I called back in to 1-800-Comcast on 5/12/08. I spoke to Antonio. He said that a work order had been placed but that it was done incorrectly. He explained that the number had not been ported over correctly either. He said that he was going to correctly enter the work order but that I would have to go through another wound of third party verification. He said that the earliest he could have my new number up and running would be 5/22/08 before 5pm. He further explained that he could not enter a work order at the same time for our 2nd number. He said to call in on the 22nd and that they would then get the second number ported but that it would be at least another 7 days from the time that I call in.

8.) My box was reset, a call came from comcast and my number switched over on the 16th of may. The 2nd number was still incomplete.

9.) On 5/20/08. My phones went down again, no inbound or outbound, no dial tone at all again. I contacted the chat live rep again. The first rep said that I had taken the service off of my account which I had not done. He switched me to sales. The sales chat rep said that he should not have transferred me there and that he would try to resolve. He promised resolution by 9pm. He asked that I log back into this chat and check up prior to 9pm. I did. This time, the rep said that it had nothing to do with that and that this was an inside wiring issue. My questions was then why did rep #1 and #2 say that this was due to an account error and why did I just have my patio dug up to replace wire? She couldn't answer but scheduled an appointment for another tech to come out 5/21/08. This is now ridiculous.

Really it boils down to reps pushing the blame, passing the buck and taking no responsibility. It seems that there is so much corporate tape to go through that Comcast can't get out of it's own way. I want a working phone and I want it now. I was told that it would be installed and by a Comcast rep, I was told that there would not be any down time. Promise after Promise has been broken and contractually speaking, comcast has defaulted. What is going to happen with my advertising bill of 800.00 this month? Am I expected to pay it when obviously no customer could get through to my line? And what about all the business I lost?? And what about the property damage? This situation is a lot larger than simply not having a phone for a few hours. It has now been 16 days (and counting).

Much more transpired through calls and what not but it would simply be too much to write. I am now begging to have this resolved...pleading. My business depends on it. Would you be okay without a phone in your office for 16 days? With all the complaints I am sure that you would rather have it that way!

I have chat logs, copies of all correspondence, recordings, you name it. Ignoring me will not make me go away. I want resolution. This is an opportunity to fix the problem now, before I take this matter for review before the consumer protection agency, the FCC, the better business bureau and all the local news agencies. I hope that you take customer service and promises seriously; any business relies on it!

Shannon

After Comcast dug up our property without permission and left us without a phone for 16 days, we'd port our number to another company, have the damage repaired and file a small claims lawsuit for the amount of the repair bill... but that's just us. Here's some information on how to do that if Comcast doesn't come through with phone service and a little patio repair.

(Photo: u2acro )

1. Use their form to generate 17 ready-to-mail requests to different direct mail companies. DoNotMail will take the data you enter and create a PDF document with all 17 letters ready to print and send. If you don't want to enter your personal info into a random site, you can use fake data and then download the PDF document for a reference to create your own letters.

2. Contact Opt-Out Prescreen online or at 1-888-567-8688 (888-5-OPT-OUT) from your home telephone .

3. Email your removal request to Abacus Direct at optout@abacus-us.com

3. Remove your name from ADVO Inc. by calling 1-888-241-6760 or completing the form at www.advo.com/consumersupport.html

4. Fill out the form on the Direct Marketing Association's website at www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing

5. Email your removal request to Publishers Clearinghouse at privacychoices@pchmail.com

6. Get off Val-Pak's list by filing out the form at http://www.coxtarget.com/mailsuppression/s/DisplayMailSuppressionForm

7. To remove yourself from Acxiom's list, you must request a mail-in opt-out form by calling 1-877-774-2094.

8. DoNotMail.com notes, "Catalogs may stop coming when your other removal requests are processed, but you can always call the catalog company."

"Stop getting junk mail" [DoNotMail.org]
"Phone numbers and websites to opt out of junk mail" [DoNotMail.org]
(Photo: Joe Shlabotnik)

Here's his full email:

I have been working for ATT (Cingular, before SBC bought ATT Wireless) and starting March 11th, they are going to be doing a trial in the Southeast Market in charging customers who call in to make a payment. $5 is the charge to be exact, and they expect it to roll out nationwide by May.

I would be forwarding you the official internal memo, but they do monitor our emails with Nazi prowess...so no official email from them..

This upsets me as two fronts, as first, a customer. Why the fuck would they CHARGE their customers for taking their payments?

"So, you're telling me I have to give you MORE money for giving you my regular payment?"

"Yep"

Secondly, it upsets me as an employee. I feel this is taking advantage of our customer's trust, because even when we put it on all of their bills, and let people know, there will be tons of reps that won't let the customer know they're being charged for taking their payment.

I feel that if this gets enough word and bad press, maybe this shit ball of a company will change its mind.

We doubt they'll drop the fee, though—it sounds like a classic case of a company deciding to no longer foot the bill for what was formerly an included customer service.

Prediction: someone will introduce "live operator" surcharges in the next 24 months.

(Photo: Guillermo Esteves)

Comcast's new telephone self-install kit is for you, smarty pants. Comcast saves money, you save aggravation. (This is where you cross your fingers and pray that what we say is true.)

Comcast tentatively plans to charge customers $250 for three cordless phones that link to their cable modems. The total time from opening the box to getting a dial tone is 30 minutes or less, Avgiris said.

``It's for the customer who says, `I want the service, and I want it now,''' said Avgiris. Subscribers who want their wired phones to work still need a service call by a Comcast technician.

Let's just hope it works. Install kits are being tested in San Francisco and are coming soon to Boston, Denver and Comcast's home town of Philly.

Comcast Tests Do-It-Yourself Install Kits for Phones [Bloomberg]
(Photo:Spidra Webster)

We are sorry to inform you that your GrandCentral number (434) XXX-XXXX will need to be changed as of August 25, 2007. As part of our beta testing, we are continually evaluating different solutions and partners to create the best quality service possible. Unfortunately, a very small number of users have been assigned numbers that are not performing to our quality standards and are being replaced with higher quality services. To ease the transition to a new number, we have already added (434) YYY-YYYY as a replacement number to your account. Both of these numbers will ring your GrandCentral account until the 25th of August, at which point only the (434) YYY-YYYY number will remain active. Your login and everything else regarding your account will remain the same, including all your settings, voicemails, and contacts. If you have any questions or would like to request a different number, please reply to this email and we'll do our best to accomodate you.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and hope you continue to enjoy the GrandCentral service.

Sincerely,

Craig Walker & Vincent Paquet
GrandCentral Founders

We have recommended GrandCentral before, and we use it ourselves; but for Google to change user's phone numbers without consent defeats the entire purpose of GrandCentral.

On Aug. 8, a Verizon tech lit fire to the home of one Patrick O'Malley after drilling into the electrical wiring of his house. The fire caused a small power outage in Needham, Mass., a suburb of Boston.

"I noticed my TV was flickering off and on, something was wrong," said Thelma Papetti, who lives next door to the fire at 60 Pine Grove St. "Then the fire trucks came."

Needham Deputy Fire Chief Al Deiulio tells me that the Verizon technician "was drilling on the outside of the house when he hit an electrical main" and started the fire.

"He's lucky he's not dead," says Deiulio.

No word on when their next appointment will be!

We'd like to take this moment to remind you to submit your "Verizon Face" to the Consumerist Flickr Pool. Tag your photo "Verizon Face."

Verizon tech sets fire to home — accidentally [Networkworld]

(Photo:Getty)

We're assuming that it will be two to three years before we see anything come of this, and when it does, that it will be turned into a "revenue opportunity" by the carriers, something along the lines of a $2.00 recovery fee or a "network cooperation surcharge." But perhaps this will help improve prices for customers in the boondocks who don't ever get the opportunity to indenture themselves to the big carriers.

FCC Requires Mobile Carriers to Allow Roaming [PC World]

(Photo: Getty)

The services he reviews offer a widely varying range of solutions, from computer-based dialing that rings on your regular landline (jajah.com), to Skype-like solutions that force you to sit at your computer (iCall.com), to a hare-brained scheme that requires you to purchase a $400 "box" and join in what's basically a peer-to-peer network for telephony. (Ooma.com—but don't those people remember what happened to Iridium?)

Then there's still always Skype (we couldn't resist) and its poor relation GizmoProject, both of which can be disguised to more or less function like old fashioned phone services—provided you're willing to pay a little more, buy the extra equipment, and roll up your sleeves for some seriously geeky troubleshooting. But if you're technophobic or just don't have the time to waste, we recommend Vonage as an affordable alternative (at least until they're sued out of business), especially if you travel a lot but frequently have access to a cable modem; our friend from Minnesota is temporarily living in Japan, and thanks to her Vonage modem her "local" Minneapolis number rings in her Tokyo apartment, and neither of us pay anything extra for the call.

Butwaitthere'smore! If you happen to have the right mobile phone, there are programs like fring and eqo that will allow you to make free or cheap phone calls—just make sure you have an unlimited data plan or wifi capabilities first.

Get Your Free Net Phone Calls Here [New York Times]

(Photo: geishaboy500)

When he follows the instructions included with the phone his activation is unsuccessful. The really sad part is that when he tries to call for help, the phone still doesn't work. Ahh, Catch 22. Not exactly a scandal, but we like his video. There's something all too familiar and sad about it. Does anyone want to lend him a phone?—MEGHANN MARCO

Cingular
Stanley T. Sigman - President, Chief Executive Officer
3051 Bienville Blvd
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
1-866-220-8446 - President's Office

Sprint
Gary D. Forsee - President, CEO, Director
2001 Edmund Halley Drive
Reston, VA 20191
1-877-875-7505 - Executive switchboard

T-Mobile
Robert P. Dotson - President, CEO, and Director
12920 SE 38th St.
Bellevue, WA 98006
1-425-378-4000 - Corporate Switchboard

Verizon
Ivan G. Seidenberg - Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer
140 West St
New York, NY 10007
(212)-395-1000 - Corporate Switchboard

— BEN POPKEN

Michael calls back 3 weeks later:

"This is ridiculous," Shankman said. "I moved to Highland Park in 1952. I've had the same number since then."

Since the account was in her late husband's name, Shankman had to produce a death certificate, but by then it was too late. Comcast had put her number into the pool for new customers and wouldn't give it back.

" Upset, Shankman canceled her service with Comcast and switched to AT&T on Nov. 16.

Her new phone company vowed to give her the old number, but only after Comcast released it, which under FCC rules must be done within 30 days."

Finally, she wrote the Chicago Tribune who managed to get her number back through AT&T. Comcast has since apologized to Mrs. Shankman, and denied the Trib had anything to do with solving the problem.

" "We apologize for the inconvenience this caused Ms. Shankman," Amores said. "Once we learned of her situation, we took immediate action to resolve it."

People get attached to their phone numbers. You don't want to mess with that. —MEGHANN MARCO

Phone customer gets lost in number game [Chicago Tribune]

Uh, what? MSNBC blames Local Franchise Authorities. "Local Franchise Authorities — usually — regulate basic cable rates, though there are certain situations when these basic rates go unregulated. And rates for all other service tiers are unregulated."

Phone companies are getting into the cable game, so with competition... the ability of the Local Franchise Authority to "regulate" prices may soon change. For the better, we hope. —MEGHANN MARCO

Why is my cable TV bill going up so fast? [MSNBC]

This info is handy if you're trying to attain executive customer service. Like if you want your complaint letter read and handled by someone who graduated college.

This is not a way to become a penpals with these cellular CEOs. They will most likely never know you exist. Rather, this is a way to get in contact with these company's executive customer service teams. (If you don't know what that is, read this first).

Sexy contact info, inside!

For numbers that are corporate switchboards, simply and politely ask for the offices of Mr. So and so. Put on your best professionals business voice and you will go far.

Cingular
Stanley T. Sigman - President, Chief Executive Officer
3051 Bienville Blvd
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
1-866-220-8446 - President's Office

Verizon
Ivan G. Seidenberg - Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer
140 West St
New York, NY 10007
(212)-395-1000 - Corporate Switchboard

T-Mobile
Robert P. Dotson - President, CEO, and Director
12920 SE 38th St.
Bellevue, WASHINGTON 98006
1-425-378-4000 - Corporate Switchboard

Sprint
Gary D. Forsee - President, CEO, Director
2001 Edmund Halley Drive
Reston, VA 20191
1-877-875-7505 - Executive switchboard

Further compounding the problem, Bear says, is that Cox is using an outdated database, frequently resulting in a wrong number and requiring multiple callbacks.

When initially confronted, the Cox operators denied being in the Philippines, but the supervisor Bear asked to speak to confirmed this was the case. The supervisor stated the staff understands English and speak clearly.

Just pray Cox's cost-cutting measures don't inspire the managers of 911...

Radio Shack has hardware solutions. Some people use Audacity. Others enjoy complex hacks.

We're going to round these up and fill 'em out with our own investigation, but for those of you wanting to get a head start, check out their answers.

What did Zeldman do? After not being able to figure out how to report his business line being on the brink, he walked downstairs to the payphone, called the service number, and six minutes later had a 'commitment to restoring' the on-the-blink business line.

Amazing how you have to trick companies to actually provide service to you, isn't it?

Silent Phone, Secret Phone [Zeldman]

comment on this post

Last Friday, we posted on how to win $1000 from your phone company by taking them to task over their illegal sale of your records to the government.

For the person who sends in the best photo evidence of them mailing their "You Owe Me $1000" letter to their telephone company, we offer your choice of:
1) The right to write one Consumerist post.
2) A Gawker T-shirt.
3) A packet of coupons from our weekend paper.

Today, we ourselves decided to put a stick in their eye and stick $1000 in our pocket. Here's the handy photo gallery showing what we did. (If there's no pictures below, hit refresh, our code is buggy...)

Here's how to enter (at one or more of the points below, you need to take a photograph of yourself doing the deed):
1) Print out this page.
2) Circle section 2707 and section 2702.
3) Take your latest telephone bill.
4) Scratch out the number following AMOUNT DUE, replacing it with that number minus one-thousand.
5) Place the modified bill and the printout from steps 1 and 2 inside the envelope provided, making sure the address shows through the plastic window.
6) Affix a stamp to the upper right hand corner. The post office will not deliver without proper postage.
7) Mail the letter.
8) Send your photos to tips@consumerist.com

If you can shed any light, we'd love to hear it.

I have a story about a near-miss shafting at the hands of Sprint Wireless customer service. I waited and waited for the 24 months to pass before Sprint would subsidize an upgrade in our phone handsets. The day finally came, and we went to the local Sprint Store. They had the handsets in stock, ready to go. Then we hit the first speed bump. The sales guy began ringing up the sale, and my wife and I stood there and waited for him to sell us the handset and activate it and all the rest of that. Twenty-five minutes later, he is just about done with the sale when —BSOD—. His computer froze and none of the sale had actually gone through. So we wait five more minutes for the computer to reboot and get back up, twenty-five more minutes for him to do all the stuff he did before and then we finally get to sign the receipt. Minor inconvenience? Or diabolical plot?

I think it was a diabolical plot, because the very next day, our phones stop working. All I get is a recorded message from Sprint saying that my account is suspended for failure to pay and I need to connect to Customer Service immediately. So I connect to them and get put on hold for a while. When someone finally picked up, it was a service rep in India. She had a very thick accent and spoke very quietly. So I was not able to hear most of what she said and was unable to understand most of what I did hear. She said that my account was suspended because I had not paid a $150 cancellation fee to Sprint and that if I didn't pay that, I couldn't use my phone. Ignoring the absurdity of that statement, I calmly explained to her several times that I didn't cancel my Sprint account, since I had just bought new handsets from them and was trying to use my wireless phone right then. I refused to pay the cancellation fee.

At this point, it clicked in my head that the computer freezing up at the store while I was buying my new handset may have erroneously caused their system to flag the account as canceled. I explained this to the CSR on the phone, but she seemed to be hell bent on getting that $150 cancellation fee out of me before she would let the account be reactivated. I was equally as adamant that I would not be paying $150 for canceling a service that I clearly had not canceled. Finally, I got fed up with her and asked to speak to her supervisor. She tried to persuade me one more time to just pay the $150 and be done with it, so I demanded to speak to her supervisor. After putting me on hold while she "tried to find one" for me, I finally got to speak to the supervisor. After going through the entire story with the supervisor (who had a far lighter accent and spoke much more clearly), she concluded that the cancellation fee "probably shouldn't be there." So after nearly half an hour on the phone with the first CSR and another fifteen with the supervisor, someone there at Sprint Customer Service realized that I probably shouldn't be charged a cancellation fee for a service that I did not cancel. The supervisor deleted that fee and reinstated my account and wireless service. The cherry on top of it all was when the supervisor asked me if I was satisfied with the customer service I received from them that day. Incredulous, and not wanting to talk to any of them ever again, all I could do was say "Yeah, sure. Whatever." And then the call was ended.

It makes me wonder how many people have just paid the fee, not knowing that there was a HUGE error on the service provider's part, just to get the problem resolved and their service reinstated as quickly as possible. It really is a diabolical plan.

Kristin Wallace, spokeswoman for Sprint Nextel. "In principle, Sprint Nextel believes the competitive wireless marketplace is serving its consumers well and that regulation of wireless service would be harmful to innovation and costly for consumers."

Caran Smith, a spokeswoman for Verizon Wireless, said ... "By limiting a carrier's contract options, the state in effect is limiting a consumer's flexibility to move to rate plans and take advantage of services that meet their wireless needs."

From AMERICAblog: "All we needed was General Clark's cell phone number and our credit card, and 24 hours later we had one hundred calls the general made on his cell phone in November. The calls included a number of calls to Arkansas, to foreign countries, and at least one call to a prominent reporter at the Washington Post."

The records in question are from the Omnipoint Communications, part of T-Mobile. It would appear that records from Cingular are also available for purchase.

I just wanted to drop you guys a line about Cingular. I was until recently an employee, I was a Call Center Rep. for the Northeast Region, thats pretty much everything north of Virginia not including NYC and New Jersey. Also I'm not particularly disgruntled, I left of my own accord for a better position but I thought I would shed some light on the practices that lead to the problems that some of your readers experience.

The whole ATT merger was to say the least a fiasco, Cingular simply did not think ahead on this. The same happened with their buyout of Triton in VA & WV. Basically they just dumped all the ATT customers on their Cingular call centers without training their Cingular reps on any of the ATT plans or features, or for that matter, on what would be needed to transfer from one service to the other. This left the majority of reps with no idea what to do with ATT customers, most of the time the only thing any of us could figure to do for their problems was to transfer them to an ATT call center.

Steve's whole story after the jump.

We'd try to help a customer but honestly most of the time we were simply impotent in the matter. We were told that, yes at some point in the future all ATT customers must convert to Cingular plans, but weren't really told what to do in the mean time so it ended up with a lot of rumors pumping through the call centers and then misinformation getting passed to the customers. You have to understand this didn't just end at the Reps, our managers were just as out of the loop as the rest of us so we really just had to wing it and hope for the best.

One of the commentors talked about getting a refund that was never placed on the account, well more than likely the agent submitted what was called a High Level Adjustment, the idea is that it goes to the level of manager that has the ability to refund the amount of money in question; it is very likely that it was placed on a desk somewhere and never went any further than the trash can, yes it was done with paper! Paper was rampant, form after form, and a series of disconnected software applications. They were still working on consolidating all their apps when I left, and from what I hear it still is nowhere near done.

Also the company had 2 separate programs to handle just Cingular customer accounts and their corresponding data files were not compatible, so if you got someone from a region that used the other software you had no recourse but to transfer them out to someone who had it. This doesn't include the software that ATT call centers used, which we never had open access to.

Basically there was a total breakdown in the information supply chain. No one really knew what was going on and could only hope they were doing the right thing and that they wouldn't get in trouble for it later. It was even worse for the Triton merger, though. We honestly had no idea what was going on at ALL with any of their plans. We didn't get coverage maps (they had very sensitive coverage plans) until months after the fact and the technology was completely screwed up since the company decided to unrestrict the roaming on the customers plans without warning them.

I'll be honest, having worked there I would never do business with them. I simply can't trust them with my service knowing the way they handle their employees and customers. While I worked there it was all I could do to try and help customers and not get myself into to much trouble!

We've sent Steve a comments login so he can respond to your questions should he choose to.

Two in particular stand out, which we'll pass on after the jump. The first, from Jon B., details his company's troubles trying to develop mobile software for phones that work on Cingular. (If we were feeling particularly antagonistic, we would note how the troubles were making it difficult for third-parties to add value to Cingular's service.)

Levi F. sends the second story, a tale of what seems to be a typical frustration for loyal AT&T Wireless customers who found themselves forced to migrate to the Cingular service.

The tragedy in all this is that the technology that the two companies used was very nearly compatible. All this SIM card swapping and forced new phones was almost avoidable.

Get ready for some quality kvetching after the jump.

Jon B. writes:

I work for a mobile phone software company. In the course of our daily work we need to test our software on lots of phones.

We signed up for a Cingular corporate account over a year ago and have a few lines activated. Everything was fine. Recently, we bought some new phones at local Cingular stores to test. We then tried to use them with the Cingular SIMs we already had. It didn't work, as these phones were "SIM-locked" for Cingular.

We figured this was because the SIMs we had were originally ATT SIMs, even though when we signed up they were then called Cingular. So we called up our Cingular corporate sales rep and asked for replacement SIMs and explained the problem. It was no big deal, and a few days later we received a new set of SIMs complete with the Cingular Splotch.

We then tried them in the new phones. Still didn't work. "??!!!" We said.

It seems that the SIMs we were sent were still really ATT SIMs; they were only masquerading as genuine Cingular SIMS. Because of this, they would not work in our new Cingular phones. The phone again told us to enter the "Subsidy Code" to unlock the phone.

I personally then called Cingular customer care and asked them about this. The confirmed that our Cingular SIMs were not really Cingular SIMs. They told me that I had to transfer to Account Migration to fix this. I then spent 1+ hour on hold over the course of two days. When I finally reached this group, they said that my old rate plans were no longer possible to use and that I had to sign up for new rate plans for all the phones. Gads.

I knuckled under to this pressure, as I could see no way out.

Then we got all the details done and then they told me to read out the SIM card serial numbers out to them, so they could do their computer system magic and turn these frogs back into princes. Alas, it was not to be. The SIMs we had were impossible to change. We had to go again and get new SIMs.

This time, my very patient IT manager went to a local downtown Seattle Cingular store. He got three new SIMs and then had a 1+ hour call with customer care for each SIM in order to active it.

There's an Army acronym that comes to mind here...

My own recommendation, is that if you are an ex-ATT customer and want to stay with ATT/Cingular, you should go in and bite the bullet and change over to Cingular. I believe that the best way to do this is in a Cingular store, as those personnel are the most motivated to help you do this quickly. However, it *is* absurd.

I'm personally locked into them because I need a SIM-card based service and because T-Mo does not have coverage in a key place I regularly travel.

Levi F adds:

On the Cingular front, I thought I'd pass along the story of the nightmare that I endured with my phone...sorry it's so long - this is the condensed version. I've glossed over the many hours of idiocy I encountered at every step of this transaction with every single Cingular employee I spoke with.

At the outset, I want to say that I had been with AT&T Wireless for over 6 years and been a VERY loyal customer (I was on the $299.99 plan when they had it and had many bills that went over 1K a month).

After having a new Sony Erricson T637 phone for 6 months, I started having problems with calls ( I would hear other people's conversations, I just couldn't make calls, etc.). I took my phone into a Cingular store and had the agent look at it. After looking at it, the agent told me to call warranty exchange to get a new one. I called warranty exchange and they send me out a new phone with instructions to send them the old phone. A new phone arrived ( no box, cover battery, etc. just the phone)..I popped my SIM card into the new phone and sent Cingular my old phone. So far, so good.

I quickly realized that there was still a problem. While trying to make calls, I would enter other people's conversations, I still couldn't make calls, etc. Another call was placed to tech support, who told me that since I had already sent my old phone to warranty exchange, that it must be a SIM card problem and they would send me a new SIM card.

A few days later, I receive a new SIM card. I put the SIM card in the phone and it works fine. So we're done, right? Nope.

The next day, I get a box with my old phone in it along with a piece of paper. The paper said that since there was display damage on the old phone, they were charging me $209.99. There was an issue with a few pixels on the screen, which I had told the agent at warranty exchange about and the Cingular agent had seen. Now my old phone has major display damage due to the fact that my old phone had been sent back to me with no packaging material whatsoever. I put my new SIM card in my old phone and presto - the old phone works...it was just a problem with the SIM card, but due to Cingular's warranty exchange program, if you have a SIM card problem, you're fucked. So now I have 2 phones, both of which work just fine, and a $209.99 charge for a phone I don't want or need.

In any event, I call Cingular to try to rectify the situation. First, I am told that they couldn't do anything about it and I'm stuck with the phone. After a few hours of working my way up the Cingular totem pole, the agent tells me that they'll overnight me a label so I can return the phone to them for a credit. 2 weeks later - no label. So I call back...they have no record that I spoke to anybody before, so I go through the whole thing again with about 5 different Cingular agents. After another hour or two on the phone, Cingular tells me that they will credit my account the $209.99 and it will take 1-2 billing cycles. After a month...no credit. Cingular says it's still processing. After 2 months...no credit. I call again and Cingular tells me that the credit to my account has been denied! So again, I work my way up the Cingular ladder and again they say that they will overnight me a label to send the phone back. The last call was on December 21. On January 4, still no label...so I call again and they say that they'll send me out a new label...in a shocking development, I'm still waiting on it. I've put in a complaint with the BBB and disputed the charge on the AMEX, but who knows what that will get me. I've since moved my 2 lines of service over to T-Mobile.

Please tell your readers to be very, very careful when dealing with warranty exchange at Cingular. Make them send you a new SIM card BEFORE you send your phone to warranty exchange. I'm not sure if there are any other options available to get your defective phone fixed...I wasn't given any.

I have a business account with Sprint and every now and again, damage my equiptment - which results in a call to Lockline, there handset insurance contractor.

Lockline is cordial enough to deal with, however of the two warranty-covered repairs I have had in the past year and a half in both cases the refurbished handsets were defective. This occurred with both Palm Treo 600 and 650 handsets (of which I currently have the latter).

My current gripe is with the refurb 650 (on replacement #2) that still doesn't work. Aside from the hassle of sending equipment back and being without a phone - Sprint hates to discount their service, when it's beyond your control.

One would think that Sprint would be consumer-centric and work with you to credit lost cell time, when you were unable to use your phone due to faulty hardware. As of today, I have spent a good hour and a half on the phone, and am yet to try and get resolution for the 20 days during which the phone hasn't been working.

They offered me a $15 credit on a base bill of $120 a month (with all services - of which I've only had the ability to text message)

The worst part about all of this is: try calling their business line ( I have a business account: which, gee should get some preferential treatment...) at 888-322-3961. Press 1 for wireless, 1 for sprint and then 1 for English - and you'll be routed to a fax.

Apparently, a contractor or some such swiped the list and put it out into the world for the benefit of every Verizon customer who had to wade through the morass of voice prompts just to find someone to talk to. Good on him or her.

We're putting a copy of the list after the jump, for posterity and archive's sake. If you have access to a major company's customer service and support directory—we're not interested in contacting the office of the president yet—pass it along. (Thanks, Thomas!)

Update: Here's another great link, with much of the customer service numbers for the other carriers. (Thanks, Danilo!)

Business DSL Billing 888-649-9500 Option 2 888-649-9500 Option 2 9AM - 6PM M-F (EST) Business DSL Billing
Business DSL Sales 888-649-9500 Option 3 888-649-9500 Option 3 8AM - 8PM M-F (EST) Business DSL Sales
Business DSL Retention 888-649-9500 Option 4 888-649-9500 Option 4 9AM - 8PM M-F (EST) Business Customer Requests for Disconnects/Cancellations
Business DSL Technical Support (VBTS Team) 888-649-9500 888-649-9500 24 x 7 Business Technical Support
Business Verizon TeleProducts (VTP) 800-892-0691 888-649-9500 Option 5 8AM - 6PM (EST) M-F Modem/CPE Shipment
Customer Support Team (CST) 866-268-4630,
opt. 2,2,1
800-567-6789
Speech Prompt = "DSL Billing" 8am-6pm M-F (EST)
8am-6pm Sat (EST)
CST - Billing questions, speed change requests, password change, billing adjustments, DSL Change TN requests, requests to cancel or disconnect DSL for BYOP customers ONLY
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities Billing, Equipment, and DSL

Consumer DSL CST Retention Team 866-268-4630
opt. 4,1,1
800-567-6789
Speech Prompt = "Cancel DSL Service" 8am-8pm M-F (EST)
8am-6pm Sat (EST)
Requests to cancel or disconnect DSL service. Attempts to save the sale.
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities Billing and DSL

Consumer DSL Sales - CSSC
(See respective state for CSSC; Verizon East, Verizon West) 800-567-6789
Speech Prompt=DSL Order
8am-9pm M-F (EST)
8am-8pm Sat (EST)
Order DSL or Dial-up Service
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities DSL

Consumer DSL Technical Support 866-268-4630,
option 1, 1 800-567-6789
Speech Prompt = "DSL Technical Support" 24 x 7 Consumer Technical Support
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities Billing, Equipment, and DSL

Consumer DSL Macintosh Team 866-268-4630,
option 1, 1, 1, 2 800-567-6789
Speech Prompt = "DSL Technical Support" then wait for the Operating System prompt and say "Macintosh" 24 x 7 Consumer Technical Support for Macintosh
Consumer MSN Sub-Group 866 765-1654 N/A 24 X 7 Consumer Technical Support for MSN
Consumer Verizon TeleProducts 866-268-4630, option 5 800-567-6789
Speech Prompt = "Teleproducts" 8AM - 6PM M - F (EST) Questions for unreturned modem or equipment charges
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities Equipment

Consumer DSL Technical Support Retention Team 24 x 7 Customer Requests for Disconnects due to technical issues
Dial-up CST 866-268-4630 Option 4,1,2
800-567-6789
Speech Prompt = "Dialup Billing" 24 x 7 Requests to cancel or disconnect dial-up service. Attempts to save the sale and all billing inquiries for dial up services.
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities Analogue

Dial-up Manual registrations 866-268-4630,
opt. 2, 2, 1
800-567-6789
Speech Prompt= "Dial Up Billing"
8 AM - 8 PM Daily (EST) Dialup Manual Registrations
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities Analogue

Dial-up Technical Support 866-268-4630,
option 1, 2 800-567-6789
Speech Prompt = "help with dialup service" 24 x 7 Dial-up Technical Support
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities Analogue

Data Service Support Center (DSSC) General Fallout
877-806-1001 Opt 2 No customer contact 8AM - 8PM M-F (EST) Fallout Order Status
E-Care 866-326-7937 8AM - 9PM M-F (EST)
9AM - 4PM S (EST)
Assists customers who have issues accessing their account information on Verizon.com. The phone number may be given to customers for future reference.
ISDN Sales w/VOL as ISP (sold as a Dial-up product) EAST CST 866-268-4630
Option 2, 2
800-567-6789 M-F 8am-9pm EST
Sat 8am-6pm EST
VOL Dial-up services ONLY for Verizon ISDN lines.
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities Analogue

Linksys (Tech to Tech) **VOL Supported CPE** 888-333-0244 PIN:
83725 - Consumer
83700 - Business 800-814-0165 6AM - 8PM Tech Support for Linksys router issues
Spanish DSL Billing 888 814-0041 N/A 9am-9pm M-F (EST) Spanish billing questions
Spanish DSL Tech Support 888-814-0041 N/A 9am-9pm M-F (EST) Spanish DSL Technical Support (Business and Consumer)
Consumer DSL Order Status East OASIS Fallout Team Only 866-518-8375 Warm transfer after talking with Consumer Fallout Team 9AM - 6PM M-F This team handles orders where the current dsl order activity status on the Escalation tab in Oasis is HBI Fallout , Sent to OMC , or Escalate to Expediter ONLY.
Verizon Avenue 866-892-8368 Opt. 1, 1 866-892-8368Opt. 1, 1 - Desktop Tech Support, Billing, (Verizon Avenue Customers only), Sales 09:00-21:00 Mon-Fri; Sat 09:00-16:30, Provisioning Orders.
Verizon Rewards 800-427-2602 - 7AM-Midnight Assistance with Verizon Rewards webpage, userid/password
Web Hosting (VOL BUSINESS Web Hosting ONLY Interland) 800-963-8809 Opt 1, or 3 and ask to be transferred to tech support. Or 866-893-0625 follow menu opts 800-963-8809 Business web hosting support
Westell **VOL Supported CPE** 877-275-7797 630-375-4500 8am - 5pm Central M-F Post-RA period modem replacement

Ameritech ISDN Repair 888-727-8368 N/A 24 x 7
BBN/Genuity Frame Relay 800-632-7638 N/A 24 x 7
Business DSL Billing 888-649-9500 Option 2 888-649-9500 Option 2 9AM - 6PM M-F (EST) Business DSL Billing
Business DSL Retention 888-649-9500 Option 4 888-649-9500 Option 4 9AM - 8PM M-F (EST) Business Customer Requests for Disconnects/Cancellations
Business DSL Sales 888-649-9500 Option 3 888-649-9500 Option 3 8AM - 8PM M-F (EST) Business DSL Sales
Business DSL Sales Provisioning 877-731-2403 - 7 AM - 7 PM CST Problems with a pending DSL business order Assistance with installation of fulfillment or modem
Business DSL Technical Support (VBTS Team) 888-649-9500 888-649-9500 24 x 7 Business Technical Support
Business Verizon TeleProducts (VTP) 800-892-0691 888-649-9500 Option 5 8AM - 9PM (EST) M-F Modem/CPE Shipment
Cable Modem 800-483-8433 800-483-8433 24 x 7 Desktop Connectivity Tech Support, Sales, and Billing. Florida
Cable Modem Support (California) P.O.C. for fGTE Worldwind customers 888-307-2424 x2 - 24 x 7 Desktop Connectivity Tech Support, Sales, and Billing.
Customer Support Team (CST) 866-765-1660
Option 2, 2
800-567-6789
Speech Prompt = "DSL Billing" 8am-9pm M-F (EST)
8am-6pm Sat (EST)
CST - Billing questions, speed change requests, password change, billing adjustments, DSL Change TN requests, requests to cancel or disconnect DSL for BYOP customers ONLY
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities Billing, Equipment, and DSL

Consumer DSL CST Retention Team 866 765-1660
Option 4,1,1
800-567-6789
Speech Prompt = "Cancel DSL Service" 8am-8pm M-F (EST)
8am-6pm Sat (EST)
Requests to cancel or disconnect DSL service. Attempts to save the sale.
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities Billing and DSL

Consumer DSL Sales - CSSC
(See respective state for CSSC; Verizon East, Verizon West) 800-567-6789
Speech Prompt=DSL Order
8am-9pm M-F (EST)
8am-8pm Sat (EST)
Order DSL or Dial-up Service
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities DSL

Consumer DSL Technical Support 866-268-4630,
option 1, 1 800-567-6789
Speech Prompt = "DSL Technical Support" 24 x 7 Consumer Technical Support
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities Billing, Equipment, and DSL

Consumer DSL Macintosh Team 866-268-4630,
option 1, 1, 1, 2 800-567-6789
Speech Prompt = "DSL Technical Support" then wait for the Operating System prompt and say "Macintosh" 24 x 7 Consumer Technical Support for Macintosh
Consumer MSN Sub-Group 866 765-1654 N/A 24 X 7 Consumer Technical Support for MSN
Consumer DSL Technical Support Retention Team 24 x 7 Customer Requests for Disconnects due to technical issues
Consumer Verizon TeleProducts 866-268-4630, option 5 800-567-6789
Speech Prompt = "Teleproducts" 8AM - 6PM M - F Questions for unreturned modem or equipment charges
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities Equipment

Dial-up CST 866-765-1660 Option 4,1,2
800-567-6789
Speech Prompt = "Dialup Billing" 8am-9pm M-F (EST)
8am-6pm Sat (EST)
Requests to cancel or disconnect dial-up service. Attempts to save the sale and all billing inquiries for dial up services.
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities Analogue

Dial-up Manual registrations 866-268-4630,
opt. 2, 2, 1
800-567-6789
Speech Prompt= "Dial Up Billing"
8 AM - 8 PM Daily Dialup Manual Registrations
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities Analogue

Dial-up Technical Support 866-268-4630,
option 1, 2 800-567-6789
Speech Prompt = "help with dialup service" 24 x 7 Dial-up Technical Support
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities Analogue

Data Service Support Center (DSSC) General Fallout
877-806-1001 Opt 2 No customer contact 8AM - 8PM M-F Fallout Order Status
DCAT (DSL Customer Advocacy Team West) 888-246-1292 Opt 5 -No Customer Contact 830AM- 7PM EST Order Status
Data Service Support Center (DSSC) General Fallout
877-806-1001 Opt 2 No customer contact 8AM - 7PM M-F -Fallout Order Status
E-Care 866-326-7937 8AM - 9PM M-F
9AM - 4PM S
Assists customers who have issues accessing their account information on Verizon.com. The phone number may be given to customers for future reference.
ISDN Sales w/VOL as ISP (sold as a Dial-up product) West CST 866-765-1660 Option 2, 2 800-567-6789 M-F 8am-9pm EST
Sat 8am-6pm EST
VOL Dial-up services ONLY for Verizon ISDN lines.
Also see VOL Roles & Responsibilities Analogue

Linksys (Tech to Tech) **VOL Supported CPE** 888-333-0244 PIN:
83725 - Consumer
83700 - Business 800-814-0165 6AM - 8PM Tech Support for Linksys router issues
Mobile Web Support - 888-258-7863 - Assistance with wireless connection, mobile phone (Internet)
NDSC (formerly EPAC, or PCC) 877-483-6413, Opt 3 24 x 7 -
Spanish DSL Billing 888 814-0041 N/A 9am-9pm M-F (EST) Spanish billing questions
Spanish DSL Tech Support 888-814-0041 N/A 9am-9pm M-F (EST) Spanish DSL Technical Support (Business and Consumer)
Verizon Avenue 866-892-8368 866-892-8368 - Desktop Tech Support, Billing, (Verizon Avenue Customers only), Sales 09:00-21:00 Mon-Fri; Sat 09:00-16:30, Provisioning Orders.
Verizon Rewards 800-427-2602 - 7AM-Midnight Assistance with Verizon Rewards webpage, userid/password
Web Hosting 800-483-4678 Opt 1, 2, 3, 4 Warm Transfer 8AM - 11PM EST Web hosting-options, billing, tech support and cancellation
Web Hosting - VERIO 877-483-4111 follow menu opts - - Sales and Pre/Post Sales questions
Web Hosting Billing - VERIO 800-567-6789 - - Billing questions
Westell **VOL Supported CPE** 877-275-7797 630-375-4500 8am - 5pm Central M-F Post-RA period modem replacement
Order Status Calls, CPE Installation or Configuration Issue, Bill Inquiry, Disconnect Request 800-505-6495 or voicewingsupport@verizon.com
General Sales Inquiries CSSC (See respective state for CSSC; Verizon East, Verizon West) or voicewingsupport@verizon.com
If customer has VoiceWing AND DSL, but has questions about the DSL portion of the billing CST (Note: CST will only handle billing and inquiry for the DSL portion of the bill)
Direct TV
Consumer Call Scenario Who Should Handle
Inquiries for New Service CSSC (See respective state for CSSC; Verizon East, Verizon West)
Business Scenarios
Consumer Call Scenario Who Should Handle
Business Dial-up-New Service
Customer Support Team or CSSC (See respective state for CSSC; Verizon East, Verizon West)

Business DSL to Consumer DSL
BCOE to issue disconnect of static product & then transfer to Sales for a new Consumer order to be issued (Sales will need to wait until Business DSL is removed from the working TN if the customer wants Consumer DSL on same working TN.)

VOL Business Customers Sales/Billing/Cancellations/Disconnects
BCOE 888 649-9500

Billing for business customers that have Verizon DSL and another ISP (3rd Party ISP). (West Only)
VADI Billing-877-483-3651

Disconnects for business customers that have Verizon DSL and another ISP (3rd Party ISP).
VADI Disconnects-877-483-3651

3rd Party ISP business Sales
VADI Business Sales-877-483-3651

3rd Party ISP Technical Support
VADI Tech Support-866-490-1788

East Request truck roll post Sale Transfer call to VBTS (Installation Support or Tech Support) 888 649-9500

Confirm date/time or change date/time
Customer should call NPCC on 866 479-1634, opt 1

Confirm date/time or change date/time
Confirm date/time or change date/time

Department / Organization Internal / Agent Number Hours of Operation Description
Mentor Line 60639 24x7

Columbus, OH Center
Department / Organization Internal / Agent Number Hours of Operation Description
Columbus Ops Desk 5671 or 219-5671 24x7
Tier 3 1000000316 24x7

Birmingham, AL Center
Department / Organization Internal / Agent Number Hours of Operation Description
Macintosh Support x2995 24 x 7
Mentor Help Desk (MHD) x2994 24 x 7
Test Assist x2999
VOL West Billing x3312

London, ON Center
Department / Organization Internal / Agent Number Hours of Operation Description
Help Desk 3273 24x7
MSN Sub-Group 3226 24x7
Retention Team 3279 24x7

mco west
18668863039

move team
877 756 8616
8a-6pm

"Hi, you've reached us when we're too busy. Quick, write down this code: 123x23. Now, give us your phone number. When we call back (within an hour, we promise), give us the code and we'll pay you $20 on the spot for the hassle in getting this order processed."

Don't you know who they are? (Thanks, Daniel!)