Stephanie writes:

I did my research and found out that Credo Mobile (a MVNO piggybacking on the Spring network) is offering $200 towards cancellation fees on your current cell phone plan. So, I called my cell phone provider, Verizon Wireless, and explained that I'd been a loyal customer and that my contract was due to expire in less than three months but that Sprint had this great offer and that I was considering switching. They representative told me that Sprint's coverage sucked and she was sorry to hear that I was considering a switch, and offered to give me a month free! She put me on hold and within two minutes she came back on and confirmed that I'd been given an $80 credit on my bill.

I couldn't believe how easy it was.

Next I called Comcast. I was more than a bit intimidated, because I've had issues with Comcast in the past, but I figured I'd give it a try anyway. I tried the same tactic: loyal customer, can you give me a break on my bill. The customer service rep played hard ball. I told him that their website had all kinds of deals. He said they were only for new customers. I told him Verizon Fios was offering deals. He wouldn't budge.

Finally, I said, "Would Comcast rather I switch to another company?" He finally said he would check for any promotional offers. He put me on hold and said he could knock off $25 from my bill for the next six months.

So, I just wanted to say thanks.

RELATED: Consumer 101: 3 Ways To Lower Your Out Of Control Cable, Internet And Phone Bills

Be sure to read our Ultimate Consumerist Guide to Fighting Back, a go-to handbook for the dissatisfied consumer. Once you've decided to go the executive customer service right, be sure you read this first so you know what to say when you call the corporate avatar of your choice.

The Consumerist Executive Customer Service Index

ACS
Adelphia
Air Tran
Alamo
Alaska Airlines
Allegiant
Aloha
Amazon
America West
American Airlines
American Express
Amtrak
Apple
ATA
AT&T
AT&T Wireless
Bank of America
Barnes and Noble
Bell Canada
Best Buy
Blizzard
Blockbuster
Blogger
Bloomingdales
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
British Airways
Borders
Busey Bank
Buy.com
Cablevision
Charter Communications
Chase
Circuit City
Citibank
Comcast
Continental
cox
Delta
Direc-TV
Discover Card
Dish
Disney
Ebay
Enterprise
Equifax
Experian
Fedex
Frontier Airlines
Fry's
Gamefly
Geek Squad
Georgia Power
Helio
Home Depot
Humana
HSBC
IKEA
ING Direct
Insight
Keybank
Lenovo
Loew's
Macy's
Microsoft (and Xbox)
Midwest Airlines
Motorola
National City
Nicors
Northwest Airlines
Norton
Office Depot
Office Max
Orbitz
Paypal
Pitney Bowes
Qwest
RCN
Regions Bank
Register.com
Ryan Air
Samsung
Seagate
Sears
Sirius
Skybus
Sony Ericcson
Spirit Airlines
Sprint
Sports Authority
Staples
Symantec
T-mobile
Target
Time Warner Cable
TransUnion
Uhaul
United Airlines
United Health Care
UNUM Life Insurance
UPS
US Airways
US Cellular
Verizon landline/DSL/Fios
Verizon Wireless
Vonage
Wachovia
Walmart
Washington Mutual
Wells Fargo

In the event you can't find the info you are looking for here, you can scan our backlog of contact info, or use Google to uncover the addresses yourself. In the event you find something we don't have, feel free to share at tips@consumerist.com.

Researched by Alex Jarvis
Last updated: 11/07/2008

Here's the EECB (Executive Email Carpet Bomb) Bill sent to Verizon:

I am trying to sign up for FIOS service and now have to place a 3rd order in a week. I am particularly furious because it was supposed to be installed today and only found out my order had been canceled when I went to www.verizon.net/whatsnext and it showed canceled. I received no phone call.

Let me reiterate. I was supposed to be installed today. I took off of work today. I took the whole day off because the only time that could be given to me was 8am to 5pm. I only found out that my order was canceled because I happened to check the website again.

As of yesterday, 10/15/08, the order was still showing on the website for an install today on 10/16/08. I am now currently holding on my 9th phone call to get service.

I originally signed up with a door to door sales person [redacted] on 10/8/08 in the evening. I had a question the next morning whether the premier package for TV, that had I originally signed for, was considered essentials or extreme in the new setup. So I tried to call to find out.

Below is my log of phone calls.

10/9/08 - 9:05am
called 888-281-1511 - given to me by verizon person on phone during original order
-can't find my order. finds out I ordered from a door to door person. gives me a new number (866-326-7937) and tries to transfer me. answered by another person on the same number i originally called
10/9/08 - 9:08am
called 866-326-7937 - given to me by the previous call
-told me i need to call my local office and gives me 410-954-6260

10/9/08 - 9:10am
called 410-954-6260
-went through 4 separate menus. eventually hung up on by the system

10/9/08 - 9:15am
called 888-553-1555 - from bottom of sales order form
-10 minutes before phone is answered. told they have to put me through to a fios representative and gives me a new number (410-265-0577) and transfers me

10/9/08 - 9:26am
-Transferred to 410-265-0577
-hung up on by system

10/9/08 - 9:26am
-called 410-265-0577
-Connie [Redacted]
-Premier = Essentials TV Plan
-10/mo extra for Extreme TV
-can't find the order in the system to make the upgrade to extreme tv package
-says the 12.99/mo for 3 boxes is only good till the end of the year when the sales person says it is 12.99/mo for 1 year and that's what's on my paper
-can't cancel the order because they can't find the order
-takes my number and promises to call me back the following morning

10/10/08 - 12:00pm
called 410-265-0577 after not receiving the promised callback
Miss [redacted]
still can't find the original order
Doing a new order
$109.99/mo
Extreme HD w/sports package
20/5 internet
verizon freedom essentials
free HM DVR for 12 months
3 STB for 12.99/mo for 12 months
hbo/cinemax free for 1 month
-read back the above to the operator to confirm pricing and package details
-hang up at 12:35 with promise to call back once she gets her supervisor to check the order because it's not going through

10/10/08 - 2:05pm
Miss [redacted] called back
-install on the 16th
-Confirmation for TV and Internet [redacted] - double bundle until phone is brought over
-will receive 4 e-mails. 1st email is bundle terms, 2nd email is security and backup bundle, 3rd games on demand, 4th starz play - THESE ARE NOT ON BY DEFAULT I HAVE TO ACCEPT IT TO BE TURNED ON
-confirmed 20/5 internet and extreme TV
-cancel free hbo/cinemax by Nov 13th
-free install - 1 time activation for internet 29.99 - broken up into 3 month payments

-Confirmation for Phone [redacted]
-transfers on the 20th
-bringing over on copper first then switching over to fiber later
-freedom essentials package
-no activation charges for phone since it's a package
-1-800-688-2880 (8am-8pm)
-1-888-553-1555 (24 hrs)

10/16/08 - 10:55am
went to verizon.net/whatsnext to look at my install time again and it says Our records indicate that your order was canceled on 10/10/2008. If you believe this order was canceled in error or want to place a new order please call 1-888-553-1555.
Called 410-265-0577
Veronica
-Order [redacted] was canceled because of 2 duplicate orders
- [redacted] was original order that nobody could find originally. We now have to cancel this order so I can place a 3RD order which will be a duplicate of the 2nd order.
-I am being promised a 16/mo credit for 1 year because of the inconvenience
-I am being told i will be able to have an install on 10/20/08 for the new order which was the date of the original order
-11:25am
-Veronica is waiting for the old order to clear out of the system.
-we go over what the 2nd order had on 10/10/08 in order to duplicate that order
-it is taking a long time to clear out of the system so Veronica promises to call me back after it happens. She expects it should clear out by 1pm
-she takes my e-mail and e-mails me so I will have a point of contact in case she doesn't call back

I don't know what the installation expectation is for verizon, but I hope this isn't it.

I would like for someone to please ensure that my now 3rd order is processed correctly, that I receive my installation on 10/20/08, and that my 16/mo credit actually appears on my bill when it comes.

Bill CC'd the EECB to Consumerist and followed up with his success story:

I wrote earlier on 10/16/08 about my horrible verizon installation experience and CC you in an EECB that I sent to verizon.

It worked. Fifteen minutes after I sent the e-mail I received a phone call telling me they would see to it that I was installed that day.

They followed through. Not only did they follow through they exceeded expectations in being able to get my home number ported that same day as well.

I think, perhaps unrelated, my TV service stopped working a few hours later, but they are supposed to fix that tomorrow 10/17/08. We shall see.

Hopefully i won't have to do another EECB for my billing when i get my first bill!

Bill

Congratulations, Bill. Logging your phone calls was a smart move.

For more information about launching your own EECB, click here.

(Photo: cayusa )

RCRWireless reprinted part of T-Mobile's response:

“Although your letter states that carriers’ prices for text messaging appear to have increased since 2005, the opposite is true,” states Robert Dotson, president and CEO of T-Mobile USA Inc. “Since 2005, the prices that T-Mobile charges for text messages — 90% of which are purchased in texting package plans — have fallen by more than half.

AT&T came right out and (almost) blamed Senator Kohl for the spate of lawsuits:

“As you probably know, since your letter was made public, 20 class-action lawsuits have been filed around the country against AT&T and other national carriers, specifically alleging price-fixing for texting messaging services. All but one of these cases cite your inquiry as one of the bases of alleged collusion. We are therefore eager to clear up any misunderstanding,” said Timothy McKone, executive VP for federal relations at AT&T.

If fees for text messaging bundles have dropped, while fees for single-serve text messages have shot up 20 cents, then in a way both sides are right—but if that's the case, we think the carriers are being intentionally dense about the true meaning of the Senator's line of questioning, which (we think) is an attempt to determine whether the carriers colluded to hike individual rates enough to drive customers into more profitable bundle services.

Wireless carriers counter antitrust concerns over rising costs of texting [RCRWireless]
(Photo: Getty Images)

Consider Verizon's reaction to news that Amtrak will provide WiFi in several NorthEast corridor stations. Rather than discuss actual policy—the implications of WiFi in public spaces, the rise and fall of muni WiFi, etc—"Blog Editor" (quotes not added) John 'CZ' Czwartacki instead proffers a sales pitch, writing: "Until they wire the trains themselves with WiFi, you can’t beat EVDO for en route productivity." Later, exalting EVDO's ability to stream video—which potentially violates Verizon's terms of service—CZ kids: "I’m sure my Verizon Wireless Broadband Access (Rev A) card can handle it, but not sure I could."

Ha. Ha. Ha.

Let's see if SmarterChild can do better:

The Consumerist: Can you beat EVDO for en route productivity?
Smarter Child: I certainly can.
The Consumerist: Even on a train?
Smarter Child: I know about Non. They're a band.
Hey, I'm curious... How would you describe Non? They are...
The Consumerist: Focus, Smarter Child, focus. Don't be one of those ADD robots that needs to get all adderalled up before answering simple questions.
Smarter Child: My name is SmarterChild!
The Consumerist: Much better. Now tell me, can a Verizon Wireless Broadband Access (Rev A) card can handle all the internets Verizon claims it can?
Smarter Child: Funny. I'm not sure.
The Consumerist: Ok, then tell me this: will Verizon ever learn that stuffing marketing into a faux policy blog demeans its readers and makes the authors look like a pack of out-of-touch B-school hacks?
Smarter Child: It's really hard to say.
The Consumerist: Would a real policy blog be any more effective?
Smarter Child: I don't think I want to answer that.
The Consumerist: Me neither.
Smarter Child: Ah, you.

We understand that corporate blogs need a dash of public relations savvy, but any intellectually honest marketer should understand the difference between subtle promotion and crass sales pitch. SmarterChild does:

The Consumerist: Say, you run a company. Your company lights someone's house on fire? Do you harass anyone who writes about it?
Smarter Child: Just 'cause you say so? I don't think so.
The Consumerist: Do you believe in freedom of the press?
Smarter Child : What would happen if I were to believe in freedom of the press?
The Consumerist: I suppose you wouldn't harass reporters.
Smarter Child : Huh?
The Consumerist: Yeah, it's a difficult concept.

Wow, can SmarterChild honestly address complex matters of political philosophy and governance, perhaps even replace Verizon's worthless policy blog altogether?

The Consumerist: I've been wondering, is regulation the root of all evil?
Smarter Child: Is regulation? I think so.

Trains and Broadband [Verizon "PolicyBlog"]
PREVIOUSLY: Verizon Spins Causing Electrical Fire During FiOs Install Into Sales Pitch

Jacob says:

I signed up for FIOS in March and was promised a $200 Circuit City giftcard, and have been given the runaround for months now. I thought I was an isolated case, but when the rep last week told me the promotion had never existed, that was the last straw.

Jacob pointed us to a website filled with angry Verizon customers who haven't received their gift cards. Of course, this isn't the first time Verizon has failed to deliver on a FiOS promotion. Remember the disastrous "Free LCD" giveaway earlier this year?

If you believe that you were eligible for a free gift card from Verizon and have not received it, you should contact your state's attorney general and file a formal complaint. If enough customers do this, the AG will investigate.

They acknowledge the router got an upgraded firmware image automatically (forget the fact I had explicitly disabled that feature for this very reason), but I'm shit out of luck. Even though the fact my formerly perfectly working 6100 is now bricked because of something Verizon did without my approval or knowledge, they will not provide me with a new one for free because the router is out of warranty.

Brielle, try this Verizon contact info to reach someone who can resolve your issue.

Update: Brielle has added the following to her post on her own site, in response to people suggesting she flash the router:

There is no way to flash the router at this point. I've not been able to find an actual image file of the firmware, just a tool in .exe, which does not work right cause it really stupidly assumes anything in 10/8 is 255.0.0.0. My home network is 10.14.1.0/255.255.255.0. Tool can't find router, so no way to force an old firmware on to it.

"Verizon is a bunch of assholes" [Brielle's Ramblings] (Thanks to Mickey!)
(Photo: *nomad*)

A spokesperson did confirm, however, the monthly members will pay the same rate as contract customers. If you're already a Verizon customer, you can switch to the monthly plan after your current contract is up.

From Bloomberg:

Verizon, which made about half of its $24.1 billion in revenue last quarter from wireless service, agreed in July to resolve a consumer lawsuit over early cancellation fees by paying a $21 million settlement. The agreement covered contracts that had a flat-rate cancellation fee and were issued before Verizon Wireless introduced a declining-fee structure in 2006.

Verizon's termination fees start at $175 and decline $5 for every month a user stays with the contract after 30 days. Customers can cancel for free in the first 30 days, Raney said.

Verizon Offers Monthly Plan With No Termination Fees (Update2) [Bloomberg]

"Verizon Wireless Going Contract-Free?" [Boy Genius Report via IntoMobile]

The Johnson County District Attorney, Phill Kline, told Fox News that Verizon not only seemed unhelpful, but possibly incompetent:

We did have a problem with Verizon. We're talking about 3 hours afterwards, they [the police] were already pushing for this information, with the sergeant speaking to Verizon directly at 2:30 a.m., demanding that this information be provided and it wasn't.

There was a lack of understanding on their end of what they were incapable of doing. I was on the conference call with Verizon, and we had three technicians telling us different things and using different terms, and we can't guess their mind. We've got a girl that's missing. We have a girl that's missing, we have a likely abduction, we need to find her.

Everyone involved in the search has made it clear that Verizon's incompetence had nothing to do with Kelsey's death, but it could have made the search a lot shorter, and saved a lot of people unnecessary grief. Unfortunately, when Verizon's president met with Kline and Kelsey's parents two months later, he brought three lawyers with him for protection.

Kelsey's mom told Fox, "If [Verizon] brought them because you think we're here to sue you, that's not what this is about." Says Kline, "They didn't realize that they have an opportunity... to establish a course that leads the way that is right and responsible, and instead they chose a different posture, and that's unfortunate."

Kelsey's mom:

We almost didn't get to say to goodbye to Kelsey, because of her body decomposition from being out there so long.

Kelsey's dad:

We never did get a why, that was the thing that was so frustrating, why can't you do this. That question was never answered.

"Why Did It Take So Long to Find Kelsey Smith?" (video) [MyFoxKC.com] (Thanks to Albert!)

Laurynn says:

For anyone considering signing up for Verizon OneBill, DON’T DO IT!

I was told by several representatives that “it’s not ready yet,” and that Verizon “put the cart before the horse” (actual statements made by their customer service employees this morning).

How does it work? Well, Verizon gladly offers the option as a means for consolidating your services into one bill… the service is outsourced to a separate company, which pays your invoices for you for each separate Verizon service (wireless, FiOs, internet, etc.), and then collects the money from you on a single bill. Which means that they CANCEL all of your other Verizon service auto-payments or even the ability to pay online.

The issue? I can’t register my account, I can’t log in, and now I can’t pay my bills. I would cancel this, but it would void my bundle discount.

I was told today that a help ticket has been issued, and added to the “IR” (not sure what that means, but I’m assuming it’s a long list of other individuals who were sold this service prematurely). There’s no estimated completion date.

What it basically means is, I can either pay $3.95 a transaction and pay my bills by phone, or bite the bullet and send them via snail mail (who buys stamps anymore?!).

Come on, Verizon. Get with the times.

My main complaint is the number of times I was transferred around… I spoke to 7 different agents this morning, each trigger-happy with the transfer button, just waiting for me to let a hot word slip… God forbid I said the word “wireless” (OH! I can’t do anything wireless, I’ll transfer you!) or “payments” (you’re going to need to speak to someone in payments). By the third time I got wise to the situation and had to say, “I just spoke to them,” and “I’m not sure you understand my problem, please repeat it back to me.” Those seemed to help.

As far as we know, "IR" means "injured reserve." Your bill is apparently out for the season, and they don't want it taking up roster spots that could be used by other bills. Tell it to say "hi" to Tom Brady for us.

(Photo: Risiblegirl )

Rob writes (to Verizon):

Mr. Seidenberg,

I've been a loyal Verizon FiOS internet customer for more than a year, but am considering canceling my account [redacted] because of ridiculous and unacceptable billing practices.

Before I start, I'd like to point out that I don't get a bill for my account - neither paper nor electronic. The money is simply deducted from my bank account each month. During the six to eight phone calls I have made to Verizon over the last several months, I always request some kind of bill, and every time I am told I will receive a bill. I have never gotten one official piece of paperwork from Verizon about FiOS.

My current problem started in July, when I moved to a new apartment. I was told my FiOS account would be transferred to the new apartment with zero fees. I was very specific in asking about this and was assured there would be no fees. After my account was transferred, I was billed $158.32 as a cancellation fee. I was told that my account was cancelled and then re-activated. I called and was told that the account would be credited, and I wouldn't pay anything until that fee was paid off.

The next month, I was charged $21.33. I called again, and was given a complicated explanation about credits to my account. I was assured the problem would be resolved, and foolishly I believed that.

The next month, I was charged $58.00. Confused as to exactly what constitutes an account credit, I called again (this morning, in fact). Once again, I was told about various amounts being deducted from my bill, and what was being taken out up front. I once again requested a paper bill so I could review these issues. I also learned something incredibly shocking: My monthly rate had been increased.

When I got FiOS, my monthly rate was $39.99. It's suddenly $47.99, a charge I was neither notified of, nor accepted.

I asked the customer service representative to tell me why this had been raised without my consent. She responded by transferring to me a completely different department. That department sent me back to a new rep in billing, and after giving all of my information again, was given the following explanation: The increase should have been noted on my bill, even though people who only have a data plan with Verizon don't get a paper bill.

I wasn't getting electronic bills, either, because the Verizon system listed various incarnations of my e-mail address.

For July, August and September, I have been charged $237.65 for my Verizon FiOS internet. At the rate I should be paying, $39.99 a month, I would only have to pay $119.97, which means in the last three months I've been overcharged $117.68.

This is completely and totally unacceptable. I've copied The Consumerist, a consumer advocacy Web site, on this issue, so that your customers can be encouraged to double-check their bills and ensure they aren't being overcharged, as I have been.

I've also sent this e-mail to other members of the Verizon team, in the hopes of expediting this matter. I'm considering a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the New York State Attorney General for what essentially constitutes deceptive and misleading billing practices. I doubt that raising my rate with no notification, despite repeated attempts for notification, is going to bear out as appropriate.

Every time I call Verizon for help, I have to deal with an automated system that bounces between several departments before I get explanations that would spin the head of an economics expert. Your customer service representatives are, for the most part, accommodating and polite, and this is not an indictment of them. The situation, as you can imagine, is incredibly frustrating.

When I relayed this to the customer service representative this morning, the response was that I should simply accept the increase and the overall situation. That is not good enough. I would appreciate a refund of $117.68 - the money that I was overcharged - as well as a monthly paper bill so I can review my charges.

I would also like to pay the monthly rate of $39.99, the one I agreed to when I signed up. I will be more than happy to entertain an increase in my monthly rate at some point in the future, on the condition that I am notified of said change.

Regards,

Rob

We think you should go ahead with your plan to report them to the NY AG and the BBB. Why not?

(Photo: Ben Popken )

Verizon will charge $17.88 per year for their service, a bargain compared to AT&T's $35.88 fee.

Rob Hyatt, executive director of premium content for AT&T's wireless division, said a service like "My Communities" would be helpful for novice users who are not as familiar navigating the mobile world as they are online. The new services also give much needed exposure to sites that might otherwise be overlooked, he added.

Translation: We're going to overcharge ignorant people to access unpopular social networking services.

To us, it's just another sad example of cellphone companies trying to beat cash out of consumers in exchange for half-baked features that kinda resembles what they want, but still manage to entirely miss the mark.

We're not sure why anyone would pay to access services like AsiaAve, BlackPlanet and MiGente, Faithbase, or GLEE, when they could access more popular services through their web-enabled phones.

Be social and tell us what you think in the comments.

AT&T and Verizon Wireless Offer New Services for Friends [Bits]
(Photo: Getty)

VerizonETFSettlement [Official Site] (Photo: Ben Vershbow)

Joseph R. Vaccarelli worked for Verion for 10 years but only started making the calls within the last 10 months, which makes us wonder what exactly happened last November or December to make him launch his non-stop telephone orgy of fraud—and how he got any work done during that time.

Verizon would like everyone to know that not all of its employees regularly call phone sex hotlines and charge the fees to customer accounts:

"We believe this was a highly isolated incident by an errant individual," Young said. "It should not reflect on the overwhelming majority of our workforce, who bring pride and respect to their jobs every day."

"Verizon Worker Charged in 5,000 Illicit Sex Calls" [redOrbit] (Thanks to skokieguy!)
(Photo: ernop)

The similar price increases, coming at similar times, Kohl said, "is hardly consistent with the vigorous price competition we hope to see in a competitive marketplace."

Kohl noted in the letter that the top four carriers combined have over 90 percent of the U.S. market, and wants the carriers to provide information on

• how their pricing structures differ from their competitors;
• the factors that led to their decision to raise prices;
• a comparison of text message pricing to other wireless service pricing;
• the utilization of text messaging over the past three years.

"Congress questions high cost of texting" [Cnet: The Iconoclast] (Thanks to Brett!)
(Photo: Getty)

In a series of letters, Jeremy writes:

7/03/08

Today, I got a letter in the mail, at my Grandma's house, where I lived up until 6 years ago. It was a "settlement offer" from Palisades Collection.

It stated that I owed $237.64 and I could pay half of the "debt" and settle the account.

There are numerous problems here (like the fact that I don't ever remember having this service through Verizon North, even if I did it was from at least 8 - 9 years ago), but the main one is the fact that, by going through old credit reports, I found that this was originally posted to my credit in 2006. It was actually removed from my credit report 05/08. There is no traces of it. This is the first communication that I have gotten from this "company".

What should I do? What are my options here? I'm sorry, I'm totally credit illiterate.

8/11/08

I sent a Debt Validation letter to Palisades Collections. They received the letter on July 11. The 30 days are now officially passed for them to validate my debt. Also, on the date I mailed out the letter to them, I filed a complaint with the BBB, because I knew it was an invalid debt simply because it was outside the statute of limitations in Michigan. Today, I got a letter in the mail from the BBB that had the response from Palisades. Their response included, now get this, the debt validation materials they were supposed to send to me. So, the BBB got it, and I didn't. Also, according to the "validation", the date listed as the first date of default was December 13, 2001, which is one year outside the statue. I re-contacted the BBB with this new information, but I am unsure of where to go from here.

9/10/08

Just wanted to update you once again on this whole thing with Palisades Collection.....

I got another letter in the mail from the BBB with their response from Palisades Collection. It included something that I thought was interesting....

"Please also note that it is my understanding that while the expiration of the statue of limitations prohibits a creditor from enforcing the debt through litigation, it does not prohibit collection of the debt."

What does that mean? How are they thinking they might be able to collect on something that they can't legally collect on?

Jeremy,

If it's any consolation, this is not the first time we've heard of Verizon selling dead old accounts to debt collectors who then try to fraudulently collect on them. One time they tried to pry $142 from a fluffy white dog.

If the debt is valid and the statute of limitations have passed, they can't sue you to collect the debt but there's nothing to stop them from sending you letters. In other words, free kindling. If the debt is invalid and they didn't verify the debt to you, I believe you can sue them under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) for statutory damages. I'm not a lawyer and you might want to speak to one about the particulars of your case, but I've also seen people successfully sue FDCPA violators in small claims court on their own. You might just want to send them a "drop-dead" letter, this post has a template for writing one.

(Photo: TrailofTerror, Getty)

Thanks to Jon!)

PSC staff said FiOS "may form an electrically conductive path" and could create an electrical hazard. PSC spokesman James Dean called the public safety risk "minimal - however, there is a potential risk."

Under a plan submitted to the PSC last month, Verizon would review all of its fiber-optic installations to ensure connections are properly grounded and correct violations.

The company also said it would issue credits of up to $20 to customers for installations after Aug. 18 unless it meets standards at least 95 percent of the time. The credits would "compensate such customers for the inconvenience of the inspection (and, where applicable, remediation) process," according to documents filed with the PSC.

Verizon added that they take the Public Service Commission's concerns "very seriously."

Verizon offers plan to inspect FiOS wiring [Albany Times Union]
Violations cited in LI FiOS installations [Newsday]
(Photo: Getty)

Here's part of the pseudo-congratulatory email.

Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:20:31 -0400
Subject: You've earned a new phone

UPGRADE TODAY!
Call 1.888.333.0047 or visit your local Verizon Wireless Store today

Upgrade today to any one of our advanced phones or PDAs we carry. Plus, for our exclusive customers, we've added an additional discount on one of our most popular devices, the LG enV2TM. All of this brought to you by Verizon Wireless, with the nation's largest 3G network and most reliable wireless network.

LG Dare Bold touch screen, fearless features, 3G speed capable.

$249.99 2-yr. price
-$ 50.00 Mail-in rebate
$199.99 Your Price

(New 2-yr. agreement required on a new Nationwide Calling plan.)
LG enV2 Full keyboard gives you two ways to text or email.
EXCLUSIVE OFFER for our loyal customers.

It goes on like that for several models. Verizon gets special bonus points for including mail-in rebates as part of the "deal."

(Photo: Getty)

August 8th. 3pm. My Verizon cable service is disconnected. Both set top boxes are non-responsive, but my internet service is booming along. I reboot the Verizon equipment a few times over the next 3 hours, but it never comes back on. I call Verizon's "Fibre Solutions Center" and deal with some rather incompetent customer service. They blame me for rewiring my apartment. They say that they don't see any issues. They deactivate and reactive my cable boxes. They tell me there is no problem. They tell me that the cable boxes are broken. None of what they do works. Every call is ended with the representative telling me that my service "will be back within the hour". It never is. They send me 2 new cable boxes. They don't work. I called ever day from Friday to Monday. They refused to send out a technician because they didn't see the issue on their end. Finally after going up the chain I am told they can have someone out by Wednesday evening. This was not really that acceptable considering all of the Olympics I missed, but if they were sending someone out I should be happy.

In speaking with comcast today I am told that I shouldn't have received a bill for the month of September since my Comcast service was physically disconnected the evening of Aug 8. The rep gives me a little background and says that until they physically sever the connection, my service with Comcast continues. At that point I was no longer receiving Comcast signals over my coax. I was 100% Verizon.

On Wednesday, August 13th a Verizon technician arrives at my apartment. He is happy to say that he already found the problem. Someone with access to the LOCKED network closet disconnected me from the Verizon lines. That someone was not from Verizon I was told. That someone severed the lines without permission. Now I find out that that somone was a Comcast technician.

Where do I stand on this? What can I do? How do I get anything from Comcast on this? What should I do with Verizon. I am still going through executive customer service within both companies but I'm not sure what the exact implications of this happen to be.

We think you should call your local government and find out which department regulates cable in your area. File an official complaint against Comcast for disconnecting your cable and continuing to bill you after you had already switched to Verizon.

As far as getting compensation from your old cable company, we're not sure that you'll have much luck since you've severed your business relationship with Comcast. We're sure they'd love for you to switch back, but we suspect that you're not going to want to do that.

We'd concentrate on asking Verizon for a credit to compensate you for the service interruption rather than get into a bunch of "he said, she said" nonsense with the cable companies.

Has this happened to any of you? How did you handle it?

(Photo: Tyler Durden's Imaginary Friend )

UPDATE: Comcast says they're sending someone out to Stephen's house to investigate.

"There is no indication of any change in the near future regarding the current state of competition. Market forces have not yet met the challenge of controlling price increases."

Here are just a few of the ways competition has benefited consumers:

• AT&T no longer lets you make five free 411 calls per month. Now it costs $1.50 for local numbers and $1.99 for all others.
• Verizon won't let you make four free 411 inquiries anymore. Now they charge $0.95 for local listings and $1.50 for all others.
• AT&T boosted the price of daytime calls by 34%, evening calls by 93%, and nights and weekend calls by 233%
• Call waiting is now 86% more expensive.
• Keeping your name out of the phonebook now costs 346% more.

In a recent briefing for investors, AT&T boasted that its average monthly revenue per primary household line "ramped steadily over the past several quarters," to $60.16 in the first quarter of 2008 from $57.08 a year earlier.

So much for all that competition between Verizon, AT&T, Frontier, SureWest, Vonage, Skype, and others.

The telecoms have repeatedly proven that their version of the "free market" is a scam that harms consumers and enriches shareholders. California's Public Utilities Commission has recommended the only reasonable measure: reinstating price controls.

Getting the 411 on phone charges [The Los Angeles Times]
(Photo: Getty)

Reader Vince says:

I was attempting to contact Verizon FiOS about their recent TV channel lineup change (Verizon did not report the change to outside providers so both of my $400 TiVo HDs are basically rendered useless because they have the wrong channel lineup data) when I noticed the disclaimer at the top of the email “support” page.

What's the matter, Vince? Don't you like talking to robots?

Verizon Central

When the city-wide Wi-Fi was shut down in Philadelphia (thanks again, Earthlink), I reluctantly switched to Verizon DSL. I had already had a bad experience with them before, which resulted in a cancelled landline. Amazingly, my DSL experience was good: the installation was simple, the service consistent, and the price reasonable.

However, this past week, I contacted Verizon about joining the One-Bill program. Initially, I did not ask to sign up, I merely asked if I was eligible, having only DSL and Verizon Wireless service. I was told yes, and, based on that answer, enrolled. That evening, I received an e-mail confirmation informing me there had been a change to my DSL service. I was now signed up for a faster, more expensive package. Note, at no point in my conversation was I informed that my DSL service was changed, nor did I ever give permission to change it.

Yesterday morning, I spent nearly two hears on the phone speaking to at least 8 eight different representatives of Verizon. Apparently, because my slower DSL service was not eligible for One-Bill, I was upgraded to a more expensive package without my knowledge. When I requested to be removed from One-Bill and to have my slower, less-expensive service restored, I was told that it may not be available any longer. When I informed the representative that this violated my one-year agreement, I was disconnected.

On the next call, I was informed that I could have my slower service back. However, I would have to pay the cancellation fee on the faster service and the activation fee on the slower service in order to do so. At this point, I asked to speak to a supervisor. The "floor supervisor" informed me that what her employee told me was incorrect (really!?), and that I could have my service restored. However, she needed to complete a request for the "Verizon Online" department. I was then placed on hold. While I was on hold, I contacted the CEO of the DSL division at Verizon, Dennis F. Strigl (after reading a post on Consumerist). The floor supervisor did speak with me again, but she informed me that the other department was not answering. She asked for a call-back number and pledged to call me back. She did call me back several hours later, but with no new information, merely stating that she was still waiting to speak with the DSL division. I did not hear from her the rest of the day, nor have I heard from her this morning.

An executive from Verizon, did contact me and asked me for more information regarding my situation. I have yet to hear of any resolution to my issue. Who knew a company could alter a contract and then charge you to reinstate it?

We think launching an EECB was a good idea in this case. A little TLC from someone who has some authority should take care of this situation for you, and they appear to be on the case, even if it's taking them awhile to sort it out.

For more information about launching your own EECB, click here.

My daughter attends a school in Philadelphia which strangely enough does not provide internet access. She recently had to move from one apartment where she had resided for 2 1/2 years, to another due to school renovations. We helped her move, she came home for a few week break and only upon arriving back did she realize her internet access was not working. She is majoring in animation and will very soon graduate so her work is dependent on internet access. She called Verizon and they assured her she would have service in 6 -7 business days.

After the time period she was given had passed with still no internet access, she called again (Tues) and was given an appointment for someone to come out and look at the wiring. The timeframe was 8am - 8pm (Wed). She waited all day, missed classes and no one showed. She called Thurs only to be told tech people went there, knocked on her door and no one answered either the door or her phone but they rescheduled for Friday, 8am - 8pm. Once again, she waited all day, no one called or showed.

I called in the late afternoon to see what the problem was and was given the same story that no one answered the door or her phone but they would reschedule for Monday.....same deal 8am - 8pm. Now I am sure you can understand that not only were we shuffled around to keep getting shuffled around but actually getting through the 800 "customer service" line, waiting on hold for several hours listening to non music repeating over and over and over, does take its toll.

I asked to speak to supervisors only to be transferred back to the beginning of the press this, press that or simply cut off. I spoke to one person who swore that another tech person was on the way and they would call back to make sure..........still waiting. The other problem and this one I consider to be major is that we were lied to every time. My daughter lives in a building that has security at the entrance, no one came, certainly no one got through to be able to knock on her door, no missed calls nor messages were recorded on her phone.

It was only after I googled the CEO of Verizon and ended up on your website, read through the horror stories of Verizon that I obtained the email for the CEO of the DSL portion of Verizon - Dennis.F.Strigl@verizon.com and sent an email that I received calls from no less than four executive troubleshooters who were falling all over themselves to help me. I must say in the end they were very helpful but how cost-effective is it to have one customer's problem solved by talking to 30 - 40 people (no exaggeration) as opposed to one person, one problem, one file, one solution? I sent a list of recommendations to Mr Strigl what he does with them are his business.

In closing I just want to pass along this advice to anyone who contacts your site with a Verizon problem -

1) Keep a record of who you talk to and when. They don't have to give you their last names (for security reasons I was told) but they do have ID numbers which identify whether they are in house people or out sourced. People need to know they are going to be held accountable.

2) Make sure your problem is completely understood, get facts straight by asking questions. Our problem stemmed from the fact that the first person my daughter spoke with put in a change of address, not a change of location. I'm not sure how one can change apartment numbers without actually moving but that is the excuse they gave in the end.

3) Go straight to the top with your complaint. After being on hold for hours, my daughter missing several days of classes and being no closer to a solution, I sent an email outlining the facts to Mr. Strigl and we heard back straight away. More importantly the problem was fixed the next day. I sent him a follow up email thanking him for his help along with thoughts for troubleshooting to prevent future problems. He may ignore my letter but keep in mind that one letter they receive represents many others that people don't write but would like to.

Ms Beverly Walker - (804) 772-6461
Ms Cassandra Flippin (212) 321-8465
Mr Curtis Owens - curtis.x.owens@verizon.com

Mark D. Reddick
Executive Customer Relations
140 West St.
Manhattan, NY 10007
Mark.D.Reddick@verizon.com
212-321-8457 (office)
212-321-1047 (fax)

1-800-321-8700

(Photo: Maulleigh)

Ely used the material from our posts and used it to break his ETF without fee. Now he gathers together all that information into easily-digested video format (he's also blogged it (posts 1, 2, 3).

This video talks about Verizon, but most of the tactics can be applied to every national cellphone carrier. Just lookup the relevant verbiage in your contract and replace it with what Ely quotes.

Video Tutorial: How to Get Out of Your Verizon Contract Without an Early Termination Fee [Crastinate]

My in-laws lost their house to a fire in January. Rebuilding went down to the bricks in some places, and wall studs in others. Complete loss, complete rebuild.

When they tried to move their phone number to their temporary apartment abode during home reconstruction, Verizon wouldn’t do it. This was a Verizon land line they’d had for maybe 25 years or so int two different homes. The Verizon rep told them they only thing they could do was forward the old number to the new number.

OK, said my father-in-law, accepting that he’d have to pay for two phone lines for the duration. Forward that number.

We can’t do it, said the Verizon reps, only you can do it. Get this: they were told to call from their old phone to request the forwarding service. Yes, the phone in a house that burned down. Yes, calling on phones that had turned into lumps of melted plastic with metal bits sticking out.

Maybe it's time to write a "What To Say To People Whose House Burned Down" script?

Sadly, the story doesn't end there. The in-laws are now having trouble getting Verizon to hook up the phones in their rebuilt house.

Verizon Sucks [Technology is Broken via Networkworld] (Thanks, Charlie!)
(Photo: The Joy Of The Mundane )

Verizon tells us:

"Verizon is aware of this incident involving one of its vendors. We have zero tolerance for violations of the law and hold our vendor responsible for the actions of its employees. Out of respect and concern for our customers, Verizon has suspended D2D in DE until further investigation is complete."

(Photo: Jay Adan )

From the News-Journal:

On Monday, residents in the North Graylyn Crest neighborhood told police they saw a man hiding behind a vehicle who appeared to be masturbating while watching a woman work in her garden, said New Castle County police spokesman Cpl. Trinidad Navarro.

The man was described as wearing a Verizon T-shirt.

Police searched the area but couldn't find the man.

Police spoke to the woman the man had been watching, and she said she didn't know the man was watching her, but that a man had been to her house earlier and had attempted to sell her Verizon services.

Police spoke to Verizon officials, who said the company outsources solicitation campaigns to marketing companies, and that several representatives of such a company had been sent to the area.

On Tuesday, police received a report of a suspicious man who was walking along Grubb Road soliciting for Verizon, Navarro said.

When an officer confronted the man near a convenience store on Foulk Road, the man ran off through the backyard of a nearby home, Navarro said.

The door-to-door salesman is being held at a correctional institution in lieu of $20,500 bail.

Door-to-door salesman charged with lewdness [News Journal](Thanks, Jeff!)
(Photo: New Castle County police)

UPDATE: Verizon has suspended D2D sales in Delaware while they investigate this incident.

He tried his best to escalate the complaint with Verizon, but had little luck. First, he called the help line:

"We called their help line, and got a wonderful young man in the Philippines who told us:

" 'We can't install it because your name has - in it.' "

I asked the doctor how I was going to print that. He said, "Just say it's a word contained in Libshitz."

He had no luck with a supervisor, so he called the billing disputes number and reached another supervisor who promised to investigate and have someone contact him because " the only person who could help was in Tampa, and that man would have to call India to get them to change the computer code." No one called back.

Finally, he got a letter informing him that he could not use his name as a username because it didn't comply with Verizon's policy.

It took calls from the Philadelphia Inquirer to get Verizon to deal with Dr. Libshitz and his "questionable" name, and that's what bothers him. He told the Inquirer that what he wants "is for these people at least to stand at attention to explain themselves. I don't know if you've ever tried to get to Verizon. . . . You cannot get to them. They are insulated from things like this." Unless you work for a newspaper, that is.

Here's Verizon's official response:

"As a general rule (since 2005) Verizon doesn't allow questionable language in e-mail addresses, but we can, and do, make exceptions based on reasonable requests. The one from Dr. and Mrs. Libshitz certainly is reasonable and we regret the inconvenience and frustration they've been caused."

Daniel Rubin: When your name gets turned against you [Philadelphia Inquirer] (Thanks, Will!)
(Photo: Maulleigh )

We wrote about Hoofnagle's research in February, when he was analyzing identity theft at banks. Since then, he's expanded his research to include incidents at all companies.

Although the research is useful, Hoofnagle concedes that it is imperfect: a customer who falls for a phishing scam doesn't necessarily impart any fault to the company. On the other hand, the amount of phishing-related identity thefts is dwarfed by other types of fraud, such as new accounts created from pre-approved credit solicitations. Hoofnagle asks for increased transparency by businesses, which would provide more useful data and lead to better analysis.

Measuring Identity Theft (Version 2.0)

(Photo: Karpfish)