Our readers are having a hell of a time canceling their Verizon contracts despite the fact that Verizon’s Customer Agreement says the following:

IF THE CHANGES HAVE A MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT ON YOU, HOWEVER, YOU CAN END THE AFFECTED SERVICE, WITHOUT ANY EARLY TERMINATION FEE, JUST BY CALLING US WITHIN 60 DAYS AFTER WE SEND NOTICE OF THE CHANGE.

What it should say is: “Go ahead and call us, we’ll just argue that our changes do not constitute a ‘material adverse effect’, despite the fact that we were required to send you something called a “Legal Notice,” which sounds suspiciously like the sort of “Notice” we’re referring to in our Customer Agreement. Neener, neener, neener.”

Reader Chris tried to cancel, following the instructions in our post. It didn’t go well, in fact, it lead him to label the Verizon supervisor ” the biggest douchebag I have ever had the displeasure of speaking with.” Well! —MEGHANN MARCO

Read Chris’ email inside.

Chris writes:

I just called Verizon Customer Service to cancel my contract from your article explaining the text messaging increase. I was greeted at first by a customer support rep who had no idea the text message increase was happening. Following your tip, I asked for a supervisor and was greeted by the biggest douchebag I have ever had the displeasure of speaking with.

His name was Paul P. and asked why I was calling. I told him I wanted to cancel my contract without an early termination fee due to the text messaging fee increase. He asked how I could do that and told him of the text message increase essentially voiding the contract. I quoted him the part about the ‘adverse material effect’ in the contract and he said a 5 cent increase does not warrant an adverse material effect. He said it would have to be something that cost more. I pressed him, asking at exactly what amount of money consitituted a adverse material effect and he said ‘that is determined by our lawyers’. I asked for Verizon’s legal department contact information and he said I would need to get a lawyer to talk to them.

Flabbergasted, I asked for his manager to call me back and informed him I wanted to speak to another supervisor. He said he could not transfer me to another supervisor and I would have to call back to get one. I’ve worked at many a customer service job and know he was just being an asshole so I hung up, redialed, was answered another supervisor Natalia, who again, said I don’t qualify for a waiving of the early termination fee because I haven’t used text messaging in the past. To my knowledge, in the customer service agreement there is no stipulation of having to have used the previous feature in order for an adverse material effect to come in to play. She passed me to her supervisor, Ali who stated she also needed ‘proof’ of previous text messaging behavior in order for me to qualify for an adverse material effect clause.

Fuck Verizon and their asshole supervisors. Here’s a material adverse affect, your shitty attitude making me not want to purchase anymore of your services!

UPDATE: Verizon: 34 Txt Msgs = Material Adverse Effect
RELATED: Break Your Verizon Contract Without Fee, Thanks to TXT Msg Raise

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