Starting in November, reader Roberta has called Verizon 21 times about her lack of DSL, and has yet to reach a resolution. She also launched two EECBs, both of which were ignored.

She forwarded her complaint letter to us:

Hello Mr. Reddick,

I’m writing to you today in the hopes that you can help me. I am very frustrated with the service I have received from Verizon. I’d like to document my concerns and request an immediate resolution.

Regarding account [redacted], here is the timeline of my experiences with Verizon. Forgive the length, but hopefully it will show you just how frustrated I am as a customer.

November 9, 2007 – I began my first day with Verizon DSL.
November 13, 2007 – FOUR calls – No DSL.
November 14, 2007 – FIVE calls – No DSL.
December 6, 2007 – No DSL.
December 22, 2007 – No DSL.
December 23, 2007 – No DSL.
December 26, 2007 – TWO calls – No DSL.
December 28, 2007 – No DSL.
January 1, 2008 – No DSL.
January 2, 2008 – No DSL.
January 8, 2008 – No DSL.
January 22, 2008 – TWO calls – No DSL.
Febraury 8, 2008 – No DSL.

From my understanding, there is a certain length at which the DSL line to my house may become problematic. I was told that my house is 17,000 feet from the central office, with a limit of 18,000 feet. I was re-assured time and again that I would have zero problems with connectivity. As you can see from the list above, this is not the case.

Each time I call tech support, I run the same race. Unplug router, turn off modem, wait 20 seconds, turn it all back on, watch the DSL light that doesn’t stop blinking. Then, the tech will say “let me run a line test, give me just a moment” (I could recite this in my sleep; I’ve heard it so many times). Miraculously, as soon as they run a line test, the light will stop blinking and I’ll have connectivity. They will tell me that there is no problem. I re-iterate that there is a problem and that as soon as we hang up the phone and their ‘line test’ disconnects, I’m back to square one. They never believe me, and I have even been told that since they don’t see a problem, they can’t open a ticket for more in-depth trouble-shooting.

In mid-November, I finally got someone on the phone who was willing to help me. She ran all sorts of tests and finally determined that a tech needed to be dispatched. She opened a ticket for me. I took time out of my work-day to wait for the tech. He came the next day and reported that the modem was faulty. He promised that I would get a return package to send the faulty one back, and a replacement would be sent so that I could (finally) get a steady signal. Unfortunately, even though I mention the faulty modem in every single tech support call, I still have yet to receive the replacement.

After 21 calls to tech support in less than three months, this has become more than a nuisance. Since we work from home, this has seriously affected work productivity. Online training sessions, net meetings, VoiP client chat sessions and more: the egg is on our face, on our company’s face.

Because of the easily documented losses like lost work time and cell phone bills reflecting hours of tech support time to the less easily documented like aggravation, loss of productivity and stress, I would like to request that Verizon do the following to immediately resolve this situation and keep me as a customer:

1) I would like to return the faulty modem and receive a full refund (please send me the return box, as was promised by the tech). Do not send me another modem. I will purchase one myself.
2) I would like to receive a refund for the DSL down-time that I have experienced.

If you have any questions or would like to contact me directly, you may reach me at [redacted]

Thank you,

Roberta

Roberta sent that email 20 days ago and has yet to receive a response. She’s hoping that her recent complaint to the BBB will get Verizon’s attention. Maybe she should change the subject of her email to “FiOS, FiOS, FiOS, FiOS,” because they seem to respond to that word for some strange reason….

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