Mason used the increase in monthly administrative charges to escape his Verizon cellphone contract without early termination fee, but unlike others, had very little trouble. The secret seems to be being nice! Wow, are we still doing that? Yes, we are, and it works wonders:

In 4 1/2 minutes I had both my phone numbers canceled and ready to port to ATT with the ETF waived on both lines. No escalation, no deep explaining, no pain really! I told the CSR that she was very pleasant to work with and thanked her for her help with this matter. She proceeded to thank me as well and told me that I was pleasant as well, and that most that have called that she has talked to, were “Abrubt and sometimes rude” when calling about the “Opt-Out”.

The moral of the story. No matter what you’re dealing with, treat others the way you want to be treated. If you’re nice to a CSR, they will be nice back and work hard to help you. I’ve been with Verizon 6 years and have had only one problem with their customer service. But even then, it doesn’t matter what Customer Service department I talk to, no matter how rude “they” may be, I still can get good service by being friendly, personable, and kind to them.

You wouldn’t want to help out an asshole, so don’t be one.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.