Back in February of this year, Verizon posted the following message titled “MLB Coming to FiOS, Mom and Apple Pie Rejoice!” on their Policy Blog:

Judging from the number of comments, I get the feeling that this will be welcome news for baseball fans that are, or are considering becoming, FiOS TV subscribers.

We are currently working with MLB Extra Innings and we’re optimistic that we’ll begin offering the package soon. It won’t be everywhere, all at once unfortunately, but we are working hard to get MLB EI on FiOS TV for as many fans as we can as soon as possible.

Though Verizon didn’t actually announce anything in the post, it was picked up by a few blogs and websites and more than a few Verizon customers and potential Verizon customers took the post’s headline to heart, signing up for FiOS with the belief that Extra Innings would be available by the start of the 2008 season.

The “announcement” (or lack thereof) turned out to be premature and for months a steady stream of enraged baseball fans have been leaving vicious comments on Verizon’s post. Here are a few:

Thanks for getting us jacked up for nothing.

Well, since the season starts tomorrow morning, I signed up for MLB EI through Cablevision this season. By draging your heals, Fios has lost out on this willing subscriber for another 7 months. I’ll check in with you again next winter – hopefully the landscape will have settled somewhat by then. I can only switch if I can be sure I will be able to get MLB EI. It seems silly to give up customers like me who will pay tons of money for extra services, but so be it.

I too have left and contacted Directv as the seasons starts tomorrow. you’ve lost another customer not so much becuase you didnt get the deal done but becuase you’ve mislead us. i would have just signed up for mlb.tv if it werent for your misleading statements.

Wow, Red Sox kicked off the season today and I’m sitting here in Portland, OR with no Extra Innings even though I was told the package would be offered when I agreed to leave Comcast…..If I knew it was going to be like this I would have never left as now I have NO Red Sox games probably for the season!

Please send information about MLB Extra Innings. My husband almost divorced me last year because I switched our TV service to you guys and then I couldn’t get extra innings. If you don’t get it this year, I will be forced to discontinue service with you and start up with our cable company that does offer extra innings.

Very disappointing Eric. Why would you EVER make an announcement like this and then go to ground and ignore us. I have bounced around among a number of cable companies over the years as I move from place to place and each one is more disappointing than the next. But, this takes the cake. You started this thread – you owe us an explanation IMMEDIATELY!

Why would you even announce that last month unless a deal was imminent. That was a reckless act by whoever authorized it. I’m guessing the reason why we haven’t heard from Eric again, is b/c he’s been fired. The only legitimate reason for announcing the potential deal that I’ve read on this blog, was to keep people around for at least one more month. What a terrible way to do business.

What really makes me angry is that back in January, the salesman that sold me Fios told me that Fios would be getting EI. Had I known, I would not have switched.

No salesman should ever promise something like that just to make a sale, that is just bad business…I should have known better as he also said that Fios would be getting Sunday ticket in ’09. I am not holding my breath on that one either.

You’d think at some point Verizon would decide enough is enough and treat their subscriber’s interests as a priority. While they’re debating how they’ll split up millions, the baseball season is now well under way. You guys had all winter to hammer this out and you didn’t. When I signed up for Verizon I was specifically told they’d have the EI package, so I left Comcast and signed up, thinking I was sacrificing nothing. Baseball is an important part of cable for a lot of viewers, and we’re willing to pay hundreds of dollars a year to watch these games. Wake up, Verizon. We’re sitting here willing to give you our money. Wait much longer, and I, like a lot of others, will just walk away. This is one of the most despicable things I’ve ever seen a cable company do, promise their customers over and over a service is coming yet never delivering it.

This was a total scam on your part and you should be ashamed of yourself. I live in the Boston area and if you don’t have EI by May, I am going back to Comcast.

The last update on Verizon’s blog instructed the angry customers to order MLB.TV (Major League Baseball’s internet service) in lieu of Extra Innings. FiOS customers could then “see games with the broadband speed and clarity that FiOS makes,” whatever that means.

Did a Verizon CSR promise you Extra Innings when you switched to FiOS?

MLB Coming to FiOS, Mom and Apple Pie Rejoice! [Verizon Policy Blog]

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