The good news is that Alex’s dad was able to cancel the high-speed Internet line going to his house and replace it with a DSL line. That’s what he was after. The bad news is that this task somehow required fifty hours of working with Verizon customer service, and the loss of the family’s home phone number of more than thirty years. Just one of these issues would be frustrating enough, don’t you think?

Alex wrote this letter to Verizon, then posted it on his blog. Verizon’s social media and executive customer service teams have been talking to him, so this issue might actually be resolved by someone with a brain. We hope!

Date: Fri, Jul 29, 2011 at 2:00 PM
Subject: Unacceptable Customer (Non)Service
To: holly.hess@verizon.com, suleiman.hessami@verizon.com, virginia.p.ruesterholz@verizon.com, thomas.j.tauke@verizon.com
Cc: Dad

Good Day,

It is only out of complete and utter frustration that I have resorted to contacting you directly.

My father has spent over 50 hours speaking with various customer support reps at your company to perform what to my ears should be a simple task: remove a high speed internet line and replace it with a regular home DSL line. Well, after those 50 hours, it’s finally happening. But, he was just told that in order to complete the removal of the line, he will have to give up his home phone number of 30 plus years. It is beyond my comprehension that

A. This took 50 hours to accomplish

B. He must lose his home phone number of 30+ years

How on God’s Good Earth does your company manage to fail my father so perfectly and precisely, fitting the worst possible image of a corporation that cares nothing about it’s customers?

Should you have any sense of decency at all, you will immediately call my dad (310-459-****) and apologize for your ineptitude, ensure that my parents keep their home phone number, and perhaps offer him 50 hours of foot massages to settle your debt to him.

Sincerely,

The Engaged Observer

Pissed Off Fridays! [The Engaged Observer]

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