Verizon snipped one of the few remaining threads connecting Charles Whiting to his dead wife when they upgrade the 80-year-old man’s phone system. The update erased his wife saying, “The Whitings aren’t home,” a message Mr. Whiting listened to every day for the comfort it gave him. When Whiting called to complain, he was left on hold for an hour and was then disconnected. Then he waited on hold for another 90 minutes, only to be told that his wife’s voice was lost forever. Whiting said, “It was like she was still with me when I heard that. Now they took her voice away.” After his story hit the news circuit, Verizon restored the previously “irretrievable” message. Amazing how a little bad press works to get good customer service.
