Tmobile is yet again as number one in customer care., according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Wireless Customer Care Rating. Tmobile scored 105, Verizon comes just behind at 101, Alltell and AT&T tie at 99, and Sprint puts in a poor showing at 83. The survey measures quality of interaction with customer service reps, automated response systems, in-store visits, and online chats. Tmobile consistently ranks high on the survey due to a company culture dedicated to solving problems on the first call. As for the other providers? The subheading on the rating agency’s press release says it all, “When Customer Care Issues Are Handled by an Automated Response System Wireless Provider Performance Drops Dramatically”
verizon
FCC Auction: Bidding Tops $4.7 Billion! We Have A Winner!
By 1.31.08
The New York Times is reporting that the auction for the C-block of wireless spectrum (Read: the Google part) has may have been won by someone… but we don’t know who. Oh, the suspense!
Reader Saves $950 By Ridding Life Of Fees, Overpayments
By 1.31.08
Moriconi writes in to tell us how he was able to save $950 this week by uprooting the hidden fees and renegotiating the things in his life he was paying too much for. Awesome! Here’s his true story:
$1 Billion ETF Class Action Against Verizon Approved
By 1.29.08
Somehow, an arbitrator has approved a massive $1 billion class action lawsuit against Verizon over their early termination fees. In letting the lawsuit proceed, the arbitrator wrote, “…millions of class members are entitled to adjudication of the central common questions of fact or law in this arbitration related to whether the $175 early termination fee imposed by respondents Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless … is based upon an unenforceable liquidated damage clause.” With cellphone companies switching to prorated ETFs and the rise in ETF-related lawsuits around the country, one wonders if we won’t see the death of ETFs in the next few years. By that time, cellphone companies will have figured out a new technique to keep people from leaving their contracts.
Reader Escapes Verizon Contract Without ETF, Even Though He Has Text Message Plan
By 1.28.08
Until now, we’ve been telling people trying to escape their cellphone contract without early termination fees based on a raise in text message prices that it’s necessary that they don’t have a text message plan. However, reader Mtman says he used a novel argument to get out of his Verizon plan, even though he did have a text message plan!
FiOS Swaps Customers' Account Details, Still Won't Fix After 8 Months
By 1.25.08
Whenever Andru logs into his Verizon FiOS account, he sees the personal information on some other guy’s account, including name, address, email address, last four digits of credit card and social security number. He’s contacted the other guy, and the other guy also sees his. Verizon has said they will fix it in the next 24 hours. They’ve been saying that for the past eight months. This is supposed to be the future of the internet and they can’t even fix a simple account error?
Another Customer Escapes Verizon Contract For Free
By 1.25.08
Okay so I read the script from last years price hike on messaging rates, to get out of your contract scot-free. I thought I read some where else that they were going up again to 0.20. So I called Verizon and ran the script on them. No one in cancellations had heard about it. I called the general customer service line. Of course the csr didn’t know anything and wanted me to pay the ETF’s. So I went to her supervisor. His name was Aundra (pronounced Andre), employee # 7817 out of the Birmingham office.
$2.7 Billion Bid So Far In Wireless Spectrum Auction
By 1.25.08
Bidding for the national franchise in the C block started at $1.037 billion in the morning and was raised to $1.245 billion in the afternoon. The reserve price for the national C block is $4.6 billion. (Google has said it will bid at least $4.6 billion for this block, but there is no requirement that it place a bid in that amount at first.)
AT&T Acquires A Record 2.7 Million Customers
By 1.24.08
Team AT&T is absolutely kicking everyone’s ass all over town, adding a record 2.7 million new wireless customers in the 4Q, says MarketWatch. They also added 396,000 high speed internet customers and 105,000 U-Verse TV customers.
Best Internet, TV, Phone Service Providers
By 1.23.08
Lots of companies are pushing deals for their bundled internet, tv and phone plans, but which are best? Consumer Reports surveyed its readers and here’s how they ranked the service providers:
Verizon Call Center Manager Found Asleep On The Job
By 1.21.08
This is a picture of a Verizon call center manager sleeping on the job, according to The Call Center Blogger, who writes:
Mr. Operations Manager with last name Changco ( previous from Sykes! Anybody know him? ) is always in the habit of sleeping on the floor during work time and could care less if others, especially his agents, see him on the floor dozing off to Lala-land. My friend says he also has a penchant of passing his deliverables to his subordinates while he comfortably takes his shut-eye. He also reminds the poor agents to submit the reports to him instead of his boss supposedly so he can take credit for the agents’ work! Ang sabi pa “Ang dali lang pala nito!” Nyahaha!
If you’ve ever wondered why outsourced customer service sucks, maybe it’s because they’re hiring jokers like Corey Changco to run their call centers.
Man Turns Chevy Trailblazer Into Giant Cellphone
By 1.18.08
Wayne shares a cool Chevy/On-Star/Verizon billing hack that reduces his monthly bills:
I just bought a new Chevy Trailblazer which came equipped with On-Star and hands-free phone service. The hands-free service was provided through a pre-paid plan with Verizon Wireless. I called Verizon and they actually put my Chevy onto my already existing Family Plan for $9.99 a month. Now, my car is a giant cell phone with all the same calling features of a regular phone ( Verizon to Verizon for free, free evenings and weekends, etc… ).
Sweet deal, no doubt it would work for any other car prequipped with On-Star. Anyone else hack their car’s hands-free service in a similar way?
Man Escapes Verizon Contract Based On Text Message Rate Raises
By 1.16.08
Wayne writes:
I read one of your post last week concerning Verizon Wireless changing the terms of agreement concerning text messaging and my wife and I immediately contacted them to drop a very unneeded contract. It took two days to cancel, but everything in your post was accurate and made our case a slam dunk. To be fair, Verizon may have dragged it out a bit, but they didn’t fight it and their rep, Becky, called us back three times ( as promised ) to finish the request. A big thanks to The Consumerist!
Reach Verizon Executive Customer Service
By 1.15.08
If you’re having an intractable problem with your Verizon telephone, internet, or FiOS TV, that calls to regular customer service can’t solve, here is one cat you can call. Remember to state your case clearly, calmly, and succinctly. This is not the place for histrionics or epic sagas, just let ’em know what they need to fix.
By 1.9.08
../../../..//2008/01/09/verizon-is-now-offering-71mbps/
Verizon is now offering 7.1Mbps downstream, 768kbps upstream DSL, but only to new customers. [Broadband Reports] (Thanks, Edju!)
FiOS Installation Woes: 5 Attempts In Almost Two Months
By 1.9.08
David and Jenn were sick of Comcast’s unreliable service and decided to switch to Verizon FiOS. It only took 5 appointments and nearly two months.
Cancel Verizon Without Termination Fee Based On New Text Message Rate Increases
By 1.9.08
Verizon customers can escape their contract without paying an early termination fee, thanks to a recent text message rate increase. The cost for people without a bundled message plan went from 15 to 20 cents, and this constitutes what is known as a “materially adverse” change to contract. That means they’re giving you a new contract and you have a new opportunity to say yes or no to it as they want you to pay more than you agreed to in the first place. This post on SlickDeals gives you the play by play you need to cancel without paying termination fee. Print out their post and keep it in front of you when you call. The poster on the forum says that using his techniques, he’s already canceled five people’s accounts for them.
Reach Verizon Wireless Executive Customer Service
By 1.8.08
910-794-6232 – Lisa Bennett, Executive Customer Relations
