Review by madrhino 
UPDATED: 172 days ago
member for 4 years, 1580 visits, last login: 5 days ago
 Beltsville,Prince Georges,MD
 Contract price not specified.
 "Upload Speed"
 "After the installation tech leaves you are completely on your own"
 "Nothing is worth this aggravation"
| Pre Sales Information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings well below consensus)
|
1)They blew the initial order and showed up 2 weeks late.Said it was my fault for not writing all the order info down.Couldn't grasp their logic on that but took note for the future.
2)After install (very good install tech) I ordered a speed up grade from 5/2 to 15/2 and that's where it all fell apart.No record of the order, but this time I had the order#,time of order and the persons name who took the order.Doesn't matter.They just transfer you from person to person,each one repeating the same"may I have permission to look up your account info?" "Will you verify your name and address?" then "I'll transfer you to the department that can help you" Then they transfer you to someone else and you repeat.I did this at least 6 times over 3 hours.
FInally I gave up and tried to cancel since I still have the Comcast boxes.Comcast support is bad but if you keep calling you can EVENTUALLY get help.Not with FIOS, there is absolutely no support at all anywhere.
But evidently you cannot cancel even if you don't have a contract.They simply won't take the cancellation order,they just put you on hold and transfer you to someone else. Remember the horror stories about trying to cancel AOL?FIOS is far,far worse.The phone system is as described above.The email system IS NEVER SEEN BY A HUMAN!!.You just keep getting canned responses to your replies until they say they cant help you and tell you to call.
Here was the final response to about my 10th different attempt to get help via phone, email or live chat--
"Original Problem
Subject: Re: Re: Billing Help Request
Description: I give up.Cancel the service and come pick up the equipment.
Response: I'm sorry we were unable to identify any solutions based on the information you provided.
Please feel free to select the links below for further assistance"
(THE LINK IS TO THE SAME DYSFUNCTIONAL PHONE/WEB SUPPORT)
WHAT A JOKE!!!!
THERE IS NO SUPPORT FOR FIOS AT ALL
AVOID AVOID AVOID
EDIT- 10-10-07 After I calmed down I decided to give verizon another shot and re-placed the upgrade order a few days ago.It still hadn't been completed as of this morning.I called to check(and went through the previously described phone torture process) and the order had been screwed up yet again!!!!
After another half hour or so on the phone I finally got hold of someone who said they would look into,they eventually called me back(of course I was in the shower and got a message) saying there was a problem with my account and they were working to straighten it out.They said hopefully it would be resolved by this afternoon and I could REPLACE THE ORDER AGAIN TOMORROW!!!!
Needless to say I've had all I can take.No sense getting all worked up about it.This company has serious issues and they just plain don't care about the customers at ll.Not one frigging bit.
Edit- 10-15-07
Replaced the order.THEY SCREWED IT UP AGAIN!!!This is the most incredibly incompetent company on the face of the earth.
They cannot only not complete a simple order time after time, the are so inept they cannot even fix their own system after weeks.
I have put in a request to have the equipment removed.
As much as I dislike Comcast they are the only option I have.
Edit-10-16-07
More lies. I called the office of
Tom Tauke
Executive Vice President
Public Affairs, Policy & Communications
and was told someone would be in touch.Didn't happen.This company is so screwed up you cannot even cancel your service because nobody knows whats going on.Today I went through the same phone routine I've been trapped in FOR OVER A MONTH and the CSR told me I didn't HAVE FIOS!!
Edit- 10-18-07(early AM)
Let me share where I think things went wrong so hopefully people can avoid some of this aggravation.
1)For $10 a month more, just get the 15/2 connection if it's offered.If I wouldn't have ordered 5/2 initially then tried to upgrade I could have skipped the horror show.
2)In order to keep from having my copper lines removed(I have elderly parents and don't want to take a chance with a battery backup) I had to switch my landline to a CLEC(Cavalier Telephone).
Even though they were made aware of that when I re-placed the order(they lost the first one completely,don't ask me how, I had an order # they gave me) it freaked their system out completely, it just automatically freezes it up.If you are ordering from a CLEC # keep bringing this up and asking if it's in the system correctly.Someone else mentioned a similar problem as a result of some kind of simple name switch on the account that did the auto-freeze thing.
I think some parts of their software cannot recognize non-verizon#'s or something and automatically freezes the account when they get stupid.They really need to have a real company come in and fix it from the ground up.I've got a bad mental picture of a department full of transferred installers hacking at it, but I dunno.
Edit- 10-18-07(PM) Finally got the speed upgrade(don't know if the account problem is completely resolved) and a $15 credit for 3 months.I like the speed and will probably stick with it.If I ever have to call for service and get the same runaround I'll just immediately cancel.
Comcast has a vastly superior free on demand movie collection but their upload speed sucks.I'm willing to trade off for the speed if I don't have to deal with verizons customer disservice any more.
Edit- 10-22-07 Got the bill, it was wrong.I spent 10-15 minutes total trying to get it straightened out.The lady said she could see the error on the bill but the system wouldn't let her remove it.Maybe they should consider getting a system that works
Horribly managed company, fast connection though.
Edit-11-14-07
Got my first bill which was supposed to be for $85-15 credit= $70.The bill was for $110.06.I am unable to sign up on verizons OWN GODDAM website with the account# they gave me with the date printed on their OWN GODDAM bill.They say the info is incorrect.(I have screenshots,I'm learning)
I refuse to go through the customer service phone ordeal again.I have submitted a ticket throught the verizon support forum here.Hopefully this will resolve itself that way.If not I have no intention of paying this inflated bill and hoping that Verizon will refund me the difference.I have seen nothing from Verizon that leads me to believe any moneys or communications sent to them are handled in a professional manner.
I'm afraid the way this is going to work out is them never sending me a correct bill,cutting off the service as a result, screwing up my credit report and me dragging them into small claims court.
Getting FIOS is something I wish I had never done.However uninstalling it and getting a new ISP is even more hassle.
It's fast and reliable but there just isn't ANY support.None.Nada.Zilch.Zip.Zero.
Edit- 11-20-07 Got another bill today. There are charges for work that wasn't done, the monthly rates are wrong, the balance forward is wrong,the promo discounts are wrong,etc.In other words they just didn't bother to fix the things they promised they would.Disgusting animals. Yet another truly baffling thing is my internet billing period ends 5 days before the FIOS TV billing period does.This makes it all but impossible for anyone(customer or Verizon employee) to understand the bill, especially when there are promotions that apply to both involved.
I also got in touch with what they call the E-center, which has some of the few Verizon employees who know how to turn a computer on working there.They reset my verizon online account, but since I don't have a verizon phone # associated with it, apparently it locked up again and I STILL cannot access my bill.The girl I talked to left me the number of the E-center and said she was there from 11:30-8 weekdays but I just get a recording saying they are closed(Monday afternoon)
I see no need to try calling anymore.I expect one day they will call me and ask for their stuff back. This is almost certain to wind up in small claims court eventually since by not providing me with an accurate bill they have voided our agreement.They will undoubtedly report this to the credit unions as a negative for me, something I'll have to force them to correct.I doubt if they can put a sensible enough dollar figure on it to present to a judge without risking looking like the total clusterf***** they are.
Hopefully one day they will just come pick up their crap and go away. I'm sick of literally spending hours begging these a**holes to let me pay them.
In addition to being unable (or rather, unwilling) to fix their software issues, verizon seems to require their employees to lie to customers at every opportunity about anything.It's like they have a chip implanted that won't let them be honest.
11-21-07
Joseph from the verizon Direct forum called me today.Nice job on the damage control .If any Verizon honchos read this please give the lad a raise.
Although none (and I do mean 0%) of the numbers on the bill are correct,the phone rep that Joseph transferred me to was able to arrive at figure that although incorrect, is approximately what I am supposed to be paying.After all the dust settles I think I will be paying about $2 less per month than what I was expecting.
I'm still out a 3 month $15 a month discount and a $100 Amex gift card I was supposed to get for signing up and of course I'm pretty unhappy about that.
Thanks Joseph, be careful, you'll give Verizon a good name
edit- 12-21-07 Got another incorrect bill today.I won't go into detail but it looks like they are really trying to screw me on the bundle pricing.Whatever I thought I had gotten resolved last month wasn't.Every correction to the bill that I spent literally hours getting straightened out have been rebilled as "past due charges"
I've also given up on the $100 Amex giftcard I was supposed to get for signing up for this abuse.They had a slick professional weasel-liar -piece of human feces call to lie to me some more about it. I'm giving up on it as fighting with them it is to stressful and they are professional liars and thieves-- they are 100% POS and not worth it.
There is no longer anywhere for me to go except to the state Office of the Attorney General and the state Public Service Commision but I'm going to hold off until after the holidays then go after it full speed.
That is all.
1-29-08 Apparantly after 6 months and all the already documented hassle verizon ( with me basically doing all of their frigging work for them about 10 times) has finally re- adjusted my bill to something that is reasonably close to what it is supposed to be.
I love the connection so I'm going to stick with it until the bill starts getting flaky again but I am going to be sure to spread the word about these slimeballs far and wide.
Total sleaze company with scumbag management from the bowels of Hell.
Followup comments:  
Technogeez
Misanthropic curmudgeon
Premium
join:2007-01-20
Brandon, FL | What a shame! Yeah, after-the-install support gets lots of ranting. Sorry you had such a poor experience.
--
Have I mentioned I'm connected on FiOS? | |
|  | flyingjoey
join:2005-11-07
Jersey City, NJ
 ·Verizon FIOS
| Re: What a shame! I had FIOS installed 2 days ago, and I can honestly say... IT ROCKS. I went from having comcast with powerboost to FIOS 20/5 Plan, and I can honestly say... the difference is HUGE!
I have never been able to download a gig worth of contents in just under 6 minutes. Now that's Speed... So stop crying and go get download happy. | |
| madrhino
join:2004-07-03 | Don't do it I don't know if this post will bump this review up but I sure hope a lot of people see it before deciding to grab the shiny FIOS ring.It's covered in a foul,smelly substance.
--
Get Verizon FIOS,The Anti-DIOS | |
| madrhino
join:2004-07-03
·Verizon FIOS
 ·Comcast
| DON"T DO IT!!! If anyone is even remotely considering getting FIOS I strongly advise you to do some research into how Verizon shits all over it's customers and lies to them(at all levels and in every department)before you do.
--
Get Verizon FIOS,The Anti-DIOS | |
| | Josimars
join:2001-04-24
Port Chester, NY | Re: DON"T DO IT!!! You must be representing one of the cable companies | |
| | pobob
join:2007-11-15
Menifee, CA
| I'm glad to see I wasn't the only person to have problems with Verizon. I went for their complete package all at once: Fios internet, TV and phone.
Verizon sent out a copper wire tech the first two times they came out to my house. Had to reschedule each time. They installed the internet and phone and left. I could only call out and was not able to receive calls. Another tech came out and shut my phone off while they tried to figure out the problem. SIX!!! days later it finally worked properly.
I enrolled in the All-in-one Bill. I received two different bills. I called Verizon and asked how much I owed. They told me a specific amount, I paid it. This went on for 4 months until my cable was shut off. I called and they said they have yet to receive payment. I had to pay almost $500 to get my cable turned back on.
I signed up for this service in April of this year. The situation still isn't resolved. They are now printing out bills and sending them to me because they can't seem to figure out how much I'm supposed to pay each month.
The customer service is the worst that I have ever dealt with. I get transferred from person to person on each phone call and no one ever knows what's going on. This has to be the worst company in the world. If I hadn't signed up for a two year contract I would have canceled a long time ago so I wouldn't have to deal with this incompetence. | |
| | supertech315
join:2006-03-01
Perris, CA
·Verizon FIOS
| And which company doesn't have an unhappy camper? , perhaps you should visit the other isp's reviews as well. But I'll tell you any employee even at McDonald's, if you start yelling and b+ching at them , they just gonna want to hang up and pass the bill ...I've seen them and read about it in the reviews in this website and others..shoot if I call you at your work ( whatever it is that you do ) and give you some attitude , yell and b+ch I would love to see how helpful you're gonna be. Now we know this is no excuse for not fixing it but on anything in life a little nice attitude will take you further and plp will be more willing to help you | |
| | | 
fois sucks
@aol.com | Re: Dude yeah there first bill will kill you | |
| | | | DoRight
join:2007-07-20
Mechanicsburg, PA | Re: Dude If you going to cut on VZC then spell FIOS right and register yourself.. | |
| |
Classaction suit
@aol.com | File a class action suit against Verizon Fios - I have had problems too! | |
| davidplatt
join:2003-02-13
Herndon, VA
| Give me a f--king break I've had FIOS for over 2 years. I've had two problems in two years - one a slowdown and one outage. Support answered the phone and I reported the speed issue at 9:30PM. By 8:00 AM the problem had been resolved and the tech came out to my house to make sure all of the equipment was working correctly. The outage was for about 2 hours and, once again, support answer the phone, apologized for the outage and gave a 2 hour estimate for the problem to be resolved. They met the two hour window.
I had one billing issue at the start of the 2 years. The billing department answered the phone and fixed the issue in 2 mintues.
There has to be another reason why the poster is having these problems. | |
| | madrhino
join:2004-07-03
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
edit:
October 16th, @08:59PM
| Re: Give me a f--king break said by davidplatt :There has to be another reason why the poster is having these problems.
I'm glad to hear you had a more pleasant experience than I did.Thanks for your input.How long you been working for verizon anyway? | |
| petermeyers
join:2001-01-31
Grapevine, TX
·Verizon FIOS
edit:
October 16th, @09:03PM
| Quite a review Nowhere in the review do I read anything except the poster's attempt to place a speed increase order. It would be a better review if this person would have written about the quality or lack thereof in this review. Yes, customer service is a part of the package, and I have had similar experiences when making a change to Fios service, but never in the 3 years that I have had it, have I run into what this person has experienced. The biggest problem Verizon CS has is the lack of knowledge about their products, and the training to get them entered right. The quality of the FIOS product has been exceptional. Customer service is not. | |
| | madrhino
join:2004-07-03
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
edit:
October 16th, @09:24PM
| Re: Quite a review said by petermeyers :Nowhere in the review do I read anything except the poster's attempt to place a speed increase order. It would be a better review if this person would have written about the quality or lack thereof in this review. Seems like a little attitude problem. Yes, customer service is a part of the package, and I have had similar experiences when making a change to Fios service, but never in the 3 years that I ahve had it, have I run into what this person has..............Makes one wonder........ Umm, wow?I'm not sure what you're implying, but that's OK.
I'll give a condensed version, .
I have not stated that I have any problems with the quality of the connection.
I placed an order for a speed upgrade on 9-23-07.It was lost.I placed another, and documented the information.However that was lost too.By being persistant I was twice able to get in touch with someone who said they had located some kind of problem(unexplained) with my account and would fix it.It never was.
It goes on, but after a month I decided it is easier just to give up and get a faster, cheaper connection with Comcast,which has its own customer service issues, but eventually you can get things done.
Back to verizon- Besides the already mentioned attempts I tried to cancel the service today on the phone and was told that there is no record of any FIOS service for me.An attitude problem?Now why could that possibly be?
If you think I am being unreasonable, that is fine with me.However you just look like a fanboy shill, and there are other places for that than in a review.Thank you.
--
Get Verizon FIOS,The Anti-DIOS | |
| | | petermeyers
join:2001-01-31
Grapevine, TX
edit:
October 17th, @12:21AM
| Re: Quite a review Not unreasonable. Good luck with Comcast. | |
|
analyzeme
@verizon.net
| You are rught We do some b to b work for Verizon in provisioning in Florida and what we have found is that their systems have a problem talking to each other. After all of their mergers, they use manual entry for some orders and automated for others. They do not have it right yet and orders can and do get "lost" It would be easier of they had one order system. That would solve a lot of their issues. | |
| padre44
join:2000-03-10
Midlothian, VA | Not my experience. Too bad this writer had such a bad problem. My experience has been great and I love Fios. The few problems I had were taken care of promptly - either over the phone or by a tech that came to the house. | |
| sneumann55
join:2002-07-27
Yonkers, NY
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Verizon FIOS
| Maybe it Just you Call center sorry you are the issues,I have had nothing but super attention paid to my orginal fios install and always had a tech rep, that was well trained and informed and got me going with a short time. Yes , the billing support is not the best, but one needs patiance. I think your issues are in the minority and wish you the best | |
| | madrhino
join:2004-07-03
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
edit:
November 14th, @03:29PM
| Re: Maybe it Just you Call center said by sneumann55 :sorry you are the issues,I have had nothing but super attention paid to my orginal fios install and always had a tech rep, that was well trained and informed and got me going with a short time. Yes , the billing support is not the best, but one needs patiance. I think your issues are in the minority and wish you the best It may be in the minority but Google will tell you that is VERY common.Also you can see that Verizon is doing nothing about it.They are blaming their budget, which was done by them, so I don't understand or accept that as an explanation.
| |
| | | sneumann55
join:2002-07-27
Yonkers, NY | Re: Maybe it Just you Call center I only meant that the fios issues were, in regards to customer service, that parts sucks big time! | |
| bfhaith
join:2004-06-07
Auburn, NY
·Verizon FIOS
| Billing Problems You know, I had a similar billing problem and it took them three or four months to fix. There was an incorrect $75 charge on the first bill. I simply paid the bill minus $75. Each time a new bill came, I POLITELY called customer service. And yes, each time I was told that it was taken care of. Each subsequent bill showed the $75 carried over from the last bill. I was persistent and polite and finally got it taken care of. Sure, it's frustrating, but there's no use getting worked up about it. Just pay the bill minus the erroneous charge. Keep careful records of your phone calls. You're credit rating isn't going to be ruined simply because you don't pay your complete phone bill every month, especially since it seems to be a problem on Verizon's end.
I've had billing problems like this with all sorts of companies, not the least of which was Time Warner who kept billing me for three months after I canceled service. In every case, the problem was resolved through polite and persistent communication. I never paid a dime over what I thought was the correct amount and, you know what? I was always right and it never touched my credit report.
Take a deep breath, mix yourself a Manhattan, and download a good flick off the news groups. | |
| madrhino
join:2004-07-03
edit:
November 20th, @12:56AM
| DON'T DO IT!! edit -nm for now.cooling down a bit,verizon sux | |
| ramandala
Premium
join:2006-03-14
San Dimas, CA
·Verizon FIOS
·RoadRunner Cable
| Verizon FiOS was a BIG MISTAKE for me too! I too had a similar experience with Verizon FiOS centered around a seemingly simple upgrade to 15/2. I made no less than 25 calls, but 60% of those calls were answered by a machine telling me that Verizon was closed. Mind you, it was between 10am and 2pm in California. It took two weeks, countless broken promises and three supervisors to finally get the upgrade placed.What did I learn? Well, first of all their software sucks so if a web order or telephone order for the upgrade fails to be completed by Verizon, it takes an act of God to be able to fix it. Their software will not let the employees delete a pending order. And, it will not let them change a pending order. Nor, will it permit them to place another order if one is pending. The aggravating thing is that nobody in tech support and customer service understand this. They kept promising me that it was an easy issue and an hour later, I was told: "Huh, try again tomorrow." It wasn't until I refused to get off the telephone with a supervisor that she assigned a trouble ticket with "Offline support." Remember that if you are in a similar situation. It took offline support about four hours to remove the pending order to free the system to accept a new order. See my full review of FiOS, but suffice it to say, FiOS may be the Golden Calf. I had about one week of intermittent 100% loss for hours at a time. Verizon blamed it on "my router." Yet, I had to remind them that it was THEIR router. Thanks to smokeping monitoring, it has been fairly reliable for the last week. Speeds are about as promised. with FiOS TV, the media center STB has a novel feature that lets you play back recorded TV via the regular STBs. While this is a great idea, they did not program the regular STBs to be able to communicate a "record" instruction to the media center. Clearly they want you to rent more DVR STBs. Also, the media center has a pitifully small hard drive. It only records about 16-18 hours of standard definition content.Verizon FiOS telephone is much clearer. There is almost zero background noise and louder volumes. In fact, the install tech warned me that I'd probably want to turn down the telephone volume after he switched us to FiOS.Now, with the install, the cable crew ran the fiber from their box through my yard to my garage. And, they only buried the entire length of it six inches deep. And, it is not in conduit. It runs right through my landscape, sprinkler lines, etc. So, when I accidentally slice it in half when I'm working in the yard, you can imagine how much they are going to want me to pay to replace it. | |
|
rogersuser2444
@rogers.com
| why verizon call centres suck at cx service first off they are all outsourced to seperate companies for the most part. i know i used to work for teletech london which handles the internet chat support as well as a small percentage of frontline and large amount of helpdesk aka "supervisors" for their dsl services in no particular order ill list the real problems in verizons inability to truly care about you and have there call centres be informed. im going to give you the technical support side aspect of it but the billing and sales and all other departments essentially act and work the same way.
majority of call centres dont actually have real supervisors answering phones when u ask for them they have a supervisor department acid test would be for this is that u have to wait on hold for a supervisor.(they did this btw because verizon was sued because its against the law to refuse a supervisor and so many call centres did anyways) a real supervisor youd get on the phone would be really pointless to talk to them because all his responsibilities lie to the company they work for ie teletech and his only concerns are that of the agents on the floor(note: if your hold times are extreme for the other "supervisors" youll talk to one of these ppl). the only bonus of getting a "supervisor" aka helpdesk is that hes more technically inclined and could probably give you more of a straight answer providing you dont yell because frankly they dont get paid enough to care about your problems and arnt going to put up with your hot air(same goes for any other cx rep). all your story does is make fodder for fun complaints in the smoking pit or "talking shop" amongst employees.
another problem that call centre agents have is that the vast majority of them dont have much experience. if you breathe and uve surfed the internet a few times in your life and you suck up enough youve got the job. in fact in my city you typically dont get unemployement benefits until youve at least applied for one of these outsourced centres as its the easiest jobs out there to get. this creates a whole big chunk of ppl not knowing what they are doing not because they arent smart enough its just they have no concept of technology being used. it even makes it worse if you get to an offshore india or phillipines agent which most ppl racistly say "the person didnt know how to speak english" which is not the case! if u called south korea or japan they would think your the idiot because your the one with age old technology. but when your from the place that the average civilian doesnt even own a computer u can see again - no concept of technology makes a huge difference in your experience on the phone. sadly as well when i started working there. 5 centres (just for the dsl) were in north america when i left after 2 1/2 years of hell only one was left and it was up here in canada. (i dont know about the fios but id not be surprised if its the same situation). these know nothings do tech support google style search in our own databases(they arent even allowed to even use google just company troubleshooting btw) and hope the answer to your question is in key word format. and if it is it generates steps and procedures that work great! if not your punted to your computer manufacturer or microsoft etc.
another problem is then how do you train a bunch of know nothings how to know this stuff? well most training sessions last a week maybe two and then your thrown on the floor btw to figure it out for yourself. as well only once or twice a month a conference call between trainers and company men have a meeting to tell the other of new technology and new things that are coming out to the floor and to the public. so that trainers know what to train. this creates very poor dialogue between us the call centre employees and verizon. because we have to rely on our trainers to ask enough questions and get answers that arnt documented in the faxes they receive so that we know everything so that when problems arise(which they do) we know how to fix them. and it also sucks in timing if anyones used verizon dsl the agents didnt know even about the 6100 modem until it hit the market and then we didnt even get the documentation of how to troubleshoot it til weeks later. things also slip through the cracks all together sad isnt it?
then the trainers teach us on the new technology and any questions we have are put in a "parking lot" so that they can get back to us on the answer to that question. sadly the majority of issues brought up by call centre front liners that do know things and actually want to help their customer, these parking lot questions very few of them get answered. thus we have to "lie" to our cx of why things are happening. (we are givin permission to do so btw)
being outsourced in general creates poor company management as well. although it creates jobs and it is cheaper to verizon to handle it this way. all teletech (and other companies like it) cares about is that they maintain the contract with verizon and that all the seats are filled so they get paid. i can never put on a resume that ive worked for verizon either which sucks because it closes doors of opportunities for me if i say wanted to start to "actually" work for them.
problems in the lack of communication between the outsourced ppl and the ppl that actually do work for verizon is basically the key to majority of poor cx experience. every communication is a cross your fingers and hope they get it and understand it and send it back correctly situation. thus its not hard to figure out why somethings can take days,weeks,months at a time. simply because even if your lucky enough to get someone to own your problem and resolve it they are stuck with the same problems as you are lack of commnucation outlets! thats why theres an abundance of ppl that work for them that are posters on these forums some of them still care and agree that cx service is crap. and are also frustrated with the lack of cx appreciation of these problems because they dont bother to take the time to understand. and its extremely offensive to be called some sorta "fanboy employee shill" btw. truth is we hate verizon just as much as you and we dont even actually work for them. also truth is theres alot of cx calling in that are complete morons and insensitive to anything more then their own problems. it doesnt take to much digging though to find out why your in the situation your in though.
the only reason verizon hasnt done anything is that you are in the minority of their monopolized cx base. and its not cost effective for them to start caring as long as the majority of cx are smooth sailing. unfortunately it doesnt eliminate obvious holes in the corporate structure. i now work for another call centre where i actually work for the company and believe me theres very little problem with communication. if i have a problem i know i can email my superiors and i know for a fact ill get an answer with in the day because theres open dialogue. i hope this reply has giving you insight of why the majority of problems take place. | |
| madrhino
join:2004-07-03
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
| ??? I'm not disagreeing with you but my experience is that all Verizon employees are members of the CWA union.Maybe things have changed.
One of the problems is if Uncle Fred or Aunt Juanita gets you a job you can't get fired for anything short of murder .
Really though, the biggest problem appears to be greedy, scared management that is being bullied into overbuillding by stockholders out of fear for their jobs.They put the infrastructure in place but don't have the support system for it when it goes live.
--
Get Verizon FIOS,The Anti-DIOS | |
| |
rogersuser2444
@rogers.com
| Re: ??? it may be the experience that all verizon employees are members of a union what im saying is that the cx support/tech support is outsourced and do not work for verizon they work for seperate companies that verizon simply contracts out to. trust me i used to work for one of these facilities. they have no rights or say or any union at all as far as influencing the company orders for mass retail. even though they are the frontliners that can tell you the problems of what goes on. | |
| hughv
join:2006-08-19
Annapolis, MD
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Verizon FIOS
| Verizon Support Forum Rocks! My interaction with Verizon FIOS has been problematic also.
The internet service (15/2) has been very reliable. Most of my problems have been with the TV service, which seems to have a lot of glitches.The last tech who came actually replaced much of the equipment that was installed less than a year ago.
I have had great success using the Verizon support forum provided here, and I recommend it to all.
Getting anything done on the 'phone with Verizon is almost impossible, but responses to the Forum are quick and usually very helpful. | |
| madrhino
join:2004-07-03
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
edit:
January 18th, @04:43PM
| And I'm outta here.......... Got a recorded call today from verizon but looking online shows that despite all the repeated promises they have still not corrected their billing. I wrote a short post in the Support Forum here( capitalized out of respect) but those guys can really only refer me back to the totally screwed up billing department, which is the cause of the problem.
Since I no longer have any hope of this being resolved I'm going to decide over the weekend between a DSL from one of Verizons competitors or just go back to Comcast.
The amazing thing is that in comparison to verizon( not capitalized because they suck) Comcasts formerly really bad customer service looks great.
It's a relief to know that I won't be dealing with them any more.What an unpleasant experience! 
--
Get Verizon FIOS,The Anti-DIOS | |
| |
Litigo
@rr.com
| Worst company I have ever dealt with, bar none I had one nightmare experience with Verizon fios after another. I took the time to total up all my notes, letters and emails, and over the last year, I have spent 350+ hours, 125+ phone calls, 100+ emails, 14 service calls, 30+ trouble tickets and countless amounts of stress, hassle, and utter frustration. I am a lawyer, with my own law firm. I estimate that between opportunity costs, stress, and good will damage resulting from Verizon's repeated errors, my fios experience has costs me between $145,000-$165,000.
On the upside, once I finally get all the damage repaired, I'm going to have the satisfaction of representing pro bono anyone who wants to sue Verizon. I expect to have an unlimited supply of potential plaintiffs. | |
| | | nitrous9200
join:2007-11-29
Rye, NY
·Verizon FIOS
| Re: Worst company I have ever dealt with, bar none Stress and good will damage? You lawyers are crazy.
As for me, my FiOS service has been fine. Customer service isn't Verizon's strong point, as most people know. As with all companies, you will find a competent person eventually. And who ever said cable companies are better? Cablevision certainly wasn't, and their service definitely sucked, which is where FiOS shines. I'd like you to sue all big companies with call centers and see how far you get with that. They're not perfect, but neither is any company... | |
| | | madrhino
join:2004-07-03
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
| I'm not interested in sueing them for $$ but I would love nothing more that to shut them down until they clean up their house.
For them to be allowed to continue to build out at this crazy pace is so far beyond insane it proves 100% that the FCC is totally useless.
They clearly cannot meet the most basic obligations of a service provider and need to be SHUT DOWN completely until they fix their mess.
--
Get Verizon FIOS,The Anti-DIOS | |
| | Thespis
join:2004-08-03
Keller, TX | Re: And I'm outta here.......... My experience with FIOS has been smooth. Great installs, responsive tech support and correct billing. | |
| | |
See 6 replies to this post | |
kimphall
join:2008-01-27
Everett, WA
| Input from a CSA I thought perhaps a view from the inside might dispel some rumors.
The hiring process starts with a full day of timed tests: personality profile, mathematical, spatial concepts (for visualization) and technical network/PC knowledge. Phone testing takes place on another day with role playing calls from "customers" (anywhere from nice to insistent and upset) on a mock computer system that you must master in 45 minutes. Then you go home and wait for an offer call. Only 5% of the applicants get this call, sometimes months later.
If you get the call and accept the offer, an extensive background check right down to parking tickets and every minute of your previous work/no work history is done. Also, a drug test is done including any prescriptions from a doctor being verified.
If you pass that, you report on your first day for 7 weeks of paid training. This includes Voice (telephone), Data (internet), and Video (TV) modules. The 5 binders are about 16" wide and all material is gone through. There are online training modules and tests as well as written scenario tests at the end of each of the three modules. These must be passed. Points stressed include proper handling of calls and customer contact and you're graded down if you don’t includ these as part of the answer. During this time and afterward, you "shadow" other experienced CSA's to get a feel for the flow of calls and the use of the systems. This is a union membership job as a company employee in America, not an outsourced operation. The union and the company have an excellent working relationship.
Then... your first week. Nothing can prepare you enough for the real thing, but you learn quickly. There are experienced agents available to help with getting you up to speed, both on the floor and in chats. Time spent on each thing is monitored as well as remote monitoring just like the "hold lady" says. Stats are gathered and meetings with your supervisor provide you with ways to improve efficiency by the second. Goals for improvement are laid out. Observations are done where your manager taps in at your desk and does a check off sheet of requirements met or not met while monitoring the calls. A good part of this is etiquette and customer relations. A scoring system is used to track your progress. Meetings are regularly scheduled one-on-one to go over the results.
In spite of this sounding drastic, everyone in this effort is looking out for your well being and success, and you get that very clearly. There are strict codes of conduct and no need for them. Given some of the calls I get, I wouldn't stay in the job without the tremendous support of the other experienced CSA's, supervisors, and management. I look forward to a long and prosperous career with the company and will take advantage of the advancement opportunities like tuition assistance.
By the way, I've worked for a "large" software company where the only qualifications were who you knew or what good looking credentials you had for the manager's harem. I've seen NONE of that here. There is no interview, only the testing to qualify applicants and not by age or anything else.
Now, a word about orders and billing: I hate to tell someone who has been on hold awhile that I have to send them to billing. I get calls asking for things to be done that I can't do. I don't get to play with the money. I'm tech support. If an order is messed up, I can't fix it. Neither can a supervisor. If you want your internet turned back on and there is no order for it, there is nothing to turn on. In fact, another group does the turning on. If it's on, then I can troubleshoot it. If it's broken, then I send in a repair ticket.
I troubleshoot the connection to the premises including the router that was provided and when they are still in warranty. The company provides a "connection service" to the premises and makes a "best effort" to get you up and running. If the PC is broken, you take it to a repair shop. I don't do Windows - that's Bill's job. I don't control radio waves - no one can guarantee that wireless networks will work or how well, even if it worked yesterday. Home telephone wiring really does go bad - I'm surprised at how often this happens. If you buy a big new HD TV, learn to use the features, especially the input settings. It will save you tons of time, frustration, and calls.
I hope this demystifies the interworkings of the BOE for you somewhat. When you consider how many pieces of equipment there are and that each one is logged in to a database which tracks its identity, connections, etc. it really is a monumental operation. Think of a simple device like a TV Set Top Box. Its serial number, unit number, and model number are recorded in a database that knows which circuit it is on, what features it has, what it is allowed to display or not, and what it's status is on the network. With a piece of software on a PC, it can be scanned, reset, activated, deactivated, etc. from any company location. There are millions of these out there now. The correct program guide information for that particular area is sent to the appropriate boxes based on that information. I'm amazed that it all works given the complexity and number of people required to support it. | |
| | madrhino
join:2004-07-03
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
edit:
January 29th, @07:56AM
| Re: Input from a CSA said by kimphall : I'm amazed that it all works given the complexity and number of people required to support it. Wow. Incredible. Because it is complex it is OK that it totally doesn't work AT ALL?Geez.
And even though the system is totally broken it's OK because the techs get training on a broken system?Wow.
| |
| | | madrhino
join:2004-07-03
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
| Re: Wow said by chakey :Keeping up with this review is like watching a tennis match. Or Ross Perot in 1992. I'm in, I'm out, I'm out, I'm in... will agree that Verizon's billing is awful (see my review at left). But as far as a solid service goes, you really can't beat it. I guess you just have to be willing to trade a good service with hours on the phone fixing the billing... That's pretty much it.
I'm not sure who wore who down but they finally started billing me the correct amount and I was able to get all the bogus charges removed. I did get screwed out of the $100 gift card but I can't take any more.
--
Get Verizon FIOS,The Anti-DIOS | |
|
beannead
@intel.com | their speed rocks but customer service sux I had similar bad experience as OP. After 1.5 years, I canceled my FIOS. | |
| birdfeedr
Premium
join:2001-08-11
Warwick, RI
·Verizon FIOS
| Lightning rod madrhino, I sure feel badly for you having to endure your VZ experience. I agree that there are fundamental problems with the Verizon system as far as billing, and sometimes lately, tech support.
And, while I also believe in karma as a fundamental metaphysical concept, I'm not saying that something you've done in the past or a past life has caused you to be singled out.
I am certain that there is a team of ShitFairies™ whose sole job is to, well, cause shit to happen. I've seen them in action, so I know of what I speak.
Your best strategy to overcome your current predicament is don't make eye contact!
In the meantime, I think grateful Verizon subscribers who have not had major disastrous encounters with Verizon's support services should contribute to a fund to help compensate you for being the lightning rod.
So what do you need? Some tool points perhaps? I can certainly hoist a beer in your name. Hey, here's two!
Uh oh, I should have posted this anonymously, because I feel their gaze turning my way. Keep head down, don't look. | |
| | madrhino
join:2004-07-03
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
edit:
February 2nd, @06:18AM
| Re: Lightning rod said by birdfeedr :I am certain that there is a team of ShitFairies™ whose sole job is to, well, cause shit to happen. I've seen them in action, so I know of what I speak. It wasn't shit fairies, it was a shit company.I've seen it in action. | |
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