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Xtreme2damax
join:2007-03-21
Port Byron, NY

Xtreme2damax

Member

Verizon and Their Walled Garden

My service recently got temporarily suspended and I just called Verizon today. I told them I had just got service in January and was billed $103 not even one or two weeks after services were installed/activated. Apparently their records show that I got service on December 29th but I'm pretty sure that's not right. I think they got the day I signed up mixed up with the day I got service installed/activated. I also explained shortly after I signed up I added basic local television service and then upgraded to a package with more channels. I then explained the website wouldn't let me upgrade my television package without adding digital voice which I didn't need because I already had telephone service. I got hit with two $30 charges plus taxes for digital voice which I did not want or need so I have a $60 credit due to me.

The first rep I spoke with told me she couldn't do anything and would transfer me to the billing/account department. The guy I spoke with from that department told me there's nothing they could do, that's how they billed customers in my area and I would need to pay the balance in full before I could get service restored. I was then transferred to some lady with a Jersey/Southern NY accent after speaking with the previous rep for a bit. This lady was a bit rude, she kept interrupting me and speaking rudely to me and kept insisting Verizon does not offer a basic local television package even though I know what I signed up for. I added basic television service through their website so I know that's exactly what I signed up for. I was getting nowhere with this lady so I requested to speak with someone else. The fourth rep I spoke with was more understanding, I explained my situation which I previously mentioned to him and told him I didn't expect to be hit with a bill right away for that much and also told him I fell behind since I had another bill to pay. So I worked out an arrangement that I pay $30 this week and $30 next week and pay off the balance on
April 10th when I get more money. So I got my service fully restored and am glad that is over with.

It's funny that they supposedly temporarily suspended service but even though I couldn't browse the web (as I was being redirected to a service temporarily suspended page aka walled garden) I could log in to Steam, chat with friends and play TF2 online as well as view my TF2 inventory. By the way for those that don't know TF2 is Team Fortress 2, a game from Valve. Can someone explain why this is or how the walled garden works? Apparently it's not dns redirection as changing my dns to Open Dns or Google Public Dns didn't allow me to browse the web. Sorry for the tl;dr btw.
derekivey
join:2006-03-30
San Jose, CA

derekivey

Member

Sounds like they're just messing with port 80/433. The other apps probably use different ports. I bet they're using some firewall rules to redirect traffic on those ports to some web server.
jophan
Premium Member
join:2009-07-12
Jenkintown, PA

jophan to Xtreme2damax

Premium Member

to Xtreme2damax
You should have gotten a report when you placed your order telling you what the first bill would be. Verizon's policy is to charge in advance (except for on demand rentals), so the first bill includes the partial month from the in-service date to the billing date plus the full month ahead. So the first bill can be up to double the average month.

The website is certainly pushing the triple play packages (with voice), but double-play packages without it are available. You have to hunt around some. The price difference isn't that much; I doubt it's $30 a month. With triple play, your bill may read something like $30 for voice, 30 for data and 40 for TV, but if you drop to double play it would increase to 35 for data and 45 for TV. (Those aren't real rates, just a guess.)
Xtreme2damax
join:2007-03-21
Port Byron, NY

Xtreme2damax

Member

I didn't receive any report. The bill just came on the 13th, I was both shocked to have already received a bill and it being for $103. I don't remember them billing that quickly when I last had service with them last march before hopping to Time Warner in March 2012 and back to Verizon in January 2013. I guess some things changed since then? Such as when I called to sign up for service in January they tried telling me they couldn't just sell me a data package and it had to be bundled with voice due to some unheard of law (to me) in New York State.
jcondon
join:2000-05-27
Fishkill, NY

jcondon

Member

You say you ordered online? If so you should have received several emails from them. One thanking your for your order and listing what you ordered including price. I also got one a day or two after service was turned on thanking me again.

Did you not get any of those emails?

2 months ago I picked up a cable card at the local Verizon store and they emailed me before I made it home confirming / thanking me for my order.
brutus
join:2003-12-16
Tampa, FL

brutus

Member

said by jcondon:

You say you ordered online? If so you should have received several emails from them. One thanking your for your order and listing what you ordered including price. I also got one a day or two after service was turned on thanking me again.

Did you not get any of those emails?

2 months ago I picked up a cable card at the local Verizon store and they emailed me before I made it home confirming / thanking me for my order.

Verizon has been hit or miss on this lately. Many of us who ordered during the 1/22 glitch didn't receive any emails. Some did with pricing and other just got a generic welcome to FiOS email.

The last time I picked up a CableCARD they didn't send me an email even though I had gotten it three times before that for other cards.
jcondon
join:2000-05-27
Fishkill, NY

jcondon

Member

Interesting. I get emails all the time about a free movie and stuff. In fact I should go there and change my email preferences.

I ordered back in November.
brutus
join:2003-12-16
Tampa, FL

brutus

Member

Yeah I get those but the actual order verification emails are spotty.

This was one of the issues the Jan 22nd orders had to deal with since most of us only had screenshots of the pricing error because the confirmation emails were generic thanks for your order and no other emails.
Xtreme2damax
join:2007-03-21
Port Byron, NY

Xtreme2damax

Member

I had to call Verizon to order. For some reason their website doesn't recognize my address no matter how I type it. I live in a sort of community with several buildings with around 4 -8 townhouse apartments in each building. After I signed up for service I was able to use the website as normal to upgrade service, view and pay my bill. I knew how much the bill would be just not when the billing cycle was, I didn't expect to receive a bill for that much so soon.

It was a nightmare signing up with them, over two hours on the phone just because the inept rep kept claiming they couldn't just sign me up for a data package without bundling voice due to some weird unknown law in NY as I previously said. Then it's been a nightmare after signing up because I've been experiencing lag/ping spikes and other lag issues with online games.
VZFiOSYo
join:2007-02-24
Lakewood, CA

VZFiOSYo to derekivey

Member

to derekivey
No, there are no ports being blocked that involve NWG. It's a function of the gateway router in the CO that he's being served out of. Until the TOS are agreed to, it will then send a command to the GWR that TOS has been completed and then will allow regular traffic to the internet.