yokel
join:2006-08-29
Fairfax, VA
1 edit | bad experience ordering Fios TV
Hi Guys,
Thought I will share my horrid experience ordering and trying to get Fios TV installed. Please skim through if you find the timeline explanation exhaustive.
I ordered Fios Internet and Fios TV together on September 12. I was moving in to my new apartment on 23rd, the same apartment complex where my friends are living in another apartment with Fios Internet and TV. So, I thought I was doing a good thing ordering well in advance. But, in the words of Verizon, "Not so fast".
Install was scheduled on Sept 25. I was happy with the date. I stayed at home on Sept 25. The installer lady came at around 11. She told me that she just had only Fios Internet on her install that day. I was bewildered why that would happen. So, I called them up and they said the install date for TV is Oct 12, which I was not aware of. So, I said ok and then she installed Fios Interenet.
Oct 12- I wait at home all day, working from home(it wasn't a busy day, so it was ok). Waited for them whole day, no one shows up. I called them up and they said there was a problem in the way the order was put and wanted to reschedule. At this point, I got really mad and asked them to cancel the order to see my other TV options in our area. I found out that Fios TV is the better option with Cox not behind by much(except in the number of HD channels).
So, I decided to give Fios TV another shot. I ordered through their website this time. I waited for 7 days and nothing was updated. So, I called them up. They couldn't even find this order in their system and the previous order was not even cancelled. So, I spent like 7 hours on the phone talking to them switching between different departments to help out with my problem. On one such call, I remember I talked to 14 people, giving my information each time.
Nothing was done. So, I contacted verizon direct support through this forum, verizon direct. Someone responded to me immediately, he was friendly and really helped moving things around. So, they gave me this install date of November 15. They called me up to confirm the date on Nov 14, a day before the install. I said yes. Now, things are really hectic at work today(15) and I have some important meetings and stuff like that. I decided to work from home for this install even though face to face meetings would've been much better and less hassle for me.
I waited until 3'0 clock. No one showed up. I called them up again. The support person said, my install has been pushed to a further date. At this point, I have lost my patience. I have waited for 2 months since my first order to get the install done. I've had no TV since I moved in to my new apartment except occasional movies from netflix. Has anyone waited so long for something like this?I put a note to the person in dslreports saying that I am giving a final chance and that's about it. I am going to Cox after this if they don't install.
This is by far the worst experience I've ever had with any company in my life. Anyone had a similar one? |
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legalaliens
join:2007-02-23
Fairfax, VA
1 edit | Wow. That's a damn shame. I feel for you. Verizon has no excuse for that level of incompetence. They are going to lose a lot of potential customers if they continue to f'up scheduling, installations, and billing.
I must have gotten lucky. My install was in early 2006 (both internet and TV) and Verizon showed up on time and completed it all in about four or so hours. Since then, I haven't really had any major problems.
BTW, I had Cox cable in the mid 90's and at that time, they really, really sucked. So don't be too quick to sign up with them, even though they MUST have gotten better or they would be out of business by now. |
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yokel
join:2006-08-29
Fairfax, VA
| Thanks for the kind words. I did have Cox in my old apartment and I thought they sucked. But, looking at the way Verizon sucked, Cox looks like a much better company. Atleast I could talk to one support personnel and get my problem resolved. All the departments were well Integrated unlike Verizon. |
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jammmin
join:2000-12-14
Upper Marlboro, MD | reply to yokel
I am sure if you call Cox right now, they could have an installer at your house tomorrow morning.
I have been through a similar pain to you with FIOS so I do understand |
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amejr999
Eric
Premium
join:2001-01-13
Fair Lawn, NJ
clubs: | reply to yokel
Verizon customer service sucks.
File a complaint with the Virginia board of public utilities or whatever it's called in your state. |
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bprush
| reply to yokel
I had the same thing happen to me...they entered the orders in wrong in the system...they were in their twice at the same time (but nobody showed up)
Call the Encore call center in Buffalo and demand to speak to an upper level supervisor (one of those people who have names but dont have direct numbers). They gave me a free month, with your issues, you should get at least three... |
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yokel
join:2006-08-29
Fairfax, VA
3 edits | The thing is, I am so tired of them that I don't want to call them any more. I was supposed to get a free first month on my Internet when I signed up. When I didn't get that, I called them up to find out. They said they will apply the credit. When I check the bill this month, it's the same. No change.Why waste precious time for people who don't give a damn about their customers? In fact, when the installer lady installed my fios internet, after activation I found out that I was given only 5 mbps down when I ordered 15. Getting it upgraded to 15 was another hell. One condescending support person was almost yelling at me when I asked him if the upgrade was possible soon. It took 3 days for it work.
So, in the last 2 months, I've spent atleast 8 to 9 hours on phone with Verizon, 3 times the time I spent with Cox in three years. I may even get blacklisted or something for calling so much. That doesn't make Cox any better in the service they provide. Only, it sucks less. |
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harley3k
join:2007-04-10
Flower Mound, TX
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Wow, this sounds a lot like my experience almost a year ago.
The install techs would cancel the order for some reason but not call to tell me that they had done so or why. I would have to call Verizon and they would claim that I cancelled my own order. Reordering a second time had the same result, and calling in they couldn't even find the order in the system. It's like someone was deleting the order altogether.
I feel for you man - it was soooo frustrating for me. When I finally did get them to show up, I had several weeks of problems with them trying to make it work because I was on some old internet switch which did not allow the DVRs to talk to the right servers to get the guide data.
It all culminated in a huge screaming match on the phone and me threating to leave the DVRs on my front lawn for them to pick up if they didn't get it working.
I completely wished I had cancelled them and stuck it out with DirecTV a little longer, because now they have all the HIGH DEF channels that I want. I had to get a TivoHD to make my DVR experience tolerable, and now need another one for the bedroom TV since the updated DVR software sucks so hard.
My advice to you....... cancel while you can, and don't even waste your time telling them why because they don't even care. They have no system in place to track customer complaints and try to do anything about them. I doubt they even use a clipping service to monitor web traffic to gather what we are saying about them right now.
-h |
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harley3k
join:2007-04-10
Flower Mound, TX
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Oh a few more things... In 11 months I've had 3 bad experiences with the billing department.
1) They overbilled me for my botched install, charged me for multiple routers, when the router was supposed to be free.
2) At one point they stopped crediting my payments that I was sending electronically through Bank of America. The money was leaving my account and going into Verizon's bank, but they weren't crediting my bill. And when I called to resolve the woman was absolutely horrible, saying ther was nothing I could do. The folks at Bank of America spent a lot of time with them and finally resolved it. But in the mean time I had to put up with cancellation of service notices.
3) The last billing fiasco was when I switched to TivoHD. I cancelled one of my 2 DVRs, and got 2 cable cards in the TivoHD instead. All they had to do was remove one DVR ($12.95/month) from my bill and add 2 cable cards ($2.99 each) plus a $25 install fee to my bill. Instead I got charged for 3 DVRs (when I now only had 1), and got charged extra for a Cable Drop that no one ever installed.
Oh and you can't call the billing department except during 8-5pm, so when you get home after work and get your mail and see your f**ked up Verizon bill you have to wait till the next day to call them. And dialing into the number you don't even get a message saying call back during different hours, you just get dead air on the phone.
Seriously.... run away while you can.
-h |
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GeekNJ
Premium
join:2000-09-23
Waldwick, NJ
 ·Verizon FIOS
| reply to yokel
For the 100's of uneventful installs, there is always 1 like this. It stinks when it is you.
You have a couple of choices. 1 is to try again. The hassle of the install will be a blip in what I imagine your overall experience to be. The down side is, as you noted, how many chances do you need to give a company just to take your money each month?
Or, you do the moral 'speak with your wallet' move and tell them to suck and egg.
On a selfish note, I want you to keep trying so I can hear the next episode of this saga.
--
Tweaked your connection? | Mail Parse | Speed Converter |
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yokel
join:2006-08-29
Fairfax, VA
2 edits | reply to harley3k
Man, most of your stuff is very similar to what is happening to me. Do, they do this cancellation in order to save their face over something? She initially contended that I cancelled my order. I flipped out saying why would I do that and call you again?
I did see that there were 3 fios vans infront of my apartment today. I thought they were getting ready to come in to my apartment and knock the door. I was doing my work for a while and didn't notice them and they just left when I checked. May be it's got something do with the switch sort of thing you had? I am just speculating.. |
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yokel
join:2006-08-29
Fairfax, VA | reply to GeekNJ
Yes, that exactly is the reason why I am still trying. I know how good Fios is when it works. But, I've reached the end of my patience limit. |
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JPL
Premium
join:2007-04-04
West Chester, PA
·Verizon FIOS
| I really do feel for you. That's gotta be frustrating as hell. That's why I advise anyone ordering fios - call in to check on your order. I would call a day or so after placing the order, and if there's something amiss, keep calling back every day until they get your order right. And then call back AGAIN a day or 2 before the install.
I had a minor quirk which I was glad I caught. When I ordered tv service, I did it over the phone. I think the salesman messed up in placing the order because the order number he gave me wasn't the same as the one that showed up on their system the next day. There were also some other discrepencies - they had parts of my order wrong - e.g. they said I was set to get internet service - which I already had. They also had the time slot wrong - I asked for the morning appointment, and I was listed as having the afternoon appointment. About the only things they had right was that I was getting TV service, and the day of the install.
All of that led me to believe that the salesman screwed up when entering the order, and had to replace the order. I found out about the discrepencies when I checked on line. I called, and the rep I talked to corrected every item, except the time of the install. She tried to put it back to the AM slot, but it wouldn't take. Another rep said she couldn't move the time back to the AM, but put a note in my order telling the installer to come early if he was able to (he showed up at 12:45 for a 1:00 time-slot).
I think with these ordering systems, you really need to be proactive when you place the order (it's not just Verizon that has this issue, unfortunately). Aside from that, I can't say enough nice things about my installs (both of them - the internet and later the tv). Both installers were professional, prompt, curteous, and knowledgeable as all get out. Easily the best such installers I've ever had. |
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yokel
join:2006-08-29
Fairfax, VA
1 edit | Unfortunately, the most annoying thing is that they did confirm yesterday. So, I was all happy thinking I was finally getting the service. They do this to me and then they accuse me of cancelling the order.
I am normally very quiet and don't get agitated easily, but the way they did this to me really pissed me off. I could have really used going to work today. |
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harley3k
join:2007-04-10
Flower Mound, TX
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In my case it came down to the installers seeing something technical on my setup that prevented me from having the TV service. It was the fact that I had business internet (static IP), and that they could not at the time offer TV service. But instead of anyone taking the orders even knowing that this was a problem and letting me know, they took my order and it went as far as the install tech. Once the install tech got it, he just wrote it up as 'not possible' and cancelled it, then went on to his next install. Nowhere in the workflow was there a process in place for someone to call me. This process went on for a while.
When I finally got someone at Verizon to actually speak to one of the techs that cancelled my order, they explained it to me - then I began the process of converting my service over to Dyanmic IP (instead of static). That took a few days, then the order went through and a tech actually showed up.
But that's when the switch problem happened. I had 2 DVRs in my house for 2 weeks, but I could only channel surf. The DVRs couldn't see the proper servers to get guide data or VOD, etc. I went several rounds with multiple people who kept forwarding the problem onto "NETWORK TECHNICIANS". On at least 3 occaisions I was told that a Network Tech would call me, but they never did. And I had to repeatedly call in to get them to revisit the problem.
The bottom line is that it seemed that most of the instlalers, network techs, and order takers didn't want to talk directly to the customers... They didn't want to follow through a case to the end. They simply wanted to check the problems off their list and move on to the next.
It was seriously the most infuriating case of consumer-rage I have ever experienced.
-h |
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knarf829
join:2007-06-02
1 edit | reply to yokel
I called to order on a Friday and was installed the following Monday. I got an automated call confirming the appointment Sunday night.
My installer was a knowledgeable professional. Internet install was flawless. I decided I wanted cable cards for my TiVo that morning, and he was more than happy to have it added to my order and do it.
There was a system wide technical glitch that prevented the installer from activating my boxes. The installer remained at my location for 5 1/2 additional hours waiting for the glitch to clear at my request. When it was clear that the glitch would not be corrected, he went out of his way to hook my Comcast feed back up for the night.
He showed up first thing the next morning and activated everything.
I was given a $50 gift card as an apology for the trouble.
Despite the day delay in activation, my FiOS install ranks among the best experiences I've ever had with a company. |
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yokel
join:2006-08-29
Fairfax, VA | My previous experience with the installer was good- for Fios internet. It would've been good for TV if they showed up in the first place!! |
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yokel
join:2006-08-29
Fairfax, VA | reply to yokel
Ok!! Finally gave up and got Cox. Ordered on Friday afternoon.Was watching HD in full glory by Sat afternoon. |
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as2higpark
join:2007-11-28
Braintree, MA
·Verizon FIOS
| reply to yokel
In the interest of both sides of the issue, I need to echo what knarf829 said, my install was flawless, the install guys actually needed to show up later than was scheduled, but I got 4 calls between scheduled and actuall show up time letting me know the status. Screw ups happen, but they were fantastic telling me what was going on. When they did arive, it was later, and they were great about tip toeing around my house, as my 4 month old was sleeping, they spent much more time than I would have expected at 8pm at night to show me how to use the guide, how to do a record, how to program the remote,etc. They even gave me a couple extra remotes and cables for putting me out.
All in all, they were fantastic, best install experience that I've ever had.
Perhaps they are starting to learn from previous mistakes? They actually asked me ahead of time about a few of the things mentioned in this thread (static IPs, existing cables,etc) or perhaps some verizon locations are better than others. I don't mean to point fingers, but I have seen a ton of complaints from the Virginia area, which doesn't really help you if youre in that area, but it might be a nice warning. |
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Mark F
join:2007-08-01
Fort Wayne, IN
| Our install, like most, went very well- new cables inside and out, they hooked things up the way I wanted, etc.
There was one slight glitch involving our bill, but, that was the fault of the credit union. And, one little DVR incident, in the hours before the time change in November.
Other than that, we love FIOS. Too bad everyone can't have a good experience with Verizon. Mark F. |
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