Get That TV/Broadband Deal In Writing

This is why I always record my conversations with TV / Telephone / Internet providers when I call them to discuss my account.

In April, I had a 'manager' at our local Comcast office call and leave a message about a promotional rate for TV and internet. I recorded the voice mail into a wave file, which I then sent to my cell phone. As I expected, the special 'promotional' rate never appeared on my bill. I kept calling for the manager, but of course she never returned my call. I went so far as to make a personal trip to the office, and of course she still 'wasn't there'. Every other rep I spoke to of course made the excuse that they couldn't give me that rate. Then, I contacted Comcast customer service through Twitter, which also didn't help. Finally, I called to cancel while explaining the reasons. The rep I reached FINALLY made everything right and gave me a better rate and a credit for the hassle I had to go through!! Nobody is accountable at Comcast!!

Record the conversation

This is why I always record my conversations with TV / Telephone / Internet providers when I call them to discuss my account.

The Phone company that I work for VZ, may take leagal action if you announce you are recording. If fact, if you tells us you are recoding our response is, "We are sorry but Verizon does not allow unauthorized recording of agents. Please turn off your recording device and call back." Then we are to immediately hang up and note your account. Even if you do with out telling us, it would be useless, to many VZ lawyers to deal with.

Federal law and most states require only 1 person in the conversation to know it's being recorded so wherever you live at (including me) are in the minority. The 12 "2 party" states that require both sides to know the call is being recorded are California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington.

»www.rcfp.org/taping/

In Texas we don't have to tell you we're recording you.

wig

Don't forget, that's a 2 way street.

When I call in, I hear a statement that the call may be recorded for "quality assurance purposes" (I actually make sure this statement is part of the recording). As such, my recording is not "unauthorized" as all parties on the line agree that a recording may be taking place.

You can't ask me for permission to record then complain about the call actually being recorded. Well, actually, you can and you may be right in a court of law; but not so much in the court of public opinion. They are well aware that keeping the squeaky wheel quiet is much cheaper than the alternative and I am more than happy to exploit that for my benefit.

I think you're mis-speaking, there, thorataz. Verizon can't "take legal action if you [a customer] announce you are recording," because it's not illegal or actionable to announce that. Verizon and other parties have the right to refuse to converse with a customer who does announce it, or ask them to turn off the recording device, but authorities won't prosecute them nor can they successfully sue them if the recording has been announced--the sole remedy is to refuse to consent. As noted above, some states require that both parties be informed, so they might be able to take action against a customer from one of those states (including mine) who did not inform the called party of the recording, in advance, but it's not illegal to record phone calls generally--as you must realize, since Verizon does it at their end.

I know, thorataz, that you only work for Verizon and don't make policy for them, but you might ask yourself why a company that routinely records customers "for quality assurance purposes" would refuse to allow their customer the same right. It's not unusual for journalists and somewhat hostile interview subjects to each make and keep their own recordings of the same interviews, each to protect his or her own interests from unfair editing of the recording by the other side. I don't know that Verizon has ever edited customer service calls in their favor to "prove" a customer agreed to up his contract, but a few rogue employees for other companies have done that. It's only fair that customers be allowed to record the conversations with Verizon CSRs.

And Verizon would lose in court since they say, "Your call may be recorded for quality assurance and training purposes." Therefore, that could be used as 2 party agreement to record the call.

I'm not an attorney, but in my opinion, if you got sued or prosecuted as a customer recording the call in a state like mine where two-party notification is required, you'd have a reasonable chance of winning that point in court. It's not a slam dunk, though, and some judges might rule against you; I think there is some degree of risk unless there's a legal precedent for it in your state. But I'd make sure to get the company statement, "Your call may be recorded for quality assurance and training purposes," included in the recording you make at your end if you're counting on it to get you off the legal hook as sufficient two-party notification.

My point exactly. You are already notified by the company when calling and the CSR knows they are being recorded.

Now, if I ask during the conversation IF the call is being recorded and they give me a yes or the canned response, then I see no reason where I have to notify them I am recording the conversation since they are already under that assumption.

Furthermore, if I were to say I do not consent to being recorded, and they hang up, that would further go against them.

What happens when a Verizon customer calls and refuses to have his/her conversation recorded? Does VZ instruct its CSRs to hang up on them too?

Just curious, as it appears that Verizon (like most other companies out there, to be fair) want to make things about as one-sided as they possibly can in their favor.

I'm just glad I live in a state where I can record Verizon's, Comcast's, and any other company's employees on the phone with me without having to say a single word to them about it. I also love that my VOIP provider makes doing this for the entire conversation as easy as a few mouse clicks on their web site.

People who call me will likely never know that they are being recorded, unless it's to my benefit to reveal such information to them.

»[ Billing] Now You Can Get It In Writing...

honor verbal agreements done over the phone.

I've had many made, some for service related issues, others for some failure on Comcast's part yet when the bill comes a month later there is no adjustment nor mention of the agreed upon change/rate.

They just did that to me last month; I was offered a free STB in exchange for a non-available (at this time) DTA for a second TV here yet 2 months later, they INSIST it's not free nor that any rep offered it. (if they didn't offer it, HOW did we get it? why wasn't it on the previous 2 months bills?)

Its a scam to bring in more money thinking people won't bother reading or correcting their bill.

I'm glad someone has stood up to and forced Comcast to provide written confirmation of changes/special offers and the like. We will now demand written confirmations on all future offers. (as well as record all telephone calls to them)

I just had this with TWC. I was able to get Turbo RR on a special rate of $54.99 per month. Well i got my new bill. What do you know? It's full price. I'll handle that when I go to pay my bill. But I've also sent notice that I'm disputing the charge of that amount.

If you send a letter via mail stating you dispute any charges they'll deal with them.

What is the normal price for Turbo?

Hob

All you need is a small pad of paper and a pencil.
Ask the CSR's name or ID #. Record the date and time of the phone call ...and take notes so you can tell the next CSR and their supervisor exactly Who, When and What was agreed to.

Being in the drivers seat as an informed consumer is far less painful and time consuming than trying to be a Lawyer !

The "at fault company" can seldom turn you down as you have them cornered with information of the Who..What and When information and the phrase ..."let me speak to your supervisor" .. and always in a calm and controlled voice.

This approach has worked for me extremely well over the years of dealing with CSR's ..Supervisors and Managers. They just can't stand it when you have the concise details of the conversation and your armed with
the Who..What and When !

BTW ..Sprint .. EarthLink ... DISH Sat TV and AT&T .. I have never lost the battle and have reaped many months of free service and some extras ... because they can't stand it when I catch them in a lie !!

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if those were fake.

"Sorry, but we don't have a CSR by that name or number."

I've had that response too many times already.

CSRs are generally TOLD NOT to use their real names by many companies. Especially larger ones like TWC.

and as far as the person who said about being a lawyer; i'm fully within my rights according to the state of Ohio to notify them they over charged me and dispute those charges.

If they don't honor their agreement (verbal), why should I honor mine ?

I like that line of thinking. In a phone call one could easily say something like "When did I ever agree to pay for that? Do you have it in writing?" I'd be tempted to even dispute the fact that the monthly service was agreed upon at that point.

It should be a 2 way street. If companies won't honor their end of the bargain over the phone, one should feel no compunction about not honoring yours.

We had verbal agreement issues as well with Comcast. It seems to be common game. Last month we didn't pay our bill until they fixed the charges. Us customers who have been paying for as long as Comcast has existed in the area should not receive this kind of crap.

I remember when we talked to the billing guy a while ago he said we should receive a bill of about $80 a month. Then he said we owed over $100 a month for 2 months. It took him a long time to figure out the charges were too high. I would have thought billing would be required to know some basic math.

Comcast box rent / cable card fees are hard to find out / get.

It seems to very from area to area and the web site used to be better at time.

But now it's hard to find out the price for more then 1 digital box. or even a HD DVR do need to pick HD and HD DVR then how do you add more HD , HD DVR boxes?

cable card is a better mess some area have the HD cable card fee others do not. some have outlet fees others do not.

also there proms say free HD free HD DVR free HD access (a fee they do not have) for X time but in the fine print they say equipment is a added free.

Whenever I call Verizon for anything, I record the call. The X-Lite software phone has a handy little record button right above the keypad. Just hit record and your conversation with Comcast or Verizon or whatever your provider, will be recorded, giving you proof of what you were promised.

Again.. recording at least with vz is useless. Do like I do and go to the office, then you will actually get your paper. To the guy that had so many problems with comcast, they actually gave you better deal than what you originally had.....But you still have them, so you're not that upset.

Arizona, which is where I assume you work, is a "1 party state". Anyone can record their calls to Verizon quite legally.

Arizona is a "one-party" state, ARS 13-3005.A(1)(2), and also permits a telephone "subscriber" (the person who orders the phone service and whose name is on the bill) to tape (intercept) calls without being a party to the conversation and without requiring any notification to any parties to the call, ARS 13-3012(5)(c).

»www.callcorder.com/phone ··· rica.htm

Maybe it depends on the call center, but when I get that recording that says "this call may be monitored or recorded", I consider it both notification AND permission.

Why is it useless? I don't care anything about 1 party or 2 party laws. I'm not calling an individual and attempting to incriminate them. I would only use a recorded conversation with Verizon Customer Service as proof to a supervisor or other Verizon representative of what I agreed to. It would never go to court, so the law makes no difference. If they refused to listen to the recording, I would tell them to go to hell, and they would lose a customer. Case closed.

I just recently got screwed out of $300 by at&t. I signed up for their U-Verse and part of them making the deal with me was that I got the phone free for 12 months (I didn't even want it but hey, if it's free) and a $300 gift card rebate. When I went to get that rebate it was only for $50. I called and called getting pushed around to different people until I finally got to a supposed manager and she flat out told me that the sales girl misrepresented at&t and that there was absolutely no way that at&t would offer a $300 rebate and give the phone for free for 12 months. I was shocked, they admitted that they screwed up but then in the very next breath she said that there was absolutely no way that she would honor the deal. I was speechless. I told her I felt as if she stole money right from my pocket and all she would say is "sorry"...

After a little bit more back and forth and me telling her very plainly that I was going right to the internet to tell the world how she has screwed me and that she is selling a service knowing full well that at&t has no intention of honoring it she finally offered a $100 rebate card. I reluctantly took it (might as well get what I can) but then as I am getting off the phone she says, this matter is closed and can never be re-opened...

They to make matters all that much better, I just say an add stating that at&t is now offering a $400 rebate!!!

Maybe i'll go to comcrap :-\

Don't give up so easily. ATT gave me the bait and switch treatment on both cell rates and DSL service. I wrote to the CEO (registered mail) with all the details, and the next thing I knew I had an executive service flunkie giving me everything I'd been promised in the first place.

It sucks that the Death Star is so customer-adverse that you have to take such steps, but it'd be worse still to let them get the better of you.

Show it to me in writing.

Last I heard, AT&T is giving $200 in promotion card for signing up for U-Verse.