Verizon FiOS Sucks

Date: December 17th, 2007

Time: After 6:00 PM

Of course - the Verizon FiOS customer support office is not open after 6:00 pm (why make it convenient for the customer?). I am left to call the Sales office to try and get help for my disconnected phone service. Although incredulous at my story initially I am ultimately aided by 2 people in different departments and here is what I learn:

• They recorded the order being entered into their system on November 29th, 2007. (It will be interesting to ask why this order date is so much later than the Number Transfer Authorization date which occurred when I placed my order on November 7th)
• They have no idea why I never got an installation call - they recorded that the installation was set up at the time of the order.
• Installers had called in a “Customer Cancel” for the telephone portion of the order as they told my wife over her objections.
• FIOS Internet and FIOS TV orders were still active and I ask for them to be canceled.
• They can’t tell me who has “control” over my home phone number They initially deny Verizon taking over my phone number but after I explain that I got through to Verizon Voice Mail they no longer dispute this point.
• They repeatedly tell me that they can’t help me “un-disconnect” my phone service despite them being the ones that disconnected it. If I want it back up and running I need to call Vonage.
• They state that my only remedy through Verizon is to call Customer Service (Encore Department at 800-688-2880) and ask for a supervisor at 8 am when customer service opens back up.

While the call was heated at times when I felt they wouldn’t provide adequate assistance for a customer they had slammed and then disconnected, in the end they were helpful by giving me more detailed information about my order. I figured I would be all set for remedying the situation with customer service in the morning.