Verizon
Reviews and Complaints

I was traveling to the Dominican Republic on business recently. Before leaving I accessed the Verizon Wireless website to inquire about roaming charges. I did a search within their website and a news page came up explaining that I could dial *228 to update my preferred roaming list. I would then pay 69 cents a minute. When my bill came, I was charged $1.99 a minute. For 59 minutes used, it was a $76.70 overcharge. I got nowhere with customer service. I kept asking the representative to access the page I was referencing, but he kept telling me that elsewhere on the site, I could see the $1.99 a minute price. I tried to explain that it is not my job to remove incorrect information from their website. I asked to speak to a supervisor but was told that a supervisor would tell me the same thing. I asked that he have a supervisor call me anyway but as you would expect it never happened. By the way, I was a loyal 8 year customer with 5 phones and a data card paying over $300 a month. I have since moved my main business phone to ATT. I will move the other phones as the contracts end. They happily lost thousnads in potential dollars for $76. Total incompetent fools. They do have better coverage in my area though.

Verizon tried to sneak an "Internet Security Suite" charge into my bill. When I called to have it removed, the representative was very quick to remove the charge but said "you probably activated this through your email - you have to be careful what you click on." First, I do not open any emails from Verizon because they continue to inundate me with communications even after I signed up for FIOS, so for the last three months I have routed all of their emails to my SPAM folder. Second, if I were to open an email and click on something that was going to incur a monthly charge to my account, the ad absolutely must mention in print somewhere that this would result in a charge. The fact that the representatives are trained to provide this type of response - and to immediately remove the charge without any hesitation - tells me that they are actively engaged in shady business practices and they are counting on the fact that people will not scrutinize their bills. (This charge was hidden under "other services")

Absolutely shameful.

I tried to switch for COX high speed 3.0 to Verizon DSL at a much slower rate but for a lot less money. I was going to give them a 30 day trial to compare and see if it was worth saving the money. The day my order arrived I noticed Verizon sent the wrong router. I attempted to call customer service using the phone number that was on the invoice. After talking to 5 different people at Verizon (none of them with people skills) I was told it was a common error and they would send out the new one and I should receive it in about 10 days or so. I asked if there was a faster way to ship it and she stated No! I then asked if there was any compensation for the error on Verizon part and for having to wait again, she stated there was no way to credit me or compensate me. I told her to just cancel my order all together as I did not want to even try this service if the customer service was this bad. I tried to call Verizon back to see if there was anyone else that could give me better service but I was transferred to another line and was on hold for 45 minutes and then hung up. After reading all of these other complaints, I am glad I stayed with COX High-speed for the extra cost. When I call COX they answer the phone immediately and answer all my questions in a curious & professional manner. COX high speed has been very reliable although it is quite pricy if you do not have cable with them.

I'm furious. Our government needs to get involved when too much power and freedom is given to companies such as Verizon Wireless. I'm not ignorant in fact, I'm a nurse and didn't see this Megebyte Usage charge coming as didn't many others I assume. The blocks verizon has developed blocked your picture messaging that you pay for. I propose at least a clear written explanation be given upon plan purchase or for government's sakes get involved, we are being wripped off.

I thought I had found a great online software tool, created by my Internet company ( all FIOS Services) by Verizon, as there " Internet Security Suite/3", no chance. After downloading and installing the software, during reboot of my Dell hardware with XP Home Edition, the system shut down due to a problem with guess who, yes Verizon Software. It took hours of hold time to get thru to Techs whom I know are thoroughly frustated with trying to solve the problem of not beaing able to boot up windows, so guess what you can't even use your system off line. The Verizon solution, we are sorry your account will be credited for your purchase, you need to go to your hardware supplier and PAY to have them remove and uninstall our malicious software that caused the problem in the first place. By the way, we can't pay you for any hardware service charges, sorry your safe mode will not open either.

I pay them over $2, 500 a year for full FIOS - Phone, TV and Ineternet but not for long.

Verizon officially sucks. Originally ordered a bundle package and caught on my bill that they did not in fact bundle my services. Now, it is a 2-3 month wait for the "bundle request" to go through... This should have been bundled from the beginning. Thats how I ordered the services! Needless to say, I literally have spent at least an hour and a half on the phone with verizon each time that i've had to call them. You get bounced around from one rep to another and at the end... Nothing was accomplish or rectified. They never have a supervisor available. When they are supposed to call you back... They don't. Game packages, protection packages, extra modems... All billed to me when I specifically detailed I did not want this things. Worse worse worse absolutely worse experience ever. Too much to write about, but have only had them for 2 months and have had 5 discrepencies with this company. Dear: time-warner cable, please provide services in norfolk, va asap! We'll gladly give you our money.

-pissed off verizon customer

We just moved to va from tx. If you can avoid verizon's residential services in norfolk area. Please do. Save yourself the headache and hours on the phone arguing with customer service.

I recently had FiOS installed in my home. After the first time the "set top box" (cable box) was turned on there were problems.
Accross the screen, purple pixels appeared. The installation tech said "OH whats this" with a puzzled look on his face. He unplugged the HDMI cable, powered down the cable box and then powered it back on. The pixel problem went away but the TV turned on and off on its own a few times, then came on with no obvious resolution problems.
A couple of hours later I go to watch TV and I had the same problem with it turning on and off. Only this time the TV came on with only grey and black bars running vertically on the display. Sweet right, I call that crystal clear reception, way better than ComCast. Ha I was getting pissed at this point.
I called the Joke center, I mean call center for some technical support and I got no technical anything. They got the issues the cable box was having to work right, and then passed off the damage done to my TV as NOT THERE PROBLEM. The only thing I was told is "Sir our equipment works fine, Your TV is broken". DURRP I know the TV is broken your equipment did the damage. "Well sir I am not trained to fix Samsung TV's".
Those scoundrels, (old school Batman saying) There trying to tell me that Year and a bit old TV, the one that I researched the hell out of to find the most reliable, was going to break and it is simply a coincedence that their equipment was installed around the same time.

Don't Use Fios at all the quality is not any better than the service your using now.

DON'T USE VERIZON their customer service sucks.

Show any body who is planning on using Fios this warning Please.

I recently received a bill for around $300 from Verizon for 8 international calls to Zimbabwe. The calls went unanswered and I later found that the phone for the number did not work. although I got a ring tone. Since the Zimbabwe phone system is not reliable I waiting for up to 7 minutes per call to see if it would be picked up. When I complained to Verizon that they had charged for call that were unanswered I was told that all calls, including internal US ones, were charged from the moment the ring tone starts. I find this hard to believe and have never heard of this extortionare method before now. Am I being fobbed off?

My wife and I have been customer's with Verizon for many years. We have a joint service account with two separate phones and lines. Very recently and one year into the service contract (2 year contract), my employer offered me a phone for work that I could also use for personal use. The phone was through a different company (the new Palm Pre via Sprint, which is awesom bye the way). Couldn't turn it down. Because I didn't want to get hit with their ridiculous early cancellation fee (up to $175), I decided to give the phone to my son and we would honor the two year contract. I ported my current mobile number to my new phone with Sprint so that all my clients, friends, etc could still get a hold of me. I then went to the local Verizon at Hill Road in Ventura to have them activate a new phone number on the existing phone for my son. I asked several times whether there would be ANY fees and the sales person (Jerry) said no...only a $9.99 month by month charge and any cancellation fee would only apply if my wife cancelled the joint contract account all together. A few days later we recieved a bill in the mail, which included a $140 early cancellation fee. Of course, I went down to the local store on Hill Road and after waiting (they make you take a number) for 45 minutes, explained the situation calmly and they proceeded to give me the run around. I was of course upset and made it clear that I was not happy. The manager asked me to leave the store, so I left. This is the absolute worst company that I have ever dealt with...what happened to "the customer is always right"? If you are smart, you will have done some investigation and read this. Find a company that is customer friendly, even if you have to pay a little more. We will not pay the $140 and could possibly hurt our credit...but oh well - don't reward bad behavior. It's not even the money. It's the fact that they lied and even if they thought it was an honest misunderstanding, they need to work on retaining existing customers and not just signing up new suckers. By the way, if any of you idiots at Verizon want to take a postive step in the right direction, my cell phone (with Sprint) is [protected].

sale person came to my home and offerd me a deal witch i agree to and he singed his slip witch he left with me when he was at my home and then when i get the bill called verizon and they are so rude and said that price is not available i cant get that talk to them for last 10 days every day 1 hour to 2 hours on the phone no one is ready to help they just want to rip you off by lieing to you and get you stuck with service you dont want i hope they get suit big time and close down the verizon service in usa and every where they are i have to say they are peace of ### company never ever try them they are bunch of liers

My mother owns a small business. She is a great business owner and her clients love her. The one problem she has is not shopping around to make sure she gets a good price and she takes everyone’s word. Well, she has been advertising for years all over the place. When I stepped in to help her business out due to this economy thing, I noticed that she was spending way too much on advertising. So I started to investigate all my advertising to see what was paying off to see what we were going to cut and what we were going to keep.
I always thought that the prices for a little box ad was high. So I started to check around to see what there competition was charging. Well the competition was charging a lot less. I do understand that the Verizon book in our area was a lot better so I didn’t pay any attention to that. What happened net really got me mad.
I was having a few happy hour drinks and I was catching up with an old friend and the conversation came up about how my family was and how my mothers business was doing. I told him about how I was starting to get involved with reducing operational costs to make sure we can weather out this roller coasted ride that we call the economy. So I told him that I can believe how much the phone book ads were. He laughed and told me that amount I told him was a yearly amount and not a monthly amount. Well I knew the billing and how much I was paying per month. So now it became a bet on who was right.
So we went back to my office and I showed him the bill so I can win a free steak dinner. It turns out that he was paying about 15% of the price for a larger ad. It never occurred to me to check out the pricing. So I called Idearc, big joke there and ill save you the story on that debacle, and found out that they have different pricing for all there ads. I would think that the more you buy would get you a better price, right? Wrong! I called up to pose as a new business in the area and wanted to check on the prices. What I got was an answer that was like 80% cheaper then was we were paying for years. The prices were for the same ad size in color in the same book.
What I found out was they have different discounts for new and existing customers. WTF? So in conclusion if you are a paying customer for years you have to pay more than a new customer signing up for ad’s. Go threw your local phone book and call the companies up that have the same ad in the same book and compare prices. You will be shocked to see what you find. Remember, buyer beware of this company!
I canceled all my phone book ad’s with all the major companies. I found a company called chesapeake marketing solutions on the east coast. They do internet marketing like everyone else but they have month to month contracts and if you work at it they will wave the set up fee. For the fee that they charge it beets me doing the listings on adwords. If you do any yellow page ad’s you should look into national companies that negotiate the prices for you. I guess its like having a realestate agent when buying a home or something like that. Good luck to all and remember that good business is remembered and bad business will never be forgotten!

I have a complaint concerning my Treo 755p cellphone and Verizon wirelss. I work at home and often use my cellphone for business purposes. For some reason the reception on this phone is extremely poor for me; to likes of 1 to 2 bars. My wife also has a Verizon phone, however her's works fine. I have contacted Verizon about 3 weeks ago, at which point they sent me a duplicate replacement phone. I used this phone for about 2 weeks with same results. I called back and tech support worked with me for about an hour, to no avail. Lloyd the support guy promised to call me at noon the following day...no call by 2 o'clock so I called. Had to explain the whole situation to (2) people from scratch. End result, now they want to send techs out test in my area...then if problem persist they will see about replacement phone.

Now, I'm a reasonable guy, but why do I have to wait any longer to obtain a working phone for a company who proclaims coverage everywhere? So, in the meantime I'm left with a unreliable phone until Verizon see fit to address the issue. Not good customer service!

An open letter to Verizon Wireless:

Dear Sir or Madam:
As a new customer, I signed up for a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Select Family SharePlan which includes ‘Unlimited Text, Picture, Video & Instant Messaging.’ My account was opened in February 2009 and when I activated my five lines, I specifically requested a data block on all of the phones. The CSR activated the blocks and I was ready to use my phones.

When I started getting my bill, I noticed several charges for $1.99 for megabyte usage. So the next month, I called and inquired as to why I was being charged for data access after it had been blocked. The CSR told me that the previous Verizon employee who activated my phones had forgotten to add a few blocks. She informed me that the problem was now taken care of; that I wouldn’t be billed any data charges again. For the next 4 billing statements, I had data charges on various lines. I called each month and each CSR could not explain why, but each insured me the problem was taken care of.

Although all my family members know data access is blocked, simply hitting the wrong key on accident will incur a data charge. My line has been charged a few times, and I have not used any data. My mother’s line has been charged for data access as well; she can barely use a computer, much less cell phone internet.

When I made my routine monthly call to Verizon Wireless in June, I explained that I wanted this problem fixed for good. I was transferred to technical support and they could not find the reason, as all the necessary blocks were in place. That tech support employee then transferred me to “level 2” care to see if they could figure out the problem. They couldn’t find out why I was being billed either, so they said that a team engineer would return my call within the next day once the ‘glitch’ is found.

I waited about a week and I never received a call back from Verizon as promised. I then called back, and spoke to a gentleman who informed me that I couldn’t block data charges completely unless I also agreed to block picture messaging.

I don’t understand. I am paying extra for picture messaging. Why would I want to block something I am paying for? Before I originally signed up, I was told that I could block data access. I don’t think my request is unreasonable. In fact, I just switched from AT&T, where I had a data block AND picture messaging. Verizon is acting like it is impossible block because the two are tied together.

If blocking data access and picture messaging are truly tied together, it is because they were designed as such. From your business point of view: let’s say 10% of your customers (a very conservative guess, I’d say) are charged $1.99 extra each month for data they didn’t use. 80 million customers * 10% = 8 million customers. 8 million customers * $1.99 = $16 million extra dollars each month! I understand the profit motive here, but it’s a dirty, deceitful business practice. From a customer’s point of view, it’s ridiculously unfair. Every other major wireless carrier has the ability to block data charges completely without blocking picture messaging that the customer pays extra for.

The first 6 customer service representatives I spoke with did not even know about such an issue. In fact, three of the CSRs I spoke with agreed with me and said it’s a common complaint! In all honestly, this problem has not been fixed for one of two reasons: First, Verizon realizes the profit in deceit, or/and, second, Verizon hasn’t instructed their engineers to fix the issue. We both know it can be fixed, but clearly, it’s not a priority. I bet if Verizon lost, instead of gained $1.99 each occurrence, you would have the problem fixed tomorrow.

I encourage you to search Google for phrases such as, “Verizon $1.99 data block.” You’ll find pages and pages of customers discussing this exact same issue. In fact, many of the discussions take place on forums.verizon.com. Your customers are upset, yet nothing has changed.

In short, when I come time for millions of your valued customer’s to renew their contract, we will consider the unfair charges and unethical business practices. You should revaluate your plan and treat your customers like your business depends on them, because it does.

I would like an explanation and a refund of all related charges to date, please.

Sincerely,

******* *******

The store at 915 W 36th Street in Baltimore sucks. Not only do they not keep in stock common items like chargers for phones they sell, but then they don't keep the store open for the hours they state the store is open. I've also encountered rude unhelpful staff there before too (though not all of them are that way). They sold me a bad phone that wouldn't keep its charge, then refused to replace it stating that I had to drive out to White Marsh to have a technician look at it (and by the time I got out there, my warranty had expired so I had to buy a new phone). It can be difficult for some to make trips outside of the city (not everyone has a car).
I was advised by a passerby (as I stood outside of the prematurely closed store) that this store was terrible, that they overcharged for their items, and that I should go to the store in Reisterstown. Too bad I don't live in Reisterstown.

I just received my phone bill and realized a $181.48 charge for a phone call to Varna, Bulgaria. I tried various online sites trying to get the rate from Verizon but could not get the information. I could not find it in your phone book either. I check various sites and got quotes that ranged between $.029 and $.259 a minute Mobile being more expensive I do not believe I should have to pay this outrageous rate.

I used Verizon realizing it would be more expensive but it was an emergency. I did not have time to push all sorts of buttons to try and talk to an operator. Never did I think I would be charged over $5.00 a minute. I still do not know how much a minute I was charged or how long the call was as all the bill listed was Voice Additional Charges. Upon receiving the bill, I called the billing department. After pushing many button and about ten minutes later I spoke to the International Billing Department. I Received a $5.00 refund for the first call I made and left a message. My bill was $216.13 for the call with a Freed Value deduction of $34.49 making the total $181.49.

I think it is out outrageous that Verizon charges these rates and the customer does not have easy access to the costs. It is just a way for Verizon to promote international service at an extra charge per month. What about the occasional international caller? I think your rates should be listed on line and in the phone book. I believe Verizon is targeting the immigrant population who do not know the language and sales pitch and take your service instead of phone cards. Why can"t Verizon charge reasonable rates.

After making the call, I received several calls from telemarketer asking if I wanted to buy additional service for international calls. How dare you invade my privacy! It is not anyone's business to know what international calls I make; even worse to pass that information on to telemarketers. Not only are you invading my privacy but annoying me with telemarketer phone calls. To make matters worse after refusing the telemarketer, I keep getting calls. Does no mean anything. If I wanted international service, I would call and inquire about it. I am sure if I want to buy a product your company would have no problems providing me with the information

Here is documentation I took to record my experience with Verizon. The main thing to note is that Lisa, who works for Verizon collections, used profanity while harrassing me. This is illegal, a fact that I found out much later. Though what can a small guy do? Verizon Sucks.

Target of Complaint:
VERIZON
P.O. BOX 619009
DWF AIRPORT, TX 75261

Type of Complaint:
Select the type of complaint you wish to file.
3. Details of Complaint: Tell us about your complaint,
4. Personal Information: Tell us about yourself,
5. Submission to the BBB: Submit the complaint to the bureau.

Ad was placed in Verizon phone book without my consent.

A Verizon representative, Zak Hobbs, called to inquire whether I would be interested in buying an Ad in Verizon Yellow Pages Phone Book. I agreed to listen to his offer. He mentions he could produce a proof for the ad for me to consider. He said that the ad would not go in the phone book without my approval, but in order to get the ball rolling, he needed a third party confirmation. Again, he said this was just to get designing the proof started but that it would not be printed without my permission. He said I would receive proof and then I could give the yes or no answer. I never received proof.

A friend and business owner, R. Blackburn, recommended that I should call back and ensure they did not put my ad in the phone book. He mentioned he had similar problems with a sales rep from a phone book. I called Zak Hobbs [protected]) who ensured it would not be put in.

Received call from solicitors who said my ad was in the yellow pages. Called Zak Hobbs 3rd week in October after finding out ad was in yellow pages. Zak gave me the number of his manager Charles Boreno [protected]). Called Charles and left message for him to call me back

4th week October, Left another message on Charles voice mail

5th week October, called Verizon billing, [protected] x4575. Talked to Connie who said I would need to talk to Charles. She said she e-mailed Nov 2nd him a message to call me.

1st week November 5th called Charles and left voice mail.

2nd week November 11th, called Verizon billing, [protected] x4575. Talked to Connie. Requested her to send another e-mail since Charles had not contact me yet.
Called 2nd week in November (11/18/04). Called [protected] talked to Lisa W. at collections. Told me that District Sales Manager was sent an e-mail. Offered me Zak’s rep supervisor. Told her I already had it, I had called him but no answer. Also explained how I was deceived regarding the ad. Mention the info in ad was wrong. She said I could talk to customer service for an adjustment.

12/06/04 Called and talk to customer service. Informed them that the information in the ad was incorrect, and a brief history of my problem with their sales representative. She said that they will look over ad and give me a call back.
Received VM from Vergil from Verizon. Called him back at [protected] ext 4590. He listened to my complaint and mentioned if I choose to use Verizon, I would deal with Zak again. I informed him I had decided a few months ago not to use Verizon.

12/22/04, Called Verizon billing at [protected]. no answer 4575. Talked to Connie.

12/28/04. Called Charles Boreno [protected]). Was out of office. Called Melinda at [protected], extension 3964 – left message on voice mail regarding questions to my account

12/29/04 Kathy Bond called me back (Melinda gave her my info). I mention the info in the ad was mostly incorrect and would like to see if I could have the billing cancelled. She said I should talk to customer service to about the incorrect listing. Informed her customer service told me to get into contact with George Boreno.
Called Verizon billing at [protected]. Susie Watkins answered the phone. I informed her information was incorrect in the ad. She mentioned a ticket had already been opened. Transferred me to Virgil [protected] ext 4590) who had closed my ticket. Was cut off. Tried calling again a few times but was not able to get through.
Lisa, from Verizon Collection Departmen, treated me with contempt and threatened to take me to court. Without provocation, she said to me “### you”.

Submitted complaint to BBB online
2/17/05 Received call from Jan (Verizon customer service: [protected] or [protected] ext 4559) inquiring about complaint sent to BBB. I explained the basis for complaint.

Abbreviated version for the BBB:

Ad was placed in Verizon phone book without my consent.

A Verizon representative, Zak Hobbs, called to inquire whether I would be interested in buying an Ad in Verizon Yellow Pages Phone Book. I agreed to listen to his offer. He mention he could produce an ad proof for me to consider at no cost and that the ad would not go in the phone book without my approval, but in order to get the ball rolling to design the ad proof, he needed a third party confirmation. He understood that much of the info in the ad would change such as price structure, phone#, etc. Again, he said this was just to get designing the proof started but that it would not be printed without my permission. He said I would receive proof and then I could give the yes or no answer. Never received proof.

A good friend and business owner, Richard Blackburn, recommended that I should call back and ensure they did not put my ad in the phone book anyway. He mention he had similar problems with a sales rep from a phone book co. I called Zak Hobbs who ensured it would not be put in.

3rd week in Oct: Received call from solicitors who said my ad was in the Verizon yellow pages. Called Zak Hobbs who gave me the number of his manager, Charles Boreno. Called Charles and left message for him to call me back. No call back

4th week in Oct - Left another message on Charles voice mail. No call back.

5th week in Oct - Called Verizon billing. Talked to Connie who said I would need to talk to Charles. She said she e-mail him a message to call me on Nov 2nd. No call back.

The message I left on Charles Boreno's phone were tactful and friendly. This phone calling went on until Jan 2005, when I finally recieved a call from the Verizon Collection Department. The Rep, Lisa, treated me with contempt and threatened to take me to court. She told me to “### you”. I was astonished by such animosity.

www.verizonsucksass.com

Verizon Wireless keep charging for data downloads on my phone, even though every "extra" service has been cancelled. The phone is used only for making and receiving calls, yet Verizon Wireless charge $5.98 every 3 - 4 months for Data downloads. When I call them about it, they can tell me that the downloads are music, and they are not downloaded via the phone, but via the internet. When I ask how they get to the phone when downloads and texting are blocked, their answer is that someone has accessed my online account and is sending the music to my phone. I pointed out how ridiculous this was, but to no avail. One customer service representative even suggested that my children have set up a "fake" account, because that's what he did as a child! Verizon Wireless are simply trying to make more money and hope that no-one notices. My advice is to check your bill very carefully.

On December 22, 2008 I renewed my plan and upgraded to Friends n Family. A second phone number was added, ...and the charge was to be 9.95 per month.

When I recieved my first bills, the second number was charged $39.95, plus Vcast and Net services for an addtional $25.00 I Paid the 79.95 1400 minute plan charge. An error had occured in the set up of the accounts on Dec 22. The error was "corrected Jan 11, 2009.

Yesterday I got a collection notice for 86.05 plus a collection cost of 15.48. I called the ERS COLLECTIONS and was told I had to pay or provide proof that I did not owe the money. THIS IS ILLEGAL, it is up to them to to prove I owe the money.

SOOOOOOO I called VZ and got one of their barely english speaking "customer service" folks on the phone. I was so mad at her insistance that I owed the amount because I changed the account on Jan 11.

I got out my reciepts and called back, this time to someone I could understand.
The long and short of it.. I have to pay the collection agency and was given a $30 credit for the month the phone was not listed (their mistake mind you). BTW, the second CS agreed she didnt understand why I was getting charged! Additionally NO ONE could tell me what the additional charges were for, the difference between the 39.95 and the 86.05.

IN ADDITION, I keep getting billed for VCAST and NAGIGATOR having cancelled with the 30 "free trial" date. When I asked USELESS CS 1 why, she said it was cancelled on June 30th... LIES LIES LIES

I am self employed, and they told me I had to go to the store where I purchased the service for any further explanations or credits. I charge $60 per hour as a self employed person. I have already lost more then I can ever recover, to say nothing of my blood pressure.

VERIZON WIRELESS IS A CHEATING, LYING, DISHONEST SERVICE.

DO NOT SUBSCRIBE.

I am cancelling my service and have advised them to send the charge immediately to ERS Collections... I will never pay that bill.