Verizon IssuesEssay Preview: Verizon IssuesReport this essay10th March 2005The Verizon EDMA CenterP.O. Box 1915Beltsville, MD 20705-1915To Whom It May Concern:I am writing in reference to international charges posted on my most recent phone bill (Billing date – 02/20/05). To explain the situation, I traveled to Manchester, England on January 22, 2005 through February 8, 2005. On January 25, 2005, my wife called to inquire about international calling plans offered by Verizon. She was informed by a Verizon employee that the calling plan cost $4/month and that would entitle her to $.08/minute to England. Based on this fact, we used the calling plan for the rest of the time I was England, assuming we were paying $.08/minute.
I have now resolved the issue by providing a copy of the ECRP to one of our customers about the billing plan that they are required to present, and I am confident that it will pass. In particular, I was assured on February 8, 2005 that my wife would not be required to renew her current billing plan. To put to rest any questions on that fact, I called Verizon for three days and spoke with them over their recent “conclusion.” I got no answer, and am prepared to reevaluate my position over the next few days to determine their intent (which is why the Verizon ECRP comes with a new “conclusion”). After speaking with Vast Media, Verizon decided that I had no standing to challenge the validity of my own e-mail, including the fact that her e-mail was a private e-mail only and that its content was a personal one. Verizon then took me aside and told me that the e-mail was on her computer while in England, so that I would take care to avoid this. When this was done, and I was able to complete my ECRP without further questions, Verizon assured me that its sole purpose was to help a customer return a bill. When I asked Verizon why it did not take this step personally at all, Verizon responded that their e-mail service works for customers who want to call for more information through e-mail and not in a direct connection to customers. I have no further comment.Verizon would not comment personally on whether an e-mail account is an e-mail account or not, and I am not a subscriber. Verizon does not offer a “free” service to call Verizon for free through Verizon’s “Pair plan” service, so calling Verizon for a free service is not a mandatory action.Verizon will work in cooperation with other businesses and government entities in order to ensure that our customers are protected from unfair and deceptive marketing practices. I have contacted Verizon for more information on this situation, and did not receive a response.The Verizon EDMA Center, located at 907 N. Fourth St., Louisville, KY 40705 was opened by Verizon in February 2009. Verizon also had a few other locations open at the time, including a store in Louisville, as well as a phone on the corner of 5th Street and Fourth Avenue. In addition to location in Louisville, Verizon has some locations that do not have a Verizon EDMA Center. For an example of Verizon EDMA Center locations, please click here. Verizon had some locations in Massachusetts, Tennessee and Missouri in the 1980s, so I believe that they began a few different plans under the auspices of Verizon. Verizon started out with about 100 stores nationwide in North America (though it has expanded to just seven
I have now resolved the issue by providing a copy of the ECRP to one of our customers about the billing plan that they are required to present, and I am confident that it will pass. In particular, I was assured on February 8, 2005 that my wife would not be required to renew her current billing plan. To put to rest any questions on that fact, I called Verizon for three days and spoke with them over their recent “conclusion.” I got no answer, and am prepared to reevaluate my position over the next few days to determine their intent (which is why the Verizon ECRP comes with a new “conclusion”). After speaking with Vast Media, Verizon decided that I had no standing to challenge the validity of my own e-mail, including the fact that her e-mail was a private e-mail only and that its content was a personal one. Verizon then took me aside and told me that the e-mail was on her computer while in England, so that I would take care to avoid this. When this was done, and I was able to complete my ECRP without further questions, Verizon assured me that its sole purpose was to help a customer return a bill. When I asked Verizon why it did not take this step personally at all, Verizon responded that their e-mail service works for customers who want to call for more information through e-mail and not in a direct connection to customers. I have no further comment.Verizon would not comment personally on whether an e-mail account is an e-mail account or not, and I am not a subscriber. Verizon does not offer a “free” service to call Verizon for free through Verizon’s “Pair plan” service, so calling Verizon for a free service is not a mandatory action.Verizon will work in cooperation with other businesses and government entities in order to ensure that our customers are protected from unfair and deceptive marketing practices. I have contacted Verizon for more information on this situation, and did not receive a response.The Verizon EDMA Center, located at 907 N. Fourth St., Louisville, KY 40705 was opened by Verizon in February 2009. Verizon also had a few other locations open at the time, including a store in Louisville, as well as a phone on the corner of 5th Street and Fourth Avenue. In addition to location in Louisville, Verizon has some locations that do not have a Verizon EDMA Center. For an example of Verizon EDMA Center locations, please click here. Verizon had some locations in Massachusetts, Tennessee and Missouri in the 1980s, so I believe that they began a few different plans under the auspices of Verizon. Verizon started out with about 100 stores nationwide in North America (though it has expanded to just seven
However, when we received the phone bill, the charges for all calls made through the calling plan were charged at $.30/minute. When I contacted Verizon regarding the difference, I was told that each call had a premium service termination charge attached to it of $.22/minute.
My problem with this situation is that my wife was never informed that a premium service termination charge existed. When she signed up for the plan, a Verizon employee specifically told her that all calls to England would be $.08/minute. She was not given a qualifier stating that there was a possibility the charges may be higher due to a premium service termination. Furthermore, we never received literature explaining the details of the plan. Had we known that charges could have been $.30/minute, we would have used an alternative calling plan with much lower rates.
Due to false information, or a lack of important information, given to us by a Verizon employee, we were overcharged $89.76 (408 minutes x $.22/minute). I ask that you refund us that difference to rectify your mistake.
I have already called the Verizon hotlines and even though everybody I speak with agrees that Verizon was wrong in this situation, nobody will refund the money. I am in a service industry myself and when I am wrong, I dont make the customer pay for my mistake.
Sincerely,James Lipton